Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Taehyung was always a bit bored when he was home alone for several days. Days were fine, he was immersed in work in his atelier right there in the house, but when he was done and went to make himself something for dinner or order some take-out and then turned on TV, that was when the loneliness settled heavily in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t be on his own or like he didn’t have any friends that he was hanging out with from time to time, but the absence of his boyfriend was always felt.

He had a great life, he couldn’t really complain.

He grew up in a small town near Daegu and then went to the Seoul National University to pursue his passion which was art. He got to follow his dream and graduated and became an artist, for a while working under a company, but he always felt restrained there. Only a few years after graduation he got the luxury of working from home where he had a spacious atelier and he had a decent clientele that was buying his paintings and sculptures and ceramics. He knew that he could never afford it if it wasn’t for his boyfriend’s amazingly paid job, because if he was being honest, even though he wasn’t unknown, he wasn’t some big name and he wasn’t earning enough to be able to do this if it wasn’t for the fact that his boyfriend’s job comfortably provided for the both of them.

He met Jeongguk when he was still in the university, just a bit before the graduation and recently they celebrated their fifth anniversary. Their meeting was nothing special, Jeongguk just sat next to him at a bar where he was alone after a tough day, nursing a glass of a sweet drink. This stranger just sat next to him and ordered a beer and it was clear that he just minded his business and didn’t come to Taehyung to flirt. When Taehyung took a look at him though, he was disappointed that he didn’t come to flirt though, because the guy was so handsome it nearly took his breath away. He had this bad boy type aura around him too, he was muscular, dressed in a rather simple, all-black outfit, one arm completely covered in tattoos.

Eventually they did end up chatting and the simple small talk turned into a three-hour long conversation and in the end, they ended up exchanging numbers. They went on a date, then another and the rest is history. They have been living together for three years in a beautiful house that Jeongguk bought for them. It was nothing luxurious or pompous, but it was modern and spacious and it had two floors, the first one had a spacious living room with a kitchen, a bathroom and a laundry room and a guest room. Their bedroom, bathroom and a closet were on the first floor along with Taehyung’s atelier that was spacious and light and it was Jeongguk’s gift to him. When Jeongguk took him to show him the house for the first time and revealed the space, telling Taehyung that it was where he could work, Taehyung first cried with happiness and then he kissed the other until things got heated and they ended up fucking on the floor of the new, unfurnished house.

Five years have passed since they met and Taehyung couldn’t be happier. Jeongguk was a bit over one year younger than him, but he was very mature and thoughtful and kind, but at the same time smart and funny, just a whole package that Taehyung never even hoped to find in anyone. The only annoying and slightly negative thing about their relationship was that Jeongguk travelled a lot. He wasn’t on the road all the time, but he went on several business trips a year, usually for a week or so and when he was gone, Taehyung didn’t really know what to do by himself, especially at night when he lay alone in their bed.

Five years into a relationship and Taehyung didn’t really know what exactly Jeongguk was doing. He just knew that the younger was working for some big tech company as a salesman, not that kind that would go door to door and bother people, he was searching for new clients for the company, convincing them to buy their products or invest in the research and realization. Taehyung always thought that it was impressive, Jeongguk graduated from high school and didn’t continue in any studies, but with hard work he was able to work himself up the company ladder and by the age of twenty-eight, he was earning money that even most older people could only dream of. The only downside was that his job required travelling, but Taehyung understood.

Tonight he was not going to be bored though, he worked in the atelier the whole day and finished slightly sooner than normally to have time to clean up a little, order food and prepare something to drink, because his best friend was coming over to hang out. He knew Jimin since university, he was a dancer and they had classes in the same art building and somehow they ended up sitting together in a cafeteria, ended up chatting and from there, they quickly became besties. And even now when they were both working, they still kept in touch and saw each other rather frequently, maybe because they both had boyfriends who were busy. It was no coincidence though, Jimin dated Jeongguk’s co-worker Yoongi, they got together a few months after Taehyung and Jeongguk when Jeongguk brought Yoongi with him to a pub along with few other friends. Yoongi was rather quiet and seemed grumpy, so it wasn’t easy for Jimin to get under his skin at first, but he was relentless and eventually after a few weeks of knowing each other, they went on their first date and were together ever since.

“Shit, I need to change,” Taehyung grumbled to himself when he walked past the long mirror near the downstairs bathroom and noticed that there were some paint stains on his pants. He always wore an apron, but he always managed to get something on himself too, Jeongguk always joked that it was his superpower, and for that reason he always wore some older clothes that he could just throw away when they couldn’t be washed and saved anymore.

He headed upstairs when things were already ready in the living room for Jimin’s arrival and the delivery guy should be there in about fifteen minutes, everything was perfectly timed.

He changed in simple but nice sweatpants and a t-shirt that belonged to Jeongguk. He liked wearing his clothes, especially when the younger was on business trips, it made him miss him less. He wore his clothes even when he was home though, it was always so comfy because it was bigger on him and Jeongguk loved seeing him in them too, it rubbed the little possessive side that he had the right way.

Just when he came back downstairs, the doorbell rang so he went to the front door. It was the delivery guy with the food, he always ordered more when he had company, but he liked that he had leftovers for the next day. He didn’t cook much, Jeongguk did most of the cooking in their house, and he didn’t really like cooking just for himself, he usually cooked when Jeongguk was home.

He prepared everything in the living room and just when he finished, the doorbell rang again.

“Hello, babe!” Jimin greeted with a wide smile, showing him a bottle of expensive wine. He always brought something when he came over, even though Taehyung always told him not to. There was always booze in this house, not that he and Jeongguk would drink a lot, but they weren’t abstinents either, they liked to open a bottle of good wine or some good soju sometimes.

“Come in, it’s freezing out there!” Taehyung urged him. It was the end of November and the days and nights were getting colder, he loved winter, he just didn’t like cold air being blown inside through the opened door.

“Prepared as always,” Jimin chuckled when he took off his jacket and shoes and put on guest slippers and then walked in the spacious living room and saw the coffee table filled with food. Taehyung turned on the electric fireplace with fake but really realistic flames dancing on the screen, it was one of the things he loved the most about the house in the winter.

“Hope you are hungry, I ordered a lot,” he commented, taking the white wine from Jimin and going to the kitchen in the corner to put the bottle in the fridge.

“I’m starving, I’m coming straight from work.”

“So late?”

“I have a late class on Wednesday,” Jimin explained: “And when Yoongi is away, I stay longer than necessary, I hate being home alone.”

“I can so relate, I love my atelier, but when Jeonggukie is gone, it sucks that I am here twenty four seven all alone,” Taehyung nodded.

He was just a few months younger than Jimin, maybe that was the reason why they became so close so quickly. That and their compatible personalities, they were both sociable and talkative and energetic and they both ended up with their complete opposites. Sometimes they joked about it, because Yoongi and Jeongguk had very similar personalities, they were both quite introverted and less talkative, but perhaps that was one of the reasons why their relationships were so happy.

Jimin majored in dance and for two years after graduation, he worked for an entertainment company as a backup dancer. He loved the job and he got to travel a lot, but when he felt like he wanted to slow down and settle down, he kissed that career goodbye and found a job in a dance academy as a teacher. He quickly came to love that job too, he loved teaching kids and young people and nurture their passion and help them get better, his working hours were quite flexible and he didn’t work for eight hours a day, but just like Taehyung, he too had the luxury of not having to have a super-well-paid job since Yoongi was earning a lot.

“Have you talked to Jeongguk?”

“Of course, just yesterday,” Taehyung nodded as they sat down on the sofa and instantly dug in. He and Jeongguk kept in touch when he was gone, sometimes the younger was too busy for calling, but they always exchanged at least a couple of texts. Taehyung hated when they were apart, but he loved that it made them miss each other and appreciate their time together, perhaps that was one of the reasons why they haven’t gotten tired of each other and why the spark in their relationship hasn’t disappeared yet. They still had a very frequent and satisfying sex life, that included some occasional phone sex.

“It is always something big when they go on a business trip together,” the elder pointed out: “Usually they travel separately.”

“Yoongi travels less than Jeonggukie.”

“Thank god for that.”

“They are gonna be back in a few days though and then it is Christmas,” Taehyung smiled dreamily, already excited to have his lover home for the holiday season.

“And then it is your birthday, you are turning thirty.”

“Don’t even remind me.”

“It is not that bad.”

“You were literally in a depression for a week before your birthday last month,” Taehyung scoffed.

“Yeah and I turned thirty and nothing happened, I am still as handsome and funny as I was before that day,” Jimin said with a wink.

“I don’t know, looking at you now, I feel like you are uglier and your jokes were never funny to begin with.”

“Yah!” Jimin hit him lightly in the arm, which made Taehyung laugh loudly. Of course that he was only teasing and Jimin knew that, that was what their friendship consisted of half of the time.

“Anyway, we should plan a big birthday party for you, I am gonna call Jeongguk when he comes back and come up with some surprise.”

“Oh boy, you and your surprises,” Taehyung sighed: “And I am sure you are not gonna get Jeongguk on board, he hates that shit.”

“I swear to god that sometimes I think that we are both too good for those two grumpy idiots,” Jimin laughed.

“I don’t know, I am pretty damn happy with my grumpy idiot.”

“Oh, you are so fucking cute, it is disgusting.”

“Guilty as charged,” Taehyung smiled around the glass of wine that he filled before Jimin even arrived.

“It’s nice that you are so in love even after five years,” Jimin smiled.

“As are you.”

“True,” Jimin nodded: “I miss Yoongi, but hey, we have each other and we haven’t hung out in a while, let’s just enjoy it, bestie.”

“Cheers to that,” Taehyung grinned, bringing his glass up to clink it against Jimin’s and he already knew that tomorrow, he was going to have at least a little hangover. God, he really loved his life.

*

Taehyung worked a bit later than usual. He usually worked on his art based on his own ideas, sometimes he painted, sometimes he worked on sculptures, he liked alternating between work, it helped him to always be excited to get to something after a few days of a break. For the past few days he was working on a specific request he got from one of his loyal clients thought, he didn’t have many but those he had were wealthy and passionate about art and they always paid well. Mrs. Kim that contacted him a week ago tasked him to paint a landscape of Seoul, her husband was a big animal in the construction industry and she wanted to surprise him with a painting of the city where he designed and constructed many buildings. He worked based on a photo that she sent him, but he didn’t mind, he didn’t paint cityscape very often, so it was a lovely challenge.

He finished when it was almost eight and he was too hungry to ignore his empty stomach. He washed up a little and went to the kitchen and heated up leftovers and ate in peaceful silence.

After he ate, he went to wash the dishes, they had a dishwasher, of course, but when he was alone and he didn’t cook and there weren't lots of dirty dishes, he usually just washed them by hand.

He was just washing a tea mug from the morning when he thought that he heard some sound outside, like a car pulling up to a driveway, but then he thought some car just drove past the house and didn’t pay any attention to it.

But then he heard another sound and it felt like it was coming from inside of the house, which made him a bit uneasy, he turned off the water and turned around. Just when he did, someone walked in the living room from the entry hall.

His eyes widened and lips parted in surprise that was followed by outburst of happiness.

“Hello, sunshine,” Jeongguk greeted him with a warm smile, putting down the suitcase he was carrying.

“What are you doing here?” Taehyung got out, still shocked from the unexpected return because Jeongguk wasn’t supposed to be back for another day or two.

“The job went surprisingly fast and smoothly, so I got on the first plane here to surprise you,” the younger explained briefly.

“Well, you succeeded!”

“Or should I have called so your lover that is hiding in the closet could sneak out?”

“Well, now you busted me,” Taehyung scoffed, going along with the playful banter, because that’s what it was, Jeongguk was just teasing him, they often did this, there was nothing malicious or serious about it.

“Okay, well, then I guess you need to distract me somehow to give him time and space to leave through the balcony,” Jeongguk chuckled.

“I’m so glad you’re back, baby,” the elder laughed lightly, finally moving and running to his boyfriend. Jeongguk expected this, so when Taehyung quite literally jumped into his arms, he was ready and caught him with ease, lifting Taehyung just a little so his feet weren’t touching the ground. Then their lips met and they kissed, softly yet passionately, the way they always did after being separated for a couple of days.

Jeongguk slowly put Taehyung back on the ground, but he didn’t let go of him, hugging him tightly and burying face in his neck to smell his favourite light perfume. Only when he did this and smelled the flowery scent did he know that he was finally home, because it was the smell of home. Taehyung didn’t like those manly, strong perfumes or colognes, at least not on himself, he liked light and slightly feminine scents, although he liked Jeongguk’s perfumes that were manly and musky.

“God, I can’t believe it,” Taehyung mumbled, sighing as he melted in the other’s arms, feeling so fucking good to be hugged by him and feeling that muscular torso against him. Jeongguk liked working out, he frequently visited a gym not far from their house and he even exercised at home, it was his hobby that he genuinely liked and Taehyung wasn’t complaining in the slightest because he loved his boyfriend’s body. Not that he would stop loving Jeongguk even if he got out of shape, he would love him in any shape and form, but he couldn’t deny that Jeongguk was incredibly hot and it was apparent especially when he was naked.

“I thought about calling you, but you told me yesterday that you were working on that important thing, so I didn’t want to distract you,” Jeongguk said apologetically.

“You know me too well, if I knew you were coming, I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything,” the elder chuckled and finally pulled back to look at the other: “How was the flight, all good?”

“It was fine, short, you know that I was only in Singapore.”

“Thank god for that, if you were somewhere across the world, you wouldn’t have been home right now.”

“Did my baby miss me that much?” Jeongguk teased, booping Taehyung’s nose just because he couldn’t help himself. It earned him a giggle as he knew it would, that sound was another indicator that he was back home.

“You have no idea, I felt so damn lonely,” Taehyung pouted and then added with a little playful smile: “Especially at night in our bed.”

“Mm, that’s terrible,” Jeongguk sighed dramatically, wrapping his arms around Taehyung’s waist and bringing him closer, the softness from his eyes disappearing to be replaced by something more intense and hungry. He asked quietly: “Did you eat?”

“Yeah,” Taehyung hummed.

“I ate on the plane too,” the younger nodded as he leaned in and started kissing Taehyung’s neck. He added against the sensitive skin: “Which means that we don’t have to lose any time with eating or chit-chat, we can catch up tomorrow.”

“And what do you wanna do now then?” the elder asked breathlessly and it was just a rhetorical question since he knew what they were about to do and what he’s been aching for.

“I wanna take you upstairs to our bedroom,” Jeongguk said bluntly, whispering in his ear and making him shiver: “There I will make love to my amazing, gorgeous, beautiful, smart boyfriend.”

“Stop it, you flirt,” Taehyung chuckled breathlessly, blushing a little from all the compliments the other showered him with in one single sentence. Jeongguk did it often and he did it because Taehyung loved it, even though it always made him slightly flustered and shy, but that’s what Jeongguk loved, he always thought it was adorable.

“So, how does my proposal sound?” Jeongguk asked, voice thick with growing want.

“I have a slightly different proposal?”

“What is it?”

“We can leave the love making for some other time,” the elder said: “I’ve missed you, I need you so much, felt so empty for days, I need it hard.”

“Mm, poor baby,” Jeongguk said, voice sounding raspy and Taehyung knew he was really turned on now: “Felt empty without my cock, even though it’s been just a week. I guess I have to take responsibility then and fill you up and fuck you so hard you feel it in the morning.”

“Shit, yes,” Taehyung breathed out, feeling his cock harden from that simple yet sexy promise.

They barely made it up the stairs, stumbling as they were kissing and undressing each other, Jeongguk’s suitcase forgotten at the entrance to the living room. Reunion sex was always great, passionate and needy. It’s not like they had sex every day when they were both home and like they couldn’t go for a week or so without it, but when they were both home, they shared kisses, touches, they cuddled, they were physical in any way they could, so they weren’t so touch-starved. When they were separated because of Jeongguk’s business trips, they were deprived of any physical contact, so when they were finally together, they had to make up for the lost time.

Taehyung pushed Jeongguk on the spacious bed with a playful smirk, both only in their underwear at this point, before he climbed on him and settled on his lap, not wasting any time and bending down to seal their lips in another hungry kiss.

“Shit, doll, you are so fucking wild tonight,” Jeongguk groaned when the elder started kissing his neck and continued to his chest and even teased his nipples for a few seconds, his soft hands sliding over Jeongguk’s body and the ridges of the muscles, worshiping it.

“I just missed you so much,” Taehyung replied, moving his ass sinfully and moaning when he felt the obvious bulge under him, making him feel what he was going to have inside in a while.

He was addicted to sex with Jeongguk since their very first time. They slept together already on their second date, Taehyung didn’t plan for it, from the first time he met the younger, he really had the feeling that he could be the one, they just clicked so perfectly, so he wanted to wait for a while to establish that they were serious. But they went for dinner and then to a club and they got so worked up that when Jeongguk walked Taehyung to his apartment and the elder invited him over for a drink, they threw themselves at each other. Until this day, it was one of the most memorable sexual experiences Taehyung’s ever had, they were so damn impatient and horny that Jeongguk fucked him right there against the wall in his tiny kitchen.

Five years have gone by and Taehyung hasn’t gotten tired of sex with Jeongguk and he could tell that the younger felt the same if the way he was always touching and fucking him was anything to go by. He could be gentle and their love making always felt beautiful and special, but he was also rough sometimes and Taehyung lived for that. Jeongguk was just so naturally strong and even though he wasn’t a dom in the true sense of the word, he had the dominant and commanding aura that always managed to turn Taehyung into a begging, drooling mess. Before they met, Taehyung was a switch, bottoming or topping based on the mood, although it’s true that he has always been more on the bottoming side. Very early into their relationship, Taehyung learned that Jeongguk was a pure top, like the younger told him, it’s not like he hasn’t tried to be at the receiving end before, but he never really developed taste for it. And it was fine with Taehyung because he didn’t really care, and how could he not want to get fucked by Jeongguk when the younger was so good at it?

Jeongguk quickly prepared him with his fingers, impatiently yet still carefully and properly without changing the position. By the time Taehyung was stretched enough, he was riding the younger’s fingers while moaning and spitting out profanities.

When Jeongguk pulled out his fingers, he grabbed Taehyung and quickly turned them over with agility and strength that Taehyung was already familiar with but that he has never gotten really over, it was always so hot.

And when Jeongguk spread his legs, coated his cock with lube and finally pushed inside of him roughly, Taehyung nearly exploded in pleasure and he finally felt content and full.

The sex that followed was fast and hard and unapologetic, just like almost always after Jeongguk’s travels. He kept moving his hips with admirable force and expertise that always made Taehyung’s head spin and tears slide from his eyes until he was babbling and sobbing in maddening pleasure.

Jeongguk tripped over the edge first, cursing and groaning as he stuffed his dick even deeper inside of his lover and came, filling him with his release after a week. That feeling was what did it for Taehyung, Jeongguk just wrapped his fingers around his cock but he didn’t even start jerking him off before the elder was coming too, spilling a big load over his stomach and Jeongguk’s hand.

“Holy shit,” Taehyung laughed breathlessly, feeling the familiar, welcomed height after a good orgasm.

“Yeah, holy shit,” Jeongguk chuckled, leaning down and kissing him slowly and deeply. And even though they were slightly disgusting, they couldn’t bring themselves to separate just yet, Taehyung made it clear to Jeongguk to stay like this when he wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

“I’m glad you’re home,” the elder mumbled against Jeongguk’s tattooed shoulder.

“I’m glad to be home,” Jeongguk reassured him.

“I hope you are not leaving anytime soon.”

“You know that sometimes I have to leave on short notice,” Jeongguk sighed: “But for now there are no plans for another trip and I made myself pretty clear that I am not available for any important business from the middle of December until the beginning of January.”

“Good, we have to be together for Christmas.”

“And your birthday, you are celebrating a milestone.”

“About that…Jiminie will be probably texting you with some crazy ideas, promise to keep him in check, you know him, he would be able to order a circus and swans and a whole damn Russian ballet company.”

“I will keep an eye on him,” Jeongguk promised with laughter as he pulled back and looked at the elder, eyes soft and warm: “I love you.”

“I love you more,” Taehyung smiled.

“That is definitely not possible.”

“I don’t know, I love you pretty damn much.”

“Not as much as I love you,” the younger argued.

“You always have to win, huh?” the elder scoffed but he was still smiling widely.

“Yep, especially when it comes to loving you.”

Taehyung sighed contentedly when Jeongguk lay back down on him and they were holding onto each other and he just couldn’t comprehend how happy he felt. His life really was perfect and he was grateful for that every day.

He had no idea that soon, his life was going to turn upside down and that it was going to turn out that he didn’t know at all the perfect man he loved.

Chapter Text

Taehyung was woken up by soft lips kissing his. It was a familiar ritual, so he just smiled without opening his eyes, hearing Jeongguk walk around the bedroom and rummaging through his suitcase to unpack since he didn’t get to it last night, because fucking Taehyung’s brains out – not once but twice – was a priority.

Jeongguk was a tidy person though, he always unpacked after arriving, putting everything neatly in the closet and the rest of clothes on the bathroom floor for Taehyung to separate and put in the washing machine later. After every business trip, Jeongguk headed to his office to meet with the boss to give him a report on how the trip went, which meant that Taehyung was home alone all day yet again, but he didn’t mind when he knew the younger would return in the afternoon or the evening.

“I am leaving now,” Jeongguk whispered as he came back to him about fifteen minutes later, caressing his hair lovingly.

“Come home as soon as you can,” the elder mumbled, still not opening his eyes since he knew that he was going to fall asleep in a few minutes anyway. One of the biggest perks of working as an independent artist was that he could get up and work whenever he wanted and after the night like yesterday’s, he wasn’t planning on getting up anytime soon.

“Of course, I will come back straight from work and cook some good dinner for us, mm?” Jeongguk said with a smile in his voice, before his lips landed on Taehyung’s forehead.

“Have fun…”

“Go back to sleep,” Jeongguk chuckled, endeared by the elder’s tired voice.

Taehyung heard Jeongguk leaving the bedroom and then he drifted back to the dreamland again.

When he woke up again, it was almost nine. He got up, took a long shower to wash off all the traces of last night before he went down and made himself a tea and grabbed something for breakfast. Then he went to his atelier and started working on the city landscape for Mrs. Kim and he worked for two hours before he decided to take a break and eat something for lunch.

Before that, he went to the laundry room where he found Jeongguk’s clothes on the floor. The younger always did this after his travels, but it didn’t upset Taehyung. Jeongguk was a busy person and he was the reason for Taehyung’s comfortable life, so the least he could do in return was to take care of his dirty clothes while Jeongguk was at the meeting with his boss.

He started separating the clothes, most of it was formal, shirts, dress pants, but also some t-shirts and underwear, just your regular stuff.

He frowned when he noticed a little stain on one of the white shirts, looking at it closely. It was close to the neckline and it had a brownish colour, it looked like dried blood. Maybe the younger cut himself while shaving and a drop fell on the shirt?

Taehyung wouldn’t have paid any attention to it, people bled for different reasons sometimes, but the truth was that it wasn’t the first time he found blood on Jeongguk’s clothes. At first he didn’t think anything of it, but once or twice, the younger came home with bigger stains that made Taehyung worried. When he asked Jeongguk about it, the younger just told him that sometimes he was getting random nosebleeds and that wouldn’t be anything strange, lots of people had those, but what made it strange was that in all five years of dating, Taehyung has never personally experienced one of those mysterious nosebleeds. Once or twice, he had a foolish thought that maybe Jeongguk got in a drunken fight somewhere. The younger went out with some friends sometimes and Taehyung wasn’t stupid, he was sure that Jeongguk sometimes went to a pub or a bar when he was on a business trip and he didn’t care, he wasn’t a jealous person, he wasn’t controlling or anything of that sort, but the thought of Jeongguk getting in a fight was just ridiculous because his boyfriend was the sweetest person he’s ever known, he didn’t have a bad bone in his body.

But sometimes, Taehyung couldn’t help this weird feeling he had in the pit of his stomach, sometimes he thought that the blood stains were a sign of something vicious. Sometimes he had moments in which he was questioning whether he really knew his boyfriend, sometimes his instincts were warning him. But he always shut those thoughts down, because he loved Jeongguk and he knew what kind of man he was.

He tossed the shirt in the washing machine with the rest and then turned it on and by the time he was making himself a small lunch in the kitchen, he forgot all about the mysterious brown stain.

*

“Here is our birthday boy!” a tall handsome man grinned from behind the bar counter when Taehyung and Jeongguk walked in a bar.

Taehyung looked around in astonishment, the usually simple yet cool bar was now decorated with colourful balloons and even his name and the number thirty hanging above the counter.

“Happy birthday, Taehyung-ah!” another man behind the counter smiled at him, showing off his dimples.

“Jin-hyung, Namjoonie-hyung, what is all this?” Taehyung laughed breathlessly, eyes landing on a buffet table that was set right opposite from the bar with a variation of food.

“Your birthday party, of course,” Seokjin, the slightly shorter of the two explained briefly, even though it was obvious that the bar that he and Namjoon owned and worked in turned into Taehyung’s personal birthday venue just one evening before the New Year’s Eve.

“You can thank Jeongguk for that,” Namjoon revealed: “And Jimin too, of course.”

“I kept an eye on him like you asked me,” Jeongguk winked at his boyfriend: “He wanted to have a champagne fountain, but I talked him out of it. He also originally wanted to rent some hall in a fancy hotel, but I convinced him that you would rather celebrate here.”

“And you were right,” Taehyung gave him a sweet smile: “What a better place to celebrate than my favourite hyungs’ bar?”

“People will start arriving soon, first I thought of getting everyone here to surprise you, but then I thought that you would want to arrive first.”

“You know me too well.”

“Hobi will be here any minute and Yoongi and Jimin should come soon too,” Namjoon informed them.

“I like small parties,” Taehyung nodded.

“Well, they are not the only ones coming, Jimin contacted some of your friends from the university and I got in touch with some of your former colleagues from the first job you had,” Jeongguk informed him: “But I think it will still be pretty intimate.”

“That sounds perfect,” the elder reassured him before he frowned and looked at Seokjin and Namjoon: “Wait, you closed the bar for the night?”

“Yes, it is a private event,” Seokjin nodded in confirmation.

“You shouldn’t have, hyung!”

“Nonsense, our Taehyungie is celebrating an important milestone, you are joining the rest of us in our thirties, closing the bar for one night is the least we can do for you,” Seokjin waved his hand dismissively.

“Now you are the only one left in your twenties, Jeongguk-ah,” Namjoon pointed out.

“I am already envious,” Taehyung grumbled.

“Yep, I am surrounded by old people, but I don’t mind,” Jeongguk chuckled, teasingly pinching Taehyung in a hip.

Taehyung looked around again, it was slightly strange to see the bar so empty and decorated like this, for five years, he has been used to coming to a crowded place with loud music blasting from the speakers on the weekends with people dancing on a small dance floor in the corner. During weekdays, the place was a lot calmer with people coming to sit and chat and drink, but since the first time Jeongguk brought him here, he fell in love with the Blood Moon.

Seokjin and Namjoon were a couple that owned this place. At first, when they were younger, they were just working here, but then they bought the place from the old owner and now it was theirs. Taehyung met them after he got together with Jeongguk, they were the younger’s friends, almost like brothers, and they quickly took Taehyung in their little circle and fell in love with him.

Seokjin was almost insanely handsome, the first time that Taehyung saw him, he was convinced that he had to be a part time model or some actor, because of his good looks. His personality was what really made Taehyung love him, he was loud and funny and his laughter was contagious, but he was also badass and sometimes looked even scary and he was not a guy you’d want to piss off.

Namjoon on the other hand looked quite intimidating on first impression, he was tall and buff and he had very distinctive and slightly scary features. But his personality couldn’t be further from his looks, he was one of the kindest and warmest people Taehyung’s ever met and he was definitely the smartest person he’s met, sometimes it just seemed ridiculous for someone who could work in some huge corporation to work in a bar.

“I’ve arrived!” someone yelled joyfully from the door when they felt a cold wind coming inside for a few seconds before it was shut again.

“Hobi-hyung, I’m glad you made it!” Taehyung grinned at the newcomer that was wearing a wide smile on his face.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything, Taehyung-ah, happy birthday!” Hoseok rushed to him and hugged him tightly, ruffling his hair that Taehyung spent half an hour on for this evening. He couldn’t even be mad though, Hoseok always had this insanely positive energy around him that was contagious and that made people forgive him for anything.

Hoseok was another one of Jeongguk’s friends that Taehyung only met after they started dating, and he was part of the closest friend circle they had, which included the two bartenders and Yoongi and Jimin. Jimin was the only person that Taehyung knew before Jeongguk, the other ones were the younger’s friends, but it never felt weird or awkward, when Jeongguk brought Taehyung and then Jimin in, they all just clicked and now they were best friends and Taehyung loved all of them like his family.

Hoseok was that kind of person that everyone just wanted to be around, he was fun and loud and so kind. He worked part time at the same dance academy as Jimin, dancing was his passion, although he had another job that he hardly ever talked about. Sometimes though, he had these moments when he was strangely scary, Taehyung has gotten used to it, but it felt like Hoseok had some kind of a dark side that made him feel like he was not one to mess with. It was really weird in contrast with his sunshine behaviour, but that strange side didn’t come out very often so Taehyung never really paid it much attention.

Yoongi and Jimin arrived shortly after with Jimin hugging Taehyung so tightly he nearly suffocated him. Even Yoongi gave him a warm hug, which was not so common because Yoongi was not generally a very touchy person, so it made the hug feel really special.

Yoongi was the most introverted and on the outside the coldest of their group, but Taehyung knew he had a big heart under that exterior. He and Jeongguk were the closest, they were almost like brothers, Jeongguk has known Yoongi since they were very young and they had a very tight bond that Taehyung hasn’t quite understood until this day, it felt like they shared some intense past, like they went through a lot together, but whenever he started asking about it, Jeongguk just redirected the conversation somewhere else, which made it clear to Taehyung to stop prying.

In another hour, more and more people arrived and Taehyung was busy greeting them all and catching up with them since he hasn’t seen some in months, even years. But everyone was happy to be here and everyone brought a little present that they put on a designated table for Taehyung to open later at home in peace and privacy.

It was a great evening, Taehyung didn’t go out as often as he used to and when he did, it was usually with Jeongguk and a couple of friends, but it was nice from time to time to have a party like this. He ate something, he drank quite a bit too, he chatted to people, he danced and by midnight, he was actually ready to go home. Some people already left anyway, everyone worked and they were not that young and energetic anymore, so it was understandable that most didn’t party until early morning hours.

Jeongguk could see that he was slightly drunk and tired, so he suggested for them to go home and so they said their goodbyes to everyone and thanked Seokjin and Namjoon for lending them the bar for the party.

The air outside was cold, there wasn’t snow but it rained in the afternoon so the streets were slightly wet, but the cool air was a nice change in comparison to the air inside the bar, so Jeongguk suggested for them to walk home. It wasn’t a long walk, so Taehyung didn’t mind and soon he felt less tired when his brain got a bit of oxygen.

He wore a warm, expensive wool coat, when he went out, he liked dressing up nicely, he had a quite unique and elegant style that lots of people admired. Jeongguk was his exact opposite in that sense, the younger was required to dress smart at work, but in his free time, he preferred sporty and comfortable yet chic fashion. Tonight he was wearing jeans and black bomber jacket and combat boots, and Taehyung always liked his style and thought it was sexy. It suited him, with his black hair and dark eyes and the muscles and tattoos, that’s how Taehyung met Jeongguk and how he fell for him. People were sometimes teasing them for their different styles, joking that Taehyung looked like a fancy rich guy while Jeongguk looked like a bad boy, Taehyung always liked that contrast though, so he didn’t mind the teasing.

They were walking slowly, holding hands and just enjoying each other’s company. The streets weren’t completely empty, that rarely happened in Seoul, but it was still quiet and peaceful in compassion to how the city was during the day, they only met a car passing them here and there and they met people returning from pubs and parties or late night work shifts.

They made it to a familiar park that they have walked through together probably hundreds of times, there were lots of trees and bushes, it was a pleasant piece of nature in the middle of the capital city that was filled with concrete, steel and glass. They seemed to be the only ones in the park, during summer, they usually saw some lovers sitting on benches or teenagers and young adults drinking and laughing, but at the end of December when it was too cold to be outside, the park was completely empty.

They were in the middle of the park, close to a big oak tree when Jeongguk suddenly stopped.

“What is it?” Taehyung wondered, confused.

“Do you know where we are?” the younger asked.

“Um, in a park?” Taehyung looked around, still confused.

“I can’t believe that you don’t recognize it,” Jeongguk chuckled: “You are the most romantic soul I know and you don’t know where we are!”

“Where are we?”

“This is where we first kissed, don’t you remember?” the younger smiled softly, obviously not truly upset that Taehyung didn’t recognize the place before.

“Oh my god, you’re right,” Taehyung breathed out, looking around again and it finally hit him. He didn’t recognize the spot, because it was winter. When he and Jeongguk kissed for the first time, the trees and bushes around them were colourful because it was the end of September, everything was magical back then, and especially that kiss.

“It was just our first date,” Jeongguk spoke with a smile that made it clear that he was remembering that night: “We just had dinner, we did nothing special, but I had so much fun and I already knew that you were special.”

“Jeonggukie, do you want to make me cry?” Taehyung whined softly, not understanding the sudden memory trip, but he loved it.

“I didn’t want the date to be over, so I offered to walk you home and I gave you my jacket because you didn’t take anything warm despite the nights getting colder,” Jeongguk continued: “After just one date, I was so fucking in love with you, I just felt that I found someone that I wanna be with for the rest of my life. And I wanted to wait with the kiss for a while, but as we were walking, you were babbling about this cute puppy you saw the day before and you were so adorable and I wanted to kiss you so badly.”

“And so you did,” the elder finished for him.

“So I did,” Jeongguk nodded: “And it was right here under that tree and it was just as perfect as I knew it would be. It was a weird time for me, I was still getting my life together and…I wasn’t really looking for anyone to date, but we met in that bar and we started chatting and it just happened. And I still don’t know how I deserved to meet you and get to be with you for five years, because god knows that…I have done some things that I am not proud of. But you love me and I feel blessed.”

“What are you doing? Is your shoelace undone?” Taehyung frowned when the younger suddenly dropped on one knee in front of him: “It rained, your knee will be wet, get up!”

“Oh my god, can you shut up for a minute and let me do this?” Jeongguk laughed, reaching in his bomber jacket and taking something out.

“Do what?”

“I am trying to propose to you, you idiot,” Jeongguk chuckled, revealing a small box and opening it, showing that it was hiding a beautiful ring inside.

“I thought about how to do this and I knew that going to some fancy dinner wouldn’t be us, so I thought that I would do it here, where I knew that I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life,” Jeongguk continued, looking up at the other seriously but his gaze was soft: “We can’t get married here, but we can go to any country in the world that you choose and get married there and even though I know it won’t be legal here, I don’t care, because I will know that you are mine and I am yours. So Kim Taehyung, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

By the time he ended his little speech, Taehyung was crying, obviously moved and surprised and emotional.

“I know I surprised you, baby, but my knee is actually getting wet,” Jeongguk said after a moment of silence.

“Oh my god, sure, get up!” Taehyung gasped, grabbing the other’s shoulders and helping him up.

“You still haven’t answered, you know?” the younger pointed out amusedly.

“Do you even have to ask? Of course I will marry you!” Taehyung laughed, hitting him lightly in the chest before he held his hand towards the other so Jeongguk could put the finger on it.

“If you don’t like it, just say a word and we will go and change it for something you choose,” Jeongguk told him.

“It is perfect, I love it,” Taehyung reassured him, admiring the band from white gold with the clear but big diamond on it. It was quite simple, yet very elegant and obviously very expensive, but it was exactly his style, which showed that Jeongguk knew him really well.

“I guess that since we are here where we first kissed, we should relive that memory, right?” the elder asked, biting his lip to suppress a smile.

“We definitely should,” Jeongguk nodded, hugging him and lifting him from the ground as they kissed. Taehyung giggled against Jeongguk’s lips when the younger spun them around and he thought that they probably looked like a couple from those disgustingly romantic movies and if someone saw them they might find it weird and cringey, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything right now because he was so fucking happy.

“This is the best birthday ever,” Taehyung announced when Jeongguk let him go and they started walking again.

“I am glad you think so,” Jeongguk hummed: “I actually wasn’t sure if I should do this tonight, it felt kind of cheesy to do it on your birthday, but I took the ring with me and decided to just go with my gut feeling and do it if I felt like it was right.”

“It was definitely right,” Taehyung sighed, moving closer to the other and putting his head on his shoulder.

“I guess it was about time, we have been together for five years,” the younger stated.

“I wouldn’t have cared if you never did it,” Taehyung reassured him: “But I am glad you did.”

“I just want you to be happy,” Jeongguk said, kissing his hair which just made Taehyung’s already melting heart melt some more, because Jeongguk was the best boyfriend – now fiancé – that he could ever ask for.

They were getting to the end of the park and they saw buildings in front of them, Taehyung used to have an apartment not far from here. It was just one bedroom, tiny, not so pretty place, but rents were expensive in Seoul, so he couldn’t be picky. Jeongguk had a nicer apartment back then, when Taehyung first saw it, he was slightly jealous that the man that was more than a year younger lived better than him, on the other hand, he knew that a life of an artist wasn’t always so fancy, at least not until they made it big.

When they decided to move in together, Jeongguk suggested for them to get something bigger and not to move to one of their places and Taehyung agreed with that. It just felt right to find a new place to share together, but he thought that Jeongguk had an apartment in mind. That’s why he was shocked when the younger picked him up one day and drove them somewhere, tying Taehyung’s eyes for a good measure, telling him that he had a surprise for him. He led Taehyung out of the car and then uncovered his eyes in a beautiful, modern house and there Jeongguk revealed to Taehyung that he just paid a reservation fee and if he liked the house, they would move in there. Taehyung loved it, of course, especially after Jeongguk showed him the atelier, it was touching that the younger had his art in mind when he was picking the house, it just made Taehyung love him even more. And despite not thinking it was possible to love Jeongguk more after that, the younger had proven him wrong and it felt like every year, every month, every week and every day, he was falling for Jeongguk more and more.

Jeongguk’s instincts were suddenly alarmed when he noticed a movement on their right, between the thick bushes. He was so lost in the moment they just shared and he was a bit distracted, but now his focus and attention were on that strange movement and even stranger feeling he suddenly had inside. It was in his nature to be cautious at all times, life has taught him to always be on alert and now…he felt like they weren’t alone.

When he heard and saw nothing, he thought that he was just paranoid, he still started walking slightly faster and he tightened his hold around Taehyung’s hand.

And then, just a few inches behind their heads, he heard a fast, swishing sound and that alarmed him. Because that was something he was very familiar with, he knew that sound and what it was and he knew that they had to get out of the park as quickly as possible.

“What was that?” Taehyung stopped and frowned.

“What?”

“That sound.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Jeongguk said, playing clueless and not letting anything show on his face, even though his heart was beating slightly faster. He wasn’t really scared, not because of himself anyway, but he was with Taehyung and he was sure that they were just shot at.

“Hey, there is that great burger place!” he said, pointing at a small shop that was opened until early morning hours and where he and Taehyung have stopped many times before.

“You are hungry? There was lots of food at the party,” the elder chuckled.

“I didn’t really eat much, I would have a burger,” Jeongguk shrugged innocently, carefully and discreetly looking around to try to assess whether they were in danger or not.

“Well, I can’t deny that I’d have their amazing fries,” Taehyung admitted.

“Let’s go then,” Jeongguk nodded, grabbing Taehyung’s elbow and rushing him from the park.

“I had no idea you were so hungry, you are too eager,” the elder laughed, not realizing that there was an entirely different reason for Jeongguk to suddenly want to get out of the open space.

He let out a breath when they were inside the shop and he looked out of the window. He thought that he saw some movement in the bushes across the street, and he was sure that someone was hiding in there.

“What are you doing there?” Taehyung asked lightly.

“Just order for us, baby, you know which burger I like,” the younger glanced at him with a smile before he turned back to look outside while Taehyung went to the counter to place their orders.

Even as they ate by a small table, Jeongguk was nervously glancing out, half prepared for the windows to be suddenly shattered with bullets. He didn’t let it show, but there was fear taking over him, fear of what might happen to Taehyung, fear that has been there since the day he realized that he loved the man he just proposed to. He swore to himself to not get Taehyung involved in the part of his life that he has kept secret from almost everyone, he swore to himself to not let Taehyung ever get hurt.

“I’m gonna call a cab,” Jeongguk decided when they were done eating and were sipping on a shared cup of soda.

“What? Why? It’s like a twenty-minute walk home,” Taehyung chuckled.

“I am suddenly tired, you know how I get after eating,” the younger shrugged, pouting a little for a good measure, because he knew Taehyung couldn’t resist his pout. It was usually the other way around, Jeongguk was just so weak for Taehyung’s pouts and whines, those were his most used and most effective weapons when he wanted something, but Jeongguk did it too sometimes when he wanted to get something.

“Alright, I guess it doesn’t matter,” Taehyung shrugged.

Jeongguk used an app to get a cab, it was usually the fastest way, because someone closest to his destination arrived, so it was no wonder that only ten minutes later, the car arrived.

He walked out first, looking around and ready to push Taehyung back inside if someone decided to attack them, but nothing happened. He quickly led Taehyung to the car, making sure to hide the elder with his own body from the park, he didn’t want to get injured, sure, but he was quite literally willing to take a bullet for the love of his life.

He felt better when they were finally going home, but he still kept checking if they weren’t followed by a car. The last thing he needed was for anyone to find out where he lived. He has managed to keep his life private and his identity hidden, but one could be never careful enough.

He made sure to lock the door properly when they made it home and set the security alarm and cameras, he wanted to check them tomorrow to see if someone strange wasn’t lurking around the house.

“Are we gonna celebrate the engagement?” Taehyung asked with a playful smile.

“We already celebrated your birthday this morning,” Jeongguk reminded him: “I can see that you are half asleep, baby, just go to bed, we can celebrate tomorrow, mm?”

“Alright,” Taehyung sighed tiredly, coming to the other and kissing him slowly and deeply before he pulled back and added: “Tonight was one of the best nights of my life.”

“I hope only our wedding will top this night then,” the younger commented.

“I am sure it will. Are you coming?”

“Not yet, I wanted to check something on my laptop.”

“You never stop working, huh?”

“You know me, I’ll be there soon, I promise,” Jeongguk reassured him, kissing him again and then he watched Taehyung walk upstairs. He didn’t intend to go to bed anytime soon though, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep tonight, not after what happened.

He went to the laundry room and to his little secret stash, taking out a handgun. It wasn’t the best weapon, but it was better than nothing and he didn’t have anything else here in their house.

He went to the window in the kitchen and looked outside, the street looked empty.

He let out a deep breath and now when they were in the safety of their house and the adrenaline wasn’t flooding his body, it finally started sinking in. Someone attacked them in that park, someone was watching them and someone shot at them. It was good that they did it only once, and he was also sure that no one followed them here, but if that person found them in that park, did they also know where he lived? Where he and Taehyung lived?

He looked outside again, knowing that this was going to be a sleepless night, but he had to make sure that he and Taehyung remained safe. Because he has managed to keep them safe so far and he never let his work influence their lives, he never let anyone find out who he was or where or with whom he lived, that was something he swore to himself when he allowed himself to fall in love. He knew that getting together with Taehyung was selfish, he knew that Taehyung’s life was in potential danger just because they were together, and he would be damned if he was the cause of any harm to the elder. Tomorrow, he was going to investigate what happened and find out who was stupid enough to endanger him and his lover, and when he did…he wasn’t going to have any mercy on them.

Chapter Text

Jeongguk told Taehyung that he was going for a jog the next day after the elder’s birthday party and the incident that happened on their way home. He didn’t sleep much, so now he was thinking that maybe he imagined it, but then he remembered that Taehyung himself heard the bullet that flew only a few inches behind their heads.

He got dressed in simple sweatpants, t-shirt, hoodie and jogging shoes, it was nothing strange since he did jog sometimes. This time he took a gun with him though, he put it under the waistband of the pants and then he left the house, locking the door properly, slightly anxious to leave Taehyung completely alone. Their house was safe though, all the windows had triple glass so it was almost impossible for them to be shattered by bullets and the walls were thick, he wanted a proper brick house when he was looking to buy one a few years ago, not a wooden one as was quite common in Korea.

He ran to the park and headed to the place where he proposed to Taehyung. That memory made him smile, but now it was stained with what happened only a few minutes later and it occurred to him that the mysterious shooter was probably watching the whole scene as he got down on one knee and asked Taehyung to become his for the rest of their lives. That thought made him sick, a fucker that tried to kill them didn’t deserve to witness such a beautiful moment.

He got to the oak and stopped and then slowly walked the same path as he and Taehyung walked last night. He looked at the bushes where he was sure he saw some movement yesterday and he headed there.

He has always been good at investigating crime scenes and gathering evidence and he was even better at covering it, since his job often required it. When he looked around the bushes, it instantly became clear that whoever was behind the attack, it was a fucking amateur. The branches were broken and there were footprints everywhere on the ground, since it rained yesterday and the ground was soft, the attacker left lots of traces.

He kneeled and examined the footprints of the soles and he looked around to see if he could find anything, maybe something the person could have lost.

To his disappointment, he didn’t find anything, so he headed to the opposite side of the park to look for the bullet. He walked around for at least ten minutes because he had no idea where exactly he and Taehyung were standing at that point, but finally after a thorough search, he found the bullet embedded in a tree trunk. He found a small, sharp stone and used it to get the bullet out, letting it fall on his palm and then he brought it to his eyes. It was a standard bullet, he himself was using those, he knew what type of gun it was used in, he had years of experience in that regard.

He knew that he was not going to find anything useful there, but there was one thing that he could do, or rather, someone that he knew could do for him.

So he got in a light jog and headed towards the bar where the party was last night, because he was sure that Namjoon and Seokjin were already going to be cleaning since the place was opened tonight for New Year’s celebrations.

It started lightly raining so he put a hood on, it was a good excuse for him to do that and not look suspicious, because he didn’t want to be seen in case the attacker was lurking around somewhere.

“Jeongguk-ah, what are you doing here?” Seokjin looked up in surprise, busy cleaning the empty bottles and glasses from last night.

“Aren’t you up too early? I would have thought you and Taehyung would celebrate and not sleep much,” Namjoon chuckled suggestively.

“I didn’t get much sleep, but it’s not for the reason you think,” the younger sighed, taking off the hood and locking the door as he walked over to the bar and sat on the stool.

“Do you want a coffee or something?” Namjoon wondered.

“Yeah, that would be great.”

“Wait, you don’t sound and look that good,” Seokjin pointed out with a frown and he put down the tray with glasses and stood next to his boyfriend behind the counter, looking at the youngest: “Did you not do it?”

“Do what?”

“Propose, duh.”

“Oh, yeah, I did.”

“And?”

“He said yes, of course,” Jeongguk smiled, this time genuinely, because the knowledge that Taehyung agreed to marry him was making him genuinely happy and he couldn’t help it but grin.

“That’s great, congrats!” Seokjin clapped: “Not that I had any doubts, but still, I am so happy for you, guys.”

“I know, hyung, thanks,” Jeongguk nodded, but the smile disappeared from his face.

“I have a feeling you came here for a reason, what’s bugging you?” Namjoon asked seriously, always perceptive. He was really good at reading other people and their emotions, it was sometimes really useful when there was someone to question.

“Last night was great, I proposed and he said yes and then we were walking and…someone shot at us,” Jeongguk said with a straight face, taking out the bullet from the pocket and holding it between two fingers to show it to the two men.

“What?!” Seokjin yelled, grabbing the bullet from the other and examining it.

“Are you sure?” Namjoon frowned worriedly.

“I just pulled this out from a tree trunk, hyung,” Jeongguk deadpanned: “And the bushes where I saw some movement just a moment before it happened, there are footprints everywhere, someone was definitely there and someone shot at us and only missed by a few inches.”

“Jesus Christ, thank god you are alright!” Seokjin shook his head: “What about Tae, how is he doing?”

“He had no idea it happened,” the younger revealed: “I kept it cool in front of him, he heard the sound as the bullet flew behind us, but I managed to convince him that he was just imagining something. I rushed him to the small burger place and then we went home in a cab and I stayed up all right, I even checked out cameras in the morning, thankfully there was no one lurking around.”

“Wow, this is…serious,” Namjoon sighed, exchanging worried looks with his boyfriend before he looked at Jeongguk again: “You have any idea who might have done it?”

“Like a hundred people,” Jeongguk scoffed: “You know that I am not exactly popular amongst many.”

“But no one knows who you are,” Seokjin pointed out.

“Maybe they do now.”

“I wouldn’t be so negative,” Namjoon shook his head: “I mean, you should be definitely careful, but maybe it was just a coincidence.”

“How so?” Jeongguk frowned.

“It is not exactly secret that we own this bar and what customers we have,” Namjoon shrugged: “Someone might have watched the bar last night and they saw you leave and they followed you. You wore a bomber and combat shoes, they probably thought that you are a member of some gang, so they went after you.”

“So there is someone that goes after people without knowing who they are? Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“What I wanted to say is that they might have not targeted you specifically, which means that they don’t know who you are, what you look like or where you live.”

“Yeah, well, maybe,” Jeongguk sighed, thinking about Namjoon’s words. It was true that the bar was notorious in their world, it was a neutral ground, most bars like this one were, it was a big no to just barge in and attack people, especially since there were civilians too, but what someone did to someone after they walked out of the bar…that wasn’t frowned upon.

“It’s still concerning,” Seokjin spoke after a moment of silence.

“Tell me about it.”

“Maybe you should tell Tae the truth,” Seokjin looked at the other seriously: “You know my opinion on this, you should have told him a long time ago.”

“You know that I wanted, but the longer we were together, the harder it was,” Jeongguk sighed.

“Well, if his life is in danger, he should know. And what about your relationship? It is gonna blow in your face, Jeongguk-ah, if he finds out from someone else but you…”

“He won’t have to find out if I quit.”

“You’ve talked about quitting for years, but you never did it,” Namjoon pointed out.

“Maybe it’s time, we just got engaged, it’s not like I ever wanted to do this my whole life, I can get out,” the younger shrugged.

“Really, how?” Seokjin scoffed.

“You guys did, mostly,” Jeongguk argued.

“And what are you gonna do? And what are you gonna tell him?”

“People quit jobs all the time, I will just tell him that I am burned out and I don’t like the job and travelling anymore. I can do whatever, you guys started working and bought a bar.”

“Finding a job is not an issue, I am sure you could do that,” Namjoon jumped in: “But one of the reasons why you kept your current occupation was to provide for you and Tae, so he would be able to work on his art without a worry of paying bills. And let’s be honest, you are not gonna make that amount of money you do anywhere else.”

“I have savings,” Jeongguk retorted: “And I have invested in stocks and bought some apartments that I am renting, I have a steady income from that, so I wouldn’t worry about us being suddenly broke. Maybe we wouldn’t be able to lead such a comfortable life as we are now, but I am sure that Tae wouldn’t care.”

“If you decide to quit, I am sure he will support you and we will too,” Seokjin said softly: “But you can’t quit now, can you? Not with what happened last night, if there is someone targeting you specifically then it wouldn’t be smart to quit with your career now.”

“I don’t intend to quit right now, I have to find out what happened,” Jeongguk nodded and then he turned to Namjoon: “Which brings me to another reason why I came here to see you, I didn’t come just to tell you what happened. Hyung, I need you to take a look at the street cameras around the park.”

“You mean hack the cameras,” Namjoon said knowingly.

“Well, I doubt the city will give you access to them so yes, hacking is the only way to do this.”

“What do you want me to do?” Namjoon sighed, not exactly thrilled about the illegal activity, but he never refused his friends, especially when they were in need.

“Just look at the cameras around the park, try to find some footage of that fucker that attacked us, anything might help, face would be the best.”

“And what are you gonna do when I find the footage?”

“Then I am gonna find out his identity,” Jeongguk said coldly: “And then I am gonna deal with him.”

“He might work for someone, you know? It is actually probable,” Seokjin pointed out.

“I know, which is why I am gonna have a nice chat with him first. I have to know if my identity got exposed, my anonymity has always been my biggest advantage as well as protection.”

“When you go after him, at least take Yoongi and Hobi with you,” Seokjin suggested.

“I am pretty sure that I could deal with him alone, that’s what I do, remember?”

“You usually don’t get in direct confrontations, you don’t usually talk to them, you don’t even come close to them,” Seokjin reminded him.

“But I have done that throughout the years, you know that sometimes there was no other way than to get close to my targets,” Jeongguk argued.

“I’m just saying that having Yoongi and Hobi as backups can’t hurt you.”

“I will think about it, anyway, first I need to know who that fucker is,” Jeongguk said, standing up from the stool as he finished his coffee.

“Tae has his presents here,” Namjoon reminded him, nodding to the table where people were putting the presents last night: “We have the New Year’s party here tonight.”

“We will stop by in the afternoon with a car,” Jeongguk reassured him: “Find the footage, hyung, if you don’t have time to go through it, just send it to me and I will do it, it can be a lengthy job.”

“When I know around what time it happened, it won’t be so tedious,” Namjoon shrugged: “I will go through it and send you the bits where I find someone.”

“Okay, thank you,” Jeongguk said sincerely: “I can always count on you, guys.”

“Always, Jeongguk-ah, always,” Seokjin smiled and he and Namjoon both watched the younger leave the bar.

*

It was an evening when Jeongguk walked in a small apartment that served as his office and storage. The space was small, one small room with a kitchenette, small bathroom and a bedroom that served as his closet and armoury.

There was a desk with his work laptop, one that he never brought home, because it stored some sensitive data.

He walked in the bedroom and headed to a wardrobe. When he told Taehyung that he went to work, he always dressed formally, so this was where he usually changed into something much more comfortable for his job.

He quickly changed into black cargo pants that had lots of pockets that came in handy. He put on a tight black shirt and then grabbed a harness and fastened it around his body. Then he walked to his private collection of toys, as he called his guns and other weapons, grabbed two handguns and put them in the harness before he did the same with two knives and he grabbed a teaser and plastic tape that he used to restrain hands and feet when needed. He put those items in the pocket of his pants. He eyed his favourite sniper rifle, but then he decided to not take it, tonight his job wasn’t going to be executed from a distance, so a weapon like this would be useless.

He put on a black jacket that hid everything he had around his body, then he got in his favourite combat shoes that were comfortable to run in if necessary and he topped it off with a black beanie and black face mask, but he put that in a pocket for now. He always made sure to cover up because keeping his identity hidden was of utmost importance.

It’s been something over a week since he proposed to Taehyung and since they were shot at in the park. The elder didn’t suspect anything, he didn’t seem to remember the sound that he heard, but Jeongguk…he didn’t forget.

Namjoon sent him pieces of footage from the city security cameras around the park, showing someone walking in the park and then leaving it and there was no doubt that it was who Jeongguk was looking for. One of the cameras managed to take a shot of the man’s face, that idiot didn’t even bother to cover it, which helped Jeongguk find the fucker rather easily. He was good at searching on social media and the internet, he has perfected those skills in the nearly ten years of his career and he found out that the man went to one pub every Tuesday.

Today was Tuesday and Jeongguk was heading to have a little chat with the shooter, wanting to find out who he was and why he attacked them and most importantly – whom he worked for and if there was anyone else that knew his identity.

He told Taehyung that he was called to a late-night meeting by his boss from the company he never worked for and he left the house half an hour ago and came here to his secret hideout. He contemplated calling Yoongi and Hoseok just like Seokjin and Namjoon suggested, but then decided against it. He usually worked alone, he liked it that way, and he was sure that some asshole that couldn’t even hit the target from thirty or so meters was not going to be any threat to him. His skills were impeccable, they were the reason why he got where he was today, the phantom and the legend that has been inducing fear in the Korean underworld for years.

Finding the pub that the mysterious shooter was going to was easy, that was the first step. Jeongguk didn’t go in, he never liked audience, he never caused scenes and never wreaked havoc, his domain was operating in the shadows, quickly and effectively and without being seen by anyone else than his targets, who didn’t live long enough to tell about their encounter and possibly reveal Jeongguk’s identity.

He waited in a small, dirty alley across the street from the pub. This was an infamous neighbourhood full of criminals, junkies and prostitutes and Jeongguk went there only when his job required it. It was a perfect place to blend in though and even if someone saw something, they never spoke. People here knew that they should stick to their business if they didn’t want to get in trouble, especially with the local gangs.

The guy walked out of the pub around eleven, obviously drunk, chatting to some other guy. But to Jeongguk’s delight, they parted ways soon and went in opposite directions and his target lit up a cigarette.

Jeongguk found his social media, but he was sure that the name there was fake, most people like this kept their true identities hidden. He was sure that the dude was a member of some gang and he was probably tasked to go after Jeongguk. That wouldn’t be anything unusual and Jeongguk wouldn’t have made a big deal out of it, but that guy crossed the line by attacking him while he was with Taehyung.

He followed the guy, it was easy on the main street that was filled with the strangest types of people, even though he was wearing a hoodie and a face mask, he didn’t look out of place, so no one paid any attention to him.

When he caught up on the guy and saw another dirty, empty alley, he took the opportunity, grabbed him and pushed him in the alley.

“Hey, what the f-“ the guy said drunkenly, trying to see who caught him, but Jeongguk grabbed the back of his neck tightly which prevented him from turning his head, so all he could do was walk helplessly as Jeongguk led him further from the main street.

“Hey, dude, what is your problem? I don’t have any drugs and money!” the guy spitted out when Jeongguk finally let go of him, but he soon spun him around and smacked him against the wall so he had him cornered.

“I don’t give a fuck about drugs or money,” Jeongguk replied calmly and coldly, voice quiet and deep, which he discovered over the years made his targets more intimidated than if he was yelling.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Someone you shouldn’t have messed with,” Jeongguk replied, raising his hand to take off his mask, he usually liked to stay anonymous, but in this case, he wanted the guy to see him and he wanted to watch as his eyes filled with fear.

“You should have made sure that you didn’t miss and you shouldn’t have let me walk away, because you should have known that I would come for you, if you know who I am,” Jeongguk said as he finally revealed his face and he wasn’t disappointed in the reaction. The man’s eyes widened and Jeongguk could almost hear his heart rate speed up.

“Y-you.”

“Yes, me,” Jeongguk said with what he knew was his coldest glare.

“I didn’t mean to-“

“What, you didn’t mean to follow me? You didn’t mean to shoot? Did your rifle go off by accident?”

“Well, no but-“

“Who sent you?”

“What?”

“Who sent you?” Jeongguk repeated: “I have no idea who you are, but I am damn sure that you are not a big shot, I know many and you are not one of them. So I know that you didn’t go after me from your own initiative, you work for someone.”

“My boss sent me, okay?” the guy whined and Jeongguk was glad that he was willing to talk without him having to get his hands dirty.

“And who is your boss?”

“He wanted revenge, you killed his right hand.”

“Oh, so you are from the Hogs,” Jeongguk said knowingly, because that was quite a recent affair, so he remembered.

“I didn’t want to do this, but you know how it is, we all must obey our bosses, right?” the guy got out.

“Well, you should always finish the fucking job, you idiot,” Jeongguk sighed, reaching under his jacket and taking out a gun from the harness, putting it under the man’s chin. He added: “Now I want answers, or I will blow your brain out.”

“I will tell you anything you want!”

“I don’t give a fuck why you wanted to kill me, even though you already told me that,” Jeongguk growled in his face: “What I wanna know is how the fuck did you find me and how did you know what I look like!”

“I didn’t, I swear!” the guy said quickly: “I just…found out that you go to Blood Moon sometimes and that…you are a fag and date a handsome guy.”

Jeongguk started raging on the inside from the mere mention of Taehyung.

“I saw two guys leaving that evening and I thought that it could be you, so I took my chance.”

“What if I was just a civilian, huh?”

“My boss doesn’t care much about that.”

“Oh, so you don’t mind dropping corpses left and right,” Jeongguk scoffed, pressing the gun into the other’s skin: “I don’t like that attitude, you should keep your filthy business from innocent people.”

“You are not innocent though,” the guy dared to say.

“No, but Taehyung is!” Jeongguk yelled, for the first time losing his composure: “He has nothing to do with how your boss’ right-hand ended, he has nothing to do with this fucked up world and you nearly killed him, because your shot is so fucking bad. You didn’t even try to shoot more than once, that’s how fucking stupid you are.”

“I didn’t want you to go after me, I saw that you stopped and started looking around.”

“So you pissed your pants,” Jeongguk finished for him: “Does anyone else know what I look like?”

“No, I said that I didn’t know that either!”

“Well, you did see me that evening, you could have told your boss or your friends.”

“I didn’t, I swear.”

“I hope you are telling the truth because I value my anonymity,” Jeongguk said, stepping back and dropping the hand with the gun. He saw that the guy breathed out in relief, it always worked to show some mercy when he wanted some information, because it fooled the people to think that he was letting them off the hook if they gave him what he wanted.

“I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t even really see you properly from that distance, this is the first time I really see your face clearly,” the gangster added.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Jeongguk hummed: Was anyone else tasked with this? Going after me?”

“Not as far as I know,” the man shook his head: “The boss called me privately and tasked me to find you and kill you if I did.”

“Okay, I am glad that we got this straight,” Jeongguk hummed: “Anyway, thanks for the chat, I am happy that we cleared some things up, I guess I should be calm, right?”

“Yeah, I swear that I won’t try to come look for you, I didn’t want to do it in the first place, everyone knows your reputation!”

“Great,” Jeongguk gave the other a fake smile before he raised his hand again and put the gun to the man’s temple.

“Wait, what are you doing, I told you everything and it was all true!” the guy gasped, begging for his life.

“You did and I thank you for that,” Jeongguk said calmly and coldly before he leaned a bit closer and added in a whisper: “But now you saw my face clearly and you know about Taehyung and I can’t let you run around and talk about it to any fucker you meet.”

“I won’t, I swear!”

“I can’t take your word for it, sorry,” Jeongguk said, expression neutral and unreadable as the gun next to the man’s head clicked.

“No, please, don’t-“

Jeongguk pulled the trigger, the gunshot wasn’t loud thanks to the silencer he put on it earlier, he was no amateur unlike this asshole. He felt no remorse when he watched the life leave the man’s eyes before he slid down the wall and to the ground.

He walked away swiftly, not looking back, hiding the gun before he got back to the main street. He knew that no one was going to make a fuss about a dead gangster, incidents like this happened in this neighbourhood all the time. And he was sure that the man’s boss was going to know that it was his doing and Jeongguk hoped that he was going to get the message to stay away from him and to not try to send anyone else after him. Because no matter who they sent, Jeongguk was always going to come out victorious.

It was after midnight when he arrived home, he didn’t bother stopping in his other secret apartment to get changed and put the stuff there, he was going to hide it in the house and return it tomorrow, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s done it.

But as soon as he unlocked the door and walked in the entry hall, he realized that it was a mistake.

He saw a dim light in the living room and he heard low voices and music, which told him that the TV was on. He thought that Taehyung would be already asleep upstairs and he would just get in bed to join him, but it was obvious that Taehyung was still downstairs, watching TV, or maybe he fell asleep on the sofa. Either way, walking past him with all the gear and clothes he was wearing was impossible if he woke up.

“Shit,” he cursed quietly, contemplating if he should just get out again and go to the small apartment and return later, but he knew it would have taken too much time.

So he opted for hiding his stuff in the laundry room that was thankfully right there by the hall. He took off the black jacket and unstrapped the harness with all the weapons in it, then he took out the other things from the pockets of his pants and put it all in a laundry basket and put some clean clothes that were waiting to be folded or ironed on top of it. He knew that he had to get up before Taehyung and get this shit out of here tomorrow, he couldn’t risk that his fiancé would start doing chores and find it.

He left the jacket in the entry hall along with the combat boots and then quietly walked in the living room.

Just as he assumed, Taehyung was lying on the sofa, soundly asleep while the big TV was on, broadcasting some terrible variety show that was on at this hour.

He tried to walk past the elder, wanting to go upstairs and change and wash up and then come back down to wake him up or carry him to the bed. But his plan didn’t work as he heard sudden shuffling and then he heard the familiar raspy voice.

“Jeonggukie?” Taehyung blinked, rubbing his eyes before he looked at him.

“Yeah, it’s me, baby,” the younger whispered, hoping that the room was dim enough for Taehyung to not see him properly.

“That was some long, late meeting,” Taehyung commented, sitting up.

“Yeah, it was, I am tired, I wanna go take a shower and go to sleep, I have to get up early tomorrow and leave again,” Jeongguk commented, trying to disappear before Taehyung would notice anything strange about him.

“What are you wearing?”

Jeongguk silently cursed with his back to the other, already close to the staircase, but he was busted.

“You left in dress pants and a shirt,” Taehyung pointed out.

“I spilled coffee on me,” Jeongguk quickly made up a lie as he turned around with an innocent, goofy grin: “It went all the way from my chest down to my crotch, seriously, I am an idiot. So I changed, but these were the only things I had in the office.”

“Cargo pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt?” the elder scoffed.

“I don’t really know why I had it there, to be honest.”

“Well, let’s go to bed, my back is already hurting from the sofa,” Taehyung yawned, standing up a bit clumsily before he walked over to the other. But as he was standing just a few inches from Jeongguk, he noticed something.

“You have something on your face and neck,” he frowned.

“What?”

“It looks…like blood…”

Jeongguk’s face didn’t change, but inside his head he was cursing himself. He should have been more careful, he should have wiped his face and neck, it was clear that some of the guy’s blood splattered on him when he shot him since he was standing so close. That’s why he hated close jobs, doing it from a distance was better and cleaner.

“It’s nothing,” Jeongguk dismissed it, not really able to come up with an excuse, he just swiped his hands over his face.

“Where are you going?” Taehyung called after him when he suddenly walked to the stairs and started walking up.

“I am really tired, baby, I wanna wash up and go to sleep!” the younger said over his shoulder.

“Wait, Jeongguk, did something happen?” the elder asked, running after him.

“Everything is fine, Taehyung!” Jeongguk snapped at him, but he instantly regretted it when Taehyung stopped in the middle of the staircase with his eyes wide and filled with hurt.

“I am fine, baby, really, it was just a tiring meeting and I wanna get a couple of hours of sleep, okay?” Jeongguk said softly, hoping that Taehyung wouldn’t be upset with him, because he was acting like a dick. He hated lying to the elder, he hated lying to the person he loved the most in this world, but there was no way that he could ever be honest with him and tell him what he did just an hour ago.

“Okay,” Taehyung nodded, making it clear that he was not going to continue asking questions, but Jeongguk could tell that he was still hurt. He couldn’t dwell on it now, he had to get to the bathroom and wash away the blood and take off the clothes and he hoped that when Taehyung woke up in the morning, he was not going to be upset anymore.

But as he walked to the bathroom door, he could feel Taehyung’s gaze on his back and something was telling him that this time, he fucked up big time. Not because he would upset Taehyung so much, he knew that they were going to be fine. But he was always so careful, for five years he’s managed to hide a big chunk of his life from Taehyung and tonight, Taehyung saw too much of it.

Chapter Text

“Ngh, harder!” Taehyung moaned out, gripping the edges of the expensive wooden dining table that he was lying on. At first he was standing on his feet with stomach on the table, but his legs gave out a while ago, only the tips of his toes were touching the ground, curling against it while his body was being attacked with waves of pleasure.

“Harder!” he demanded again after a moment, eyes rolling to the back of his head when the pelvis that has been colliding against his ass sped up and followed his orders, smacking against the plush flesh with bigger force while two strong hands were gripping his waist so hard there were surely going to be bruises. But those were the kind of bruises that Taehyung always cherished afterwards, often catching himself admiring them in a mirror, because they were a reminder of the passion he and his fiancé shared.

“God, you are insatiable tonight,” Jeongguk groaned, one of his hands leaving Taehyung’s waist just to bury itself in his hair and tug, which earned him a moan from the elder.

“M-Me?” Taehyung laughed breathlessly: “Y-you threw yourself at me like a fucking animal.”

“What can I say,” Jeongguk chuckled, out of breath too: “I just couldn’t resist my gorgeous fiancé in that short, new robe.”

Tonight things escalated rather quickly, which is why Taehyung ended up on this table and not in the bed.

Jeongguk was gone all day and it was late evening when he finally returned. He got a text, one of those texts that meant he had to come quickly. He received orders and he carried out a mission, successfully as always.

And it’s not like he had some weird kink and like he got turned on by his job, but the adrenaline and pride that he always felt after a successful action always made him restless and slightly tense and there was no better way to let it all out by fucking Taehyung’s brains out. He knew that he was always extra rough on these occasions, but Taehyung didn’t mind at all, that was one of the things that Jeongguk loved about him, they matched each other’s freak. They could be all loved up and sweet and touchy and they could make sensual, slow love. But there were also moments when they just wanted it fast and hard and they couldn’t get enough.

So when he came home tonight a bit after ten and saw Taehyung in the kitchen in a new silky robe that was so short it was nearly slowing his ass, Jeongguk couldn’t help himself and he pretty much pounced on him, dragging him to the dining table and pushing him down. He pushed up the robe, not surprised to see that the elder wore nothing under it and Jeongguk couldn’t fight the temptation to get on his knees and eat Taehyung out until he was nearly suffocating. When the elder was thrashing and sobbing in pleasure, begging him to fuck him, well, who was Jeongguk to refuse?

And that’s where they were now, him standing behind Taehyung, fucking him from behind while the elder kept encouraging him to go harder and that was just driving him crazy and he could do nothing but comply.

Taehyung whined in displeasure when Jeongguk suddenly stopped and abruptly pulled out, but before he could even start protesting, he was flipped around so he was lying on his back now.

“Don’t whine, baby, just wanna see your pretty face when I make you lose your mind,” Jeongguk said as he led his cock back in the other’s hole and thrusted back in.

“Oh shit!” Taehyung cursed, back arching as Jeongguk grabbed his legs and pushed them up so his ankles were resting against his shoulders. The angle in which Jeongguk started fucking him was just perfect to hit his prostate on repeat, the actions sending violent tremors through Taehyung’s body.

“God, you are so fucking perfect,” Jeongguk groaned, punctuation every word with a rough shove of his hips, fucking loud moans out of his fiancé.

“Don’t stop, fuck, Jeongguk, fuck!” the elder moaned out brokenly, hands helplessly sliding over the table in an attempt to hold onto something, but he was already too fucked out to find the edges, so he just lay there with his arms spread while his body was moving with the brutal force of Jeongguk’s thrusts. The table was moving too, emitting rhythmical and sinful sounds and in moments like these, Taehyung was grateful that they lived in a house and not an apartment, because their neighbours would have hated them.

It was when Jeongguk’s hand with tattooed knuckles sneaked up his body and wrapped around his throat that he knew he was going to lose it soon. His airways were cut off, and his head started spinning and the pressure in his body was getting almost unbearable. It was years ago that during one of their wild nights, he suddenly asked Jeongguk to choke him, he had never done that before, but he was curious about that idea. And the younger complied and did it and it was almost a life changing experience, it felt so thrilling to know that he was literally putting his life in someone’s hands, but he trusted Jeongguk like he hadn't trusted anyone before. And ever since then, Jeongguk sometimes did it even without him asking him to, and it felt just as good.

Taehyung’s body shook with a powerful orgasm, at first it was dry, but the younger quickly wrapped a hand around his cock and started jerking him off, which was enough for explosion of semen to come out of Taehyung’s shaft, pearl liquid falling onto his belly and even chest and he wasn’t even done when he felt Jeongguk deliver last few powerful thrusts before he stilled and finished inside of him.

They were both panting when the house suddenly fell quiet, and they were enjoying their heights together.

“Shit, that was something,” Taehyung got out when his breathing finally came back to normal. Sex with Jeongguk was always great, but some nights were better than others and this one was definitely one of them.

“God, I just can’t get enough of you,” Jeongguk sighed, putting Taehyung’s legs down before he bent over and captured the elder’s lips in a slow, but deep kiss.

“I hope you never will,” Taehyung said with a smile when they separated but their faces remained close and his fingers were playing with the hair at Jeongguk’s nape.

“I think I won’t,” Jeongguk reassured him, pecking his lips once, twice, before he rubbed their noses together which made Taehyung giggle.

“I love you so much,” the younger said with a serious gaze, which always made it clear that he himself couldn’t really believe how he could feel about someone so strongly. Taehyung loved it though, he loved it that Jeongguk’s love was so deep that it was incomprehensible, he loved it because he felt exactly the same.

“I love you too,” Taehyung replied, stomach raging with butterflies, because he just felt so damn happy. He never thought he could love someone so much and be loved as much in return, but five years with Jeongguk have shown him that it was possible.

*

“So do you think that fucker was really the only one who knew your identity?” Yoongi looked at Jeongguk seriously after they got beers from the bar and sat at a table in a far corner where they could speak without having to be worried about being overheard.

They were in Blood Moon and Namjoon and Seokjin were behind the bar like on most evenings. They had a couple of employees that were helping them here and there, usually on weekends that were busy, but on most days, they were managing on their own.

Jeongguk knew Yoongi the longest of all his friends and even though they were both quite introverted, they were close and often talked about issues that they wouldn’t discuss with anyone else.

“Looks like it,” Jeongguk nodded, taking a sip of the beer: “It’s been weeks and no one else has tried to attack me, you know that I am also careful about anyone following me and I can tell that I don’t have anyone behind my ass.”

“Good,” the elder hummed: “Looks like what he told you was true after all, he didn’t even know what you looked like, he just took his chance.”

“I hope there won’t be more fuckers like him,” Jeongguk grumbled: “Even though I took care of him, he got the order from his boss…”

“Our boss is gonna take care of it,” Yoongi reassured him: “You already reported it to him, he was fucking angry, he doesn’t want to lose his best soldier to some petty Hog boss.”

“To be fair, I did kill his right hand,” Jeongguk shrugged: “And our boss ordered it.”

“It’s gonna be fine.”

“I still can’t believe that he did it while I was with Taehyung,” the younger sighed, running a hand through his hair and pushing it back and it was clear that he was distressed: “I know that there is always the possibility of someone trying to take me out, that is the risk that comes with what we do. But that fucker did it while Taehyung was with me, he could have hurt him, or even worse, kill him.”

“But he didn’t and that’s what’s important.”

“This is what I’ve always been scared of, why keeping distance from everyone was for the best…”

“You couldn’t help yourself when you met Taehyung,” Yoongi shrugged with a little, sympathetic smile: “It was like that for me with Jimin too, I never wanted to let anyone too close, because it is dangerous, but I couldn’t stay away from him.”

“Well, at least he knows,” Jeongguk pointed out: “He knows that he has to watch out, he knows what he’s gotten himself into…”

“Maybe you should just tell Taehyung, I’ve been telling you to be honest for years.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that telling him after five fucking years of us being together that I have been lying to him this entire time would go really well,” the younger grinned sarcastically.

“You should have done it earlier.”

“I know, I just…couldn’t have stood the idea of losing him,” Jeongguk sighed, dragging his fingers around the rim of the beer glass and staring at it: “At first I thought that it was too good to be true, that we would have broken up anyway…and when it started getting more serious, I just chickened out and never told him because I knew he would have left me.”

“You don’t know that, Jimin didn’t leave me,” Yoongi pointed out. He and Jimin got together just a few months after Jeongguk and Taehyung, but the difference between their relationships was that Jimin actually knew who Yoongi was and what he was doing. He also knew who Jeongguk, Hoseok and Seokjin and Namjoon were and he hardly ever talked about it or acknowledged it, but he did know, so Yoongi didn’t have to constantly hide things from him and lie to him.

“How did he even take it?” Jeongguk looked at the other: “You told me before how you told him, but you never really told me how he reacted, like really.”

“Well, not very well, as you can imagine,” Yoongi hummed, looking pensive for a moment, trying to recall what happened almost four years ago.

“It was a tough decision, but when I started feeling like things were getting serious, I knew I had to tell him and give him the choice,” Yoongi started: “I just thought that he had the right to know and decide whether or not he wanted to be with me. I already liked him, a lot, but I wasn’t in love yet, I think, so I thought there was still time to get over him if he left me.”

Jeongguk nodded.

“I told him without sugarcoating it, I didn’t go in details, but I covered the basics and told him who I am,” the elder continued: “And he freaked out, of course, he was shocked and scared and even disgusted and I can’t blame him for that. It happened in my apartment, he left and I thought I’d never see him again and I started to make my peace with that. I hadn’t heard from him for two weeks or so, but then he suddenly knocked on my door, came in and demanded I tell him more.”

“What exactly?”

“Well, the main thing that he was concerned about was if I was hurting innocent people, like civilians and kids and stuff…” Yoongi said: “I told him honestly that no, I was just dealing with fuckers from our world, criminals, corrupt policemen and stuff. And he just sat there and listened and he was nodding and in the end he said that he loved me and that he didn’t care what I do, as long as I am not hurting normal people.”

“And that’s it?” Jeongguk asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s it,” the elder hummed: “He just demanded that I don’t talk about my job unless he asks me about it, which is fine with me. Until this day, we don’t talk about it much and that’s okay, he knows what I’m doing, but he kinda just ignores it.”

“I guess I should have told Taehyung at the beginning when I had a chance too,” Jeongguk sighed: “But I think that the reason why I didn’t and what makes us different is that…I think I was in love with him pretty much since the first meeting. You and Jimin were more gradual, you built a relationship and fell in love progressively, it was different for us.”

“I know,” Yoongi nodded: “What you two have is special, you were smitten so fucking fast, I still remember it, the way you looked at him or how you talked about him. I get it that the idea of telling him and potentially losing him was scaring you.”

“But now I have more to lose than ever,” Jeongguk grumbled: “I can’t tell him now, not after such a long time, how am I supposed to justify five years of hiding and lies? Even if he could get over…what I do and who I am, he would have never forgiven me for lying to him.”

“You gotta tell him eventually, or he will find out, either way he will know.”

“Well, if I quit, he doesn’t have to know.”

“Quit, right,” Yoongi scoffed: “You’ve been saying that for at least the past three years.”

“Namjoon and Seokjin got out!”

“Not completely.”

“Yeah, but they don’t really answer to anyone,” Jeongguk pointed out, glancing at his two other friends behind the bar. Sometimes he really envied them, they worked in the underworld and they got out, not all the way, but as much as people like them could.

He had this conversation with Namjoon and Seokjin not that long ago, but this was Yoongi. Maybe Jeongguk felt like…if he kept repeating it to different people, it was going to come true, that he was going to find courage and motivation to do what he was saying.

“And what would you be doing, huh?” Yoongi looked at him: “You barely finished high school and you don’t have any working experience.”

“There are plenty of jobs where you don’t need any experience.”

“And what would you tell Taehyung if you suddenly stopped bringing money home. He is an independent artist because you earn so much.”

“I know that,” Jeongguk glared at him: “I want him to continue doing what he loves, I want him to have a comfortable life.”

“Most normal jobs can’t earn you the money you are earning now,” the elder pointed out.

“I have made investments over the years, we can still have a nice income,” Jeongguk argued: “And I know that Taehyung would support me, I can just come to him and tell him that I am burned out and that I hate my job and he is gonna be the first person to tell me to quit.”

“I guess you could make it work,” Yoongi nodded: “You can find a normal job, you can have a good income from investing the money you already have. But do you seriously think that you can just walk away?”

“I don’t answer to anyone,” the younger said with hard eyes: “I haven’t for years, I am independent.”

“You still come when the boss calls.”

“But I am not his puppet, I don’t work for him like you do,” Jeongguk pointed out.

“Do you seriously think that he is gonna let you go? You, of all people?” Yoongi laughed joylessly: “You are his biggest ace, Jeongguk, everyone is scared of you, just having you on his side makes him feared and powerful.”

“If he wants to make people believe that I still work for him, he can, I don’t care,” Jeongguk shrugged: “He can use my reputation to deter fuckers from getting too bold.”

“People would eventually find out that you don’t work for him anymore and that would make him vulnerable.”

“I don’t care, okay?” Jeongguk hissed: “I have dedicated years of my life to…this. I have to move on, now more than ever, me and Taehyung just got engaged and he is in danger for as long as I have this job. He is my priority, I have to keep him safe, so if quitting is the right thing to do, I am gonna do it.”

“I understand your sentiment, I really do,” Yoongi said with a sympathetic sigh: “But walking away from this life is almost impossible, especially for someone like you, you have pissed off lots of people over the years, you know that?”

“So you are saying that there will always be someone coming for my ass?”

“Pretty much. You can leave this life, but you can never escape it and when you think you are safe and happy, that is when shit is gonna hit the fan,” the elder warned him.

“I just can’t keep lying to Taehyung, he knows something is up, he is smart, he sees things,” Jeongguk retorted: “If I continue, he will inevitably find out and that will be the end and I just…I can’t lose him.”

“Whatever you decide to do, I am gonna support you, you know that,” Yoongi said seriously: “But be careful, I just have a feeling that things are not gonna go as smoothly as you think, if you decide to quit.”

*

Jeongguk didn’t plan for this to happen. It was just supposed to be a routine mission, an easy kill like most of the time. But sometimes his targets surprised him, sometimes they fought for their lives and they didn’t go down without trying to survive.

At first he was planning to do it the most common way – with a sniper rifle from some rooftop. But when he assessed the situation, he knew that this time he needed to get closer, so he left the big gun in his car and came out armed with a simple 9 mm gun and two knives.

It was an evening, just a bit past ten p.m., but it was the middle of February and the weather had been particularly cold this week, so most people didn’t go outside unless they had to. Everyone just went to work or school or to do some necessary shopping, otherwise they just stayed inside, which made everything easier for him.

This was a rather fancy part of the city, not the infamous part full of criminals. But that’s where his target lived and spent most of the time, so there was no way he could have caught him somewhere else.

He spent about an hour in the car, waiting for the man to arrive. He was a corrupt judge that had been annoying his boss for far too long. Just last week he sent three men to prison because another gang had him in their pocket. So the boss decided to get rid of that pain in the ass and called Jeongguk three days ago, giving him the name. That was all Jeongguk needed, he never needed further instructions, because he only had one job.

Finally when he saw the man’s car arriving to a fancy hotel where he has been regularly meeting with his lover, he left the car and made his way to the small parking lot. He did his research in the past three days, he never went into anything unprepared, so he knew a lot about the judge’s life. He was married with three children and he has been cheating on his wife with one woman for years and that just made Jeongguk feel less pitiful for him. He hated cheaters, he couldn’t comprehend how someone could say the sacred vows and promise to love and honour their wife or husband for the rest of their lives and then go and sleep with some bitch. Maybe it was because he found his special person, he could never imagine wanting to cheat on Taehyung, it was just such a ridiculous thought, and even though cheating wasn’t the worst sin in the world, Jeongguk still despised it. It helped him carry out his missions when he knew that the people he was after were terrible human beings and this man was ticking lots of boxes of being a human trash.

He moved quickly yet quietly, he had years of expertise that made him the phantom and the legend of the Seoul underworld that he was today. No one knew his name, but everyone knew his nickname and everyone feared it.

He pulled out a knife, figuring that a quick and quiet death was for the best, he didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to himself. He knew that the chances of getting caught after the deed were pretty much non-existent, because he never had any personal ties to his targets, so the only way he could ever get caught would be at the crime scene.

He sneaked up on the man and attacked him, but the judge either heard him, or he had some strange feeling, because he jumped away at the last second and avoided the attack.

They started struggling and Jeongguk was surprised to find out that the middle-aged man was actually quite strong. While doing his research, he learned that the man was taking self-defence classes – he probably knew that he had to be careful since he has pissed off many people throughout his career – but he was still slightly surprised that the man was holding his ground.

He groaned in pain when the man suddenly stabbed him with his own knife that he took from him a moment ago. He could tell that the blade didn’t go very deep, he was grateful that he was wearing a winter bomber, but his side still hurt and he soon felt warm blood seeping through his shirt and hoodie.

He stopped holding back then, he couldn’t risk getting injured more, so he went into beast mode, kicking the knife out of the man’s hand before he started kicking and punching him until he fell against his car.

He took out his other knife and ended it, slicing the man’s throat and then he slowly eased his hold on him so his body slowly fell on the ground.

He crouched over the man and searched his pockets, taking his wallet and a phone and expensive watch, not because he would be some cheap thief, but because this would make it look like he was attacked by someone who wanted money and the attack went wrong.

He looked around as he peeked from behind the big car, making sure that there was no one that could see him leaving the spot. His eyes also found the security cameras and he found one that was facing the spot. He wore a beanie and a face mask, so his identity being revealed was very unlikely, but he still made a mental note to text Namjoon to hack the camera and delete the footage.

He quickly went to his car, got in and drove away and only when he was a few blocks away from the crime scene, he pulled up by the sidewalk to examine his injury.

“Goddamn it,” he grunted in annoyance as he took a look at his hip, it was bleeding quite a lot, but he was sure that no organ was hit, so that was some consolation. He hated getting hurt, not really because of the pain, he could live with that, it was just a nuisance, it ruined his clothes and it was really damn hard to explain it to Taehyung. The elder saw him naked pretty much every day, so an injury like this was really hard to hide.

He contemplated what to do, if maybe he should call one of his friends for help or if he should go to his secret apartment and take care of it himself. But he was starting to get tired and he was close to his and Taehyung’s house and he knew that Taehyung was going to find out sooner rather than later about the injury and he was going to ask questions. So it really didn’t matter if he just went home and tended to himself there, he already had a story of what he was going to say happened in his head.

He drove home, his side hurting and bleeding more, but he really didn’t have anything to put on it. Thankfully the ride was short, so he was pulling up in the driveway in less than fifteen minutes.

He walked in, hearing TV in the living room, which told him that Taehyung wasn’t asleep yet. It wasn’t really late, so it wasn’t surprising and there was no way for him to sneak around the elder without being seen.

He took off the bomber, tossing it on the floor since it needed to be washed up and sewn anyway, he took off the boots with slight difficulties since he had to bend over. He left his weapons in the car along with the things he took from the judge, so he had nothing incriminating on him.

“Hey, baby, did you have fun with Hobi-hyung?” Taehyung greeted him with a smile, asking about their friend, because that’s who Jeongguk told him he was going out with tonight.

“Oh my god, what happened to you?” the elder gasped before he could even get the answer, alarmed and on his feet when he saw a bruise and a busted lip on Jeongguk’s face. His eyes then slipped to where Jeongguk was holding his hand over his hip, it was covered in blood, not doing much to stop the bleeding.

“You are bleeding, shit!” Taehyung got out, grabbing the other’s wrist and leading him to the dining table and sitting him down on a chair, instantly pulling up his shirt and hoodie to examine the wound.

“Were you stabbed? What happened, did you get mugged?” he wondered with wide eyes.

“Yes,” Jeongguk nodded, because that was the lie he was going to tell the other anyway: “I managed to protect myself, they didn’t take anything.”

“To hell with that, I would have been happier if they robbed you instead of stabbing you!”

“I guess they panicked…” Jeongguk shrugged: “It is okay, it is not even that deep, I am going to take care of it.”

“You should go to a hospital.”

“I am fine, baby, really, I can stitch it up.”

“You don’t move,” Taehyung looked at him strictly: “I am gonna take care of it, wait here.”

He rushed away, presumably going to the bathroom for the first aid kit. He came back a few minutes later with it, carrying also a plastic basin with water and clean cloth to clean it.

He helped Jeongguk take off the clothes and then he kneeled down and started working. He was surprisingly calm and he worked with expertise, Jeongguk was glad that he didn’t have to do it by himself, but it still left him wondering where the elder learned how to do this.

“I didn’t know you knew how to stitch,” he pointed out when Taehyung took a needle and medical thread and started stitching the wound after he cleaned it with water and disinfection.

The elder didn’t say anything for a moment, before he finally got out: “Well, we all got medical training in the military, remember?”

Jeongguk just hummed, but he kept looking at Taehyung’s fingers. By the way he paused before replying, it seemed like he wasn’t honest, like he quickly came up with a plausible lie. Jeongguk knew a thing or two about that.

“We should call the police,” Taehyung spoke after a while of silence: “Or we will got to a station tomorrow and report it, they have to catch that fucker.”

“I didn’t see his face,” Jeongguk lied: “He was covered, what would I even say?”

“They can check some cameras.”

“They wouldn’t see anything,” the younger argued: “Besides, they didn’t take anything.”

“But they stabbed you, so they are clearly dangerous, they could hurt other people!”

“Baby, I don’t really wanna deal with this,” Jeongguk sighed tiredly: “I am fine, that’s all that matters, I will heal soon and won’t even feel it in a few days.”

Taehyung finished working, cutting the threat with little scissors and putting a patch on it since it was still bleeding a little and then he put the things back in the kit.

“I just think that they should be brought to justice, it could have been much worse, they could have hit some organ and you could have bled out on the street,” he said as he looked at the other with genuine concern and distress in his eyes.

“But it didn’t happen, I am here and I am okay, and you took great care of me,” Jeongguk reassured him with a soft smile, cupping his cheek: “I am just really damn tired, I wanna wash up and go to sleep.”

Taehyung sighed heavily, but then he nodded: “Okay, you should rest, I am not gonna argue with that. But if it starts bleeding again or if it hurts, we are going to the hospital.”

“Okay, I promise,” Jeongguk nodded, but he knew that it was just an empty promise to make his lover feel better, because he didn’t want to get involved with police and he knew that if the went to a hospital, they would ask questions and call the cops, because they had to report things like these. But Jeongguk was positive that he was going to be fine in a few days, he has had worse injuries throughout his life, this was nothing that he couldn’t handle.

Chapter Text

“Guys, you made it!” Hoseok yelled excitedly with a big grin on his face and he rushed to greet Taehyung and Jeongguk to the door of Blood Moon.

“We wouldn’t have missed your birthday, hyung,” Taehyung chuckled, struggling to breathe a little when the elder pulled him in a tight hug.

“Happy birthday, hyung,” Jeongguk said as he got a hug too.

Namjoon’s and Seokjin’s bar was closed for a private event that was Hoseok’s birthday. It has become a tradition over the years that they owned a bar that their friends’ birthdays were celebrated here and they didn’t mind closing the establishment to the public for a night. Seokjin always joked that at least they didn’t have to think about presents, because the bar and the drinks and food were on them on those occasions.

Jeongguk carried the bag he was holding to the table designated for presents. It was usually Taehyung that was in charge of buying gifts, even for those that were first Jeongguk’s friends and over the years became his too. Jeongguk wasn't a big fan of shopping and coming up with ideas for presents, while his fiancé loved it, so it worked perfectly for both of them. Buying a gift for Hoseok was always pretty easy, because not only was he the type of person that was excited and happy about anything, but he was into fashion too, so his friends were usually buying him some new, cool clothes or shoes.

They started mingling with others, getting some drinks and also something to eat from the buffet that Seokjin prepared, sometimes he ordered something, but most of the things he usually prepared by himself since he was an excellent cook.

About two hours later, Jeongguk was sitting on his own in one of the few cosy armchairs that were there, watching with a smile Taehyung dancing with Hoseok and few other people. He didn’t mind going out, but he was definitely more introverted than Taehyung, who always enjoyed talking to people and dancing with them, even with those that he didn’t know very well. Sometimes it felt really strange for Jeongguk to watch him chatting to people he knew were gangsters, but Taehyung was just so loveable that even the coldest ones he knew melted in his presence.

His eyes didn’t leave Taehyung even when he saw from the corner of his eye that someone sat in an armchair next to him.

“It is disgusting, you know?” Jimin’s voice told him who joined him after a moment of silence.

“What is?” he asked without tearing his eyes from Taehyung who was currently attempting to do some cool moves that Hoseok was teaching him. He was good, but he looked a bit silly too, especially because he just couldn’t stop giggling, which always happened when he had something to drink.

“The way you look at him, still after all these years,” Jimin explained and that made Jeongguk finally turn his head and look at him.

“You and Yoongi are not much better,” the younger pointed out.

“We are not like this though,” Jimin argued: “You look at him like you are willing to give him every star from the universe.”

“I would if he asked me to,” Jeongguk said, looking back at Taehyung and letting out a low chuckle when he saw that now him and Hoseok were holding hands and wildly spinning on the small dance floor, making everyone around them take a few steps back to not get hit.

“I heard that you are thinking about quitting,” Jimin said nonchalantly and now Jeongguk understood why he came, he didn’t want to just chit-chat.

“Yoongi told you,” Jeongguk stated the obvious and looked back at the elder: “I thought you don’t talk about our work.”

“Usually not, but this is big news that he knew I would like to hear.”

“It is not really news, I have been thinking about it for a while, you know that.”

“Yeah, and it always stayed at promises,” Jimin scoffed: “I mean, I honestly don’t care what you do, whether you quit or not, but if you don’t really wanna do that, just stop saying it.”

“I want to do it,” Jeongguk said seriously.

“We both know that you are gonna be pulled back in, even if you try, that’s how shit works in your world, doesn’t it?”

“Seokjin and Namjoon got out.”

“Not really, their bar still serves their former master.”

“I just can’t keep doing this, you know?” Jeongguk said quietly.

“You mean lying to Taehyung?” Jimin said bitingly. He was Taehyung’s closest friend and he never really forgave Jeongguk for not telling Taehyung the truth in all these years, not only because he thought it was shitty that Jeongguk was lying to him, but because that meant he had to lie to Taehyung too. He promised Jeongguk not to say anything, it wasn’t his secret to tell, but Jeongguk knew that Jimin hated it when he couldn’t be honest with his best friend.

“There are really only two options, I either tell him, or I quit and he doesn’t have to find out.”

“Maybe you should just tell him then,” Jimin shrugged: “I have been telling you for years, he is tougher than you think, sure, he would be shocked at first, but I think he could handle it and he wouldn’t leave you.”

“But how do you think he would react if he found out that I have been lying to him all this time?” the younger asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, he would be pissed off.”

“Exactly.”

“I know that you are worried that you’d lose him,” Jimin whispered: “But he loves you and I can’t imagine that there is anything in the world that would make him stop.”

“Not even finding out that I kill people for a living?” Jeongguk whispered back: “I don’t know, hyung, that is something most people wouldn’t be fine with. He thinks I am a law-abiding citizen, working a normal, well-paid job, how the fuck do you think he would take it if he found out who I am?”

“Well…”

“And how do you think he would react if he found out about everyone else?” Jeongguk continued: “Because we all have been lying to him, you included and I know it wasn’t your choice, but you still do it.”

“I just don’t think this is something you can keep from him forever, it is a fucking miracle that he hasn’t found out in those five years,” the elder hissed: “Even if you quitted, what about Yoongi and Hobi? And Namjoon and Seokjin and all the shady people that come here? Do you seriously think that he would have never found out? Quitting and pretending like you were never the most infamous hitman in Seoul is not gonna work, mark my words.”

“We have had this conversation like a hundred times before, hyung,” Jeongguk sighed tiredly.

“Yeah, and you obviously never gave a fuck about what I said.”

“I just…how would I even tell him?” Jeongguk looked back at Taehyung, unable to imagine any scenario in which Taehyung would react well to such revelation. He didn’t want to steal the sparkles from his eyes, he didn’t want to see that carefree and happy side disappear.

“Just be honest with him,” Jimin said.

“I know that he would leave me,” the younger said seriously, looking back at Jimin: “And I know it is fucking selfish, but I just can’t risk that, he’s the only good thing I have in my life.”

“You have a couple of pretty good friends.”

“I know, but that’s not the same.”

“I think he might surprise you, he is not as innocent as you think…”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jeongguk frowned in confusion.

“Let’s just say that he is not the type to crumble down easily and he doesn’t judge either. There are some things you don’t know about him too, you know? You are not the only one with a secret.”

“What secret does he have?”

“It is not my place to tell you, just like I haven’t told him about you and the others over the years. But I think that if you were honest with him and told him what you really do, his reaction wouldn’t be as bad as you might think,” Jimin replied cryptically, making the younger even more confused about the whole conversation. What secret might Taehyung possibly be hiding from him that would make him have a positive reaction to his occupation?

Jimin left Jeongguk after a while, the elder wanted to dance and mingle with people, while Jeongguk was not in the mood for that. Ever since that attack on Taehyung’s birthday, he has been thinking about his situation. Because this was the first time in five years when his job interfered with his and Taehyung’s lives, this was the first time he was attacked while he was not working, while he was just walking with the elder, shortly after he dropped down on his knee and asked Taehyung to marry him. For the first time in five years, he was worried that he might be exposed, but what he was especially scared of was that Taehyung could get hurt because of him.

He didn’t mind sitting on his own, sipping on a glass of whiskey that he got a while ago and just watching others have fun. He wished to allow himself to be so carefree, but he couldn’t, there was just so much on his mind.

“Hey there,” the voice he loved the most in the world said. He didn’t even notice Taehyung coming to him, because he has been zoned out, but once the elder came to him and sat on his lap and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, he was all focused on him, wrapping his arm around the elder’s waist, which seemed like the most basic instinct after the years of dating.

“We can go home if you want,” Taehyung said quietly in his private voice.

“No, I’m fine,” Jeongguk reassured him: “You are having fun, I can tell that you don’t wanna go home yet.”

“I would if you wanted.”

“I know, but I am okay, really,” the younger smiled softly.

“I just don’t want you to be bored or tired,” Taehyung pouted.

“I am not, I promise.”

“You just…you look kinda sad lately,” Taehyung sighed, voicing his concerns and showing that he knew his fiancé well. Jeongguk always thought that he was pretty good at hiding his emotions, but Taehyung saw right through him.

“Not sad, just…there’s a lot on my mind lately.”

“Is it your work?” Taehyung wondered.

“Yeah,” Jeongguk nodded and it wasn’t exactly a lie, because his occupation was the reason why he has been so pensive lately.

“I know you like the job and the money you earn is amazing,” Taehyung said: “But maybe you should consider working less, talk to your boss, maybe he will cut you some slack.”

“Maybe,” Jeongguk hummed: “I have been thinking…maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to find something else.”

He thought it was a good idea to lay ground to his plans, if he really wanted to quit, pitching that idea to Taehyung now and making him see that he was getting tired, that would make it less surprising if he really quitted and suddenly lost the income.

“You don’t enjoy your job anymore?” the elder asked, curiously, not judgementally.

“It’s kinda getting repetitive and exhausting and…I don’t enjoy travelling all that much, I don’t like being away from you.”

“Well, I can’t deny that I would be happier to have you home more often,” Taehyung smiled sweetly before he turned serious: “If you feel like you don’t like your job and you might wanna try something else then I am gonna support you.”

“But what about your art? You are able to work your dream job because I make so much money,” the younger pointed out.

“I couldn’t really enjoy doing my dream job if I knew that you were unhappy at yours,” Taehyung replied: “I love that I can do whatever I want and for whomever I want, but I don’t want to put all the burden on you, I never intended that, I don’t want you to think that you have to make big money for me, I am not your sugar baby, we are partners.”

“I know,” Jeongguk reassured him.

“We could make it work, we would figure it out. As long as we stay together, I don’t care.”

“I am not sure about quitting yet, I am not gonna give my notice tomorrow, it’s just…something I have been thinking about,” Jeongguk said: “I am gonna try to talk to my boss and see if we can work something out…”

“I think that is the best option,” Taehyung nodded with a supportive smile: “You might regret being too impulsive and quitting, talking to your boss seems like the best idea.”

“I can tell that you wanna go dance again, Jimin joined others too,” Jeongguk nodded towards the dance floor with a chuckle.

“Well, if you really don’t wanna leave…”

“I don’t, I am okay right here, baby, I promise.”

“Okay, I am gonna join them for a while,” Taehyung grinned, but before he moved to do that, he leaned closer and whispered in Jeongguk’s ear: “But I am gonna suck you off later at home…or maybe I won’t even wait until we get home, maybe I will drag you to the bathroom right here, wouldn’t be the first time anyway.”

“God, sometimes I don’t know if you are a devil or an angel,” Jeongguk growled as Taehyung pulled back and looked at him.

The elder stood up, turning away and taking a few steps, but then he looked over his shoulder, winked and said: “A little bit of both.”

With that, he walked away while swaying his hips exaggeratedly and Jeongguk…he couldn’t really agree more.

*

“Oh, this one is really nice,” Taehyung got out in admiration, eyes widening and lips parting as he stared in wonder at a landscape painting on the white wall. Jeongguk didn’t even look at the art, he was just admiring his fiancé, because it was so endearing to see him so impressed.

“This is a great date,” Taehyung turned to look at the younger with a soft smile, pulling him closer and linking their arms together as they faced the countryside painting, eyes gliding over it. Jeongguk was no artist, but he could still appreciate good art from talented people and Taehyung, he was always analysing everything he saw, noticing details that an amateur would have missed.

“I am glad you are having fun,” Jeongguk replied. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, it was raining though, so when he saw the previsions for the weekend, he thought about what to do and surprised Taehyung with a date in the elder’s favourite art gallery. It wasn’t a big one, but Taehyung loved it, he always said that they had the best art there, because it was from unknown people and he appreciated that more than staring at paintings from famous artists.

“You must be bored though, I know that you are not really into this,” Taehyung glanced at the other.

“I could never be bored when I’m with you,” Jeongguk reassured him: “I might not appreciate the art as much as you do, but I like walking around with you and listen to your excited babbling.”

“I don’t babble!”

“You totally do, we just spent more than ten minutes over there while you talked about the colours of the birds,” the younger chuckled.

“Well, art is my passion.”

“I don’t hold anything against you.”

“Still, thank you for this, I know that this is not what you would have done if it was up to you, but you still bought tickets to come here, because you knew I would love it,” Taehyung said with a soft smile.

“Anything for my baby,” Jeongguk smiled back, leaning in and pecking Taehyung’s cheek.

“God, you are perfect, have I ever told you that?”

“I think last week, but that was awfully long ago.”

“It is, I gotta get better,” the elder giggled.

“Would you want to have an exhibition of your art like this?” Jeongguk asked after a moment of peaceful silence. The gallery was almost empty, there were only a few people walking around the rooms, but they were currently alone in this one.

“Well, I have clients for whom I work.”

“I know that, but if you were offered a space here?”

“Every artist dreams of this,” Taehyung made a gesture towards the painting: “Of course that everyone dreams of people admiring what they have made, it would be nerve wrecking, because what if they didn’t like my art though?”

“I can’t imagine anyone not liking your art, you are amazing.”

“And you are biased, baby,” the elder chuckled.

Jeongguk stepped back from the other and took his hands, turning Taehyung to face him. The elder just looked at him curiously, because it was clear that Jeongguk was about to say something.

“What if I told you that I made it happen for you to have an exhibition here?” Jeongguk asked with a serious expression.

“Stop messing with me,” the elder scoffed.

“I am not,” Jeongguk said seriously: “I have been thinking about it for a while, about how people should see your art and what a shame it is that most of your paintings you either do for others, or they just lie in your atelier without anyone admiring them.”

Taehyung’s breath visibly caught in his throat.

“I snapped a couple of pictures of your paintings, the ones that you did for yourself and that you never really showed to anyone. I came here a few weeks ago and met with the manager of the gallery and shower the photos to her. Those photos don’t do your art any justice, but she was still impressed,” the younger continued: “And she said that she would love to give you room to express yourself and show off your art, so she booked a few rooms in the gallery for you.”

“Are you kidding?” Taehyung got out, speechless.

“Not in the slightest.”

“Oh my god!” Taehyung gasped with wide eyes: “You are serious!”

“I am.”

“You paid her to book me, huh?” Taehyung squinted at the other knowingly.

“Well, I did give her a generous sum as a present for the gallery,” Jeongguk admitted, because there was no point in lying.

“I can’t believe you,” the other snorted.

“But the fact that she really liked your art was the dealbreaker!” Jeongguk swore: “I don’t want you to think that I bought space here for you, but even if I did, what does it matter? I just wanted for you to have this opportunity and I am willing to pay anything to anyone if it means your dream comes true.”

He didn’t get to say anything else, because Taehyung suddenly surged forwards and kissed him, not caring that they were a same sex couple in a public space, he didn’t care about weird looks, never has, he always walked around with Jeongguk proudly, because what was there to not be proud of?

“God, did I tell you how perfect you are?” Taehyung giggled when he broke the kiss, making Jeongguk laugh.

“Well, you promised to say it more often, I see you weren’t lying,” the younger chuckled: “Are you getting emotional?”

“Of course, I am, shut up!” Taehyung whined, unable to deny that, because he knew that his eyes were currently slightly glossy: “You are so good to me, you bribe a gallery manager to show my art here, how many people can say their fiancé does that for them?”

“I didn’t bribe her.”

“I wouldn’t have cared even if you did,” the elder chuckled: “Fuck, I will have my own exhibition, I can’t believe it!”

“The date is not really booked yet, she told me that they are full for a year or so, so it’s not happening anytime soon, but at least you’ll have time to decide what to show here and make new things if you wanted.”

“I don’t care when it happens, I can wait for a year, or even two!”

“So are you happy? I was a bit worried that you would yell at me for deciding for you,” Jeongguk said unsurely.

“How could I be mad? You literally made my dream come true,” Taehyung shook his head in disbelief: “I am convinced that no one has ever had a better guy than I do.”

“I think I am winning in that regard, I have the best guy.”

“Oh, you always have to win, don’t you?”

“Yes, and that just proves that you are the best guy since you know me so well,” the younger grinned.

“God, I will have my own exhibition,” Taehyung sighed, linking their arms again and facing the landscape painting, putting his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder. He really couldn’t comprehend what a great man Jeongguk was and what things he was doing for him, he was living a comfortable life and got to do what he loved, because Jeongguk worked hard and earned enough money to support both of them. And he was taking him on amazing dates and he was paying people to book him rooms for an exhibition. He wasn’t just saying it, he really meant it – Jeongguk was perfect.

*

A tall, bulky man walked in the pompous mansion with marble floors and luxurious, vintage furniture.

“I am here to see the boss,” he said to another man that let him in. It wasn’t really necessary for him to introduce himself and the cause of his visit, since he was expected.

“He’s in his study, waiting for you,” the other man nodded towards the door behind the big staircase.

“Thanks,” the tall man said and headed to the door, walking under a big, crystal chandelier that was hanging in the entry hall. He knocked on the door and walked in, finding himself in a spacious study full of bookshelves and a huge, mahogany desk with a big chair with a man sitting behind it.

He stopped and bowed deeply to show respect.

“Sungjae, come in, come in,” the man said, pointing at one of the comfortable chairs in front of the desk.

“I come with news, sir,” Sungjae said as he sat down.

“That’s what you said when you called me,” the boss nodded, wearing his usual, cold and slightly intimidating expression. He was that type of person that exuded power and fear just from his look, it was one of the reasons why he was probably the most feared man in the Korean underworld.

“You sounded quite excited on the phone,” the boss said: “I take it you made progress in your research, it’s been weeks since I’ve heard from you.”

“I wanted to collect as much information as possible before coming to see you.”

“I am glad to hear that you are so thorough, many before you failed, but I already have a feeling that you are coming with a breakthrough.”

“I am sure you will be pleased, sir,” Sungjae nodded, putting a fat folder full of papers on the desk: “I have everything in electronic form too, I will email it to you if you’d like.”

The boss took the folder and opened it. The first thing he saw was a photo, it was slightly blurry, but it was showing a face.

“So this is him?” he asked, eyes never leaving the photo of the young man, a ghost he has been chasing for years, a man that took something very valuable from him and he hasn’t forgotten.

“The one and only Golden Phantom,” Sungjae nodded, suppressing a smug smile, because he knew that his mission was successful and that the boss was going to be very pleased.

“Tell me more about him, I will go through the folder later,” the boss decided, pushing the folder away and focusing on the man in front of him.

“I found out many interesting things about him,” Sungjae started: “I dare to say that, at this moment, I am the only person that knows his identity.”

“Possibly,” the boss hummed: “Golden Phantom has become a legend in our circles, ruthless hitman working for Kim Taebin, that is pretty much the extent of what we’ve known so far. No one has ever discovered his identity or seen his face.”

“Many have probably seen his face, they just didn’t live to tell about it,” the tall man replied: “His resume and his hit count is quite impressive, from what I’ve found, he is responsible for at least a hundred kills and that is only what can be tracked back to him.”

“He looks young.”

“The real name is Jeon Jeongguk,” Sungjae revealed: “Twenty-eight years old, originally from Busan.”

“He is young.”

“He came to Seoul right after his military service, after graduating from high school,” Sungjae continue listing what he’s learned: “I didn’t manage to track his entire history after coming here, but he caught the eye of Kim Taebin’s men quite quickly and then he was employed by the boss himself.”

The boss hummed and made a gesture for the other to continue.

“He was never really involved in the usual gang activities like dealing,” Sungjae went on: “He was pretty much a gorilla, a security, to Taebin himself. But his true talent was uncovered after some time and he became Taebin’s executioner. After some time, he left the gang.”

“He left?” the boss frowned.

“He started working independently, but he still has ties to Taebin’s gang, he is a hitman, but he doesn’t get involved in the gang’s usual stuff.”

“So Taebin has him on call,” the boss nodded in understanding: “He calls, gives him a name, he pays him and Jeon carries out the mission.”

“Exactly that,” Sungjae nodded: “From what I’ve understood, he is hard to contain, he doesn’t want to be involved in the usual gang stuff, so this was a compromise he made with Taebin.”

“Are you sure that he’s behind it?” the boss asked with a cold expression.

“We have been pretty sure for years, already after it happened, everything was pointing at the work of the Golden Phantom,” Sungjae nodded: “And now I am even surer that he is the one that murdered your son.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“I’ve found out something else,” Sungjae said, knowing that the true, big revelation was coming now: “After I found out his real identity, I watched him. I managed to snap a couple of photos, when he’s working, he is diligent and hides his face, but on normal days, he just goes around like a normal person.”

“That is a usual cover-up, who would suspect him to be the most famous hitman if he doesn’t look suspicious?”

“I know where he lives and with whom,” Sungjae said, already bubbling with excitement on the inside because he knew that this was the ultimate proof and that he was going to get credit and a generous pay check from the boss.

He grabbed the folder from the desk and flipped through the papers until he found what he was looking for. It was another photo, this one wasn’t showing just Jeongguk.

“He lives and apparently is in a relationship with one Kim Taehyung,” Sungjae said triumphantly, handing the man a photo that he took of Jeongguk and his fiancé while they were walking home from some event, holding hands.

“Kim Taehyung,” the boss breathed out, leaning back in the chair and staring at the photo of the pair.

“I am sure you remember him, sir.”

“How could I ever forget this bitch?” the boss growled, for the first time showing some real emotions.

Chapter Text

“I seriously can’t believe that you booked us a flight to Busan after I told you two days ago that I crave fresh seafood,” Taehyung shook his head, still in disbelief about tonight’s date that Jeongguk surprised him with.

They were in a car, returning from the airport after Jeongguk told him a few hours ago to dress up because they were going out for dinner. What Taehyung didn’t expect was for Jeongguk to drive them to the airport and announce that he got plane tickets to Busan and that he booked a table in the best seafood restaurant, just because the elder told him the other day that he wanted some good seafood.

“Anything for my baby,” Jeongguk grinned, taking Taehyung’s hand while he kept his other hand on the steering wheel and his eyes on the highway.

“I feel so spoiled,” Taehyung chuckled breathlessly and then joked: “Sometimes it feels like you are my sugar daddy.”

“I would be your sugar daddy if you wanted me to,” the younger shrugged.

“In some ways you already are, you are providing for us so I am able to work on my art.”

“And I am happy you can do what you love.”

“God, how did I get so lucky?” Taehyung sighed: “You really are the best boyfriend.”

“Fiancé,” Jeongguk corrected him.

“Tonight was amazing and the food was great,” Taehyung said, resting his head against the headrest and looking at the other softly, feeling so fucking in love it was almost ridiculous. But then he smirked and his expression became more playful, which Jeongguk noticed when he glanced at him, and he knew Taehyung well enough to not be surprised what came next.

“I guess I should show you just how grateful I am for everything,” the elder said lowly, letting go of Jeongguk’s hand just to put it on his leg and drag it slowly up until it settled on his crotch and then he pressed the palm down.

“Taehyung,” Jeongguk groaned softly, biting his lip.

“Just focus on driving,” Taehyung said innocently, continuing to tease the other.

“That’s easy to say,” Jeongguk sighed, biting his lip harder when Taehyung just shamelessly pushed his hand down his pants and underwear and wrapped his long fingers around his cock that was already coming to life.

“I just wanna treat you right after you treated me to such a nice date,” the elder said with a teasing grin, watching Jeongguk’s face, paying attention to the changes in his expressions. He just loved it when he was taking Jeongguk apart, he loved it that the younger was so affected by him and his touch, it was a big ego boost. It’s not like he was any better though, Jeongguk could always make him melt with his touch, sometimes just words, they just had such an insane attraction and chemistry.

“Shit, baby, you are gonna make me crush the car,” Jeongguk groaned when Taehyung continued jerking him off in just the right tempo and when he started teasing the sensitive cockhead with his index finger.

“I guess you better get off the highway and park somewhere then,” Taehyung said breathlessly.

“Oh, so that is your plan,” the other glanced at him with a knowing smirk: “You don’t wanna give me a handjob, you wanna get me horny so I fuck you in the car, is that it?”

“Maybe,” the elder admitted with fake innocence, biting his lip.

“All you have to do is ask.”

“But this is more fun.”

“You’re impossible,” Jeongguk chuckled: “And to think that our friends think that I am the one corrupting you, they would be really surprised to see you jerking me off in the middle of the highway.”

“What can I say, I have the appearance of an angel, but an attitude of a devil,” Taehyung giggled.

“That is very accurately said.”

“So…what is it gonna be? I think this date deserves a perfect ending,” Taehyung said with a little pout, which was always a sign that he was impatient: “We haven’t fucked in the car in a very long time.”

“Because we have an actual house where we can do it.”

“But doing it in the house all the time is no fun.”

“Being cramped in the backseat is not that fun either,” Jeongguk argued.

“Well, then you can just fuck me outside on the hood, if you are able to find a spot where we will be alone,” Taehyung said shamelessly.

“Jesus Christ, Taehyung, you really are something else,” Jeongguk groaned. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe that they found each other, since the beginning of their relationship, he’s felt that Taehyung was just perfect for him. He couldn’t really describe it, he had lots of dark sides and he could somehow feel that Taehyung had them too, sides that were hidden from most people, but that sometimes came out when they were alone and it usually manifested in the bedroom. Taehyung was one of the kindest people he’s ever met, he was a ray of sunshine, he was energetic and talkative, but he had this slightly mysterious and freaky side too and that’s what Jeongguk has always been drawn to. That’s why he loved Taehyung more than he thought he could ever love anyone, because Taehyung was just such a good match for him and he was a good match for the elder.

He took the first exit from the highway before they could even get to the city and then he drove with no aim in particular, just to find some private, secluded spot.

It took them at least twenty minutes until he finally pulled up at the edge of a forest, right behind some small village, and by that time, they were both already worked up, so once the car was parked and the engine was turned off, Taehyung unfastened his seatbelt and climbed onto Jeongguk’s lap slightly clumsily. They started kissing instantly, tongues engaging in a messy dance with Jeongguk’s hands sliding down Taehyung’s pants and grabbing handful of ass cheeks, which made the elder moan.

“Do you…still have a lube here?” Taehyung asked breathlessly when Jeongguk started kissing his neck.

“In the compartment,” the younger replied against his skin. He groaned in displeasure when Taehyung pulled back so he could reach in the compartment at the passenger seat side, finding what he was looking for quickly. This wasn’t their first rodeo, so they always kept lube in one of their cars, it made things much easier and even though he didn’t mind doing it without lube sometimes, this was definitely more comfortable and faster.

Jeongguk wasted no time and pushed Taehyung’s pants and underwear down, it was slightly hard since the elder was straddling his hips and his thighs were spread, but he managed to do it just enough for Taehyung’s ass to be exposed so he could prepare him.

“Fuck, do it, do it, do it,” Taehyung whined, dropping his forehead on Jeongguk’s shoulder when just a minute later, Jeongguk was circling his entrance with lubed up fingers. Sometimes he felt this strange ache in the pit of his stomach, ache that disappeared only when he was filled up, and he needed it do disappear right fucking now.

Thankfully Jeongguk always indulged him and did what he wanted, so Taehyung let out a content sigh when the younger eased one finger inside of him. It was just to the first knuckle, but it felt so fucking good and his cock twitched when he imagined that in few minutes, he was going to get filled up with something much bigger and thicker.

“Fuck, feels so fucking good,” Taehyung moaned, pushing his ass back and essentially riding two of Jeongguk’s fingers barely two minutes later. The small space of the car was filled with filthy wet sounds, but that just contributed to the atmosphere, making him feel needier.

“Shit, I need you. Now,” he decided a moment later, raising his hips and making the younger’s digits slide out of him. Then he looked down and his fingers found Jeongguk’s zipper, he undid it and then reached in his underwear, pulling his cock out.

“You sure you can take me?” Jeongguk asked breathlessly.

“When have I ever not?” the elder scoffed, shuffling closer to the other so he was hovering over his hard dick, then he reached back and led it to his entrance and he slowly sank down. It was slightly painful, the thick shaft was spreading his tight walls, but it was so delicious that it made his thighs tremble.

“Holy fuck, you feel so good, baby,” Jeongguk moaned, throwing his head back on the headrest when Taehyung took few remaining inches inside so his cock was buried to the hilt.

“You too,” Taehyung said breathlessly, gyrating his hips to get comfortable and to enjoy the sensation before he started rising and falling, as much as the confined space of the car and the roof above his head allowed him.

After a while, he put his hands back on Jeongguk’s thighs, hips jerking in fast, uncoordinated movements, but he couldn’t really focus because he felt that familiar insatiable fire under his skin and he wanted more, more and more. The windows in the car were fogged up now from their warm breaths and even if someone was outside, they couldn’t see them, not that either of them really cared if someone did.

“Careful,” Jeongguk gasped when Taehyung hit his head. He wanted to move faster and take his cock deeper, but the roof was holding him down.

“I’m fine,” the elder protested, continuing to ride his fiancé enthusiastically and rapidly, but it just resulted in another headbang a few seconds later.

“I said that car sex was fucking annoying,” Jeongguk gripping Taehyung’s hips to make him stop, because even though he felt really fucking good, he didn’t want the elder to hurt himself.

He opened the door and helped Taehyung outside, which was a task since his pants were around the middle of his thighs. He got out as well, wrapping an arm around Taehyung’s waist and pulling him to the front until they stood in front of the hood.

“Fuck, it’s cold,” Taehyung complained when Jeongguk lifted him up and sat him on the hood.

“You are not gonna feel it in a second.”

“You gotta keep me warm then.”

“That’s my intention,” the younger smirked as he got rid of Taehyung’s pants and underwear and put them on the hood next to the elder. Then he spread his legs, pulled him lower and stood between his thighs.

“Oh shit,” Taehyung moaned when Jeongguk led his cock back into his hole and thrusted in. The younger then gripped his thighs and started fucking into him, fast and hard, just how they both wanted it at the moment.

Their moans and groans were echoing in the air around them, it was already dark, so they would be able to see if there was a car or a person with a flashlight approaching them. But the night was peaceful and dark, it was clear that there was not a single soul in the vicinity to witness what they were doing.

Taehyung wrapped his arms and legs around the other, holding onto him as Jeongguk continued snapping his hips in just the right angle that was abusing his prostate with each jab. He kept moaning and sobbing in pleasure, toes curling and thighs shaking and he felt high and light, which was a feeling that only Jeongguk managed to bring out in him.

Jeongguk was the first one to trip over the edge, unable to hold it when Taehyung’s entrance started clenching around his cock like it wanted to milk him of his release and so he gave it what it demanded. He fucked in and out few more times with deep, uncoordinated thrusts before he exploded inside of his lover and then he wrapped his hand around Taehyung’s dick and jerked him off until the elder was moaning and coming as well, crying out his name in that beautiful, deep, broken voice.

“Holy fuck,” Taehyung panted, taking a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart after the powerful orgasm. He always came hard after a bit of freaky sex, and outdoor sex always did that for him.

“That was something,” Jeongguk chuckled breathlessly, leaning in and kissing the other slowly and deeply, always loving to savour the post-orgasm moment with the man he loved.

“You better clean me up, I don’t wanna sit in a pool of lube and your come for the rest of the ride home,” the elder said.

“No? I would have thought you’d enjoy that,” Jeongguk grinned.

“I don’t mind having your come inside, I just don’t enjoy my clothes getting wet and dirty.”

“Then maybe I should buy you a plug so you can keep it inside without damaging your clothes,” Jeongguk winked.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” Taehyung scoffed: “You and your possessive and dirty ass.”

“I can’t believe that we have been together for years and I’ve never thought of that. I know what my next present to you is gonna be.”

“Don’t think I’d actually wear it.”

“Please, you would love wearing it,” Jeongguk teased.

“Maybe a little…”

“That’s what I thought,” the younger laughed, going in the car to grab a packet of wet wipes that he too had in the compartment since they occasionally did something in or outside the car.

They got on the way home ten minutes later, Taehyung was pleasantly tired and he couldn’t wait to hop in a warm shower and lay in the bed and cuddle with his fiancé and get some good sleep.

Little did he know that the universe had different plans for them tonight.

Jeongguk was endeared and a bit smug too, when he pulled up at the driveway and saw that Taehyung was almost asleep. He always took pride in being able to fuck the elder’s brains out that he was so exhausted.

“We’re home,” he said quietly, gently running his fingers through Taehyung’s hair and massaging his scalp, which made the elder yawn and give him a tired, content smile.

They got out of the car and it was Jeongguk’s habit to always look around, more so now after the incident from a few months ago. He knew that if anyone ever discovered his identity, there would be a huge target on his back as well as on Taehyung’s, so he couldn’t be careful enough.

His eyes stopped at two cars parked just across the street. It wouldn’t be suspicious to anyone else, but for him, it meant that an uncomfortable feeling settled at the pit of his stomach. It was a weekday and it was quite late and even though some of their neighbours could have had just some visitors, it wasn’t very likely.

He circled the car before Taehyung could even get out and then rushed him to the house, quickly but at the same time inconspicuously so his fiancé didn’t find it weird.

He could breathe better when they were inside and he punched in the security code, thinking that perhaps he should activate the automatic outside shutters on the windows just to be safe, but that would definitely make Taehyung suspicious. He was telling himself that he was just paranoid because he was used to being always cautious, but something about the evening felt off. It was perfect just an hour ago when he was fucking Taehyung on the hood of his car, but now he had this strange feeling in his gut.

“You wore me down,” Taehyung sighed, clinging to him as soon as they came in the living room and that alone made Jeongguk forget about his paranoia. He wrapped his arms loosely around the other’s waist and looked at him, thinking just how fucking cute he was when he was tired.

“That always means I did a good job then,” he commented with a chuckle.

“Yeah, you did,” Taehyung yawned: “Tonight was amazing, first the surprise dinner in Busan and then the journey home, we haven’t fucked outside in a while, it was nice.”

“I am glad you enjoyed yourself,” the younger laughed, booping the other’s nose because he couldn’t help himself: “My pretty, little exhibitionist.”

“I am not!”

“You always get extra horny when there is that little chance of someone catching us.”

“Well, I can’t deny that it is hot.”

“That makes you an exhibitionist.”

“Whatever,” Taehyung scoffed, yawning again: “Anyway, I really need a shower, I feel gross and you are gonna take responsibility for your drying come in my ass and you are gonna wash me.”

“So bossy,” Jeongguk grinned.

“I take a chance to be bossy when I can.”

“Thankfully you let me be the boss when we fuck,” Jeongguk wiggled his eyebrows.

“You’re saying that like I am your play toy,” the elder grumbled

“You’re not?” Jeongguk asked, feigning shock.

“You idiot!” Taehyung scoffed, smacking his chest and pulling away from him, but not because he would be truly upset, he knew that they were just joking around, he just really wanted to head upstairs and take that desired shower.

They were in the bathroom just five minutes later, clothes scattered on the floor for Jeongguk to pick up later. For now, he had a different task and that was washing Taehyung, because how could he pass on the opportunity to drag his hands over the elder’s body? He also washed Taehyung’s hair, massaging his scalp and making him relax, because he just liked taking care of him. He loved that about their relationship, while Taehyung was super caring and sweet too, the elder knew that Jeongguk found joy in taking care of him, cooking for him, massaging him, doing anything and everything a good boyfriend should do. And Taehyung loved being taken care of and pampered, he was very confident and independent, but he had this soft side that just loved being babied and that was just yet another proof that they were perfect for each other, they truly were the yin to the other’s yang.

Taehyung whined a little when Jeongguk forced him to brush his own teeth, but he did wash his face for him after they got out of the shower and then he dressed him in silky long pyjamas that Taehyung loved sleeping in when he didn’t sleep naked after their escapades. Jeongguk himself just preferred sleeping in long pants or shorts with nothing on his torso since he tended to get warm in his sleep, especially with clingy Taehyung by his side.

They went to bed, getting on their usual sides and then Taehyung demanded for Jeongguk to hold him and that was yet another wish that the younger could never refuse. So they fell asleep like that, with Jeongguk’s arms wrapped around the other like on most nights.

Jeongguk had no idea how long they slept when he abruptly woke up. It was still a deep night and when he quickly checked the clock, he saw that it was just a bit after midnight, so it hasn’t even been two hours since they went to bed. He had no idea what pulled him from deep sleep so suddenly, it wasn’t that kind of slow awakening that one experienced when they needed to pee or when they lay on their arm and it hurt, he was sure that he was awakened by some sound.

Taehyung was passed out next to him though, but it wasn’t that surprising since the elder had much deeper sleep than him. He lay there in silence for a while, listening to the silence of the night, coming to a conclusion that nothing was happening.

But then he heard something and he was alerted, at first he thought that it was coming from the outside, but then he felt a prick in his stomach when he realized that some muffled sounds were coming from downstairs, from the inside of the house.

“Tae, baby, wake up,” he whispered to his lover, poking him to wake him up. He wouldn’t bother the other, but he was absolutely sure now that someone was in their house.

Taehyung mumbled something as he stirred, but he didn’t open his eyes. The younger didn’t give up though, he shook the other more harshly and then Taehyung’s eyes finally fluttered open.

Jeongguk quickly pressed a palm to Taehyung’s mouth, knowing that the elder would start asking what was happening, but it was important for him to not make any sound. Taehyung hummed against his hand, looking at him with big, surprised and confused eyes.

“Stay silent,” Jeongguk whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible, but Taehyung took the message and nodded.

They were sitting in bed, listening to the sounds from downstairs. Someone was definitely inside the house, they were rummaging and walking around, and Jeongguk estimated that there were definitely at least three people, if not more. The gears in his head were working, he knew that he had to do something and get Taehyung out of there, he knew that he was compromised and one of the people on the long list of enemies came for his head. In all those years, he has pissed a lot of people, so he could only guess who these people were, but that didn’t matter now, because whoever they were, they surely didn’t have friendly intentions and they were surely armed.

He slowly reached to his side of the bed and under the mattress, pulling out a handgun he had hidden there. He always made sure to not store weapons in his and Taehyung’s house, but he couldn’t be calm to be completely helpless.

Taehyung looked at the weapon with wide eyes, giving Jeongguk a silent questioning look that could be translated as ‘what is that thing doing here’, but Jeongguk couldn’t really care about anything now, explanations had to wait for later, if there even was any.

“They are probably upstairs,” someone suddenly said, not even trying to be quiet, but maybe they just didn’t suppose that Taehyung and Jeongguk always slept with the door of their bedroom open.

“Let’s get on with it then, you heard the boss, he wants them alive, but if it comes to it, we are allowed to do whatever we want,” another voice commanded: “Don’t forget that Jeon is extremely dangerous, remember all our members he eliminated over the years.”

Jeongguk avoided eye contact with Taehyung, he knew that this was it, this was the moment he had feared for years. Tonight, the secret was out, tonight, Taehyung was going to find out who he really was, because Taehyung was smart and there was no way that Jeongguk could come up with a lie plausible enough to explain not only what was happening, but also what those guys were saying.

But no matter what, he had to get Taehyung out of there, he loved the elder more than anything, he didn’t want Taehyung to hate him and leave him, but above everything, he wouldn’t survive if Taehyung lost his life because of him. So even if Taehyung left him after tonight, at least Jeongguk would know that he was alive.

“We have to get out of here,” he whispered to the other, knowing it was just a matter of minutes before the intruders would come upstairs and find them in the bed and there was only so much he could do in here. He was a good fighter and even better killer, but he still had no idea how many people were in their house and he wasn’t as armed as he would wish.

He got out of the bed, helping Taehyung stand up too. The elder was obviously confused, shocked and shaken, but he was following his lead so far, which was good, because if Taehyung froze now and refused to go with him, that would just make everything much harder.

Jeongguk grabbed a hoodie on the chair and pulled it over his head and then handed Taehyung his cardigan to have something warm, because they had to go out. They only had slippers in their bedroom, but they had to make do with anything, it’s not like they could go to their closet and start rummaging through it. He grabbed both of their phones and put them in the pocket of his hoodie and then he grabbed Taehyung’s hand and led him to the balcony.

“What are we gonna do?” Taehyung whisper-yelled at him when they were outside.

“We gotta get down and to the car.”

“You want to jump?”

“Nope,” the younger said, squatting down and pulling at a metal piece at the side of the balcony. Taehyung watched with wide eyes an aluminium folding ladder come out, he had no idea it was there, Jeongguk installed it without his knowledge to have an escape route in case they got in this exact situation and couldn’t go downstairs.

“Go quickly and don’t look back, no matter what happens,” Jeongguk urged Taehyung, pushing him to the ladder. He heard heavy footsteps on the staircase inside, knowing the guys were coming.

“Don’t go to the main road and to the driveway, it’s probable that someone is on the watch there, when you make it down to that alley, hide in the shadows so no one sees you from this balcony, do you understand?” Jeongguk gave the other quick instructions. He was trained to think quickly in situations like these, and even though this was the first time he found himself in one with Taehyung, he still knew how to come up with a quick plan. Once they made it down and away from the house, the rest should be easy, he worked a backup emergency plan a long time ago.

“Go!” he pushed Taehyung when two men burst into the bedroom. He didn’t wait for anything and started shooting at them, buying his lover time to get out of there.

Taehyung gasped, but his body was flooded with adrenaline, he maintained a clear head instead of panicking, that he could do later, now he knew that he was in danger and he had to move.

He got on the ladder, it wasn’t very sturdy, but he tried to not think about falling, he just held onto it and started climbing down. He flinched every time he heard a gun shot and he kept glancing up at Jeongguk, but it looked like the younger knew what he was doing and he was successfully covering himself whenever the intruders returned fire.

When his feet finally touched the ground, he rushed to hide behind the wall in such an angle that he wouldn’t be hurt if some stray bullet went his way.

As soon as Jeongguk saw that he safely made it down, he got on the ladder too, pretty much sliding down so quickly he was on the ground in just a few seconds. As soon as that happened, two men ran out on the balcony and started shooting at him, but he managed to jump behind the wall.

Taehyung himself was nearly hit because he was peeking out, he just managed to avoid two bullets that drilled into a wall just where his head was a moment ago.

Jeongguk grabbed his hand and Taehyung was ready to run to the main street to hopefully get in the car parked in the driveway.

“No, not that way!” Jeongguk stopped him, pulling him back: “Someone is surely outside on a lookout.”

Taehyung just nodded, but he was confused when Jeongguk suddenly dragged him in the direction where backyards of surrounding houses were.

When they made it to a fence, Jeongguk jumped up and climbed over it, so Taehyung just followed him. The fence wasn’t that high and Taehyung was quite athletic, even though he has lived a comfortable life for years. He still went through military training when he was younger, so running and jumping over obstacles wasn’t new to him. The adrenaline that was pumping through his veins was helping him follow Jeongguk without any trouble, but his heart was still pounding like crazy because he heard running footsteps behind them, knowing that they were still followed. It was proven by occasional shots fired at them, but Jeongguk came to him and stood in such a way that was covering Taehyung’s body from any potential harm.

Jeongguk knew where to go, he mapped this area a long time ago. Right after he and Taehyung bought the house and moved in, he dedicated one or two nights to finding a good escape route from the house, so now that they were running, he knew exactly where to go to get where they needed.

At some point, Taehyung lost one slipper, since it was not easy to run in such footwear. He just kicked off the other one and ran barefoot, feeling occasional stones digging into his feet, it was slightly painful, but when they were in a literal life-or-death situation, such a small pain was easily forgotten.

“We’re almost there,” Jeongguk informed him breathlessly as they ran into a backyard and Taehyung nearly fell into a pool, if it wasn’t for Jeongguk gripping his waist and saving him. Taehyung had no idea what ‘there’ meant, he just hoped it was somewhere safe. His brain was running at a hundred miles per hour, there was just so much happening and so much he’s learned and realized, but the armed men were still behind them, so he couldn’t let himself think about anything else but getting away from danger.

They found themselves in some alley, Taehyung was sure that they must have run for at least ten minutes and that they were a few blocks from their house.

Finally they ran out to a normal street and he looked around, trying to figure out where they could go and hide and hopefully get rid of their followers.

“Over here!” Jeongguk took his hand and ran towards a black car. The elder was a bit startled when the car suddenly beeped and blinked and he noticed that Jeongguk’s hand was in the pocket of his hoodie, did he unlock the car? Whose car even was that? Taehyung has never seen it before.

He didn’t ask those questions though, when Jeongguk ran to the driver’s door, he ran to the passenger side and got in. As soon as he was inside the vehicle, he felt that some of the fear left him, because the car felt safe and it felt even better when Jeongguk started the engine and stood on the gas pedal, the tires screeched and the car took off.

Jeongguk watched in the rear-view mirror three men run and then stop at the road behind them and he felt like he could finally breathe when they were quickly left behind. There was no way that they could follow them, they took a big detour, their cars were parked somewhere close to their house, which was precisely why he chose to park his emergency car far from the house.

He was gripping the steering wheel so hard his muscles were white, he kept his eyes glued to the road, he could only hear Taehyung’s panting next to him. Normally he would have looked at the elder, he would have asked him if he was okay, but now he couldn’t bear to look at him. He couldn’t bear to see the look in Taehyung’s eyes, because he knew that once the adrenaline and fear wore off, Taehyung was going to start connecting the dots and asking questions. Jeongguk knew that the moment he had feared for years was finally here, he knew that now he had to explain everything, he had to tell Taehyung the whole truth about himself and the life he lived. And then Taehyung was going to want to leave him, but he knew he couldn’t let that happen. Not because he would be some possessive asshole who would have tied his fiancé and made him stay against his will, but because if someone found out who he was, they knew about Taehyung as well. Which meant that Taehyung’s life was in danger as much as his, so no matter what, he mustn’t let Taehyung walk away now.

Chapter Text

Taehyung was mostly staring out of the window and on the dark road. They drove through Seoul and then they got on a highway and he had no idea where they went. It took him at least half an hour to calm down and process what just happened. He went to sleep, happy and content and then he woke up and the night turned into a horror. Someone broke into his and Jeongguk’s house and they were literally chased and shot at by some guys, while his fiancé acted like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible or something.

When his brain finally registered that he was not in danger anymore, it started swirling with thoughts and with information and with everything that’s happened in the past hour. And heavy, ugly realization started sinking in, the realization that it was quite clear that Jeongguk was someone he didn’t know at all.

He glanced at the younger who was focused on driving and his expression was unreadable. He didn’t look very shaken though, that was the first thing that Taehyung noticed, it didn’t look like the events shocked Jeongguk, it was almost like…he was used to this.

“W-what the hell just happened?” he finally found courage to ask, hating that his voice came out shaky.

Jeongguk didn’t respond and he didn’t even look at him, his hands just tightened around the steering wheel.

For a fleeting moment, Taehyung had this uncomfortable feeling about being alone with Jeongguk in the car. Where were they even going? If there was something that Jeongguk was hiding from him, something that he didn’t want Taehyung to find out, what if this only looked like they were going somewhere to safety? What if Jeongguk was driving to take him to some deep forest and use that gun he still had on him to silence him forever?

He shook off that thought, because it just seemed too crazy. Jeongguk would never hurt him, Jeongguk loved him, Jeongguk was the sweetest man he’s ever met, he was kissing the ground Taehyung walked on, his Jeongguk would never do anything bad to him. But was that the real Jeongguk?

“Jeongguk, talk to me,” he said more surely and demandingly.

“Not now,” Jeongguk cut him off a bit harshly, but then he finally glanced at him for the first time, eyes filled with apology and softness and he added more gently: “We have to get to safety now, then I will…explain everything.”

Taehyung just nodded, pressing his lips together to stop himself from showering the other with more questions. He was sure that there had to be some reasonable explanation to everything that happened, even though the words of one of the men from downstairs were still resonating in his head.

At some point, Taehyung fell asleep. It was no wonder since they only slept for a short time before the home invasion and Jeongguk was actually glad, because hearing Taehyung breathe in and out steadily next to him was making him calmer. On the inside, he was panicking, he was facing more problems than one, he was facing the uncomfortable conversation that was probably going to make Taehyung hate him forever, and he was also dealing with the fact that his identity was leaked. He had no idea who those men were and who sent them, there were at least hundred people in Korea that wanted him dead, so it was hard to choose from the long list. He was hoping that his friends might help him with that, but right now he just had to keep on driving and get them to the safehouse.

He drove for hours, he was tired too, but he kept going until the sky started turning lighter and they were far from Seoul.

Taehyung only woke up when he parked the car in front of a small house in a small town not far from Daegu.

“What is this place?” Taehyung rubbed his eyes, looking at the house suspiciously. He had no idea where they were since he’s slept and he had no idea who was waiting there for them.

“It is a safehouse,” Jeongguk explained briefly, getting out of the car and Taehyung hesitantly followed him.

“A safehouse?” he asked.

“I bought it a while ago,” Jeongguk added, walking over to the trunk of the car that Taehyung hadn't seen before, he only learned about its existence a few hours ago.

“I wanted to have some place to go in case something went wrong and I had to hide,” the younger continued, opening the trunk, reaching inside and taking out two duffel bags. Taehyung was just watching him, wondering what was in those bags.

“It is written on a fake name, so no one should know about it, it can’t be traced to me,” Jeongguk said as he grabbed the bags and headed towards the door. He put one bag down and then reached in a small pocket of the other one and took out keys, which was an old-school style of locking since almost all houses now had some type of electronic lock.

Taehyung looked around when they walked inside. The house was small and obviously not new, but it was renovated and the kitchen and the furniture were quite nice. There was a door to what was probably a bathroom and then another one that must be a bedroom.

“You bought a fucking house and didn’t tell me about it?” was the first thing he asked, looking at the other in disbelief.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but it wouldn’t be really a safehouse if anyone knew about it.”

“And what is in those bags?”

“Our stuff,” Jeongguk explained, putting both bags on the sofa and opening them: “I packed them maybe…two years ago? I wanted us to have some clothes and shoes in case we had to leave the house in a hurry and I put them in the emergency car.”

“The car we arrived in?” the elder asked, his disbelief and shock growing, because what in the actual secret-agent-type-of-shit fuck was that?

“Yeah, I parked it a few blocks from the house to be able to use it in case we couldn’t use my car.”

Taehyung walked to one bag, reaching inside and pulling out some clothes. Most of it looked new, Jeongguk bought it and packed it without him knowing, but he recognized some items too.

“Hey, I thought I lost this sweater, I looked everywhere for it!”

“I know, sorry,” the younger gave him a small, apologetic smile: “I only took essentials, but we don’t need much. There is some stuff in here in the house that I didn’t have to bring, there are towels and bed sheets and toiletries and some durable food in the pantry. We can go shopping, I think we are safe here, but we can’t use cards, we only have to pay with cash.”

With that, he walked over to a dresser, but when he opened the door, Taehyung noticed a safe inside. Jeongguk unlocked it with a code and opened it, revealing banknotes that he left there for if he ever got in this situation. He had it all thought through, with his lifestyle, one could be never safe enough.

“I hope it will be enough, I have no idea for how long we’re gonna have to stay here,” Jeongguk commented, standing up and facing the other.

“Wait, we are gonna stay here?” Taehyung asked with wide eyes.

“At the moment, we can’t go back to our house, it is dangerous.”

“Are you finally gonna tell me what the hell is going on, Jeongguk?” Taehyung snapped, getting tired of the secrecy and ambiguous answers.

“We were just chased out of our home by fuckers that were shooting at us!” the elder went off, finally erupting after the stressful events: “We got in a car that I had no idea you owned and we got here in this house that I had no idea you had! It sounds like you had a plan of emergency, like you knew this was going to happen, so tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“I always knew this could happen, that’s why I was prepared,” Jeongguk said.

“Who were those guys?” Taehyung shot: “How and why the hell did they break into our house in the middle of the night? Did you get in some trouble?”

Jeongguk didn’t reply.

“Jeongguk, you can tell me anything, you know that,” Taehyung said, voice softer and calmer: “If you got in some trouble at work…or if you got involved with some loan sharks or something…we can deal with it together.”

Jeongguk could confirm this theory to Taehyung, he could continue lying and tell him that he did get in some trouble, that he borrowed some money and now they were coming after him because of that. But he was tired of lying, he knew that the situation was bad enough as it was, he knew that when Taehyung heard the truth, he was going to be angry and upset, but it would be even worse if he didn’t tell him now when he had the chance.

“It’s not anything like that, is it?” the elder said quietly, wrapping arms around his torso as if to protect himself and that already hurt Jeongguk’s heart. Taehyung was standing in front of him, but he was keeping his distance and he was looking at him with eyes filled with doubts and suspicions and he knew that Taehyung was smart enough to start putting two and two together.

“I have always had the feeling that…you are keeping things from me,” Taehyung continued, sounding defeated: “I am not dumb, I was trying to ignore all the shady stuff because I just…didn’t want to believe that you wouldn’t be honest with me but…I am not dumb.”

“I know you’re not,” Jeongguk nodded.

“All those times I have washed your clothes and saw blood…you told me you had nosebleeds, but I never saw you have one in those five years we have been together,” the artist continued: “And you came with bruises and other injuries sometimes and I thought that maybe…you got in some drunken fight, but that’s not your style, that is not you.”

“You don’t know me,” Jeongguk sighed in defeat: “Not really.”

“Just tell me the truth, Jeongguk, don’t you think I deserve it?”

“I think that…maybe you should sit down,” Jeongguk pointed at the cosy looking armchair in the corner of the living room. Taehyung gave him a suspicious look, but obeyed and sat, while Jeongguk did the same and sat on the sofa opposite from him.

“I don’t really know how to tell you this, I have been trying to figure it out for years,” the younger sighed, rubbing his hands together and looking at them, which Taehyung knew was a sign of him being nervous.

“I have wanted to tell you for so long, I know that this won’t change a thing about what I am gonna tell you right now but…I just want you to know that I never wanted to lie to you,” Jeongguk continued, looking up and meeting eyes with the other: “Because like…how do I even tell you something like this? How do I tell you something that will make you hate me?”

“It is up to me to decide that, don’t you think?” Taehyung replied stubbornly, but there was a hint of softness in his voice too and it was encouraging.

“I don’t work as a salesman, I never have,” Jeongguk started with something that seemed quite easy compared to everything else that he was about to reveal.

“You haven’t…” the elder deadpanned.

“I have never worked a similar job, I have never worked for a big company…”

“So every time you told me you were going to work you what? You just went out for hours to make it look like you did?”

“Sometimes,” Jeongguk admitted.

“And all those business trips that you told me you went to, you never went on them?” Taehyung asked incredulously: “You have some secret family, some woman and kids somewhere, or what?”

“No, I wish.”

“You wish?” Taehyung scoffed.

“I think that would have still been better than what I am about to tell you,” the younger sighed: “I did travel, and it was because of…my occupation. I just never went to make some big business deals, most of the times I didn’t even leave the country, I just travelled around Korea. Although sometimes I did go abroad, when I was sent there.”

“Sent by whom?”

“Taehyung,” Jeongguk looked the other in the eyes, for the first time in years choosing not to be a coward. He knew that the way Taehyung saw him was going to change forever, he knew that after today, Taehyung wasn’t going to love him, but there was no coming back and even though losing the love of his life was the last thing he wanted, the prospect of finally telling the truth felt liberating.

“I kill people for a living,” he breathed out: “I get a text, I come and get orders, I get paid and I do it. I am not a secret agent and I don’t work for the army, or anything like that.”

“W-whom do you work for then?” Taehyung got out in almost a whisper, eyes wide and shocked and terrified.

“I am a hitman.”

“So you are a fucking gangster?!” the elder suddenly snapped and jumped to his feet and he started marching around the small space. He rubbed his face and pulled his hair and let out a groan and Jeongguk just silently watched him go through all kinds of stages of shock and betrayal and realization.

“I am not a gangster,” he corrected Taehyung.

“Sounds like a gangster to me!”

“I used to be,” Jeongguk admitted with a sigh: “That’s how it all started, but I have been working independently for years, I don’t get involved in fights or drug deals or anything like that.”

“No, you just murder people for some cash!” Taehyung laughed joylessly, hysterically: “Fuck, I…shit, I can’t believe this, this must be a fucking nightmare, I have to wake up anytime soon.”

“It is not a dream.”

“How the fuck did you even get involved…in that? When did it start?” Taehyung wondered. He was pissed off and shocked beyond belief, but he would lie if he said that he wasn’t also curious, he wanted to hear as much as possible, when they were at it and when Jeongguk was revealing that side of him.

“I feel like this is not the right time for details,” Jeongguk stood up: “I am gonna tell you someday if you still want me to, but I think that it’s already too much for you.”

“Oh, you think?”

“I barely finished high school, I did, but I was never the study type, you know that.”

“Yes.”

“I went to the military right after graduation because I didn’t really know what to do and I figured that since it was mandatory anyway, I might as well do it right after high school,” the younger continued: “When I was there, I found out that I was really good at…pretty much everything. I have always been athletic, so I liked working out and I liked learning combat and shooting and all that.”

“Well, yeah, looks like that came in handy later,” Taehyung scoffed.

“When I was discharged, I didn’t know what to do, I moved to Seoul and found a job as a bouncer at this one bar. Soon I found out that it was owned by a gang, I had no idea about that when I got the job, but it became pretty clear really soon,” Jeongguk revealed: “Long story short, I caught one gangster’s eye and he thought I was promising and I could work for them.”

“So you did.”

“I did,” the younger nodded: “I was working mostly as…a bodyguard, I was never directly involved in doing business, I was just one of the gorillas that went with the boss or some higher-ups to be there for their protection. Soon they discovered my biggest talent and that’s how I ended up doing what I do.”

“Killing people,” Taehyung said as if he needed to repeat it as many times as he could to get that idea in his head.

“I know this doesn’t make it any better but I have never hurt any civilian, anyone innocent, I have never hurt a child or elderly,” Jeongguk said, feeling like he had to say at least something nice to his defence: “Everyone I have ever taken out was a bad guy, most of them gangsters, but there were some corrupt judges and policemen too, but none of them were any angels, believe me.”

“Oh, I suppose that makes it all better,” Taehyung chuckled sarcastically: “You fucking murder people with your bare hands, but I should be fine with that because they are not good.”

“I am not asking you to be fine with it,” Jeongguk said quietly: “And just for the record, I don’t often do it with my bare hands, it is mostly quick and from afar, mostly one shot from a rifle or a handgun.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you!” the elder shook his head, stopping for the first time since he stood up from the chair and walked around. The look in his eyes was exactly what Jeongguk had feared all this time, Taehyung was looking at him like he was a stranger and a monster.

“How many people have you even killed?”

“Do you really need to know?” Jeongguk sighed.

“Dozens?”

The younger didn’t reply.”

“Hundred?”

“I have no idea, I lost count, probably a few hundred,” Jeongguk admitted.

“Oh my god!” Taehyung gasped: “And I suppose you did this…when we met over five years ago?”

“I did.”

“Holy fuck,” Taehyung shook his head again, looking like he might have an aneurysm any minute, trying to process everything that has been thrown at him in the past twenty minutes: “You were killing people when we met, you lied to me and told me bunch of bullshit about yourself and for what? To get me in bed?”

“I fell in love with you,” Jeongguk reassured him: “From the first time I saw you and talked to you, I fell in love with you and I knew that if I ever told you, you would have never been with me. Like how the fuck do you tell anyone something like this? How would you tell me if the roles were reversed?”

“But they’re not!” Taehyung yelled, eyes filling with angry tears and Jeongguk knew that he was finally processing everything.

“The roles are not reversed, I am not a fucking hitman and I have never lied to you about who I am! I haven’t built our entire relationship on a fucking lie, Jeongguk!”

“I know,” the younger sighed: “I know, baby, and I am so fucking sorry. You have no damn idea how much I hate this, I have hated lying to you and I have wanted to tell you, but I never figured out how. I was a fucking coward, because I knew that the minute I’d tell you, you would leave me.”

“You should have let me decide that!” Taehyung yelled back: “I should have had the choice to walk away, I should have known what you really do and who you really are, but we just got engaged and I don’t know you at all!”

“You do know me,” the younger argued, stepping closer, but the elder just stepped back, so he stopped and gave him space: “I have lied about many things, but I have never lied about my feelings for you. And I have never pretended to be someone else, I am still me, I have the same personality as you know it, I just…have a different job.”

“You make it sound like you work as a fucking car mechanic or something, but you are a killer, Jeongguk!”

The house fell quiet. Jeongguk didn’t really have anything to say to his defence, because he knew that there was nothing that could make this better. He did lie to Taehyung for years and he was a killer.

“And tonight? What happened tonight?” Taehyung suddenly asked.

“I don’t know for sure, I don’t know those men,” Jeongguk replied: “But I can assume that they were some gangsters that were sent after me. I have always been careful about my identity, everyone’s always known me by my nickname, but I was compromised, and they clearly found me.”

“You have a nickname?”

“You might have heard about it…Golden Phantom…”

“Y-you’re Golden Phantom? The Golden Phantom?” Taehyung got out, staring at him in disbelief and Jeongguk knew that it just got worse. He wasn’t surprised that the elder knew that nickname, almost everyone in Seoul knew it, even normal civilians that have never been involved in anything shady.

“Jesus Christ, Jeongguk, Golden Phantom is an urban legend!”

“I guess…”

“So someone found out who you are and sent their men to kill you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know who?”

“I have no idea, I have kinda pissed off lots of people…” the younger mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and for a moment, Taehyung just found it fucking ridiculous and unbelievable, that this man standing in front of him was the most infamous hitman in the country.

“So you have lied to me and now because of you, we were chased out of our fucking house,” Taehyung summed it up.

“I know I fucked everything up, but at least we got out of there safely.”

“Yeah, I guess I should thank you for that!” Taehyung scoffed sarcastically before he turned serious: “This is all too much, I just…I can’t even process it. I have lived with you for years, fuck, everything we have is bought from the money that you got for killing people. You asked me to marry you and I said yes!”

“I am sorry,” Jeongguk said, feeling defeated and sad and he knew that he only had himself to blame for it.

“Sorry is not gonna cut it,” the elder said coldly: “I feel so fucking stupid, you being a killer is bad enough, how could I ever get over that? But you lying to me about everything, that is just the cherry on top. I can’t ever trust you again and I can’t even look at you, I am not gonna stay here with you.”

He suddenly started walking towards the entrance, but Jeongguk was quick to grab his wrist.

“You can’t leave,” he said.

“Or what? Are you gonna tie me up and hold me here against my will? Is that how it’s gonna be now? Are you not gonna let me leave and force me to be with you?” Taehyung growled, yanking his arm back and getting rid of the other’s grip.

“I can’t influence how you feel about me, you can hate me all you want,” Jeongguk replied: “But I am not gonna let you walk out of here, because whether you like it or not, your life is in danger now.”

“Because of you!”

“I am not gonna deny that, but the reason is not important now,” the younger argued: “There are men that are going after me, they found out where I live, that means they know all about you, so I am not gonna let you leave and get captured or killed, because that is the only thing that I could never live with.”

Taehyung blinked and didn’t say anything.

“This house is safe, at least for now, and you don’t have to be scared of me, I would have never hurt you, Taehyung. I have told many lies, but this is not one of them,” Jeongguk said seriously: “I need time to find out who was behind the attack and how many people know about my identity and we are safe here.”

“So what…am I just supposed to…stay here with you?” Taehyung shook his head: “And leave everything behind, my friends, my art, my life..?”

“There is nothing else you can do now.”

“Fine!” Taehyung barked out, turning on his heal and heading to sofa, grabbing the bag with his things and turning back around to face the other: “Fucking fine, I am gonna stay now, but I take the bedroom and I don’t wanna see you or talk to you!”

“Anything you want,” Jeongguk nodded, taking this as a win for the moment, because in the current situation, this was the best outcome he could have hoped for. In some ways, he was actually quite surprised by Taehyung’s reaction, he was angry, which was understandable, but otherwise he didn’t look all that upset or disgusted after everything Jeongguk’s revealed to him in the past half an hour.

Taehyung gave him one last glare before he marched to the bedroom door, opened it and then he closed it behind himself with a loud bang. Jeongguk breathed out, thinking that the worst part was probably behind him.

*

Taehyung slept through most of the day. They left their house in Seoul in the middle of the night and he did sleep for a couple of hours in the car, but he was just so mentally exhausted that once he locked himself in the bedroom, he just lay in the bed. For at least an hour or so, he was thinking about the events and all the new information he learned until his head hurt and he passed out.

Now he was awake, it was an evening, and he was hoping that he would feel better after waking up, but that wasn’t the case. If anything, he felt even worse.

He sat on the bed and looked around the strange bedroom. It wasn’t big, but it was nice, it was cosy and normally he would have felt comfortable in such a space, but now the room felt like a prison. It was like a prison, because he couldn’t leave, Jeongguk made that very clear when they talked in the morning.

The anger and shock he felt when he learned the truth about his fiancé wore off for a moment, now he just felt numb. And he started thinking again about everything and how his life took such a fucking turn.

Jeongguk was a fucking hitman, he was killing people for a living and he was making money from it. Everything that they owned, everything that the younger has bought for them and for Taehyung over the five years that they have been together was bought with blood money and it was just so fucking surreal.

Taehyung has always known deep inside that there was something wrong, he has always known that Jeongguk wasn’t completely honest with him and maybe, somewhere deep inside he has always known that Jeongguk was a bad guy. But he never let himself believe it because it just didn’t fit Jeongguk’s personality at all. The younger was one of the sweetest people he’s ever met, he never mistreated him, he never yelled at him, even when they fought and Taehyung sometimes yelled, Jeongguk never did, he was just so patient and collected. He has been showering Taehyung with gifts, he made it possible for Taehyung to follow his dream and have an atelier and work independently, he even bought a spot for Taehyung’s art in the gallery. Jeongguk always treated him like he was the most precious thing and Taehyung was convinced that if he asked Jeongguk to bring him stars from the sky, the younger would have shot himself up in the universe and collect a whole fucking galaxy for him.

Was all that just a lie then? Was Jeongguk’s personality fabricated too? Was he pretending all this time, having some sick satisfaction in lying to Taehyung?

The only time that Jeongguk’s assassin persona was coming out, now that Taehyung thought about it, was sometimes during sex. Sometimes the younger was rough, sometimes he had this commanding and dangerous aura around him, but Taehyung always found that really hot and never thought anything of it, because people liked different things in the bedroom.

He sighed, walking over to the bag that Jeongguk prepared for him in case they ever needed to run. It made Taehyung angry all over again, because it was clear that the younger knew that there might be such a scenario and he prepared Taehyung for nothing.

For now, he knew that he was stuck in here, whether he liked it or not. He was really fucking angry with Jeongguk, he felt betrayed, he couldn’t bear to even look at the man he loved and trusted. But he also knew that what Jeongguk told him earlier was right – it was too dangerous for him to just return home now that it was invaded. It didn’t really matter that it happened because Jeongguk was a hitman, the fact was that there were some pissed off gangsters that might want to hurt him just to get back at Jeongguk. He wasn’t naïve or dumb, he knew how that world worked, he knew better than most people…

He looked at the door and bit his lip, holding sweatpants and t-shirt and clean underwear. He really needed to pee and he also wanted to take a long, warm shower, but the idea of going out and seeing Jeongguk was scaring him.

As if his thoughts summoned him, he was startled when there was suddenly a knock on the door.

“I know that you probably don’t wanna see me and that’s okay,” Jeongguk said at the other side of the door.

Taehyung didn’t reply.

“You don’t have to be scared of me, I would never hurt you,” Jeongguk continued: “I mean, if you think about it, I have had lots of opportunities to do it and I never did.”

Taehyung had to admit that the younger was right. If Jeongguk wanted to hurt him, he could have done that on millions of occasions. But what if he wanted to do it now that Taehyung knew his secret? Wasn’t it safer for Jeongguk to just get rid of him to protect his identity?

“I am going to a supermarket, it’s not far from here,” Jeongguk added: “There are some durables in the kitchen, but the fridge is completely empty, so I have to stock it up. So yeah…I just wanted to let you know that I will be gone for probably like an hour, so you can come out and use the bathroom and maybe eat and drink something.”

Taehyung hated it that Jeongguk still sounded so caring and he hated it even more when it made him feel things.

He was barely breathing when he was listening to what was happening in the other room, he heard Jeongguk walking around and then he heard the front door open and close. He even heard the car start and drive away and only then he felt like he could breathe freely and he hesitantly unlocked the door and walked in the living room.

It was empty.

Chapter Text

Taehyung hadn’t seen Jeongguk in three days. He was refusing to leave the bedroom when the younger was around, but Jeongguk was always so annoyingly considerate and at least twice a day, he left the house for a while to give Taehyung space to walk out. He even cooked something and left it for Taehyung on the stove or in the fridge, making sure that he was eating something.

It’d been only three days and Taehyung already felt like he was going to go crazy. It was so weird to share the house with Jeongguk, just a few days ago, he would have been happy about being on a vacation in the small town, he would have walked around the house freely, he would have let Jeongguk in the bedroom and in the bed. But everything’s changed, nothing was the same and he had no idea if he was going to get over it.

The truth was, when he thought about it, that disturbingly, he wasn’t even that upset about Jeongguk working as a hitman for some crime boss. He knew that he should feel horrified and disgusted, that would be most people’s natural reaction, but he realized that he didn’t really care about that. If what Jeongguk told him was true, he was taking out bad guys – gangsters, corrupt policemen, judges and businessmen, it’s not like he was a serial killer that would torture and kill innocent people. Because of that, Taehyung wasn’t really outraged, he had dark sides of him and he had a past that made him numb to normal morals.

What he couldn’t forgive Jeongguk about was the fact that he has been lying to him for five fucking years. He invented this whole fake life, he pretended to work for some company as a salesman, he pretended to go on business trips, he was lying to Taehyung about everything. That was what really hurt, it was the fact that the man Taehyung has madly loved for years was dishonest with him.

On the other hand, when he looked at it from Jeongguk’s point of view, he couldn’t deny that he saw the younger’s point and he understood why Jeongguk didn’t tell him. Not only was it dangerous, the life of a hitman was all about secrecy, Jeongguk had to hide his identity and he was doing it for his sake, but also for Taehyung’s, he was protecting him. And also, how could Jeongguk have even told him? How would Taehyung have reacted if a few weeks after they started dating, the younger would have sat him down and told him everything? Taehyung knew that he would have left, he knew that he couldn’t have been with someone like Jeongguk, not because he couldn’t have gotten over his occupation, but because he couldn’t have let the past repeat itself, five years ago, memories of his past relationship were still too fresh and the wounds hadn’t healed.

Since he had nothing to do, thinking was the only thing that kept him occupied. He didn’t even have a simple pencil and a sketchbook to draw, which would have been great, since art has always been a mean for him to express his emotions and god knows that right now, there were so many fucking emotions swirling around his body.

But he couldn’t draw, so he was thinking and he was making conclusions and he was realizing that, now that he knew the truth, all of the signs have been there.

One evening, he had a particularly shocking realization that concerned Jeongguk’s friends. It hadn't even occurred to him until then, but he suddenly realized that the people that Jeongguk introduced to him and that he came to love were probably in business with him. Hell, Yoongi definitely was, because Jeongguk told Taehyung that they worked together, now he knew it just wasn’t as two salesmen, but they were gangsters, or at least they used to be.

And if Yoongi was involved in that world, then Hoseok was definitely too. And what about Namjoon and Seokjin? They owned a bar, but now Taehyung realized that he has heard them say some shady stuff and he has also seen some shady people going to their bar.

What about Jimin though? Taehyung was sure that his best friend wasn’t involved in any of that shady life, because they met before they met the others. But Jimin was dating Yoongi…oh god, was Jimin lied to the same way he was?

That realization hit him like a train and he knew that it was his duty as a friend to tell Jimin the truth. He couldn’t leave the elder in the dark and not know that he has been in a relationship with a gangster and Taehyung wasn’t hundred percent sure about the others, but he was sure that Yoongi was definitely part of Jeongguk’s dark life. It wasn’t a secret that the two had a very tight and special relationship, they weren’t the type of people that would be overly emotional or touchy, they weren’t that kind of friends that Taehyung and Jimin were. But their bond couldn’t be denied and Taehyung was sure that such a kind of bond could be created only between people that have gone through a lot together. And he always thought that they just saw each other at their lowest and that they have experienced some rough stuff together, he just never thought it would be some gangster type of shit.

He knew that Jimin was going to think that he was crazy, but he had to tell him. He also needed to vent, he needed to get all the anger and frustration off his chest.

He didn’t want to call his friend when Jeongguk was around, so he waited until the younger left the house and told him that he could come out and eat some dinner.

Only then Taehyung walked out to the living room, but instead of going to the kitchen to look what Jeongguk cooked, he dialled Jimin’s number. He had to talk to him anyway, because Jimin was surely concerned.

“Taehyung, fucking finally!” was how Jimin greeted him when he picked up after two rings and he went off: “Are you finally gonna tell me what happened? We were supposed to meet and drink wine like we always do, you just texted me that you had to cancel because you weren’t even in Seoul. Where did you go without telling me? Is Jeongguk with you, or did you guys have a fight and you left? No, that’s bullshit, you guys never have big fights.”

“I am okay, Jimin-ah,” Taehyung said, knowing that all the ranting was coming from concern.

“Okay, well, good to know,” Jimin said, taking a deep breath to calm down: “Now spill it.”

“I am with Jeongguk.”

“Okay? So you guys went on some last minute holiday? You could have texted me that, you know?”

“It’s not really a holiday,” the younger sighed: “So much has happened in the past few days and you are not even gonna believe me, it is so fucking crazy.”

“You know that I am not easily weirded out and you can talk to me about everything,” Jimin said encouragingly.

“Oh, believe me, I think that what I’m about to tell you is the craziest shit you’ve ever heard from me,” Taehyung mumbled: “But I gotta tell you, because I think it concerns Yoongi too and you should know.”

“Yoongi? What about Yoongi?” the other audibly frowned.

“Three nights ago, in the middle of the night, someone broke into our house,” Taehyung started.

“Oh my god, what?!” Jimin gasped: “You were robbed?”

“Not really, I wish…”

“Now you gotta tell me what happened!”

And so Taehyung did, when he started, he couldn’t stop. He was marching around the living room, telling Jimin everything. He told him how Jeongguk woke him up and how there were people in their house, he told him about how they escaped and how those men were chasing them. He didn’t forget to mention how they got to a car that he had no idea Jeongguk owned and how they drove somewhere to central Korea to a house that Jeongguk bought as a shelter.

Then he proceeded to tell Jimin about the conversation he had with Jeongguk, how he made the younger tell him everything and how he found out that Jeongguk has been lying to him for over five years about who he was and what was his real occupation and how they were forced to stay here, because there were angry gangsters coming after them and Jeongguk had no idea who they were.

“Wow, that is a lot,” Jimin said after nearly ten minutes of Taehyung babbling and explaining.

“That is mildly put,” Taehyung grumbled: “I mean, can you fucking believe that? Can you believe that my fiancé, the guy that I agreed to marry is actually a fucking hitman? He kills people for a living, Jiminie!”

“I know, it’s insane.”

“And he lied to me, all this fucking time, he lied to me!” Taehyung yelled: “And I am so fucking sorry to throw this at you like that, but you need to know, because I am pretty damn sure that Yoongi is involved in that life too. Think about it, haven’t you noticed anyhing fishy?”

“Babe, I am grateful that you are telling me, I know that you think that…I deserve to know and that is great, you really are the best friend,” Jimin said with hesitation and something strange in his voice as he paused.

“You are far calmer than I was.”

“I am not freaking out because…it is not news to me.”

“W-what?” Taehyung breathed out, shocked for like a hundredth time in the past days. He had no idea what Jimin meant, what was he talking about?

“I know about Yoongi, Taehyung-ah,” Jimin admitted with a sigh: “I have known since just a few weeks into our relationship, he told me. And I know about Jeongguk and  the other guys, for that matter.”

“You’ve known? You’ve known all this time?” the younger got out.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve known that Yoongi was involved in some fucking gang shit and didn’t leave him? And you have known about Jeongguk and didn’t tell me?!”

“I know that you are upset-“

“No, I am fucking furious, Jimin!” Taehyung screamed, feeling betrayed all over again: “Jeongguk lying to me is bad enough, but you too? You are my best fucking friend, how could you have known who I’m dating and who I’m friends with and not tell me anything?”

“I felt like it was not my place to tell…”

“Did Jeongguk ask you? Did he make you?”

“Well, yes and no,” Jimin said: “He didn’t threaten me, if that is what you mean, but he did ask me to not tell you and…I hated lying to you, but I also wanted to respect his wish and you have been so fucking happy with him, I didn’t want to ruin it for you, guys.”

“I have been dating a fucking hitman and you didn’t tell me!” Taehyung yelled, feeling angry tears pool in his eyes: “While knowing what happened with Junghyun…how fucking terrible that was and how hard it was to get away from him, I can’t believe that you just…you just let me get involved with that kind of person again!”

“Jeongguk is nothing like that piece of shit and you know it,” Jimin said, voice slightly harsh: “I know that you are upset, you have every right to be angry with us, but you know deep down that he is nothing like Junghyun.”

“I should have known either way, I should have been given the chance to decide whether to stay with Jeongguk or not.”

“You love him and he loves you,” Jimin said softly: “Would you seriously want to leave him? Do you seriously wish that you had never gotten together with him?”

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Taehyung shook his head. He was hoping the phone call might make him feel better, but he just felt even worse: “Everyone around me that I care about has lied to me, I feel like such a fucking idiot and it sucks so fucking much that two people I love most in the world betrayed me like this.”

“Taehyung-ah-“

“I don’t wanna talk to you right now, I don’t wanna talk to anyone!” the younger barked out: “I fucking hate you all!”

With that, he hung up and threw the phone on the sofa and then he broke down. For the first time in three days, he finally reached his breaking point and broke down and started sobbing, because it finally just came crushing down on him.

He didn’t want Jeongguk to find him like that, sitting on the floor and leaning against the sofa, but he had no idea how much time had passed since he hung up on Jimin. Obviously he was crying for a while, because he heard the front door open and close and before he managed to collect himself and lock himself in the bedroom, Jeongguk walked in.

“Hey,” Jeongguk said with wide eyes, surprised to see the other out, but his expression quickly turned into a frown, when he noticed Taehyung’s red and swollen face. He had seen Taehyung cry before, so he knew what he looked like.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked worriedly, walking to the other, but he stopped when Taehyung shot him a glare.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” the elder barked out, standing up a bit clumsily and facing the other. He felt all the rage he felt on the inside bubbling to the surface. He hadn’t seen Jeongguk’s face for three days, but now that he did, he just reached another breaking point. He didn’t want to cry his heart out though, he was fucking furious.

“Are you seriously asking?” he yelled.

“I was just worried that something happened when I was gone…”

“Everything is just so fucking wrong!” Taehyung screamed at the other: “I am still…just so fucking angry and in disbelief and you know what the worst thing is?”

“What?” Jeongguk asked hesitantly.

“I don’t even really fucking care that you are a hitman!” the elder laughed joylessly: “I know it should disgust me, but that’s not my problem. My problem is that you fucking lied to me all this time, you were making up lies for five damn years, instead of just being honest with me!”

“I didn’t want to lose you!” Jeongguk yelled back desperately: “I wanted to tell you, I really did, but every time I imagined it…there just wasn’t a scenario where you would be cool with who I am!”

“That’s not an excuse.”

“I know, I know that it is selfish, I know that I should have given you the chance to decide whether you wanna be with me or not. But I just…I have loved you since the first time I saw you, I have never felt like that about anyone and I was just so fucking scared that you would leave me,” the younger admitted and Taehyung could see the sincerity and pain in his eyes.

“Lying to someone about pretty much everything is not love,” he replied coldly: “And now I just found out that all your friends are in it too and…I talked to Jimin and he knows, he has known about you and he told me nothing. I am surrounded by people that have lied to me, do you know how fucking shitty that feels?”

“I am sorry,” Jeongguk said, looking genuinely sad.

“I hate you all!” Taehyung screamed, grabbing his phone and marching to the bedroom, turning to face the other one last time: “I hate you for being such fucking cowards and for lying to me. And now my life is ruined too, because I am forced to be here and hide because there are some angry gangsters coming after you. I am gonna stay, because I don’t wanna get killed because of you, but I don’t wanna see or talk to you!”

With that, he slammed the door shut and locked it, panting heavily when he was finally alone. And then he started crying again, throwing himself on the bed and feeling like his perfect life has shattered to pieces.

*

He stayed in the bedroom for two days. Just like before, Jeongguk always left for a while to give him space to leave without having to see him.

But he was starting to feel suffocated in the confined space that truly felt like prison. He was alone with nothing to do, he was alone with his thoughts and he was just going over everything in his head over and over again.

He was still so damn angry, unable to believe that the person he loved the most and that he thought he would spend the rest of his life with lied to him. He knew that everything in his and Jeongguk’s relationship changed, he didn’t even know if they were together anymore. They didn’t break up, sure, but how could he just get over the betrayal and finding out that his fiancé was basically a stranger that he knew nothing about? Was he ever going to forgive Jeongguk? Was he able to continue loving him? Because right now, it definitely didn’t feel that way.

But as he was thinking about the recent events and everything he has learned, it reminded him that he himself hadn’t been honest with Jeongguk. There was a big chunk of his life that the younger had no idea about, but the difference was that the life was in the past, while Jeongguk’s life that he had been hiding from him was still in the present.

He still felt like a hypocrite, and he hated that feeling. He hated that he was accusing Jeongguk of lying to him and putting him in potential danger with his lies when in reality, Taehyung’s past was putting them in danger in some ways too. For years he had been living with this fear of the past catching up on him and if that happened, Jeongguk would be totally unprepared.

All that made him feel guilty and it started weighing on him and he knew that the only way to get rid of that guilt was to tell Jeongguk the truth. Which is why, on the sixth day of their stay here, he finally walked out of the bedroom while the younger was in the house.

Jeongguk looked at him with wide eyes from where he was in the kitchen, just cleaning after cooking dinner.

“Hi,” the younger said hesitantly: “I just finished dinner, you should eat something.”

“Maybe later,” Taehyung replied, coldly but calmly, wanting to have this conversation in peace and without yelling. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, noticing the pillow and the blanket folded in the corner, because that’s where Jeongguk had been sleeping.

“There is one thing I didn’t tell you,” he bit his lip as he looked at Jeongguk. He shad the right to be angry and he knew that this conversation was not going to change how he felt, but he needed to get it off his chest.

“Well, I kinda mentioned it, I just never went into details,” he added when Jeongguk came to him and sat in the armchair opposite from him and looked at him with that kind of look that showed that Taehyung had his full attention.

“I told you ages ago that I was in like two serious relationships before you, one in high school and one in college,” he reminded the younger.

“Yeah,” Jeongguk nodded, because that was no secret to him.

“That relationship in college…it wasn’t your usual relationship,” Taehyung sighed. He wasn’t happy to go down that particular memory lane, but he had to, for his sake, he didn’t want to feel like shit for lying too.

“You might have been surprised that I…handled that situation pretty well when we were attacked and running. I mean, I didn’t go into a panic attack or anything. The truth is that…it wasn’t the first time something like that happened to me,” he started.

Jeongguk just nodded without saying anything, looking at him intently, obviously ready to listen.

“I met this guy in sophomore year in college,” Taehyung took a deep breath: “Almost since the beginning, I knew what he was, at first he didn’t really tell me but he had this vibe…that bad boy vibe…”

The younger was still just staring at him.

“I guess I have a type after all,” the elder chuckled bitterly: “He wasn’t really secretive about the fact that he was a gangster, he wasn’t too explicit about it, but I knew and I kinda didn’t care. I know it is shitty, I know that he was a horrible person, but I never saw him in that mode, so it was easy to ignore. You know my family isn’t rich by any means, and this guy, he was taking me on expensive dates and buying me expensive gifts and I could hang out in his place that was so much nicer than my dorm room, so I guess I was into money.”

“So you were a gold digger back then, wow, that is hard to imagine,” Jeongguk chuckled.

“I wouldn’t call it that, but you know that I like nice clothes and I don’t hate expensive lifestyle,” Taehyung shrugged. He wasn’t proud of that side of him, now he was more mature and didn’t care all that much, but when he met that charming guy that was a couple of years older than him and he was showering him with attention and gifts, he liked it.

“At first I didn’t get involved in his life at all, you know, that gangster life,” Taehyung continued: “But it found me, being with him, I ended up in situations that were pretty dangerous, we were attacked a couple of times.”

Jeongguk nodded with a frown.

“He insisted that I know how to protect myself, so he sent me to self-defence classes, he taught me how to shoot from a gun…” the elder revealed: “Which is why I kept it cool when we were attacked, I am not so clueless and innocent.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Anyway, he turned out to be a major asshole, as you can probably imagine,” Taehyung scoffed.

“What was his name? If he was from Seoul, the chances are that I know him,” Jeongguk wondered, shocked to hear that Taehyung had a past that was, in some way, was connected to his world, but he was glad that the elder was sharing it with him.

“Choi Junghyun.”

“Wait, the Prince of Underworld…you dated him?” Jeongguk blinked, now looking truly shocked.

“Shit, I forgot about that stupid nickname.”

“It wasn’t as much of a nickname, more like a status. His father is the biggest deal in the Seoul underworld. You dated him, of all people? Wow.”

“I had no idea who he was, only when I started digging, I learned who he was and what he’d done,” Taehyung defended himself: “It was too late when I did though, at some point, he went from charming to an asshole. When we were together with his friends in a bar, he let them grope me and just laughed about it…”

Jeongguk frowned and his eyes darkened.

“He was gaslighting me a lot too,” Taehyung continued: “And he didn’t take no for an answer. I was spending lots of time in his apartment and when he came home, he didn’t care how late it was, he always expected me to spread my legs for him.”

“He was…raping you?” Jeongguk asked, voice ice-cold.

“I wouldn’t call it that…I let him, because I knew it was for the best.”

“If you let him sleep with you because you were scared of consequences, that’s not consensual.”

“I learned the hard way that he always got what he wanted,” Taehyung mumbled, looking away: “He wasn’t exactly patient and didn’t shy away from violence, when I dared to say no to him, he slapped me here and there. And things got worse, I don’t really wanna go in details, but it was all just really toxic.”

He looked back at Jeongguk and there was just pure hatred in his eyes.

“I managed to get away from him, I broke up with him, but he wasn’t done playing with his favourite toy yet,” Taehyung said bitterly: “He was calling and texting and stalking me. I confronted him a couple of times, even went to the police, but they didn’t do shit.”

“Because as soon as you gave them his name, they knew who he was,” the younger commented.

“I figured the police were scared of him…” Taehyung hummed: “Anyway, one day it all just stopped, out of nowhere. Some time later, I learned that he was apparently killed, and I can’t say that I felt sorry for him, if anything, I was relieved that I was free.”

“Yeah, well, I might have something to do with that,” Jeongguk said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“It was me, I killed Junghyun,” Jeongguk said without any remorse in his eyes: “It was nothing personal, just a job like any other, I got the order, I got paid, I did it.”

“Fuck, are you serious?” Taehyung breathed out, staring at the other and he wanted to almost laugh how everything seemed to be coming a full circle.

“I am not gonna apologize for that, especially now that I heard how he treated you. If he were still alive, I would have gone now to end him.”

“I haven’t forgiven you and I think I never will,” Taehyung said after a while of silence: “But if you really killed him then I should thank you.”

“Um, you’re welcome?”

Taehyung stood up: “Anyway, now you know about my past and you will also understand why I got so fucking angry. Because it’s not just about you lying to me, a big part of it is that I swore to myself to never get involved with anyone from that world again, I learned my lesson with Junghyun.”

“Do you seriously think that we are the same?” Jeongguk frowned, standing up as well: “I know I hurt you, I know that you don’t trust me, but don’t stand here and say that I am like that fucker, because you know it’s not true. When have I ever mistreated you? When have I ever forced myself on you or hit you?”

“You haven’t,” Taehyung admitted quietly. No matter how furious he was, he couldn’t lie and claim that Jeongguk and Junghyun were the same, because that wasn’t true. Jeongguk had been nothing but a sweet boyfriend for these past five years, but his trauma from the past didn’t allow him to just shrug it off and accept that he would be dating someone from the underworld again and that is what he told the other.

“But you are still part of that world,” he said: “You still work for some crime boss and you have people coming after you because you have killed a lot of fuckers over the years and that puts me in danger too. And…how do I know who you really are?”

“Do you really think that for five years I have been just pretending?” Jeongguk frowned: “Do you think that I just pretended to love you and treat you well? That’s not how it works and you know it, assholes always show their true colours, sooner or later, just like Junghyun did when you were with him. I am not claiming to be innocent, I am not a law-abiding citizen, I have lots of blood on my hands. But I am not some violence-loving psycho that would enjoy hurting people, for me, what I do, it is just a job, it is nothing personal and I don’t find enjoyment in it.”

“That doesn’t change a thing, none of it does, Jeongguk,” the elder replied, walking to the kitchen and grabbing one of the plates that Jeongguk prepared for him: “I told you about my past, because I felt like it was the right thing to do after everything I just learned. I don’t know if I will ever forgive you or if I will ever see you as I did before, I need space right now, so as far as I am concerned, we are not a thing.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“For now, yes.”

“For now?”

“I have no idea how I’ll feel in a few days or few weeks, okay?” the elder sighed: “But for now, we are stuck in here together, I won’t be locking myself in the bedroom anymore, but don’t expect us to be pals and hang out together. And you better get us out of this mess as soon as possible, I wanna go back to Seoul, so maybe you should focus your energy into finding out who attacked us and do something about it.”

“That’s the plan,” Jeongguk nodded: “I don’t wanna be stuck in here any more than you do, trust me.”

“Good, then get to work and find out who were the fuckers that chased us from our home,” Taehyung replied before he disappeared in the bedroom again. But this time, Jeongguk didn’t hear the click of the lock and that filled him with hope, at least it meant one thing – Taehyung wasn’t scared of him, he trusted him enough to not hide from him and that was the most positive thing that had happened in the past week.

Chapter Text

Jeongguk waited until Taehyung got in the bathroom in the evening to take a shower. He didn’t want to hide more secrets from the elder, now that Taehyung knew everything about him, he didn’t intend to continue lying, but he thought about hearing what Yoongi had to say first and then tell Taehyung about it and maybe sugar-coat it a bit.

It’s been a couple of days since Taehyung came out of the bedroom and told him about his past with Choi Junghyun and things were slightly better. Just like the elder promised, they weren’t really hanging out, they barely exchanged a couple of words, but at least Taehyung was coming out when he was at home, so that was definitely a progress. He couldn’t comprehend that they were basically broken up, those words that Taehyung said were still resonating in his brain, it was so hard to comprehend that their relationship ended after five years and he knew that if it wasn’t for them having to hide, Taehyung would be gone.

But he always expected it to happen, he always knew that Taehyung wouldn’t want to be with him if he knew who he was. Taehyung’s reasoning was different than he thought though, he always thought that Taehyung couldn’t have stomached knowing that he was killing people for a living, but in reality, Taehyung didn’t want to have anything to do with him because of his past with Junghyun. And Jeongguk understood that, he understood that being in a relationship with an abusive gangster scarred the elder, but he was hoping to show Taehyung that he was nothing like that piece of shit.

He knew Junghyun, back in the day, they had crossed paths many times, even before he officially became a hitman, when he was still working with the gang. He knew that Junghyun was cruel, probably a psychopath, and it hurt him to know that someone as sweet as Taehyung was involved with him and suffered his abuse and stalking. He was happy that he ended Taehyung’s misery when he killed Junghyun, they didn’t even know about each other’s existence back then, so in a way, it felt like fate that they met later and that Jeongguk was the one that saved the elder from his terrible ex that didn’t leave him alone even when he broke up with him.

He forced himself to come back from his thoughts, knowing he had another job on his hand now. A while ago, he tasked his friends to ask around and find out who was behind the attack, so now he was about to call Yoogni to ask about updates.

He made sure to hear the running water in the bathroom before he grabbed his phone and dialled Yoongi’s number.

“Jeongguk-ah, hi, how are you doing?” the elder picked up almost immediately.

“Considering everything, fine.”

“Are you safe?”

“No one has been lurking around, as far as I know, we are far from Seoul,” Jeongguk reassured one of his best and oldest friends. He and Yoongi went way back, he was his first real friend after he came to Seoul and they always had each other’s backs.

“It’s good you had such a thorough backup plan,” the elder complimented him.

“I always knew that there might come a day when my identity would be compromised, I had to stay safe.”

“Do you need anything? Some cash or weapons?”

“I have everything for now,” Jeongguk said: “How are you guys doing? Has anyone tried to attack any of you?”

“No, we are fine, Jeongguk-ah.”

“If someone found out about me, they probably know about you.”

“If someone has a personal vendetta with you, I wouldn’t be worried about us.”

“I am though, you are still my friends and someone might come after you to lure me out,” the younger protested.

“Then you can’t let them,” Yoongi said firmly: “We can take care of ourselves, Jeongguk, you should stay focused and careful and look out for you and Taehyung now.”

“It sounds like you might know who’s behind the attack,” Jeongguk pointed out, glancing at the bathroom door, relieved to still hear the shower. He knew that Taehyung liked taking long showers, especially when he was stressed, those were the perks of living with someone for years, he knew all of Taehyung’s habits, so he knew that he was going to be in there for a while.

“We asked around,” the elder started with a sigh: “You know that everything is just a rumour, it is hard to verify information in our world.”

“Anything helps.”

“I don’t wanna be negative and I don’t wanna scare you…but it looks like shit is more serious than we thought,” Yoongi sighed again and Jeongguk knew that things were serious, because when Yoongi was this worried, that never meant anything good.

“Seokjin and Namjoon have lots of connections, all kinds of people come to their bar, but it didn’t seem to lead anywhere,” Yoongi started: “Me and Hobi looked around and inside your house to find some clues but apart from pretty standard bullets, we didn’t find anything."

“Do you think the house is watched?”

“We didn’t notice anything suspicious, but that doesn’t mean it is safe to come back.”

“I know.”

“Jeongguk, this is serious, Seokjin found out the other day that everything points to Choi Chin-Hwa.”

“The King of the underworld,” Jeongguk commented dryly.

“You don’t sound surprised.”

“Well, I did kill many of his men and I killed his heir.”

“If it’s true, if he is the one that found out about your identity, you are in serious trouble. He has people and resources, he is not some petty gangster, he is the real deal,” Yoongi pointed out.

“I know who he is, you don’t need to remind me,” Jeongguk sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, because his head was starting to hurt. Things were worse than he originally thought, he could deal with pretty much anything and anyone, but if it really was Choi Chin-Hwa that ordered the attack, it was bad. Not only for his sake, but for Taehyung’s too, because of his connection to his son Junghyun. Did Chin-Hwa know about Taehyung? Did he know back in the day that he was involved with his son or did Junghyun hide it from him? Jeongguk could only hope.

“Jeongguk-ah, it is even worse than you think.”

“How?”

“There is something that we didn’t know, you probably don’t know either…”

“What is it?”

“You remember Yesul?” Yoongi asked.

“Of course, she gave me lots of tattoos,” Jeongguk nodded, glancing at his tattoo sleeve. Yesul was a tattoo artist, known in the underworld for having decorated hundreds if not thousands of gangsters with her body art. She had a small shop in one of the most infamous Seoul neighbourhoods and she was known for being impartial, but she liked some people and some gangs more than others. Jeongguk and his friends have always had a good relationship with her and she had given them some useful intelligence over the years.

“Me and Hobi went to see her, she hears things that no one else does,” the elder revealed: “Apparently, not that long ago, she had a chatty motherfucker on her chair, one Kim Sungjae.”

“He’s from Chin-Hwa’s inner circle,” the younger remembered.

“The fucker was apparently bragging to her about him being the one that discovered your identity, he didn’t give her your name or your description, but he told her that he found out for his boss who the Golden Phantom was.”

“He might have been just talking out of his ass.”

“Maybe, maybe not. It is true that the word in Seoul is that you were discovered and attacked and forced to flee, I don’t know if those attackers bragged about it or what, but you know that the underworld is one big gossip house.”

“I am not surprised, no one would have passed on the opportunity to brag that they kicked my ass,” Jeongguk hummed. He wasn’t cocky, but he knew his reputation, he knew that the whole Seoul underworld was scared of him, so it was only natural that some fuckers wanted to brag about chasing him out of the city, but anyone could have taken credit for that just to get their five minutes of fame. Most gangsters were just a bunch of lying pussies that loved measuring their dicks and feeding their egos, Jeongguk has experienced it firsthand many times before when people tried to take credit for his work.

“It doesn’t matter whether or not Sungjae was the one who found out about you,” Yoongi said, pausing before he added: “He said something that I think makes it all worse.”

“What is it?”

“Jeongguk, years ago, before you even met Taehyung, he was apparently involved with Junghyun.”

There was a pause on both ends.

“It doesn’t have to be true but if it is-”

“It is true,” Jeongguk confirmed.

“You’ve known about this?” Yoongi breathed out: “You knew that Taehyung and Junghyun were a thing?”

“I found out just a couple of days ago,” the younger revealed: “Taehyung told me, after he found out about me.”

“Shit, so it is true.”

“But Taehyung was never part of our world, he isn’t and never was involved with gangs.”

“But he was involved with Junghyun, so that makes him involved in our world,” Yoongi pointed out: “Fuck, I thought…I was hoping that it was just a stupid rumour, a lie that Sungjae told to be interesting.”

“Apparently it’s not.”

“That just makes everything worse though,” Yoongi said grimly: “Because what Sungjae implied…they know that you and Taehyung are connected, if they didn’t know for sure before, chasing you both out of your house confirmed it.”

“Yeah and?”

“You haven’t realized what this means, have you?” Yoongi sighed: “If Chin-Hwa knew about Taehyung, and I bet he did, because nothing ever remained a secret from him, how do you think he feels about the Golden Phantom and his dead son’s ex being together?”

Jeongguk felt like his heart dropped into his stomach when the realization hit him.

“At the best, he is just angry that you two are together, because he despises you,” Yoongi said quietly: “But if he thinks that you two go way back and that you knew each other when Taehyung was with Junghyun? He probably thinks that Taehyung is part of our gang and that he was sent to spy on Junghyun and him.”

“We didn’t even know each other back then, it is all a coincidence!”

“But he doesn’t know that, hell, he is probably thinking that you and Taehyung were involved this entire time and that you took a hit on Junghyun because of Tae!” Yoongi hissed: “He might even think that Tae used you and convinced you to kill Junghyun, either way, this would all mean that he is not just after you, he is after Taehyung too.”

“Fuck,” Jeongguk cursed, throwing his head back. He could deal with him being the target of a vengeful gangster, Taehyung would still be in danger because of their relationship. But if what Yoongi just said was true, if Chin-Hwa thought that Taehyung played some part in Junghyun’s murder, that meant that he didn’t have a personal vendetta only with him, but also with Taehyung.

“Jeongguk, you need to tell him,” Yoongi said seriously: “And you need to be extra careful and look out for both of you.”

“You think I wouldn’t have done that even without this new information?”

“Of course not, you love Taehyung, I know you would do anything to protect him, but if he is also Chin-Hwa’s target, he is in bigger danger than we thought.”

“What are we gonna do about this, hyung?” the younger sighed: “Chin-Hwa’s gang is big, it goes beyond Seoul borders, for now we are safe here, but we can’t be on a run forever.”

“We will figure something out, I can ask the boss-”

“I don’t wanna get Taebin involved, I don’t work for him anymore.”

“You are still his hitman,” Yoongi protested: “And do you think he wants to lose you, his most powerful weapon? He is gonna provide people and resources if you ask him.”

“That is the last thing I wanna do right now, I don’t wanna be in his debt, I don’t want him to have anything to hold against me, I don’t wanna be sucked into that life again,” Jeongguk said with hard voice: “I have lived pretty independently, he hasn’t been controlling me for a few years, I only worked for him for money, nothing else. If I ask him for a favour, I will owe him and I was serious when I said that I wanna get out of this life.”

“You can’t get out now, can you?” the elder said seriously: “Right now, you are in a huge mess and I honestly have no fucking idea how to help you out of this.”

“I will figure something out, just…at least for now, hyung, don’t go asking Taebin for favors.”

“Okay, if that’s what you want,” Yoongi said after a short pause: “Call if you need anything, we are still here for you.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Jeongguk said sincerely: “At least for now, we are safe where we are and the rest…I will find a way to get me and Taehyung out of this mess.”

*

Jeongguk took a day to collect his thoughts and to figure out how to break the news to Taehyung. He didn’t want to lie to him, but he wanted to be as considerate as possible and not scare the other. He still knew that it was going to be shocking to Taehyung, there was really nothing he could do about it.

So the next evening, when Taehyung came out of the bedroom to grab dinner, he asked him to stay and talk.

“What do you wanna talk about?” Taehyung wondered as he sat down in the armchair: “Before you start, if it is anything about us…I don’t wanna have that conversation.”

“It is not about us,” Jeongguk reassured him: “Or well, it is, but not about us as a couple but about our situation. I called Yoongi-hyung yesterday and he told me some news, he and the other guys were able to get some information.”

“About the attackers?” Taehyung asked, visibly interested in the topic.

“Yeah, the positive thing is that no one is apparently watching our house.”

“But it is still not safe to return.”

“No, it’s not.”

“And? What else did they find out? Do they know who it was? Was it someone that you offended, did you kill someone’s right hand or something?” the elder asked and it was almost ridiculous just how casual he sounded while talking about murder.

“Someone’s son,” Jeongguk sighed: “And you know that someone.”

“Wait, don’t tell me…” Taehyung got out after a pause and Jeongguk could see the exact moment the artist put two and two together.

“Looks like it’s Choi Chin-Hwa’s gang that’s behind it.”

He then proceeded to tell Taehyung everything. He told him about Yesul and what she told Yoongi and Hoseok about Sungjae and he also told him about what Yoongi warned him about.

Taehyung stood up when Jeongguk was finished and he started marching around, visibly distressed.

“I always knew that my past was gonna come back and hunt me,” he suddenly said.

“You would have been in danger anyway, since you are connected to me,” Jeongguk said quietly.

“Well, but if I was never involved with Junghyun, Chin-Hwa wouldn’t have known me! And he wouldn’t have now thought that I was planted to spy or that I told you to kill Junghyun for me! I would have been connected to you only as your boyfriend.”

Jeongguk gave him a sympathetic and hopefully comforting smile.

“Shit,” the elder cursed and then looked at the other: “Maybe it would be easier to blame this on you, but I can’t. You had no idea about me and Junghyun until literally just a few days ago, so I can’t blame you for coming up with some fucked up plan and dating me to defile his memory, right?”

“No, of course not, I had no idea about you and him!”

“Then that’s on me!” Taehyung chuckled joylessly: “If I hadn’t gotten together with him in the first place, or if I had just run away after I found out who he was…I always knew that I could get in trouble, hell, I was attacked a couple of times when I was with him, but even when I left him and found out he was dead, I was always scared that it would somehow come back to bite me in the ass. I guess this is my karma for not caring that I dated a gangster.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself, we all make mistakes, believe me, I know what I’m talking about,” Jeongguk stood up and looked at the other comfortingly.

“Junghyun is my fuck up,” Taehyung sighed: “He and I happened before I met you.”

“But if I was honest with you and told you who I am, you would have left me and you wouldn’t have been sucked back into that world,” the younger replied, feeling guilty, because he put Taehyung in danger in more ways than one.

Taehyung folded arms on his chest, looking at the other, but he didn’t say anything.

“If Chin-Hwa thinks that I killed Junghyun for you, that means you are in bigger danger than if you were just my fiancé,” Jeongguk said: “But I am gonna do anything I can to protect you, Taehyung, I swear, I am trained for this, I have been dealing with dangerous fuckers for years and I would be damned if I let anyone mess a single hair on your head.”

Taehyung didn’t reply, but on the inside, he couldn’t help it but find it comforting and even sweet. He knew that he shouldn’t feel that way, he was still angry with the younger and that was not going to change anytime soon, but the determination he saw in Jeongguk’s expressive eyes showed him that the younger was serious about the promise to protect him. And Jeongguk was the infamous Golden Phantom that he had heard so much about, Taehyung almost hated to admit it, but the truth was that being with Jeongguk was probably the safest place for him right now.

“What are we gonna do?” he asked quietly.

“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Jeongguk admitted: “But there has to be a way out of this mess and I promise that I will make it up to you and keep you safe, after all those years of lying to you, that is the least that I can do to redeem myself.”

“That doesn’t mean I am gonna take you back, you know?” Taehyung said.

“I don’t do it to get anything in return,” Jeongguk replied: “I just wanna protect you because I love you, I know that you probably don’t believe a word that comes out of my mouth right now, but I never lied about that, Taehyung, I love you and I am not gonna let anything happen to you, okay?”

“Okay,” the other breathed out, but on the inside, he felt really scared, because he had no idea what was going to happen now, their lives were in serious danger.

*

“Hey, you are cooking?” Jeongguk asked, surprised when he came back to their temporary home and found Taehyung in the kitchen.

“Well, I was getting hungry and you weren’t here, so I thought I’d whip something up. I found meat in the freezer, so I am making my iconic steak, is that ok?” the elder turned around.

“Yeah, sure,” Jeongguk nodded, feeling slightly dumbfounded because Taehyung looked so fucking pretty. He was barefaced, wearing an oversized hoodie and shorts and his hair that was getting long was held by a hairband. In their old life, the one they led just two weeks ago, Jeongguk would have probably pounced on his gorgeous fiancé and fucked him right there in the kitchen. But their old life was gone and at least for the time being, he wasn’t allowed to call Taehyung his.

He noticed one thing a few days ago though, one thing that made him think that maybe Taehyung’s love and devotion weren’t gone. He noticed that the elder was still wearing his engagement ring and that surely must mean something. If he was too angry, if he really wanted to break up with Jeongguk, taking that ring off would have been the first thing he would have done.

“Were you shopping?” Taehyung’s question made him snap out of his slightly unholy thoughts.

“Yeah, we were running out of some supplies,” Jeongguk nodded, showing a paper bag he was carrying.

“I could go shopping too sometimes, would be nice to get out of this damn house.”

“I don’t think it’s safe.”

“If it’s safe for you…”

“I know how to take care of myself,” Jeongguk protested: “And I know how to get around without raising suspicions.”

“I guess you have experience,” Taehyung hummed and the younger didn’t miss that his tone was slightly biting. He couldn’t blame the other though, he just had to suck it up that Taehyung was going to be petty and upset, he had every right.

“I brought something for you,” he said instead as he walked over to the dining table and started taking out stuff.

“For me?” Taehyung asked, trying to hide his curiosity and excitement, but Jeongguk knew him too well, he knew that the elder loved receiving gifts, no matter how small they were.

“We are stuck in here and I know you must be bored,” Jeongguk nodded, reaching in the bag and taking out a few last items that were hiding in there: “And I know how much you love your art, you must be going crazy without it. I also know that it helps you when you are upset and well, I made you really upset…”

The way Taehyung’s eyes lit up when he saw the sketchbook and the pencils and the charcoal was enough for Jeongguk to know that this particular gift made him really happy.

“I admit that the idea to get this was a bit selfish,” he added: “Because I am hoping that…maybe if you get that anger out on a paper, you won’t be so angry with me.”

“That’s a really nice surprise,” the other replied: “I have been missing art, it is weird to not do anything with my hands. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jeongguk smiled: “You should go put this in the bedroom, I will watch the steak in the meantime.”

Taehyung nodded, walking over to the table and taking the gifts. He hated that he felt so grateful and pleasantly surprised, he hated that Jeongguk was so fucking thoughtful, because it made him hate the younger less.

“I want to have dinner together,” he turned to Jeongguk.

“Really?” the younger asked with wide eyes.

“I can’t deny that I am curious about your past,” Taehyung admitted: “I have questions and I want answers, not just about you but about the others too, I think that after all these years of you all lying to me, I deserve that, right?”

“Whatever you want,” Jeongguk reassured him quickly. He was glad that Taehyung wanted to talk, it was better than silence, that’s for sure, and if answering questions would help him redeem himself at least a little, he was more than happy to do that.

“I don’t wanna hide anything from you, not anymore,” he added: “I always hated it, and now that you know who I am and what I do, there is no reason for me to keep anything from you.”

“Good,” Taehyung nodded and then he disappeared in the bedroom with the art supplies, already excited to draw something and let out the emotions that have bottled inside of him in the past two weeks.

About twenty minutes later, they were sitting opposite each other at the table. It was the first time they sat down together since coming here, except for those couple of times they sat in the living room.

“You wanted to ask questions, shoot,” Jeongguk said, bringing up the conversation that Taehyung wanted to have to show him that he was serious about this and that he wanted to answer everything the elder might ask.

“How exactly did you get into that gang? You said that you worked in some bar as a bouncer, what exactly happened that caught the boss’ eye to recruit you?” Taehyung asked the first question that popped in his mind.

“It’s actually how I met Yoongi, he is partly responsible for my career.”

“Really? So Yoongi was already in that gang?”

“Yeah, he joined really young, he was kicked out of the house when he was sixteen.”

“I remember, he told me one time,” the elder nodded.

“Like I said, I worked in that bar and there were lots of shady people coming in, that’s what I noticed pretty much immediately,” Jeongguk started.

“By shady people, you mean gangsters?”

“Gangsters, drug dealers, all those types,” the younger nodded: “So you can probably imagine that I was pretty busy, it wasn’t unusual for fights to break out.”

Taehyung nodded as he took a bite of the steak since they were both eating while talking.

“One evening Yoongi and a couple of guys came in, I had no idea what it was about, but they got in a beef with some other guys,” Jeongguk said: “I suppose they were gangsters too and they had some history. I went there to break it up, one of them had a knife and he nearly stabbed Yoongi.”

“And you saved him.”

“I just pacified him,” Jeongguk shrugged: “Remember, this was after the military, I was in shape, I just learned how to fight, so it wasn’t that hard.”

“I bet you made an impression,” Taehyung hummed.

“Yeah, so much so that Yoongi started coming more often, watching me,” Jeongguk nodded: “He saw my potential, that’s how they recruit people from the streets, when they see something in you, they approach you.”

“So he approached you?”

“Not exactly,” Jeongguk shook his head: “One day, I was returning from work in the early morning and not far from the bar, I saw armed guys attack this older guy with few people around him. I recognized Yoongi, by then, we had already had a few chats in the bar, I don’t know why, but I ran to help.”

“Noble and stupid,” Taehyung scoffed.

“We fought off the attackers and I learned that the older guy with Yoongi was the boss. He was impressed, he thanked me for helping, and he said he would have a job for me if I was interested.”

“And you were.”

“Not at the beginning, it took Yoongi lots of convincing, he brought Hobi along to help.”

“So he was in that gang too?”

“They both joined about the same time,” the younger nodded.

“Well, it is clear that they eventually succeeded. You said that you worked as a bodyguard before you became the hitman.”

“Yeah, I made it clear since the beginning that I am not interested in dealing with drugs or weapons,” Jeongguk nodded, taking a sip of a beer he got with the dinner: “I didn’t want to take part in that shit, I know that it sounds weird, but I have some morals. I didn’t want to be responsible for people’s addictions and for gang wars, I agreed to join to help with fighting and protection if needed, but that’s it.”

“Well, that already makes you better than most gangsters,” Taehyung replied: “I mean, you still kill people, but you said that it’s always fuckers that have it coming, right? If most of them are like Junghyun, I can’t really say that I feel bad that you helped the world to get rid of them.”

Jeongguk looked at the other, it was strange to hear all that come out of Taehyung’s mouth. He always thought that Taehyung would be more freaked out, more judgemental, more moral. But it was becoming clear that there were many things that he didn’t know about his fiancé too.

“And what about Seokjin and Namjoon?” Taehyung wondered.

“They were both at the sidelines, kind of like mentors,” Jeongguk started explaining: “Namjoon-hyung has always been good with technology, he was hacking stuff and shit like that. Seokjin was the main guy that was getting intelligence, you know him, he is very talkative and he can get anything out of anyone without messing a single hair, he never needed to use violence, just his wit, charms and manipulation.”

“I can totally see that,” the elder snorted.

“They left the gang a while ago though, they didn’t want to be part of that life.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they bought the Blood Moon and left the gang,” Jeongguk nodded: “They didn’t leave that world, I am not sure you really can, once you get into it. They are still loyal to the boss and they help him here and there with getting some information and they keep helping me and Yoongi and Hobi. But they don’t go in any action, they just tend to that bar.”

“You left too, at least that’s what you said,” Taehyung pointed out.

“Taebin realized it was for the best,” Jeongguk shrugged: “I was never a team player, sure, I was looking out for the members, but I preferred working alone. And when Taebin discovered that I was the most useful to help him get rid of people, we made a deal. I am still loyal to him, I don’t work for anyone else, but he gives me freedom and he doesn’t give me orders, he doesn’t tell me when or what to do.”

“He just sends you money and a name and you do the rest.”

“Pretty much, it’s been working for us for years.”

“I think that…being a fucking hitman is still not cool,” Taehyung said, leaning back in the chair because he was done eating: “But in a way, it kinda makes me feel better to know that you are not dealing or torturing people.”

“Well, doesn’t mean I’ve never done that…”

“We all have some past that we are not that proud of,” Taehyung mumbled, looking away.

“I know this is about you asking questions, but I would like to hear more too,” Jeongguk said: “About you and Junghyun and what did you get involved in, I mean, not just because I am curious but because it would help me to know to what extent Chin-Hwa might hate you and want you dead.”

“I think it has been a lot for one evening,” Taehyung said, making it clear that he wasn’t up for that conversation, not yet: “It is all still really fresh and it is fucking hard to take everything in. I do agree that…you should know about Junghyun to know what might be coming, but I think that first, I need to put those art supplies to good use and get some of that shit out of me, you know?”

“I think that’s fair,” Jeongguk nodded: “Take your time, when you are ready to talk, just tell me.”

Chapter Text

“The other day, you wanted to talk about me and Junghyun, to know what Chin-Hwa might know and what to expect from him,” Taehyung reminded Jeongguk a few days after their dinner. They didn’t speak much since that day, Taehyung was mostly closed in the bedroom, happily drawing now that he finally had supplies, it was really helping him get all the emotions and tension out. It was hard to take everything in, every time he talked to Jeongguk, he gained some new information, his life has literally changed overnight and that wasn’t easy to digest. But he was ready to talk now, knowing it was better to do it sooner rather than later.

“If you are ready,” Jeongguk nodded.

“Sure, avoiding that conversation won’t help anything,” Taehyung shrugged.

“Maybe we could open some wine, going down that memory lane is surely not gonna be easy for you,” the younger pointed out, reminding Taehyung just how well he knew him. It was always easier to speak with a bit of liquor in his system and remembering Junghyun was definitely at the top of his list of difficult topics.

They spent twenty minutes just chatting and drinking. Taehyung wanted to know if there were any updates about their situation, so Jeongguk told him about a phone call he had with Namjoon the other day, the elder now had a confirmation that it really was Choi Chin-Hwa that ordered the attack that led to their exile.

“I guess I should start,” Taehyung said after a while of silence when they sat together awkwardly. It was so weird, because they had shared many silent moments together and they always felt nice and peaceful. But now there was this gap between them, the gap that was caused by Jeongguk’s lies and secrets, so the silence felt heavy and Taehyung couldn’t stand it.

“I think you already understand what my relationship with Junghyun was like,” Taehyung started.

“Yeah, I have a picture,” Jeongguk said coldly, getting angry while remembering what the elder told him about his ex.

“I was foolish to be with him,” Taehyung sighed, taking a big gulp of the red wine to help him speak: “We never established anything, but I guess that we did date. I never loved him though, not really, at first it was just infatuation that later turned into toxicity and ended with fear.”

“For how long were you seeing him?”

“Something over a year,” the elder replied after a bit of remembering. His past with Junghyun just seemed so far away, he rarely thought about him anymore, because he was in a happy relationship with a great man. He felt bitter about that now, because that great man turned out to be someone that Taehyung swore to never get involved with again. It was ironic really, Taehyung almost wanted to laugh at his luck, of course that he would end up with another gangster.

“You asked about Chin-Hwa,” he added: “He did know about us, I am not sure to what extent and what details Junghyun shared with him, but he knew that we were a thing.”

“Okay.”

“We never really even talked, I saw him once or twice and we just exchanged polite greetings, he always gave me creeps, so I didn’t have any desire to be around him.”

“I can’t blame you, Chin-Hwa and Junghyun are some of the vilest people I’ve ever met and believe me, I’ve met many,” Jeongguk scoffed.

“You knew Junghyun? I mean…I know you killed him, but did you meet him before that?”

“Oh yeah, him and I go way back,” the younger nodded: “Pretty much since I joined the gang, I told you that I was a bodyguard of the boss and inner circle members. Well, they got attacked sometimes and I was there, me and Junghyun met a couple of times and fought each other. I don’t wanna sound too smug, but I am proud to say that I always kicked his ass.”

“That is a nice picture,” Taehyung chuckled, imagining his ex and current boyfriend fighting and he felt satisfaction when he imagined Jeongguk winning. Then he reprimanded himself that Jeongguk wasn’t actually his boyfriend anymore, not really, but when he thought about that, it just sounded so damn weird in his head. Was he serious when he told the younger a while ago that they were over?

“But he was a violent fucker, I think he was actually a psychopath,” Jeongguk added.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, I was infatuated at the beginning, but he quickly showed his true colours,” Taehyung sighed: “He was just courteous and nice because he wanted me, I was his prey and it was a game to him, I realized that later.”

“I am sorry you were with someone like him,” Jeongguk said and it was clear by his voice and eyes that he was serious: “I know that I am not a saint, god knows I am far from it, but the thought of you being with someone that hurt you just makes me so fucking angry, because how could anyone do that to you?”

“You are not like him,” Taehyung said quietly: “That is why it pisses you off…and I am still angry with you and I am still getting used to the fact that you are a fucking hitman but…I can’t lump you in with him, because you are different.”

“I am glad.”

“Anyway, I was thinking about my past with Junghyun these past few days, I was thinking what to tell you, what might be useful in this Chin-Hwa situation and…well, there is something,” Taehyung said hesitantly: “I think there is no point for me to talk about our relationship in detail, I don’t wanna remember it and I am sure you don’t wanna hear about it. But there is something that Junghyun might have told his father and that might have made him hate me, I don’t know.”

“What is it?”

“Our relationship was really toxic,” Taehyung said coldly: “The first few weeks were nice, Junghyun was showering me with gifts and nice dates and I could stay in his place even when he wasn’t there. It was easy to get used to the luxury, I guess that was the main thing that was keeping me there. Looking back now, I just can’t comprehend that I let myself be with him, what was I thinking?”

“Lots of people get stuck in toxic relationships and they don’t leave even when they should,” Jeongguk commented: “Others shouldn’t judge, I know I don’t. You were still young.”

“Yeah, young and stupid,” Taehyung scoffed: “Well, at least I can say that I maintained some dignity. I told you that…sometimes I just let him do what he wanted with me to not make him angry.”

“I remember,” the younger growled.

“But I wasn’t a complete pushover either,” Taehyung said: “We fought a lot, yelled at each other, threw stuff at each other. Sometimes he hit me and I often hit him back.”

“At least you fought back,” Jeongguk nodded, knowing that Taehyung was surely proud of that part of that terrible relationship. Taehyung was sweet, but Jeongguk could never imagine him just taking it, he wasn’t soft, he fought for himself when he had to.

“Two of our fights were really bad,” Taehyung sighed as he remembered the events: “He was chasing me around the apartment, I was seriously scared for my life. I already knew who he was, so it wasn’t really far-fetched to be scared of what he might do to me.”

“Understandable.”

“He chased me in the kitchen and I grabbed a knife and stabbed him, not just once but on two occasions.”

“You stabbed him?” Jeongguk asked with a mixture of shock and admiration in his eyes and voice.

“Like I said, I was scared, I seriously thought he was gonna kill me and I wasn’t gonna go down that easily,” the elder shrugged.

“Looks like you have a dark side I don’t know about.”

“The fights ended there, seeing him bleed made me cool down and he did too,” Taehyung continued, ignoring Jeongguk’s comment: “And then I felt bad, so I patched him up.”

“So that is where you learned it,” Jeongguk breathed out, remembering how a few weeks ago, he came home with injuries and Taehyung tended to him. The elder told him that he learned that in the military, but now it was clear that he actually learned it during his time with Junghyun.”

“I tended to his injuries pretty often,” Taehyung nodded: “Most weren’t caused by me, sometimes he came home from god knows where, injured, and he wanted me to take care of it because it wasn’t serious enough for him to go to the hospital.”

“The thought of you stabbing Junghyun is great, but why are you telling me this?”

“Because he might have told Chin-Hwa? I don’t know,” Taehyung revealed his reasoning: “Maybe Chin-Hwa knows about these incidents and that made him hate me.”

“Well, it would surely make him think that you are not as harmless as you might look,” the younger hummed.

“But there is another thing,” Taehyung bit his lip: “I am not proud of this, but it happened. When I finally decided to pack my shit and leave Junghyun, I might have taken something from him.”

“You stole from him?” Jeongguk laughed breathlessly, staring at him incredulously.

“He had some jewellery, a couple of watches and some rings, he never really used them, but I knew they were expensive. After that fucking year, I felt like I deserved some compensation,” Taehyung shrugged: “I sold them and got some good money in exchange. But when he kept following me and stalking me, once he confronted me and told me that he knew I took it and he told me that there was this one ring that was basically a family heirloom and that if his father found out I took it and sold it, he would be pissed off.”

“You think Chin-Hwa found out?”

“I don’t know, hard to tell if Junghyun would tell him,” Taehyung sighed: “But after he died, someone surely went to clean up his place and get rid of his stuff, so they would have found out that the expensive jewellery was missing.”

“I guess Chin-Hwa would be looking for that ring,” Jeongguk hummed: “But if Junghyun didn’t tell him that you stole it, he wouldn’t have known what happened. Jughyun surely had other people before or after you coming to his place that might have done it.”

“True.”

“Is that everything?”

“I can’t think of anything else that Chin-Hwa might hold against me,” Taehyung nodded.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter, because you being with me is enough of a reason for him to hate you,” Jeongguk sighed: “If he believes that we were together already back then, or at least that we knew each other, he will be convinced that I killed Junghyun for you. Maybe not per your request, but he would think I did it to protect you since Junghyun was obsessed with you and was stalking you.”

“It is just such a fucking irony,” Taehyung laughed joylessly: “What a fucking coincidence that I ended up with the guy that killed Junghyun, it feels like everything came this weird full circle. But hey, neither of us could have known.”

“Well, if I was honest with you since the beginning…”

“I wouldn’t have stayed long enough to even find out about you killing Junghyun,” Taehyung said, looking the other in the eyes: “You were right before, if you told me, I would have walked away, because back then, the memory of Junghyun and our messed-up relationship was still fresh.”

“And you would have thought that I was the same.”

“Yeah,” Taehyung nodded.

They fell silent, just sitting there in the quiet living room and suddenly it was clear that there was nothing more to say. That gap between them was still there, it was not going to disappear overnight, there was just so much that they had to work through, but it made Jeongguk hopeful, at least they were able to sit down and be civil and talk and that was a good sign. He just loved Taehyung too much to simply give up on them, he didn’t intend to pressure the elder, but he also wasn’t just going to accept that the wonderful bond they have shared for nearly six years was just gone.

*

They were in hiding for almost a month when finally some positive news came. It really was just a small blessing, but Taehyung was still excited when Jeongguk told him that Yoongi, Hoseok and Jimin were coming to see them.

And even though Taehyung was still mad at everyone, including his best friend, he couldn’t deny that it was going to be very refreshing to talk to someone that wasn’t Jeongguk. Things between them haven’t gotten much better and the only topic they talked about was their situation, that gap that was made between them by Jeongguk’s lies hasn’t gotten any smaller.

He felt so giddy when he was waiting for the three men, he even put some effort into looking good, not that he had to impress anyone, but it was nice to put on something other than sweatpants and a simple t-shirt after a month.

He and Jeongguk were in the living room when Yoongi called the younger that they arrived and that they were going to be at the house in a few minutes. When there was a knock on the door, Jeongguk still grabbed a gun and went to open with it, because he knew that he could never be careful enough.

“Who is it?” he asked and that just made Taehyung uncomfortable and he started second-guessing the whole thing. What if someone hacked Jeongguk’s or Yoongi’s phone and they knew where to find them? What if it wasn’t their friends at the other side of that door, but Chin-Hwa’s men coming to kill them?

“Daegu Dog,” a quiet, yet familiar voice replied. Taehyung guessed that it was Yoongi’s gangster nickname, he knew that it was very common in the underworld for people to operate under fake names or nicknames to hide their identity and to not give their real names to anyone.

“Password?” Jeongguk asked.

“Seventeenth of November.”

That seemed to convince Jeongguk that it was really his friend, so he opened the door, but he still had the gun ready.

Taehyung let out a breath that he had no idea he was holding in the first place when he saw Yoongi’s face.

“Come quickly,” Jeongguk urged him as he stepped aside for the elder to walk in with Hoseok and then Jimin.

Jimin didn’t even bother taking off his shoes, he looked around and shrieked when he spotted Taehyung and then he was running to him and hugging him tightly.

“Oh my god, you’re okay,” the shorter man breathed out in relief.

“I texted you just a few days ago,” Taehyung replied and even though he was still angry with his friend that was hiding things from him, his hug had a calming and healing effect on him. For the first time in nearly four weeks, it felt like everything was right.

“Jeongguk-ah,” Hoseok smiled and hugged the younger before he walked over to Taehyung and did the same to him.

“Good to see you still kicking,” Yoongi said to Jeongguk, grabbing his hand and shaking it, holding it tighter and longer than necessary, but that was his way of showing worry and care. He wasn’t the type of person to be overly touchy and feely, but deep down he cared deeply about his friends and he has always had a special soft spot for Jeongguk. While Hoseok was his best friend and, as Taehyung recently found out, they had been working together the longest, he had this brotherly care in him when it came to Jeongguk.

“It takes more than a couple of fuckers chasing us out of our house to break me,” Jeongguk grinned and Taehyung could tell that he too was happy to see the three men, because here in this small town in the middle of nowhere, it was the first time they felt close to home.

“Daegu Dog, really?” Taehyung looked at Yoongi with raised eyebrows, but there were amused and teasing sparkles in his eyes.

“Original, I know,” Yoongi scoffed: “For the record, I didn’t come up with that nickname.”

“What is that password, that date?” Taehyung wondered, looking between Jeongguk and Yoongi.

“It is our personal password that we established years ago in case we needed to verify our identities,” Yoongi explained.

“I got that, but what does it mean?”

“It’s the day we met for the first time,” Jeongguk said.

“In that bar you worked in?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t it kinda cute? It is like their anniversary date,” Jimin chuckled.

“Did someone follow you?” Jeongguk ignored the comment and looked at Yoongi and Hoseok.

“Who do you take us for, some amateurs?” Hoseok scoffed: “We were careful, Jeonggukie.”

“We parked the car at the nearby supermarket and walked the rest of the way here.”

“Good,” Jeongguk nodded, finally putting down the gun: “I prepared something to eat and I bought some beers, you had a long journey.”

“Always a good host, even when you’re hiding,” Hoseok chuckled: “I will help you with it, lead the way.”

“You guys sit down,” Jeongguk looked at the other three men as he walked with Hoseok to the small kitchenette in the corner. This wasn’t just a friendly visit, they had a lot to talk about and it was safer to do it in person than over the phone. Their phones were protected, practically impossible to hack, but powerful and rich men like Chin-Hwa always had the best people working for them, so one could never be careful enough.

They settled in the living room, the space was small and there wasn’t enough sitting space, but Hoseok sat on the floor so they were all comfortable.

“Jin-hyung and Namjoonie-hyung say hi,” Jimin said as they started eating: “They wanted to come, but they figured it was for the best for them to stay in the city.”

“We need eyes and ears,” Hoseok nodded: “You wouldn’t believe what you can hear in Blood Moon, it is useful.”

“People like talking, especially when they’re drunk,” Jeongguk hummed: “Did you put anyone else on this?”

“No, we figured you wouldn’t want anyone else in this business,” Yoongi said.

“You were right, I don’t,” Jeongguk nodded: “I don’t trust anyone else the way I trust you.”

“We have some news,” Yoongi started, looking at the two fugitives and the room turned more serious

“What is it?” Jeongguk asked with a frown.

“Me and Hobi went to your house again the other day, to look around and inside,” Yoongi glanced at Hoseok before he added: “It’s clear that someone broke in. After you run away, the house was opened after they got in at night, but we locked it again.”

“I am not surprised they came back,” Jeongguk sighed: “They raided the place, didn’t they?”

“They were surely looking for some clues where to find you,” Hoseok nodded: “The place is trashed, I don’t think they took anything, they weren’t there to rob you.”

“Well, they couldn’t find anything, I am not dumb to leave anything in our house,” Jeongguk shrugged: “The only incriminating thing is a gun that I hide in the laundry room.”

“You have a gun in our laundry room?” Taehyung glared at him.

“You think I would leave us completely unprotected?” Jeongguk looked at him: “I also had one gun under the bed, but you know that already, I grabbed it when they came.”

“We are pretty sure that they didn’t find your secret lair though,” Hoseok reassured the younger: “We went there as well, the place looks fine.”

“Good.”

“You have a secret lair?” Taehyung gasped, looking at Jeongguk in disbelief: “Why am I even surprised? You had a secret car and this house!”

“Where do you think I store all my stuff? I couldn’t have it in our house,” Jeongguk said, knowing that the new information made Taehyung angry all over again, but he was done lying: “I have a secret little apartment, that’s where I store my clothes and weapons and where I spend nights sometimes. All those times I told you I was going on a business trip, I didn’t always leave Seoul, I just needed a few days for some mission…”

“Unbelievable,” Taehyung grumbled, putting down the chopsticks and pushing his plate away, losing appetite. On the one hand, he kind of appreciated the honesty, it was a welcomed change to sit here and hear about everything firsthand, on the other hand, it was still overwhelming and it made him angry. 

“I think I need to be alone for a bit,” he said, standing up. No one tried to stop him, they looked at him, but they just gave him sympathetic looks and watched him go into the bedroom where he closed himself.

“Anyway, you don’t have anything that could lead them here, do you?” Hoseok looked at Jeongguk since they still needed to discuss some things.

“I have some documents from buying this house,” Jeongguk said: “But I never printed anything, it is all on my laptop in my lair. Speaking of which, it would be for the best if you guys went there and got it and hid it, the laptop is protected, but one can never know.”

“We’ll do it as soon as we get back,” Yoongi reassured him.

“It is pretty late, are you gonna spend the night?” Jeongguk wondered.

“The place is pretty small.”

“We have all slept on the floor at some point and I do have some spare pillows and blankets here.”

“Well, I think it is better than to drive back to Seoul all night,” Hoseok shrugged, looking at Yoongi and Jimin.

“I don’t care,” Jimin shrugged, glancing at the door that Taehyung disappeared behind: “I am gonna see Tae, I think that…he might need to talk to someone about everything.”

“He is surely still angry with you for lying to him,” Yoongi looked at his boyfriend.

“And he has every right, but I am not gonna leave him when he needs me. If he sends me to hell, I won’t bother him, but I have known him longer than any of you guys and I know that he is really messed up now. Not only because of the current situation, but because some old wounds were opened.”

“I forgot that you were there when he was with Junghyun,” Jeongguk looked at the elder.

“Yeah, I was,” Jimin said coldly at the memory of the past: “I don’t know what he told you about that period of his life, but whatever he did and whatever you imagine was going on, I can assure you that it was much worse. Junghyun is the biggest scumbag I’ve ever met and what he did to Taehyungie…no one deserves that.”

With that, he left the three gangsters in the living room, knocking on Taehyung’s door and entering when he didn’t hear any protests.

“Hey, can I come in?” he asked softly.

“You already did,” Taehyung replied from where he was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with a sketchbook on his knees, doodling something. Jimin knew this habit, the younger did this every time he felt stressed or angry. Now he was probably both.

“The house is cosy,” Jimin commented, looking around the small room. It was clear that Taehyung had been spending lots of time there, it was slightly messy, not dirty, but there were his clothes and some books lying around.

“Gets claustrophobic when you have nowhere to go,” Taehyung mumbled: “Especially when you are trying to avoid your ex.”

“Ex?” Jimin asked, raising an eyebrow: “You and Jeongguk broke up?”

“What did you expect?” Taehyung scoffed, putting down the pencil and finally looking at his friend: “You thought that I would be cool with all this? You think that finding out that the guy I have known for almost six years is a fucking hitman wouldn’t have consequences?”

“I just thought you would get through it…”

“I am not sure this is something we can get through…” Taehyung grumbled: “We have been dating for almost six years, lived together for over three and a few months ago, we got fucking engaged. But I don’t know that guy!”

“I know that you are upset, but the Jeongguk you know is the real Jeongguk,” Jimin said, sitting at the edge of the bed: “Sure, his occupation is…a bit controversial and unusual, but he is still him, he is caring and nice and funny, he is all those things that you fell in love with.”

“I just can’t believe that he lied to me like that! He invented a whole-ass fake life to hide who he really was,” Taehyung exclaimed: “And don’t think that I forgave you, you lied to me too!”

“I know,” Jimin mumbled.

“How could you do this, Jiminie? Especially after Junghyun, how could you let me be with someone from that world again!”

“I was really sceptical, believe me!” Jimin reassured him: “But when I found out about Yoongi and later about the other guys, including Jeongguk, you guys were together for over half a year, remember? In that half a year, I have never seen him mistreat you, I have never seen you unhappy, you have never come to me to cry and complain like you did with Junghyun. So even though I was shocked and I was worried about you, I knew that Jeongguk was not a bad guy.”

“You still should have told me.”

“I hated lying to you,” Jimin sighed: “But I promised Jeongguk to not tell his secret, he wanted to do it himself.”

“Except he never did.”

“I was trying to make him, believe me,” Jimin said: “But I didn’t tell you, because it wasn’t my business, just like I didn’t tell him about your past with Junghyun, because that was your story to tell.”

Taehyung was quiet for a while and he looked so sad and defeated, Jimin couldn’t even imagine just how betrayed he must feel, he knew he would.

“How did you get over it, Jimin?” the younger broke the silence after a while quietly: “How did you just…accept that Yoongi was a fucking gangster and stayed with him?”

“I don’t know, to be honest,” Jimin replied: “I was shocked and scared and furious when he told me, I left him, but when I had time to think about it, I realized that I don’t really care. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but I never regretted that decision because he makes me happy and I love him.”

“I loved Jeongguk too,” Taehyung said, lower lip wobbling and voice choked up and eyes filled with tears: “I loved him so fucking much and he ruined it all, I hate him.”

“It is fine that you feel that way,” the elder grabbed his hand: “But I don’t think that is all in the past, you still love him.”

“But I made a promise to myself after Junghyun…”

“Jeongguk is nothing like him,” Jimin protested: “He loves you so much, he would kill for you and he would die for you, and you know that in his case, it is not an exaggeration.”

“I just feel so fucking lonely,” Taehyung admitted, first few silent tears sliding over his cheeks: “Because everyone that I have loved for these past years just betrayed me, including you.”

“I am so sorry we hurt you so much, babe,” Jimin sniffled too, hating to see his friend like this: “But we all love you, it doesn’t matter what they do and who they are, they genuinely care about you, we are a family.”

“Family doesn’t lie to each other,” Taehyung said with finality, pulling his hand away from Jimin’s and he wiped away the tears: “I heard that you are gonna stay overnight, you can crush here on the floor if you want, the living room would be crowded.”

“I will gladly have a sleepover,” Jimin smiled, but his best friend didn’t return it and he knew that this time, he really fucked up, they all did.

Chapter Text

Taehyung blinked in surprise when he walked out of the bedroom and only found Hoseok.

“Where is everyone?”

“Oh, Taehyung-ah, hi!” the elder grinned from where he was sitting on the sofa, killing time on his phone: “They went to do some groceries.”

“I thought you were leaving.”

“We are, but Yoongi and Jiminie offered Jeongguk to help before we go,” Hoseok shrugged: “They also wanted to look around and see if there isn’t anyone shady and make sure that no one followed us here.”

“Okay,” Taehyung hummed, walking to the small kitchen to make himself a tea. It was nine in the morning and he had never been an early bird, so he just woke up.

He went to use the bathroom and perform his usual routine, leaving Hoseok alone. When he came back, the other was making some sandwiches in the kitchen.

“I haven’t eaten yet, here, I made one for you too,” Hoseok smiled as Taehyung came for his tea.

“Um, thanks,” the younger nodded, taking one plate from Hoseok. It was so bizarre, he was looking at Hoseok and he just couldn’t comprehend that this man was involved in a gang world. He would lie if he said that he hadn’t seen some dark sides of Hoseok before, sometimes the look in his eyes was slightly unsettling and he could be scary, especially when he was angry. But most of the time, he was just this sunshine, always smiling and laughing and talking loudly, just a typical likeable extrovert.

“Come eat with me,” Hoseok said, grabbing the plate with his sandwich too as he went back to the sofa. Taehyung hesitated, not sure if he wanted company, but then his curiosity won, he couldn’t deny that there were some things that he wanted to know.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, occasionally glancing at each other, it was clear that Hoseok was expecting to be showered with questions, but he waited.

“I am sure there is a lot of stuff that you wanna ask, I am open to any conversation, just for the record,” Hoseok finally spoke, giving the younger that nudge he needed.

“I am just still taking everything in, it’s been a lot.”

“I get that.”

“I can’t believe that you are a gangster,” Taehyung blurted out and to his surprise, Hoseok started laughing.

“I guess that it’s not your usual occupation. But hey, I do teach with Jiminie part-time in the dance studio.”

“Oh, right, is that your cover-up?”

“Kinda, but it’s mostly just that I love dancing,” Hoseok shrugged: “I was in a street dance crew when I was growing up, it’s always been my passion.”

“What exactly do you and Yoongi-hyung do?” the younger wondered: “Jeongguk told me about his…occupation, but he never really said what you guys do.”

“You know what he did before? How he started?”

“He said that he was basically a gorilla,” Taehyung nodded: “That he was never really involved with the dirty business and dealing, that he was mostly protecting the boss and the inner circle members.”

“That’s exactly what me and Yoongi do, that is how we all met and got close,” Hoseok said causally as if he wasn’t talking about gang stuff: “We are still officially part of the gang, Jeonggukie went solo years ago, he still works for our boss, but he is more independent."

Taehyung hummed.

“We are mostly security guards,” Hoseok added: “Sometimes we are sent after someone when they need to be interrogated or persuaded.”

“So you are the enforcers.”

“I see you know your terminology,” Hoseok chuckled before he got more serious: “Me, Yoongi and Jeonggukie go way back, we fought side by side many times, saved each other’s asses more than once too.”

“That’s what brought you so close,” Taehyung nodded, understanding now the bond they had. He always saw it, he just never really understood it, he knew that they must have gone through a lot together and now he knew why - they literally had to protect and save each other.

“And what about Jin-hyung and Namjoon-hyung? I know they are involved as well, Jeongguk told me something but he didn't go into details,” he asked another question that hasn’t been answered yet.

“They are out, mostly.”

“Really?”

“They were sent to Blood Moon as informers,” Hoseok explained: “You would be surprised what things you can learn from drunk gangsters, so our boss sent them there to be the eyes and ears. They started liking the job though and they had wanted out, so they bought the place from the old owner and quitted.”

“They really quitted? I thought being a gangster was for life,” Taehyung raised his eyebrows.

“Well, the boss let them go, mostly,” Hoseok said: “There are some conditions though, they swore to stay loyal to our gang, to never work for anyone else. And they are still the informers and when the boss needs them to find something out, they do. But for the most part, they are free. They are still helping us when we ask them though, we are in this shit for life.”

“But what did they do before?”

“Namjoonie was our tech guy and the planner, he didn’t go in actions much, but his genius brain was useful.”

“I can see that.”

“And Seokjin-hyung…well, he was mostly working undercover, getting information from other gangs, interrogating and stuff like that.”

“I can see that too,” Taehyung snorted: “He can definitely get anything out of anyone.”

“Yep, he was legendary, almost as famous as Jeonggukie, have you ever heard of Pink Poison?” Hoseok smirked.

“Wait, seriously? That’s Jin-hyung?” Taehyung breathed out, because hell fucking yeah, he had heard of Pink Venom, mostly from Junghyun, he was feared in the underworld, known for usually poisoning his victims instead of killing them the usual way.

“Yep, the one and only, he was really talented, what a shame he quitted.”

“Well, you can’t blame him for wanting to lead a somewhat normal and honest life.”

“I know that you are angry with us and you have every right to,” Hoseok sighed, understanding the implications behind Taehyung’s words.

“Yeah, I do, you all lied to me,” Taehyung glared at him: “I thought we were friends and you were hiding all this shit from me for years.”

“We are still your friends.”

“Friends don’t lie to each other like that.”

“You know, others were telling Jeongguk to tell you the truth, but I didn’t,” Hoseok revealed.

“What? Why not?”

“Because the more people know, the more dangerous it is for them,” Hoseok said seriously: “I watched some people die, people that weren’t involved in our world, but they paid for knowing too much.”

“So you think that not telling me was protecting me?”

“Yeah.”

“But wouldn’t it be better if I knew the risks instead of living in the ignorance and not knowing that I could get killed anytime because my fucking boyfriend is the Golden Phantom?” Taehyung grumbled.

“You had been together for more than five years before anything happened,” Hoseok shrugged: “Jeonggukie always made sure to stay anonymous and to protect you, shit just didn’t work out.”

“Yeah, that is an understatement.”

“He loves you, he really does,” Hoseok said quietly with a soft smile.

“That is not love, lying to someone for five years, inventing a whole-ass fake life…I don’t think I will ever forgive him. I think that…I could accept what he does, I know most people wouldn’t, but I don’t think I would mind that he kills fuckers for a living, when I know they are criminals. But I can’t forgive him for making such an idiot out of me.”

“He fell in love with you quickly, that’s the problem,” the elder sighed: “He was just…head over heels for you, so the idea of losing you was hurting him right from the beginning. But he is a good guy, the Jeongguk you know is the real Jeongguk, we all are real, we have never pretended.”

Taehyung didn’t say anything, he just looked down at the empty plate with a frown.

“When Jeonggukie met you, he changed,” Hoseok remembered with a smile and that made Taehyung look at him again: “He was always closed off, not really cold or unfriendly, but he kept to himself. He was sweet and he would die for us, but it was like…there wasn’t any light in him. And then he met you and he changed so much, not because he decided to fake it for you, it was just a natural outcome. He just became warmer, nicer, happier…”

“He still should have told me…”

“You wouldn’t have stayed with him though, would you?” Hoseok asked knowingly: “Not after Junghyun and honestly, I can’t blame you, because if I dated that asshole, I would be traumatized too. Honestly, you have no idea how fucking shocked we were when we found this out, that’s just crazy, all this time, you were connected to our world and we didn’t know that.”

“You knew Junghyun?” Taehyung wondered.

“Oh yeah, I had the displeasure, fought him many times,” Hoseok scoffed: “That guy was a fucking psycho, I am not saying that we are innocent but him…he was an animal, he was a sadist, he enjoyed killing and he usually didn’t do it slowly.”

“Yeah, sounds like him,” the younger said bitterly.

“Which is why it’s so fucking crazy that you were involved with him,” Hoseok looked at him sadly: “I can only imagine what that fucker put you through and you didn’t deserve that, you’re one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.”

Taehyung couldn’t help it but give the other a small smile. Despite being angry with Jeongguk and all their friends, it was nice that they were so caring and it looked like…they truly loved him.

“I think it is kinda poetic if you ask me,” Hoseok said with a small chuckle.

“What is?”

“That Jeonggukie killed that fucker, he saved you from him, even before you met. If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is.”

“That’s some pretty fucked up fate,” Taehyung scoffed.

“But still fate,” Hoseok shrugged: “You were connected without even knowing it and then you met and you fell in love and I know that you might not wanna hear this right now, but I really think that you and Jeonggukie are perfect for each other. He might not be the salesman guy that you believed him to be, but who he is on the inside, how he loves you, all that is real.”

“It might have been real, but he ruined it,” the younger said with finality.

“You seriously believe that?” Hoseok gave him a knowing look: “You seriously believe that you really hate him and that it’s over between you two?”

“If Chin-Hwa wasn’t after my ass, I wouldn’t be here…”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Hoseok shrugged.

“I got out when I ended it with Junghyun and when he died,” Taehyung added: “Chin-Hwa or any other gangster wouldn’t have cared about me, now he thinks I might have used Jeongguk to have Junghyun killed, he thinks that I am some manipulative mastermind that’s pulling the strings and that had his heir murdered…my life is in danger because of Jeongguk, so it doesn’t matter whether he lied to me to protect me, he failed.”

“To be fair, none of us knew about you and Junghyun,” Hoseok reminded him: “I don’t wanna turn this against you, don’t get me wrong, but if you told Jeongguk about your past, we might have taken precautions to protect you.”

“I know that all of this is partly my fault,” Taehyung admitted: “I made my own bed, I got together with Junghyun and stayed with him even when I found out who he was…I didn’t care what he did, I just cared about the comfort and gifts that he gave me. And even if I never met Jeongguk or you guys, it could have still come back to bite me in the ass, it’s my karma.”

“That doesn’t matter,” the elder shrugged: “We won’t let you get hurt, we lied to you, but we love you and you are one of us. And Jeonggukie…he would set the whole world on fire and watch it burn just to keep you warm and he would do anything to protect you. This whole situation is really messed up, but you have to remember that you have the best killer by your side, I know it might be hard to accept, but you couldn’t have ended up with a better person, he is good at what he does, so whoever might come for you, Jeonggukie will deal with them.”

Taehyung shivered at the thought. Not just at the thought of being hunted, it was easy to forget about that here in the safety of the small house, but until now he hadn’t realized that Jeongguk, in fact, was a top class hitman that was leaving corpses behind and that…when someone found them, he was going to watch Jeongguk kill them. 

“Right now, the most important thing is to get you both out of this mess,” Hoseok broke the silence: “No matter how you feel about Jeonggukie now, you have to stay united and you should follow his lead and listen to what he tells you, especially when you are in danger. The rest will solve itself later, right now, the most important thing is for you to survive.”

Those words hit Taehyung hard, he knew that Hoseok was right. No matter how he felt about Jeongguk, how angry and betrayed he felt, he couldn’t let it cloud his judgement. They had to survive this and get out of the mess, this was not the time for Taehyung to be petty and stubborn, especially when they found themselves in a dangerous situation. He had to put his life in Jeongguk’s hands and trust him to protect him, he couldn’t think about their relationship, that had to be moved to another track for now. He was just not sure if he could do that, could he really trust Jeongguk with his life? Because he already gave the younger his heart and he stepped on it.

*

“I want you to train me,” said Taehyung, making Jeongguk choke on the rice he just put in his mouth. 

They were eating lunch together, a few days after their friends left to go back to Seoul. They didn’t come just to check on them and tell them news, they also brought some of their stuff that they got from their house and Jeongguk got some weapons from them since he didn’t have many in this safehouse.

“What?” Jeongguk asked with wide eyes, taken by surprise.

“Well, we are being hunted by the most dangerous gang in Seoul, we have to assume that they will find us one day,” Taehyung said causally: “So I should know how to protect myself and how to fight them.”

He had been thinking about this for days, while mostly closed in the bedroom. He didn’t want to sit around and feel like damsel in distress, if Chin-Hwa’s gangsters were going to find them, he wanted to know how to protect himself.

“I know how to protect us both, you don’t need to worry about that,” Jeongguk dismissed him.

“You might be too preoccupied fighting for your own life,” the elder pointed out: “If we were outnumbered, having another pair of hands would be useful, don’t you think?”

“I don’t wanna drag you into this.”

“You already have,” Taehyung said coldly: “It wasn’t intentional, but you did drag me into this, I don’t wanna be powerless. Besides, when I was with Junghyun, he made me train some self-defence, that’s one of the few useful things he’s done for me, but I haven’t trained in years, so I am rusty.”

“There is no space here in this house to train,” Jeongguk protested: “And we shouldn’t go outside apart from grocery shopping, so it is not like we can go to some local gym or a park.”

“There is the backyard,” Taehyung flicked his head towards the backwall.

“There is a reason why we don’t go there, parading ourselves outside is too dangerous.”

“There is a tall fence, no one would see us.”

“You are not gonna drop this, are you?” the younger sighed.

“Nope, you of all people should know how stubborn I am.”

Only an hour later, they were in the backyard, dressed in some athletic clothes and shoes. Jeongguk found some old blankets and put them on the ground as a make-shift mat for protection. It was the middle of the summer, so it was warm and it hadn’t rained in days so the ground wasn’t wet.

“I think we should practice self-defence,” Jeongguk said, getting into a teaching mode. Taehyung found it quite hard to ignore his huge biceps since he wore a sleeveless t-shirt, it was a distraction, unwelcomed one, not just because of the training, but mainly because he didn’t want to think about how hot his now ex fiancé was.

“I think I should know how to fight back too,” he argued.

“Defence and survival is the most important, then you can try to fight someone off.”

“And I wanna learn how to shoot too.”

“Is that seriously necessary?”

“With an army of gangsters coming for our asses? Are you seriously asking?” Taehyung scoffed.

“Do you think you could really kill someone?” Jeongguk asked, seriously and with an intense, curious look in his eyes.

“If I had to, to protect myself? Yes,” the elder said without missing a beat.

“Killing someone is a lot harder than you can imagine.”

“It’s not hard for you, you have hundreds of kills behind your belt.”

“It’s years of practice.”

“I don’t need years of practice to be a perfect hitman,” Taehyung said with determination: “I just wanna know how to shoot from a gun and protect myself if needed.”

“I guess we can practice shooting out here, I have some silencers, so it shouldn’t alert the neighbours or anyone who might be watching,” Jeongguk eventually said, unable to tell no to Taehyung, even when it came to something like this. In a way, he had to admit that it made him quite happy that Taehyung was so willing to became part of his world, maybe not voluntarily, it was a must, but it still made his heart beat slightly faster to see Taehyung so determined and to hear him talking so causally about killing dangerous fuckers.

“Okay, let’s see what Junghyun’s lessons taught you,” he said as he stood opposite Taehyung, assuming a position for them to practice self-defence.

“I don’t remember much.”

“I need to see what you can do, we can work on perfecting that,” the younger lectured him: “Then we can move forward and teach you new stuff.”

“Okay,” Taehyung took a deep breath in and let a deep breath out, looking at the other and giving him an encouraging nod. Jeongguk nodded back and surged forward, mocking an attack on him.

It was embarrassing just how quickly he had Taehyung in his grip, grabbing his arm and spinning him around until he was standing behind him with an arm wrapped around his neck, not too tightly to not hurt him, but still enough to essentially disable him.

“Your reactions are slow,” he commented as he let Taehyung go.

“I haven’t done this in like seven years or something.”

“I didn’t expect you to counter my attack on the first try,” Jeongguk said: “But like you said before, we are hunted by an army of gangsters, so you have to learn fast.”

“I will,” Taehyung said with determination: “Let’s go again.”

“Okay,” Jeongguk nodded, suppressing an endeared and proud smile. He never thought that Taehyung was some softie, he didn’t take shit from anyone, he was stubborn and strong, but it was a pleasant, new discovery that his boyfriend of many years was much tougher than he seemed. Jeongguk didn’t doubt that, if needed, Taehyung would kick ass and fight for his life and unfortunately, that was something that was probably going to be needed in the foreseeable future.

They trained for nearly two hours, only taking short breaks to drink to stay hydrated. And in those two hours, it was clear that Taehyung was remembering what he learned years ago, because he was getting better. Jeongguk was still able to easily overpower him, but at least Taehyung put up a fight.

“Shit,” Taehyung huffed, having his breath knocked out of him when he was smacked down on the blankets with Jeongguk sitting on him and holding both of his wrists in one hand. His other hand was loosely wrapped around Taehyung’s throat, showing him in what way he could be killed if he ever got in this situation with an enemy.

But the position they found themselves in didn’t make Taehyung think of dying, he felt breathless, but not because of how hard he fell on the ground. He realized, to his horror, that he felt heat under his skin from having Jeongguk so close and with his fingers wrapped around his throat. Because that was a familiar territory, they spent many days and nights like this with Jeongguk holding him down, sometimes even choking him, while fucking him senseless. And Taehyung…he couldn’t deny that he missed that, because sex with Jeongguk has always been incredible, now he knew where it was all coming from, that roughness and power, it was in the younger’s nature, it was connected to his history in the gang.

Taehyung could tell that Jeongguk was thinking about exactly the same thing by the way he was staring down at him, he was panting a little and his pupils were blown wide and in the past, when they were still together and happy, this would have probably led to steamy sex.

But they weren’t together now and Taehyung didn’t want to let himself go like that. Having some good, animalistic sex with the younger would be so easy, they knew each other and what they liked, but engaging in sex might make Jeongguk think that he has forgiven him and he couldn’t let that happen because that wasn’t true.

“I think I’ve had enough for today,” he breathed out.

“Yeah, I think you will be sore enough tomorrow,” Jeongguk nodded, snapping out of his own trance, pulling himself up and standing before he offered Taehyung a hand and helped him to his feet too.

“We could practice shooting tomorrow, I can already feel my muscles hurting, I think I should take a break from being thrown around.”

“Whatever you say,” the younger shrugged, watching Taehyung turn around and go back inside the house. It made him feel sad, because he still felt that gap between them, but he also refused to despair, because that gap was smaller now than it was a week ago and the week before that. They went from Taehyung not talking to him and refusing to leave the locked bedroom to training together and touching each other and Jeongguk took that as a win.

*

“Oh, come on, it’s just shopping!” Taehyung whined, not ashamed to use his best weapons that were Jeongguk’s weaknesses, like his whining and pouting: “I think I am gonna go crazy here, I haven’t been outside since we got here!”

“It’s too dangerous for you to go outside,” Jeongguk protested.

“You go outside all the time and you haven’t been attacked. Come on, who would find us in this hole of a town.”

“Alright,” Jeongguk gave in and that was that.

Later, after what followed, Taehyung knew that his wish to go outside was stupid and careless. Because Chin-Hwa’s men might not have known what Jeongguk exactly looked like, but they sure as hell knew Taehyung. Because Chin-Hwa met him and he hadn’t changed all that much in the past seven years. Also, them walking around the town together was a giveaway too, because they obviously looked like a couple - even though that technically, they weren’t at the moment - and how many gay couples were seen like that in small towns like this in Korea? When Jeongguk went outside alone, usually wearing a baseball cap or something, he wasn’t that suspicious. But when they were together, that was a dead giveaway.

They got to the supermarket, it was not far away so they walked instead of going in the car. They bought some stuff, Jeongguk paid in cash and then they got on their way back to the house they called home at the moment.

They were each carrying one bag and they were halfway home when it happened. It was so quick and so unexpected, that even Jeongguk and his killer senses were taken by surprise.

They were just passing some small alley when two men surged at them.

They both dropped the bags with groceries, Taehyung had no time to react as he was pushed back and fell on the ground.

Jeongguk dodged the attack of one of the men, Taehyung gasped when he saw something silver glisten in the light of the setting sun. He realized it was a blade.

What followed happened in a matter of a minute, it was so fast, yet it felt like he was watching everything in slow motion.

Jeongguk went into fighting mode, punching and kicking both men, but they were fighting back, so it wasn’t that easy. One of the men managed to swing the hand with the knife at Jeongguk, cutting him across a cheek, but thankfully it was only a shallow injury.

Jeongguk wiped the blood he felt, grunting and looking at the man. And it was like something in him changed, the look in his eyes, it was something Taehyung had never seen before, it was so cold and focused at the same time. He went into his professional mode.

He grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it until the guy screamed in pain and the fingers wrapped around the knife gave in. Taehyung thought it would fall on the ground, but Jeongguk caught the falling weapon with his other free hand and then he thrust it in the gangster’s chest. He pulled it out then, slicing the man’s throat with unbelievable ease and speed before he spun around gracefully and grabbed the other man and sliced his throat too.

He was panting when both men were on the ground, blood quickly pooling from the fatal wounds. They were staring up in the sky with vacant gazes while Taehyung was looking in their eyes, watching life leave them.

He stood up, feeling that his hands and legs were shaking and he just watched as Jeongguk grabbed one of the men’s ankles and dragged him to the alley. Then he repeated the same with the other guy, getting them off the main street that thankfully, all this time had been empty, so there were no witnesses. All this time, Jeongguk remained calm and composed, it was chilling, but Taehyung had to admit that it was also really impressive and he realized that for the first time, he witnessed the legendary Golden Phantom in action.

“We have to go,” Jeongguk came to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him to run. Taehyung followed him, feeling like in some kind of trance, slightly dizzy, as he was processing what just happened.

They were both breathless when they made it inside the house. Jeongguk grabbed their jackets from the hangers and carried them inside. He grabbed his travel bag and started stuffing clothes in it.

“We have to get out of here,” he said, turning to Taehyung: “Go pack your things, I will also pack what is left in the fridge and the pantry.”

“W-what? Where do you wanna go?” the elder finally found his voice.

“We can’t stay any longer,” Jeongguk said urgently: “The town had been compromised, they found us, even if we stayed inside, it would be just a matter of days until they’d find us.”

“But…but they are not gonna…they are gone.”

“There could be more and even if there were just those two, when they won’t respond to their unit leader, others will come looking for them.”

“But where will we go?” Taehyung got out with wide eyes.

“I don’t know yet, but this place is not safe anymore. Now go pack, we have to leave within the next hour.”

And just like that, the safe house ceased to be safe. They had to pack their personal things and some food and money and weapons and run away once again. Taehyung doubted that Jeongguk had another safe house though, which meant that they had nowhere to go and they were going to have to stay in the motels. And even though this was just a temporary house, it started finally feeling like home, and Taehyung hated that they had to leave it. It was for the best though, he trusted Jeongguk and his judgement and if he was saying that they were not safe here anymore, they had to leave.

Chapter Text

“Where are we going?” Taehyung asked after nearly an hour on the road spent in silence. They packed their things, loaded the car and left the safehouse.

“I don’t know,” Jeongguk replied.

“Okay.”

And that was that, Taehyung didn’t try to ask more questions, there was more on his mind, but he figured it was for the best to just wait until they stopped somewhere. He still kept thinking about the whole situation and how quickly everything happened. If he had been alone, he would have been dead, because he didn’t manage to react. He and Jeongguk had been training for the past two weeks and he felt like he was getting better, but tonight showed him that he didn’t stand a chance in a surprise attack.

He also kept thinking about Jeongguk’s reaction. The younger was surprised for a moment, since they didn’t expect anyone to jump them, but he composed himself so quickly and he fought off and killed those men in a matter of one fucking minute without breaking a sweat. It reminded him of who Jeongguk really was, despite learning the truth about him weeks ago, seeing him in action with his own eyes was when he finally fully realized that his ex fiancé was a trained, professional killer. And it was surreal and scary, yet at the same time reassuring, because Jeongguk was no rookie and if Taehyung had a chance to survive this hunt, it was by Jeongguk’s side.

They were on the road for three hours and it was almost midnight when Jeongguk finally pulled up to some motel not far from the highway. By the signs they passed, Taehyung knew that he was driving further south, but he had no idea where they were now.

They grabbed their bags and some food they brought from the house and went to the reception. Taehyung felt like a zombie, just following Jeongguk’s lead, standing beside him as the younger talked to the receptionist and paid in cash and then got a key card.

They went to the first floor and into a room with a bed and a sofa and a balcony. There was a small private bathroom too and the towels and bedlinen were clean, so it wasn’t that bad.

“We will have to stay together,” Jeongguk broke the silence: “We have to save or we are gonna run out of cash and I don’t wanna use the cards, they are easily trackable. And we should stick together, I was checking while driving if anyone followed us and it didn’t look like they did, but we still have to be careful.”

“Okay,” Taehyung just nodded.

“I will take the sofa, you take the bed,” Jeongguk said and for a fleeting moment, Taehyung wanted to suggest for the younger to just sleep with him. If he was being honest, he would love to fall asleep in Jeongguk’s arms tonight and feel his comfort, but then he remembered that he was still angry with him and that this kind of demand might make the younger think that they were getting back together.

“I am just gonna take a shower,” Taehyung announced, rummaging through his bag to find pyjamas and clean underwear and some toiletries he grabbed before they left.

“It is probably too late to order something, this is a small town,” Jeongguk said: “But I took some instant microwavable food, so I am gonna make it.”

He nodded towards the microwave that was on the small fridge.

“Yeah, okay,” Taehyung hummed, not really feeling hungry anyway, but he knew he should eat something.

The shower was nice, the warm water made him feel better. But as he was showering, he realized that he wasn’t really that messed up, he would have expected to be more freaked out, but he was just kind of numb. Maybe it was because he expected this to happen, or maybe it was because of Junghyun and their terrible relationship that he made him resistant, either way, he realized that he was fine.

When he came out, he joined Jeongguk at the small table by the balcony, there were two chairs, so they sat opposite each other and ate the instant pasta that Jeongguk microwaved. Jeongguk also apparently got water from the vending machine, which Taehyung gratefully took and drank half a bottle in one go, realizing just how thirsty he was.

When they were done eating, Jeongguk grabbed the plastic plates and threw them away and then he went to the bag with food and pulled out something, returning to the table.

He put two plastic shot glasses and a bottle of soju on the table.

“I think we could use some,” he commented and Taehyung nodded, not opposed to the idea of having a couple of shots. He noticed that the soju was grape-flavoured, his favourite, it was clear that Jeongguk bought it with him in mind, since he himself preferred harder liquor. 

They drank one shot rapidly, feeling it burn in their throats.

“How do you think they found us?” Taehyung asked one of the questions that had been on his mind for hours.

“They probably followed Yoongi and others,” the younger replied dryly.

“They said they were careful.”

“Then they weren’t careful enough,” Jeongguk shrugged: “Or someone put a tracking device on their car, who knows.”

“But they left like two weeks ago.”

“I think they didn’t know where we lived, otherwise they would have stormed the house,” Jeongguk revealed his theory: “So they just stayed in the town and waited for their opportunity.”

“But you went out shopping a couple of times and they didn’t attack you.”

“It is possible that they don’t know what exactly I look like,” Jeongguk said: “When they attacked us in our house in Seoul, they might have just found out the address, not my identity. Or maybe they thought that if they attacked me with you around, it would make me weaker.”

“Or maybe…when I went out with you tonight, it gave us away,” the elder grumbled, revealing his own theory: “Chin-Hwa knows what I look like and there had been my photos in newspaper and on the internet couple of times, I did some interviews about my art, remember?”

“Could be too,” Jeongguk hummed: “But that doesn’t matter, it is not your fault, we survived and we got out of there, we are safe here.”

“For now,” Taehyung finished for him.

They threw back another shot and stayed silent for a couple of minutes.

“So this is what it’s gonna be like now? Us on the run?” the elder asked after a while.

“I think it might be best for us to stay on the move,” Jeongguk nodded: “Spend a couple of nights in a motel and then drive somewhere else.”

“We are gonna run out of money.”

“I will call the hyungs to send something. A new credit card on a fake name would be the best, I will ask Namjoonie-hyung to take care of it.”

“When they attacked us,” Taehyung started hesitantly after a moment of silence, playing with the plastic shot glass, before he looked the other in the eyes and asked bluntly: “Is that how you usually do it?”

“Do what, kill people?” 

Taehyung nodded.

“No,” Jeongguk replied after a second of contemplation whether he should talk about this with Taehyung or not, but then he remembered the promise to always be honest with the elder from the moment he found out about his true self.

“I usually use a good old sniper rifle,” he revealed: “It’s the easiest, safest and cleanest way. I get a name of a target, I do some research, find out where they live or where they go to a pub. I find a roof and I wait, I carry out the job and I have time to pack up and leave before anyone can even realize what happened.”

“That sounds like the easiest way,” Taehyung hummed.

“Sometimes I have to get close to my targets though,” Jeongguk added: “In that case, knife is better than a gun, doesn’t make any sound.”

“Well, it sure as hell looked like you knew what you were doing when you killed those two,” the elder commented.

“I use any method that is best suited for a particular situation,” Jeongguk explained: “Being a hitman, it is not just about the kills, it is about planning and assessing the situation and knowing what is the best way to do it.”

“Makes sense.”

“I don’t do close jobs often though, not since I started doing this,” Jeongguk went on: “I did a lot more close combat back then when I worked with Yoongi and Hoseok.”

“How do they do it? They still do what you did, Hobi-hyung told me,” Taehyung wondered: “So they are still out there, doing more close combat. Do they have some specialties?” 

Jeongguk was surprised by the topic, but he felt happy, because it felt like Taehyung wanted to learn more about him and his friends and that was a good sign. Because if he didn’t care and if he truly hated them, then he wouldn’t want to know.

“Yoongi is good with weapons, guns, knives, you name it,” he revealed.

“So why isn’t he a hitman, why you?”

“I guess I am a bit better,” Jeongguk shrugged: “Not because of my skills, but because I work the best alone, while Yoongi works the best with Hoseok, they are a good team.”

“So Hobi-hyung, what is his thing?”

“He is an insane fighter,” Jeongguk smiled: “I guess it is that dancer in him, you know that his movements are crazy. And when he needs to kill, well, his speciality is neck snapping and strangling.”

“Jesus Christ, this is so bizarre,” Taehyung sighed: “We are casually talking about murder, what has my life even become?”

“We don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, I don’t mind. I can’t deny that…it is kinda intriguing to learn more about this,” Taehyung admitted: “I guess that I am immune to lots of stuff because of Junghyun. Not just because of our relationship and how he treated me, but I saw him in action a few times. Sometimes, he brought someone home, someone he caught…and he locked them up and tortured them, I could hear their screams. I could see through the open door what state they were in when he was done with them…I guess that just fucked me up. Either way, I am not so innocent and fragile.”

“I never thought you were,” Jeongguk reassured him: “The way you handled it tonight, the way you handled that night we were chased from our home, it’s admirable.”

“I just followed you, tonight I just fell and sat on my ass, I did nothing.”

“But you didn’t have a mental breakdown either,” the younger pointed out: “Most people would just freeze in terror, you would be surprised just how few people have strong survival instincts. You have them, you run for your life to escape, that already makes you stronger than ninety percent of people I’ve met.”

“I think I am gonna go to bed,” Taehyung yawned, realizing just how exhausted he felt and alcohol always made him even sleepier. Jeongguk’s words reassured him though, they made him feel better about himself and even though they found themselves in a really fucked up situation, he was hopeful that they could get out of it.

*

“Thank god you are alright,” Yoongi breathed out into the phone after Jeongguk told him what happened yesterday. He was on the motel room balcony, it was an early morning and he woke up and couldn’t sleep anymore. So he got a coffee from a vending machine and sneaked to the balcony, careful to not wake up Taehyung.

“Yeah, that’s the most important thing,” he hummed, taking a drag from the cigarette in his hand. He wasn’t a regular smoker, but he always had a packet in his car, sometimes he needed this to soothe his nerves and even though he was calm in front of Taehyung last night, on the inside, he didn’t feel that calm. They were safe for now, but he knew that they could have been hurt or killed and he also knew that Chin-Hwa was not going to give up with his hunt. It was a matter of pride, he killed his heir and Chin-Hwa thought that Taehyung was the reason, since he had no idea that the two of them met after he killed Junghyun.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Yoongi asked worriedly.

“We need money,” Jeongguk said: “I thought that Namjoonie-hyung could get an account on a fake name and I would download the card into my phone.”

“That shouldn’t be hard,” the elder hummed: “I will call him and tell him, I am sure that it will be done today, shit is faster nowadays with everything being done online.”

“I have money that you can transfer to that account, I can give you my account password and-”

“Don’t worry about that now, we will transfer some of our money on it, it will be faster.”

“I think those fuckers found us through you, so it is for the best that you won’t come see us in person,” Jeongguk said, letting out a smoke before he put out the cigarette in the ashtray.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Yoongi sighed: “It is possible that they followed us and we just didn’t notice.”

“Or they put a tracking device on your car.”

“Shit, I will check it.”

“I think for now we are safe, but ask Namjoonie-hyung to upload that good security program in Taehyung’s phone, I have it, but he doesn’t.”

“Sure thing.”

“We will keep moving, it will be harder to track us,” Jeongguk announced.

“We will try to find out more in the meantime,” Yoongi reassured him: “But I seriously think that we should just tell Taebin-”

“No,” the younger said resolutely.

“He will notice that you are gone, sooner or later, you know? We will have to eventually tell him.”

“I already told you that I don’t wanna be in his debt.”

“But he can deal with Chin-Hwa, we have lower numbers than he does, but we still stand a bigger chance as a whole gang than just a couple of dudes,” Yoongi argued.

“It might come to it, but I would rather not do it now.”

“You know, maybe it would be for the best if you…left Taehyung somewhere in safety and come back to Seoul and take Chin-Hwa out yourself,” the elder suggested: “It is his personal vendetta, when he’s dead and his gang is leaderless, they will fall into chaos and they won’t be hunting you because they will start fighting amongst themselves for power. And if there is anyone that can get Chin-Hwa, it is the Golden Phantom.”

“I am not gonna leave Taehyung alone,” Jeongguk said resolutely.

“Me and Hobi could come and be with him, protect him.”

“I am not leaving him,” Jeongguk repeated with a hard voice, looking inside the motel room through the window, eyes landing on the sleeping man. He added: “I caused this mess, I put him in danger, I lied to him for years and it nearly cost him his life, I trust you and Hobi more than anything, hyung, but I don’t trust anyone with his life.”

“Alright, well, it is your decision,” Yoongi sighed, not trying to persuade him anymore: “But think about my words, you could take Chin-Hwa out and end this…I mean, me and Hobi could try to do it, but you are the best hitman with the biggest chances.”

“We’ll see, maybe I won’t have another choice,” Jeongguk eventually replied: “But for now, I am staying with Taehyung.”

“Okay.”

*

In the next two weeks, they stayed in three other motels, always staying only a couple of nights to stay on the move. They had no real reason to suspect that they would be found, but it made them calmer.

At least that’s what Taehyung was telling himself, but in reality, being on the road all the time, always looking over their shoulder, it was stressful as fuck and he was filled with fear and anxiety all the damn time. And even in the safety of the motel rooms, he was startled by the smallest sounds, thinking that someone was going to barge in the room in the middle of the night, so that resulted in him not sleeping well. And exhaustion combined with the constant anxiety was taking their toll on him.

It was in the fourth motel when he just broke down. He was almost asleep when he was startled awake by some sounds in the hallway. He quickly realized that it was just a couple of lovers returning drunk from some bar, it made him want to hysterically laugh and cry at the same time. The latter won.

He was sure that Jeongguk was fast asleep on the uncomfortable sofa in the corner, so he thought that he could cry in peace. At first it was just silent tears, but when those turned into soft sobs, it made him choke on air a couple of times while he lay there, hugging the cover, since that was the only thing he could hold onto.

“Taehyung?” a soft whisper in the quiet room startled him. He buried his face in the pillow, hoping to muffle his sounds and make Jeongguk think that he was just imagining things. But the younger had always been very perceptive and he had good ears, which Taehyung now realized was probably due to his occupation. Jeongguk was a light sleeper, but it was no wonder since he always had to stay alerted.

He heard the creaking of the sofa and then footsteps on the floor, then the lamp on the bedside table was turned on and the bed dipped under the weight. He felt a comforting hand on his back and he fucking hated that it actually felt nice.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jeongguk asked softly.

“Everything,” the elder replied into the pillow.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? It might make you feel better.”

“Do you know what’s wrong?” Taehyung suddenly sat up, turning to face the other. He knew he had to look a proper mess with a red face and puffy eyes, but he didn’t care. On the one hand, he didn’t want Jeongguk to see him broken, on the other hand, the younger deserved to have it thrown in his face, he deserved to see him like this, because he caused it.

“I am just so fucking exhausted!” Taehyung went off: “I had a great life and it was all thrown away one night and now, for weeks, we have been on the run, now changing motels like nomads because there are angry, dangerous gangsters coming for our asses. You said that I am handling it well, but I am not, I am so fucking scared all the damn time and I am so, so angry!”

Jeongguk just stared at him with this small, sad smile and even though it was comforting and sympathetic, it just made Taehyung more aggravated.

“You chose this kind of life, but I didn’t, I did not sign up for this, you dragged me into this without my knowledge and you ruined everything!” Taehyung continued, shoving the other in a shoulder, but Jeongguk barely budged.

“I was happy with you, I loved you and now everything is fucked up and I feel so fucking lonely all the time!” he finished, taking a deep breath at the end because he ran out of it.

“I am sorry,” Jeongguk said quietly: “I am so fucking sorry, I never wanted to hurt you like this.”

“Then you should have told me the truth, you should have given me the chance to choose whether I wanted to be with you or not!”

“I was selfish and scared, I didn’t want to lose you and I know that is a weak excuse…I just couldn’t let you go, because you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Then why didn’t you just quit? I know it is hard to leave that world, but it is not impossible,” Taehyung retorted.

“I wanted to, I really did. But I also wanted to give you a comfortable life, I wanted you to focus on your art, so I did this job because nothing else could ever pay me like that,” Jeongguk admitted.

“I never cared about your money, Jeongguk,” Taehyung laughed joylessly: “Sure, I don’t deny that the comfortable life we had was nice, but at what cost? We were chased from our house and we lost everything anyway. I wouldn’t have minded living a more modest life, because I was just happy to be with you, I didn’t care about anything else.”

“I will make this right,” Jeongguk said seriously: “I will figure out how to get us out of this mess, I will deal with Chin-Hwa.”

“Even if you did that, there are some things that you can’t make right, can you?” Taehyung said, more quietly now: “How can you make right what happened between us? How can you make up for the years of lying and gaslighting me, how can you make me trust you again?”

“I don’t know,” Jeongguk admitted: “But I can keep you alive, at the very least, even if that means that you will leave me in the end, at least I will know that you are safe.”

Taehyung sniffed.

“I will protect you no matter what it takes,” the younger promised.

“You can’t protect me from everything, can you?” Taehyung choked out: “You can’t protect me from this heartbreak and emptiness I feel, I loved you more than anything and you betrayed me.”

Jeongguk’s eyes filled with tears and for a moment, Taehyung thought that it was ridiculous that this man in front of him was the infamous, feared Golden Phantom. He looked so defeated and it was clear that he deeply regretted everything and that he was hurting too, but it was him who caused it, so how could Taehyung find some sympathy in him?

“I am so damn tired, I can’t sleep at night, because I’m waiting for when they come for us,” Taehyung revealed: “I just want to sleep peacefully for one night.”

“I can help you with that, if you let me,” Jeongguk offered: “I can hold you and stay awake to watch over you, so you can find some peace.”

“I am not sure if letting you close to me will bring me any peace,” Taehyung shook his head, but he was torn, because he still remembered what it felt like to be falling asleep in Jeongguk’s arms, it always felt so comforting, he felt so safe, which was quite ironic since he was in bed with a literal murderer.

“It’s up to you,” Jeongguk said, making it clear that he was not going to force himself on the other.

And Taehyung…he wanted to refuse, he wanted to send him to hell and tell him to go back to his sofa. But he also wanted to sleep well for one fucking night…

“Get in here before I change my mind,” he mumbled, lying down and turning to his side, away from Jeongguk. His breath caught in his throat when he felt the mattress dip and then he felt the familiar, sturdy body behind him, pressing against his back. Then one arm circled around his waist and the effect was immediate. His exhausted body instantly started melting into the mattress and his eyelids grew heavy and even though he hated himself for being so weak and for letting Jeongguk so close, he couldn’t deny that he did feel at peace as he quickly fell asleep.

*

Taehyung wondered how did they even get here?

How did they get to this point?

That night he fell asleep with Jeongguk holding him felt so far away now. It was precisely three weeks and about five more motels later when, for whoever the fucks knows reason they were caught and surrounded by seven gangsters.

Well, only four of them were standing now, because Jeongguk eliminated three of them. But then he was caught and forced to kneel while one of the masked men was holding a gun to his head, while Taehyung was pushed aside, sitting on the ground, staring at the scene with wide eyes and a couple of bruises, because he too tried to fight back for a while.

“So this is the legendary Golden Phantom?” the man with the gun scoffed: “I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed, I was hoping that you would put up a bit more fight than this.”

The gun clicked, ready to be used now.

Taehyung’s heart was beating like crazy, he knew he had to do something, because even though Jeongguk was good, there was no way for him to get out of this mess without any help.

“I am not done yet,” Jeongguk spoke, eyes slipping to a shining object not far from him that was just carelessly lying on the ground and no one seemed to pay any attention to it.

“Oh, you are, you are done here, I am gonna blow your brain out and bring your corpse to my boss, he will be pleased, he promised a generous bounty for your head.”

Taehyung looked around, contemplating what he should do. He was scared shitless, but he also felt adrenaline pumping through him and he knew that he could do whatever it took to protect himself and possibly save Jeongguk. He eyed one of the dead men on the ground that was not far from him. His eyes landed on the object in his hand.

“You’ve got me, you can bring me to your boss dead or alive,” Jeongguk spoke, looking at Taehyung: “But let him go.”

“And why would we do that?” the man laughed: “The boss wants him dead too, your loyal bitch that is responsible for his heir’s death.”

“He had nothing to do with it,” the hitman retorted: “We didn’t even know each other back then, it was all me.”

“And we should believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want, but let him go.”

“I think not,” the guy smirked, putting a finger on the trigger, pressing the cold barrel on Jeongguk’s forehead: “I am sure there are lots of people in hell that are excited to be reunited with you for revenge.”

Everything that happened next, happened in slow motion.

Jeongguk watched Taehyung suddenly surge towards the dead body next to him, prying a gun from the dead hand. Before anyone could really comprehend what was happening, Taehyung was kneeling and holding the gun in both hands, aiming it at the gangster that held Jeongguk at the gunpoint.

A loud gunshot pierced the air.

Jeongguk surged forward, rolling over his shoulder and grabbing the knife he eyed earlier in the process. He heard a heavy fall behind him, but he had no time to see what happened, he just assumed that it was the guy’s body falling to the ground. He had to quickly deal with the three other men that were still left standing before they managed to hurt Taehyung.

He jumped to his feet swiftly, slicing one man’s throat before he moved to the other. In just a minute, all three were lying with their throats opened and bleeding, while Taehyung was still kneeling there with the gun aimed at the exact spot where the man he just shot stood just a moment ago.

“Come on, we gotta go,” Jeongguk ran to him and grabbed his shoulders, helping him to his feet before he grabbed his hand and dragged him towards their car. They were in the parking lot of the last motel, they were just about to leave, their things were already in the car, when they were ambushed by Chin-Hwa’s gangsters.

Taehyung was visibly shaken, so he guided him, grabbing the gun from his hand and dropping it on the ground before he led him to the passenger seat door, opened it and stuffed him inside. Then he ran to the other side of the car and got behind the steering wheel, igniting the engine and stomping on the gas pedal until the tires screeched and then they were leaving the parking lot with seven corpses behind and he knew that they had to get really far away from here to avoid being traced. Because Chin-Hwa was going to find out that more of his men were dead and he was going to send more after them. The chase was not over.

Chapter Text

They drove for hours, this time back to the North of the country. By the time they found a motel, it was almost two in the morning.

The motel was in the American style with a parking lot and each room having its own door leading straight outside and not in the hallway. Jeongguk thought it was good, it was a quick escape route, although he didn’t think that they were in danger for now.

There was some blood on him that had dried by now and Taehyung was sitting next to him, not saying a word for the whole ride, just staring out of the window.

He told Taehyung to stay in the car while he went to check them in and get the key from the room. Namjoon got the new bank account under a fake name for him, so he paid with his phone and then went back for the elder. They grabbed their stuff from the car and headed to the room.

They were barely inside when Taehyung suddenly dropped the bag and his lethargic face and composure changed into rage. He smacked the door close and then suddenly surged forward and shoved Jeongguk in the chest.

“Is this my life now?!” he yelled: “I just shot someone because of you! Is that what you wanted? To turn me into a killer like you are so I’d have nothing to hold against you?”

Jeongguk didn’t do anything to stop him when Taehyung pushed him against the wall next to the door they just came through.

“I hate you!” Taehyung screamed, his usually calm and pretty face twisting in anger as he started banging his fists against Jeongguk’s chest: “I hate what you had done to me, to us!”

Jeongguk just watched him, feeling incredibly sad to witness the breakdown. It wasn’t the first time, but before Taehyung usually cried, now he was letting out that rage and he let him, because he knew he deserved it and that Taehyung needed it.

“I hate that you hid your life from me!” Taehyung went off: “I hate that you lied to me and made me believe that we had a perfect life! I hate that we were forced out of our home. I hate all this hiding and running, I hate being attacked on the streets! I hate you, I fucking hate you!”

Finally, Jeongguk grabbed his wrists and held them to his chest, making the other stop hitting him.

“You don’t mean that,” he replied quietly: “You might hate everything about our situation and that’s understandable, but you don’t hate me.”

“You have no idea what I think or feel!” Taehyung barked out.

“You don’t mean it,” Jeongguk repeated.

“I just took someone’s life for you.”

“It was the right thing to do.”

“Right thing to do,” the elder laughed joylessly: “Killing people is not the right thing to do, but I can understand how you don’t know that since your sense of morality is so fucking twisted.”

Jeongguk didn’t reply. He watched Taehyung and that rage was slowly leaving him, it was replaced by something else, his eyes were showing raw emotions, he could see frustration, fear, but also something close to care.

“Why did you do it?” Taehyung choked out, eyes filling with tears as the anger turned into sadness and desperation: “Why did you just…kneel there? Why did you try to negotiate for them to let me go? Why were you so willing to have yourself killed?”

Jeongguk finally understood what all that rage and other emotions meant. Taehyung was upset because of the events, he was shaking and it was not surprising, he did just take someone’s life for the first time. But what he just said, it made Jeongguk understand that he was actually hurting, he was scared because he nearly lost him.

“I told you before that I’d do anything to protect you,” he replied, still holding the other’s wrists as they stood face to face: “You might really hate me, but no matter how you feel about me, my feelings for you hadn’t changed, I still love you and I would take a bullet in the head in exchange for your freedom.”

“Don’t say that,” the other whined, choking on a sob.

“That is how I feel, I made my choice, I am glad it turned out differently, but I don’t regret anything. I love you.”

“Don’t say that!” Taehyung repeated with raw desperation in his voice and even though Jeognguk hated seeing him cry, it showed him that despite what Taehyung has been saying, he didn’t actually hate him and he did still care.

“You could have died,” the elder added, shaking his head as if he still couldn’t believe it: “What then? Even if I managed to escape them, I wouldn’t stand a chance to hide forever anyway, I wouldn’t stand a chance without you.”

“Yoongi and others would have helped you. I don’t want you to pay for my fuck ups, you don’t deserve to be hunted and killed, but I have lots of blood on my hands, I had it long time coming,” Jeongguk said.

“I hate this, I fucking hate everything about this,” Taehyung groaned, but he finally visibly calmed down.

“I will make this right, like I promised, I will find the solution.”

Taehyung looked at him, gritting his teeth and Jeongguk was pretty sure that he was going to yank his hand from his hold and actually punch him. But that didn’t happen.

Instead, Taehyung suddenly surged forward and kissed him. It was rough and it held all the emotions Jeongguk had previously seen in his eyes. And he was shocked, because that was the last thing he expected, but when it came to Taehyung, he couldn’t help it but kiss him back.

It escalated quickly from there. Jeongguk couldn’t really tell what made Taehyung do this, he knew that it wasn’t love or real desire. Maybe it was craving for some kind of intimacy, maybe he just needed to get all the frustration out and get rid of tension. Maybe he just needed to forget about everything out there for a while and engaging in quick, animalistic sex was definitely a good way to do it. Jeongguk knew better than anyone that Taehyung always let go of all worries when he was having his brains fucked out. Whatever motivated him to do this, Jeongguk didn’t really care, because he always wanted Taehyung in any way he could have him.

It only took a few minutes for Taehyung to be sitting on a dresser right under the window next to the door. His pants were lying on the floor, while Jeongguk’s were around his thighs.

They kept making out messily while Jeongguk prepared Taehyung with his fingers, only using spit as a lube since he had no patience to go look for it in his bag. Taehyung didn’t mind though, the year he spent with Junghyun in a relationship made him resistant to most kinds of pain he could feel during sex, because his ex wasn’t always exactly gentle, hell, he didn’t usually even really care if Taehyung was in the mood or not.

His breath caught in his throat and he threw the head back against the window when Jeongguk finally thrusted inside of him, Taehyung’s legs supported on his forearms and he started off with a couple of slow, careful thrusts, but he sped up as soon as Taehyung’s hands landed on his ass and silently prompted him to go faster and harder.

Taehyung felt the cold glass of the window on his lower back, knowing that the thin motel curtain rode up. He was fairly sure that if anyone walked around their room, they could see his back and they could hear the banging of the dresser against the wall, which was caused by Jeongguk’s rough, almost violent thrusts. But Taehyung couldn’t give less fucks about that, he wasn’t worried about scandalizing anyone, just a few hours ago, he killed a man, so nothing really mattered.

Jeongguk grunted as he adjusted Taehyung’s legs on his forearms in a way he could go even deeper and he knew that he succeeded to find that spot when Taehyung let out a lewd moan and dragged his nails down his back. Even through the t-shirt he still had on, it hurt, but he didn’t care if he had bloody marks on him caused by the elder. He’d had many injuries in his life and those from Taehyung, he always cherished.

“Fuck, baby,” Jeongguk moaned when the other started clenching around him. He leaned forward to kiss Taehyung, but this time the elder rejected his lips by turning his head to the side. So Jeongguk just rested his parted mouth against Taehyung’s cheek while he kept thrusting in and out of that familiar heat he missed so much. It felt like a lifetime ago since he’s fucked Taehyung and he couldn’t believe that he managed to go without it for nearly three months, because that’s how long ago the attack in their home happened.

“Harder,” Taehyung said breathlessly, squeezing his eyes shut, focusing on nothing but the pleasure that was spreading through his body like a violent avalanche. With every thrust that Jeongguk delivered, his mind felt emptier and emptier and that was exactly what he needed after weeks of thinking too fucking much.

“Ngh, harder, come on!” he demanded in frustration, feeling like he needed more to achieve that pleasantly empty state of mind and a satisfying orgasm.

And Jeongguk always delivered, even when it seemed like he couldn’t go possibly faster or harder, he always did. This time wasn’t an exception as he gripped the dresser with both hands with Taehyung’s legs bouncing on his forearms, and he started drilling into the other with almost impossible force, stabbing his prostate every time he fucked in. It was so filthy but so perfect and it was finally exactly what Taehyung needed.

His toes curled in the air and his back pressed harder against the glass, so much so he was actually worried for a moment that he might shatter it and fall through it. But that thought disappeared just as quickly as it came, because he felt a familiar wave of pleasure spread through him from the tip of his fingers and toes, through his limbs and into his torso, travelling to his lower belly and his dick and balls and fuck, he hadn’t come in so long it was almost crazy. Only once since they left Seoul did he feel in mood for something, so he jerked off in a shower, but that was nothing compared to this.

He gripped Jeongguk’s shoulders when he felt explosion on the inside and then he was screaming and shaking, coming untouched so fucking much the shirt he was wearing was dirty from his seed from the collar to the lower stomach. He even blacked out for a moment, seeing nothing but stars even though his eyes were still open and he felt welcomed peace spreading through him.

He felt it when Jeongguk finished as well, he felt the last few sloppy, rough thrusts before the younger stilled and flooded his insides with familiar, warm wetness, riding it out with slower rolls of hips afterwards.

Taehyung breathed out, finally coming back from his height and his eyes met Jeongguk’s. And he instantly regretted what happened, not because of the sex itself, but because he broke and let Jeongguk close to him again, even though he swore that he would never do that and that they were over.

He pushed at Jeongguk’s chest, wincing a little when the younger’s softening cock slipped out of him. He felt his come gushing out of him and normally he found that really hot, but this time, it made him feel dirty. Because he was such a weak idiot, he didn’t want Jeongguk to get the wrong idea and think that something had changed between them, because it hadn’t. Taehyung was still angry with him.

He jumped down from the dresser, fairly sure that it was going to be creaky and weak from their actions, but he couldn’t care less about some shitty furniture in a shitty motel room.

He didn’t even grab his pants as he pushed past Jeongguk and slowly walked towards the bathroom, closing himself inside, grateful that there were fresh towels and some toiletries.

Jeongguk went to shower right after him and when he walked out, Taehyung was lying in the bed with his back to him. And he wasn’t stupid or naive, he didn’t think that what just happened meant something deeper, he knew that he wasn’t welcomed in Taehyung’s bed. Because he didn’t get to enjoy the privilege of cuddling with Taehyung after sex, he hurt the elder too much for that.

So he just put on something to sleep in and then went to the sofa, pleasantly surprised that it was actually pretty comfortable. He found a spare pillow and blanket in the wardrobe, so he grabbed them and went to sleep, knowing that they were going to talk about what just happened tomorrow, he was sure that Taehyung was going to want to set things straight and even though Jeongguk would wish for things to go back to how they were before all this mess, he knew that wasn’t likely to happen and he was going to respect any decision that Taehyung made.

Just as Jeongguk expected, Taehyung brought up last night in the morning. There was a small diner right next to the motel where they went for breakfast, wanting something proper than just instant meals that they ate most of the time.

They ate mostly in silence, Jeongguk kept glancing at the elder, feeling smug every time that Taehyung shifted in his seat and winced a little. It’s not like he liked seeing the elder in pain, but his sore bottom was a testimony that he did a good job last night as a lover.

“About last night,” Taehyung started as soon as he put down the chopsticks, leaning back in the comfortable seat opposite Jeongguk.

“Yes?” the younger asked, but he didn’t dare to sound or look hopeful, because he wasn’t.

“It was a mistake,” Taehyung let out those words that Jeongguk was expecting. He added: “After what happened in the parking lot, I was kinda…not myself and I am not saying this to insinuate that you somehow took advantage of me or something, because that’s not true, but I was not really thinking clearly.”

“Relax, I know that you were upset and that what happened between us didn’t mean anything more than it was, just a sex to blow off some steam,” Jeongguk shrugged: “You made it pretty clear with all the yelling before things escalated. And when you jumped at me, I knew it was just a mean to let it all out and I am glad that I could help.”

“I could have had a drink, I didn’t have to resort to sex…”

“But you did and that’s fine,” the younger said: “I enjoyed myself and it did help me too, I know that I usually don’t let it show, but I am tense and nervous about all this mess we are in too.”

“I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” Taehyung said, looking the other in the eyes: “It doesn’t mean that we are getting back together and that I forgave you.”

“I know.”

“So that’s it?”

“What would you want me to say?” Jeongguk sighed, rubbing his eyes because he didn’t sleep much, he hadn’t slept much in three fucking months and he was starting to feel it. It was one of the things that were concerning him, he had to stay focused and on alert, he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes when they were attacked again. And he knew that they were going to be.

“I told you how I feel,” Jeongguk added: “Yes, I still love you and would I be happy if last night meant something deeper to you? Sure. But I am not naive and I know that some things can’t be fixed with one night of sex. So I am not expecting anything and we don’t need to be weird about it, it happened, we’ve had sex many times before, so it’s not like we crossed into some new territory.”

“But we’ve always had sex when we were together…” the elder said quietly.

“Well, I guess there is a first time for everything.”

They were quiet for a while, Jeongguk finishing his coffee and Taehyung his tea. The diner was nice, it was quite old, but it was clean and there were barely any people, it had a very peaceful atmosphere.

“Do you think we are safe?” Taehyung broke the silence, changing the topic to the events that happened before they got in the motel.

“For now, yes,” Jeongguk nodded: “We were on the road for hours, it will take at least a day for Chin-Hwa to find out that those guys failed their mission.”

“But then he will hunt us again.”

“I don’t expect him to stop, yeah,” the younger hummed without sugarcoating it: “But at least for now, we have nothing to worry about.”

Taehyung nodded.

“About what you did,” Jeongguk looked at him seriously yet softly and he said quietly: “You did the right thing, I know that taking someone’s life is not easy, but you saved my life. I never wanted this for you, believe me, I am fucking mad that you had to do this and that you feel guilty, but there was nothing else to be done.”

“I was upset last night, but I think…I don’t feel that guilty about it anymore,” Taehyung admitted: “Kill or be killed, right? I mean, in the situation we are in with gangsters hunting us, we have to do anything to survive. And I am actually kinda glad and…proud even, that I know I have it in me, I know that when it comes down to it, I can fight for my life.”

“And for mine,” Jeongguk reminded him with an intense gaze: “You sounded pretty upset last night about the prospect of me dying.”

“Well, I am not heartless,” Taehyung glared at him, knowing what the other was hinting at, but he wasn’t going to give Jeongguk the satisfaction of admitting that he cared about him: “I don’t want you to get executed on a shitty parking lot, that is understandable, no?”

“Fair enough,” Jeongguk nodded, but on the inside he knew that Taehyung did care. He believed that what prompted him to sex last night wasn’t the frustration and fear or guilt of killing someone. It was the fact that he came close to losing Jeongguk and it made him scared shitless, so he needed the comfort of his arms - and other body parts - to calm down and know that Jeongguk was alright.

*

Jeongguk came to the motel from a supermarket where he went to buy some groceries. They changed two more motels and now they were getting ready to leave again. But while he was outside, he noticed something.

“They found us,” he said as he came into the room and drew the curtains shut.

“What?” Taehyung breathed out with wide eyes.

“I think they have no idea where we are,” Jeongguk said: “But I just saw a group of shady looking guys, there are five of them.”

“How the hell do they always find us?”

“Chin-Hwa is powerful, my guess is that they hacked highways cameras, so they know what exit we take and then he sends his men to search the area.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing that we are leaving,” Taehyung nodded, grabbing his bag to pack as quickly as possible.

“Or we stay.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“We have an advantage, before they always surprised us, but now we know they are here,” Jeongguk said: “I think it is time to turn this around and instead of being hunted, we hunt them.”

Taehyung shivered when he saw the dark sparkles in the younger’s eyes and he was once again reminded that he was standing in front of the most famous hitman in the country. Jeongguk wasn’t a violent person, Taehyung knew that, because Jeongguk had never mistreated him and he didn’t get worked up easily either, he always maintained a clear head. But Jeongguk was smart and calculative, he had been doing this for a long time, he knew how to operate in these situations.

“Are you saying that…instead of running, you wanna go after them?” Taehyung asked to make sure he understood correctly.

“I am gonna watch them, that is something I am good at,” Jeongguk revealed his plan: “I am not called a phantom for nothing, I can get around without being noticed. Once I make sure they are Chin-Hwa’s people and where they are staying, I am gonna get rid of them. Maybe it will send a message to their boss that no matter who he sends, we will always get away.”

“Do you think that you can really do this? Get to them before they get to us?”

“I know I can,” the younger nodded with confidence.

“Okay, then…” Taehyung took a deep breath before he looked at the other coldly and with determination and said: “Show them that we are not so powerless, show them your worst, Golden Phantom.”

Jeongguk smirked back in response, because hell yeah, he could definitely do that. It was time to turn the tides and show Chin-Hwa that he was messing with the wrong guy. He had to remind him who he was dealing with, because he was not some common gangster, he was Jeon fucking Jeongguk, the Golden Phantom of the Korean underworld.

*

It only took a few days for Jeongguk to do his research, find out that the men that appeared in the small town really were Chin-Hwa’s men and he also found out where they were staying and where they went to eat every evening.

Now Taehyung was watching him putting on a black outfit and a disassembled rifle into a backpack.

“I should be gone for an hour, two at max, so don’t be too nervous that it takes so long,” Jeongguk said when he was finished, looking at Taehyung: “You stay here, lock yourself in, keep the curtains shut and don’t open if anyone knocked.”

“I wanna go with you,” the elder blurted out.

“I don’t think that’s-”

“You are not gonna come close to them, right? That is why you are taking the rifle, you told me before that you usually work from a distance, so I am not gonna be in danger,” Taehyung argued, biting his lip before he added: “I just…wanna see it, I wanna see how you work.”

Jeongguk stared at him, surprised by the request and thinking about it. What were Taehyung’s motivations? Why did he want to see him in action? Was he perhaps trying to understand him and his way of life? Did he want to see him in action to figure out whether he was going to see him as a monster or not? It was true that there was no real danger, this should be a quick, clean job, they were going to be gone before anyone even realized what happened. But did he want Taehyung to see this? When he thought about it, he figured that he had nothing to lose, as of now, he and Taehyung were broken up, so if there was a chance for the elder to understand him and see the real him and realize that he didn’t mind what Jeongguk was doing, he was going to take it.

“Alright, but you have to promise me to do everything I tell you,” Jeongguk said: “If I tell you to get down, you get down, if I tell you to run, you run.”

“I will,” Taehyung promised.

“Change into something dark then, we don’t want to be seen.”

Taehyung’s head was spinning a little when he and Jeongguk got in the car. It was a rented one, they couldn’t drive around in the one they used to escape from Seoul, because it was possible that their enemies already knew the plate numbers. So they left it in a parking lot a few weeks ago and they were renting cars every two weeks.

Jeongguk led him to a rooftop that he found while he did his research before the mission, it wasn’t very tall, but the buildings in this little town weren’t high.

Taehyung watched Jeongguk assemble the rifle, impressed by the speed and agility with which he worked. It showed that he had done this hundreds of times before.

Jeongguk lay down and Taehyung squatted next to him, the younger then spent some time finding the perfect angle, looking through the gunsight at the door of a local pub where he knew the gangsters were eating and drinking every evening.

Then they just waited.

Taehyung realized that this job required lots of patience. That proved once again that Jeongguk wasn’t some impulsive, blood-thirty psycho that would do this for some adrenaline rush or because he loved violence. He must have spent countless nights lying on rooftops or sitting in bushes, waiting for his targets to come out so he could carry out the job.

He was brought from his thoughts by loud voices that suddenly filled the quiet, night air. He looked at the pub and saw a small group of men coming out. He glanced at Jeongguk and saw him, laser-focused, looking in the gunsight with a finger ready on the trigger.

Jeongguk waited until the door was closed and then he started. The gun was surprisingly quiet, but Taehyung figured that was the point, a hitman wouldn’t want his victims to be alerted. He watched Jeongguk shoot the men one by one, moving with the rifle a little when he needed to move to the next target. What Taehyung noticed was that all the shots went right into the gangsters’ heads, making it almost impossible for them to survive as they were falling one by one. The last man standing tried to run away, but Jeongguk shot him in the leg to immobilize him and then he got the next bullet in his head as well.

It was so quick and clean, Taehyung couldn’t help it but feel impressed. He watched as Jeongguk let out a long breath and started disassembling the rifle with expertise, stuffing it in the backpack and throwing it on his back afterwards.

“Let’s go,” the younger ordered, helping him to his feet and then they were running to the emergency staircase and to the car.

Taehyung was quiet when they were driving, not back to the motel, but away from the town, because it wasn’t wise to linger when five corpses were going to be found soon. All their stuff was in the trunk, they packed everything before they left the motel.

He had a lot to think about, but being with Jeongguk tonight and seeing him in action showed him one thing - he couldn’t help it but admire the younger for the calmness and precision with which he worked. And he also realized that it didn’t make him hate Jeongguk more.

Chapter Text

Taehyung always knew there was a dark side inside of him. He realized that years ago when he was dating Junghyun and despite finding out who he was and how cruel he was, he didn’t really care. He only started hating Junghyun after they started fighting and when the gangster started abusing him, but before that, Taehyung didn’t really give a fuck about Junhyun’s occupation.

Now history was repeating itself with Jeongguk. Taehyung was angry with him for lying to him for years, but he didn’t really care about Jeongguk’s occupation. Sure, he was shocked that Jeongguk was the infamous, feared hitman that the whole Seoul knew - even people that were never involved in the underworld - but after four months on the run and him watching Jeongguk take out every person that came after them, Taehyung realized that he didn’t really care that Jeongguk was taking lives.

But it was on one particular evening that he realized that his darkness and his fucked up side ran deeper than he originally thought.

They were in a car chase with Chin-Hwa’s gangsters. As always, they found a way to find them and now he and Jeongguk were fleeing, the rented car flying on the highway, but even though Jeongguk was an excellent driver and he had done many manoeuvres to get rid of the gangsters, their car was still behind them.

Jeongguk got off the highway near some little town, suddenly driving towards a forest on a small, broken road. It was already dark, so Taehyung could see the headlights in the rear-view mirror, still following them.

“Give me the gun,” Jeongguk suddenly said, nodding at the compartment in front of Taehyung.

“What? Why?” the elder asked confusedly.

“Just do as I say.”

He had no idea what Jeongguk was planning, but he complied and took out and handed him the gun. He trusted Jeongguk’s judgement, by now, the younger had proven that he knew what he was doing and there was always some plan forming in his head. He knew how to get them out of yet another difficult situation and Taehyung felt strangely calm.

Jeongguk suddenly hit the brakes and the car abruptly stopped.

“What are you doing? They are right behind us!” the elder gasped, turning to look back at the quickly approaching vehicle. Did he really trust Jeongguk?

“If I can’t shake them off, I have to take them out,” Jeongguk just said with that calm, collected expression that Taehyung had seen before. Jeongguk was in his professional mode, head clear and pulse calm, and that reassured Taehyung once again that he knew what he was doing.

“Cover yourself, get down in case they started shooting at the windows,” the younger ordered him before he got out of the car. But despite his advice, Taehyung couldn’t help it but look outside and watch what the younger had planned.

Jeongguk stretched his arm with the gun and aimed at the car that was coming at him. He took a deep breath in and then out and then he shot.

Taehyung flinched when he heard a loud bang and then screeching and he looked at the car that went into a skid and Taehyung understood that Jeongguk’s gunshot perforated one of the tires. Whoever was driving didn’t manage to react and control the car, it crashed into an electric pole and finally stopped.

Taehyung held his breath in expectation, wondering what Jeongguk was up to, because he had a feeling that this wasn’t all.

He watched the younger man walk towards the wrecked car, he couldn’t see much from this angle, because the car was covering Jeongguk, but Taehyung figured that the younger opened the driver’s door. He jumped in his seat when he heard a gunshot and then he saw Jeongguk getting to the back door, sticking his hand inside and shooting twice, executing those in the car.

Taehyung nearly ran out of the car when he noticed the passenger seat door open and a slightly injured man got out.

He didn’t need to do anything though, Jeongguk was already onto the last man, coming in front of him.

“No, please, don’t,” the gangster got out, staring at the executioner with scared eyes.

“Everyone’s always so tough, but when they stare death in the eyes, they shit themselves,” Jeongguk replied coldly: “You fuckers were more than willing to kill me and Taehyung and now you beg for mercy?”

Taehyung held his breath, watching in silent admiration how Jeongguk raised his arm and put the gun to the man’s forehead. When a gun shot pierced the quiet air, he shifted in his seat and pressed his legs together.

That’s when he realized, to his terror, that he was half-hard. He just watched Jeongguk kill four people in cold blood and it got him all hot and bothered. It wasn’t the violence that did it for him though, he knew that it was because of Jeongguk’s composure and calm demeanour, the professionalism and control he was exuding, the power, the sexiness…

That was when he knew that he was definitely fucked up and that his dark side was darker than he thought. That’s when he realized that he did not mind that Jeongguk was a hitman that killed people for a living, he could live with that.

He bit his lip, breathing faster than usually, torn between what he knew was right and what he wanted. It was like there was an angel and a devil fighting inside his head and the devil was winning. He blamed his sudden arousal on the lack of sex he had been experiencing for these past months, but whatever was the reason, he realized that he didn’t care. He wanted Jeongguk right now.

He got out of the car just as Jeongguk finished checking on his victims to make sure that they were really dead.

Taehyung watched curiously as Jeongguk suddenly squatted down above the man that was on the ground outside of the car. He pushed the collar of his t-shirt down and took out a small, pocket knife and then started carving something in his skin.

When he was finished, Taehyung saw the initials GP in a nice, artsy font.

“I just wanna leave a message in case it is not clear what befell them,” Jeongguk explained with a smirk and Taehyung understood that it was his initials for Golden Phantom. He was leaving a message for Chin-Hwa, basically telling him that no matter whom he sends, Jeongguk would always deal with them.

Taehyung stared down at the dead gangster. He wanted to feel some pity for him, to know that he had some morality, but he didn’t feel anything. These guys would have killed them if they got the opportunity, they wouldn’t have shown them any mercy, so why should he feel bad for them? They weren’t some innocent civilians, they were gangsters who chose this life and who chose to follow their boss’ orders and go after them.

He could see Jeongguk’s gaze on him, the younger probably wondered what was going on through his head right now, so he decided to say something to show him.

“Good riddance,” was what came out of his mouth. It was pretty neutral, nothing sadistic, but it also showed that he wasn’t affected by the murders he just witnessed.

He finally looked up and met Jeongguk’s eyes. He saw curiosity in them, but he also saw a bit of fondness and desire, which reminded him of the little problem that was still in his pants and that he couldn’t ignore along with the nagging feeling under his skin. He needed Jeongguk to fuck him, he needed it so fucking badly.

“I want you,” he said quietly with an intense gaze and he could see how those words registered in Jeongguk’s brain by the way his gaze darkened.

Jeongguk looked around at the mayhem, figuring that it wasn’t ideal to stay here. They were on some small road outside of a small town, so the chances of someone arriving here anytime soon were almost non-existent, but he wasn’t a sick fuck to want to fuck Taehyung right next to corpses that weren’t even cold yet.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” he said, heading to their car with Taehyung following his lead.

He put the gun back in the compartment, started the engine and drove further down the broken road towards the forest in the distance.

He gasped and glanced at the elder when he felt a pressure on his crotch. When he looked down, he saw Taehyung’s hand resting there before his fingers closed around the outline of his cock and he started growing hard insanely fast.

It was clear that Taehyung meant it when he said he wanted him, he wasn’t patient at all, that became clear when he suddenly undid Jeongguk’s pants and pulled his cock out.

“Keep driving,” the elder commanded, giving Jeongguk a slightly playful look, which was a sign that he was up to no good.

Jeongguk didn’t even manage to say anything when Taehyung suddenly bent over -  it was easy because he didn’t fasten his seatbelt - and he wrapped his lips around Jeongguk’s dick and went down on him, taking him in his throat in one, slow, smooth go.

“Holy shit,” Jeongguk cursed, hands on the steering wheel tightening and he actually had to focus on driving. There weren’t many things that would make him lose focus, he was always level-headed, but Taehyung blowing him in the moving car while he was driving was one of those lethal things. It happened once or twice before when Taehyung was in a freakish, playful mood, and it always felt so fucking dirty and so good.

What was driving Jeongguk even crazier than Taehyung’s mouth itself were the obscene slurping and gagging sounds that were filling the quiet car. The road was really bumpy, so every time the vehicle went into a pot hole, Taehyung choked on his cock, but that didn’t chase away his determination.

By the time they were finally far enough in the middle of nowhere for Jeongguk to know it was safe to stop, he was close to coming. But he wasn’t sure if he could go for a round two so quickly and he knew that Taehyung was needy for some action, so he didn’t want to finish like this. When he stopped the car, he let himself enjoy the sensation for one more minute with a hand intertwined with Taehyung’s hair, but when he felt like he was too close to the edge, he pulled at the elder’s hair and tore him away from his cock.

The way Taehyung looked at him with a pout made him want to give Taehyung back his favourite candy, but he stayed strong and didn’t give in.

“Outside,” he said instead, opening the compartment and taking something out, before he opened the door without any explanation and he got out of the car, circling it before Taehyung even got out. He was still sitting when Jeongguk made it to the passenger door, so he just grabbed the elder’s hand and pulled him out, smacked the door shut and then he pushed him against it so Taehyung’s back was facing him.

Taehyung moaned and closed his eyes when Jeongguk stood behind him and grinded against his ass, making him feel his arousal. That just made his knees weaker, god, he needed it so fucking badly.

He made himself comfortable with his arms on the roof of the car, gasping when Jeongguk yanked his pants and underwear down so his ass was exposed. The idea of doing it out here in the open without any attempt to hide their actions was driving him crazy, but he knew that it was unlikely for anyone finding them in the middle of nowhere.

Taehyung understood what Jeongguk took from the compartment when he heard a click of a cup. He did notice earlier, when he was handing Jeongguk a gun, that he had a bottle of lube in there too. It was a rented car, so it was clear that the younger must have put it there himself, but it was probably his habit, since he always had lube on him in his car wherever they went. Right now, Taehyung was grateful for that habit, even though it clearly meant that Jeongguk expected that something might happen. But Taehyung had learned, especially over the past few months on the run, that Jeongguk liked to be prepared, he always planned ahead, he never went into anything completely spontaneously and even when he had to improvise, like fifteen minutes ago when he killed those men, it was always thought through and Taehyung couldn’t help it but be impressed.

He kept clamping on Jeongguk’s fingers as the younger fucked him open. It was quick and messy, but Taehyung didn’t mind in the slightest, not when he was so fucking horny.

And when Jeongguk finally thrusted his cock inside of him, Taehyung felt like in a fever dream. He was being fucked roughly against a car, on a shitty road in the middle of the fields that were surrounding them, while he could still see the headlights of cars and trucks on the highway in the distance.

Jeongguk was rough, pumping his hips with undeniable force, but Taehyung wouldn’t have it any other way. They were both worked up, they weren’t used to such long periods of celibacy since before all this mess, they slept together quite frequently. And being on the run together, although it was annoying and scary, there was also something really hot about it, maybe it was that knowledge that they were fighting off death once in every few weeks, it made them feel alive.

“Fuck, fuck, don’t stop, I’m almost there!” Taehyung cried only a few minutes into the act, leaning against the car while Jeongguk’s fingers were creating bruises on his hips. He could feel that Jeongguk was close too, his movements became sloppy and desperate, which was always a telltale sign of nearing orgasm.

Taehyung came as soon as Jeongguk started jerking him off, shooting his load over the rented car and for a moment he thought about what his life has become and who even was he? He always knew about that dark side of him and it looked like it was waking up now in the presence of his hitman companion.

Jeongguk groaned and moaned and pulled out rapidly, finishing on Taehyung’s ass to not make him too dirty.

It took them a few minutes to catch their breaths, Jeongguk cleaned his come from Taehyung with a tissue he had in his pocket before he also clean the lube inside of him as well as he could.

When they collected themselves, they just pulled their pants up, got inside the car and drove back to the highway without exchanging a word. Because there wasn’t really anything to talk about, they didn’t even know what they would say. But the silence that filled the car wasn’t uncomfortable and Taehyung, after some time, fell asleep peacefully, which was a rare occurrence these days.

*

“Do you think it is safe for them to come?” Taehyung wondered, looking at Jeongguk unsurely.

The younger just got off the phone with Yoongi and told him that he and Hoseok were coming to see them, because they had something important to discuss. They were in yet another motel, not that far from Seoul, it was just about two hours drive from there, so their two friends were going to come tonight.

“It sounded like they have something important to talk about,” Jeongguk said.

“Well, the last time they came to see us in person, we were found and attacked, remember?” Taehyung pointed out, remembering what happened when they had visitors and how they had to leave the safehouse, which resulted in this life on the road that they had been involved in for a couple of months now.

“We won’t linger,” Jeongguk reassured him: “When they leave, we are gonna go to a different place, it is time anyway, we have been here for five days.”

“Well, I can’t deny that it will be nice to see them,” Taehyung admitted: “They might have some updates on Chin-Hwa, let’s hope it’s good news for a change. And it will be nice to have someone else to talk to than just you.”

“Oh, my company is not enough?” the younger snorted.

“I am just saying that it will be nice to talk to more than one person!”

Jeongguk chuckled. He didn’t feel offended at all, he understood what Taehyung meant, they had been spending all their time together, it was going to be nice to have other people over.

The atmosphere between them felt light lately. They didn’t really talk about what happened on that road, not about those men that Jeongguk murdered nor about the sex that followed. But there was really no need to, they knew where they stood for now, they were not going back to being a couple, Jeongguk respected Taehyung’s decision to keep his distance. But for the first time in months, it finally felt like he didn’t have to walk around Taehyung on eggshells, because the elder had seen his true self now, not once but a couple of times, and it felt like it really cleared the air between them. They weren’t just civil, they were friendly, they talked, they joked around and teased each other and they were hanging out. Just last night, they had a movie night, ordering junk food and watching TV while sitting next to each other on the floor, commenting and laughing on the dumb characters in the TV show they randomly put on.

All in all, it felt like they were getting close again and to Jeongguk, that meant a lot, because just a few months ago, he was sure that Taehyung would never see him the same as before and that he would never forgive him. He was convinced that Taehyung would leave as soon as the danger passed, but now…even if Chin-Hwa died tomorrow and they stopped being followed, Jeongguk believed that the elder wouldn’t walk out on him, he was sure that he would stay and they could figure out how to repair what he broke.

This time when Yoongi and Hoseok arrived, Taehyung was genuinely happy to see them, so much so that he went to hug them as soon as they walked in his and Jeongguk’s room. Even though he now knew who they were and what they did for a living, it felt nice to see familiar faces. No matter who they were, they were still his close friends, people that he met through Jeongguk but that became like his family and even though he didn’t forget about all the lies, it felt good to hold them and be held back after everything that’s happened in the past months.

“You guys look great,” Hoseok grinned at the two fugitives.

“Yeah, considering you sleep in a different motel every week, you look fine,” Yoongi nodded with that little smile of his that held so much warmth.

“Yeah, we are good, all things considered,” Jeongguk nodded: “We ordered some take out and booze, I hope you will stay overnight.”

“Well, as long as you have some mattress we can sleep on, I don’t see a problem with that,” Hoseok chuckled.

They settled around a small coffee table, all of them sitting on the floor as they started eating and drinking. Taehyung wanted to know how Jimin and Seokjin and Namjoon were doing, it was nice to catch up and not talk about his and Jeongguk’s situation for a while. It made him feel normal, and he almost forgot what a mess he and Jeongguk were in.

“It is concerning that you keep getting attacked,” Yoongi frowned after Jeongguk filled them in on what happened in the past weeks. They kept talking on the phone, but he never usually went into details.

“Well, Jeongguk always deals with them fast,” Taehyung commented with full mouth and it was kinda ridiculous just how quickly he got adjusted to the fact that his currently ex boyfriend was leaving corpses behind everywhere they went. But he stopped feeling weird or guilty about that a long time ago, it was kill or be killed, and he liked living, so there was really no other option.

“We’ve been lucky,” Jeongguk shrugged.

“It is more than just luck,” Hoseok corrected him: “Thank god you have so much experience and training, most people wouldn’t be able to fight off seven fuckers at once…”

“Well, Taehyung’s been helping me,” Jeongguk glanced at the man in question: “We have been training and he learned how to really kick ass.”

“I am not that good!”

“You are, don’t be so modest, you have participated too.”

“Well, it was usually self-defence, I was just fighting for long enough for you to come through and kill them.”

“You saved my life, remember?” Jeongguk argued: “You shot that guy and gave me a chance to kill the rest, that counts for something.”

“Wow, Taehyung-ah, who would have thought that you are such a badass,” Hoseok grinned. The conversation was so bizarre, he was sitting in a motel room, talking about murder so casually. But this was his reality now and he had to accept it.

“We wanted to talk about something, we have some news,” Yoongi changed the topic: “That is why we came, we wanted to talk to you in person and figure out how we could use this to your benefit.”

“Use what?” Jeongguk turned more serious, looking at the elder: “What happened? What did you do?”

“For weeks, we have been working on infiltrating Chin-Hwa’s gang and we finally succeeded,” Yoongi revealed.

“What?” Jeongguk breathed out and Taehyung was just as shocked as him.

“We wanted to find a way to help you,” Hoseok shrugged.

“So you thought the best way to do it was to walk straight in the cobra’s den?” Jeongguk said angrily: “That is the stupidest fucking idea I have ever heard! If they find out who you are, you will be killed on the spot!”

“We made that decision knowing what might happen,” Yoongi said stubbornly: “We did this for you, guys.”

“We don’t want you to die for us!” Taehyung exclaimed and all eyes turned to him. He continued: “I am still angry with all of you for lying to me, but that doesn’t mean I want you dead, I still care about you.”

“That's great to hear, Taehyung-ah,” Hoseok smiled: “But this is our decision, we wanna help.”

“And how exactly do you wanna do it?” Jeongguk wondered: “You must have some master plan then, enlighten me.”

“No one has any idea who we are, you are not the only one that has been careful about keeping his identity hidden,” Yoongi looked at the younger: “We came to Chin-Hwa, claiming we are looking for a job. It took us weeks to really get in, but we finally are, we are close enough to him to know what his orders are, we will soon be part of their meetings, we will be able to warn you guys about their attacks.”

“How the hell did you even pull that off? If he saw you in action, he must know that you are not new to the underworld.”

“Remember Vipers?” Hoseok took the word: “We pretty much wiped that gang out about a year ago. We told Chin-Hwa that we were part of Vipers and that we were one of a few to survive and that we wanted back in the business.”

“Well, I admit that is a plausible cover up story,” Jeongguk said: “But still, what the hell are you planning to do? Warning us about attacks is great, but it won’t really help our situation.”

“We can try to take Chin-Hwa out,” Yoongi said with a cold expression: “Once he is dead and the whole gang is fighting for power, everyone will forget  about you.”

“How do you even manage to keep this hidden from Taebin?” Jeongguk wondered, remembering their actual boss: “How do you explain that you can’t come whenever he wants you to.”

Yoongi and Hoseok shared a look.

“He knows about you,” Yoongi sighed.

“What?”

“The whole underworld is talking about Chin-Hwa hunting you,” the elder started explaining: “No one knows any details, but the word has gotten around that he is hunting the Golden Phantom. Taebin called us and asked us about it, because you haven’t been responding to his calls, you went radio silent on him, so we had to tell him the truth.”

“I didn’t want to get him involved,” Jeongguk grumbled.

“You had to know he would find out sooner or later,” Hoseok pointed out: “He went berserk when he found out, he was ready to go to war with Chin-Hwa right then and there.”

Taehyung was listening, not mingling into the conversation because he didn’t know much about the matter. He knew that Taebin was the boss his friends worked for, he was the man that was sending Jeongguk on missions. And he was quite shocked to learn that such a man was ready to go to war with another gang for one person, that meant that Jeongguk really was special.

“We talked him out of it,” Yoongi added: “We told him about the infiltration, we convinced him that we can ruin Chin-Hwa’s gang from the inside and he gave us his blessing. So this is not just for you two, we are on a mission for Taebin too, you know that Chin-Hwa’s gang is the biggest and most dangerous and if we manage to make it fall apart, it is a win for everyone in the city.”

Jeongguk sighed, leaning back against the sofa with a pensive look.

“It is still too damn risky,” he said after a while.

“I think…what the hyungs did is dumb but also brave and smart,” Taehyung spoke and everyone looked at him once again. He was in this now too, he was part of that world whether he wanted it or not and he knew that the others respected his thoughts and opinions.

“There is something I have been thinking about for a while,” he started, glancing at Jeongguk but looking away quickly, because he couldn’t really look the younger in the eyes while he was about to reveal his plan: “I have been thinking about…how could I help with this whole mess, there must be something I can do.”

“You, of all people, don’t have to do anything, Taehyung,” Jeongguk interrupted him and he grabbed his hand, which made the elder look at him. Jeongguk added: “You have nothing to do with any of this, you didn’t cause it.”

“Some of it is my fault though!” Taehyung protested: “I dated Junghyun, if it wasn’t for that, do you seriously think that Chin-Hwa would be so obsessed with hunting us down?”

“But it is a misunderstanding, you didn’t play any part in Junghyun’s death!”

“But I was still with him!” Taehyung exclaimed: “I was involved with a violent fucker and I knew who he was, normal and good person would have walked away much sooner than I did. And now Chin-Hwa thinks that you killed his son for me, he would have never thought that his murder was personal to you if it wasn’t for me, he would have thought that you just got the order from Taebin and he wouldn’t be so fucking furious. He is so adamant about killing us because he thinks I betrayed Junghyun.”

“Tae’s got a point,” Hoseok said quietly: “That doesn’t mean I blame anything on him, by the way! But it is true that Chin-Hwa is so angry and dangerous because he thinks you killed Junghyun together.”

“I was thinking…I would go to Chin-Hwa and convince him that I am on his side,” Taehyung revealed. He was aware that his plan had lots of flaws and he honestly didn’t even know what he was hoping to do, but he felt like he had to do something, he could help with this messed up situation.

“What the hell, you can’t be serious?!” Jeongguk snapped and stood up.

Taehyung stood up as well, ready to argue his points.

“I just feel like I could do something to help!” Taehyung argued: “I am really grateful for your protection, you have managed to keep us alive so far and that’s great, but I am tired of sitting on my ass and doing nothing while you fight and kill for us!”

“That is what I do, I am trained for it!”

“But I don’t have to be useless, I can help,” Taehyung continued: “I am not dumb, I think I can deceive him.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” Yoongi jumped in before Jeongguk could go off again.

“Well, I could give myself up,” Taehyung turned to him: “I would go to Chin-Hwa and convince him that I am on his side. I would tell him that I want Jeongguk dead, I would convince him that Junghyun was the love of my life and when I found out that Jeongguk killed him, I despised him. I could tell that he was pretty much holding me hostage against my will, dragging me around the country with him as a human shield but that I managed to escape and that I wanna help Chin-Hwa to take him out.”

“I mean…that sounds like something he could theoretically believe,” Hoseok hummed.

“It is fucking insane, you can’t be serious!” Jeongguk yelled.

“Just think about it,” Taehyung looked at him: “The hyungs have infiltrated his gang, which makes my plan even better, I wouldn’t be completely alone and unprotected, they would watch my back.”

“We would make sure that nothing happenes to you,” Hoseok reassured him seriously.

“And I would get close to Chin-Hwa, through his grief and anger, I would make him trust me.”

“And then what?” Jeongguk scoffed.

“Maybe I could try to kill him.”

“Don’t make me laugh!” Jeongguk snorted: “Killing someone like Chin-Hwa is almost impossible and even if you somehow succeeded, you would be killed by one of his men. Is this really what you want, you wanna go on a suicide mission?”

“I wouldn’t have to kill him, I could just…make it easier for you to get close to him and you would do it then,” Taehyung suggested: “I know that this plan has lots of flaws, okay? It is not even a proper, though-out plan, but I can just improvise.”

“The first and biggest flaw is that he is probably gonna kill you the minute he sees you, he is not even gonna let you explain yourself!”

“Then I would just have to explain myself faster than he could harm me.”

“Jeongguk,” Yoongi stepped between the two, calming down the situation: “I am not saying that I am happy about this and that I want to put Tae in danger. But he might be onto something.”

“You have all gone completely crazy,” Jeongguk shook his head incredulously.

“Taehyung is a civilian, Chin-Hwa knows that,” Yoongi added: “He might think you killed Junghyun for him, but I doubt he thinks that Tae is part of the underworld, he is not real threat to Chin-Hwa, he could let his guard down around Tae.”

“And with us being in his gang, we could always keep an eye on Taehyungie and if we saw just a hint of him being in danger, we would step in,” Hoseok nodded.

“I don’t wanna continue living like this, Jeongguk,” Taehyung said, more quietly as the heat in the room went down a little: “I don’t wanna keep running away and live with fear of someone always coming for us. So far you have managed to get rid of everyone, but one day you might fail and one or both of us will pay with our lives. So isn’t it better to just do something and act instead of just living in this limbo?”

“It is too dangerous,” Jeongguk replied in a whisper and there was so much pain in his eyes it nearly made Taehyung gasp for air. That single look showed just how scared Jeongguk was at the prospect of losing him and Taehyung’s heart actually ached, Jeongguk really did love him so much, that realization hit him like a train.

“Do you not believe in me?” he stepped closer to Jeongguk, tempted to cup his cheek but then he refrained from it: “I am much better liar and actor than you might think and I have my charms, Chin-Hwa is a hard motherfucker, but I can manipulate him.”

“I think you should talk about it when we leave,” Yoongi spoke and they both looked at him: “You have some discussing to do, you should do it alone. Me and Hobi are in the gang either way, so if you decide to go along with Tae’s plan, we will be there to cover his back.”

Jeongguk looked around the room, feeling defeated, because something was telling him that he already lost the battle. He knew that Taehyung already made up his mind, he was stubborn enough to do what he wanted even if Jeongguk didn’t agree to it. He wanted this nightmare to end, he wanted to stop running, but what if the cost was too high? What if he was going to lose Taehyung in the process? He’s spent a big portion of his life surrounded by death, he had become numb to it, but this would be the one he would never get over.

Chapter Text

Taehyung knew that Jeongguk was going to want to talk about it once Yoongi and Hoseok left. He knew that the younger didn’t like his plan to give himself up to Chin-Hwa and try to manipulate him. In all honesty, he couldn’t even blame Jeongguk, because it was a stupid-ass plan. But he was still determined to go along with it, because something needed to be done.

The morning after their two gangsters left, when he woke up in the motel room, Jeongguk wasn’t there. But by the time he got out of the bathroom about fifteen minutes later, he found the younger there with a breakfast, which explained where he was.

“You are not gonna give yourself up to Chin-Hwa,” was the first thing that Jeongguk said when he saw him.

“Oh, here we go,” Taehyung rolled his eyes.

“Now is not the time to be stubborn, Taehyung, this is fucking serious,” Jeongguk retorted, grabbing his wrist when Taehyung wanted to walk past him and ignore the rant.

“I wanna do it,” Taehyung looked at him: “And it would have been much riskier if Yoongi and Hobi didn’t infiltrate the gang, but with them on the inside, it should be safe.”

“They won’t be able to protect you from everything, and they might die in the process too, do you not care about that?”

“Of course I do, I don’t want anything to happen to them. They lied to me for years, but they are still my friends,” Taehyung replied, trying to stay calm, because having a heated argument wouldn’t resolve anything. He needed Jeongguk on his side in this, so he needed to convince him to let him do this.

“But they already put themselves in danger by infiltrating that gang in the first place,” he added: “They did it because they care about us and want to help us, they are willing to risk for us. And you have been risking too, hell, you were willing to let them shoot you in exchange for my safety…I just feel like I need to do something too.”

“You don’t though!” Jeongguk exclaimed: “As you have reminded me over and over again in these past months, this is all my fault, it is my fuck up and I dragged you into this mess. So it is up to me to clean it, you shouldn’t be putting yourself in danger because of me.”

Taehyung couldn’t help it but feel the words pull at his heartstrings. There was this truth blooming in his heart, it has been for weeks now, the truth that he didn’t hate Jeongguk at all, if anything, he still loved him. Even when he tried to force himself not to, he couldn’t help it, and Jeongguk’s constant care and pain in his eyes was just feeding it.

He gave the younger a sad smile: “Maybe it all happened because of you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. Like the guys pointed out last night, I might be your best shot here, Chin-Hwa knows I am a civilian, he has no reason to see me as a threat, he won’t be so cautious around me. And if I play my part well, he will start trusting me, enough for him to let his guard down so you can come and finish him and free us from this nightmare.”

“We shouldn’t split,” Jeongguk protested, voice quieter now as he stepped closer to the other: “You are smart, I know that, maybe you can manipulate Chin-Hwa. But I just…don’t want to let you out of my sight, it is my job to protect you.”

“And you had been doing a great job,” the elder reassured him: “But we can’t do this forever, I am tired of running, I don’t wanna live like this.”

“Maybe we could just leave the country.”

“And go where?” Taehyung scoffed.

“Anywhere, who the fuck cares, the world is big and Chin-Hwa is only powerful here in Korea.”

“I like it here, I don’t wanna run, I wanna go back to Seoul.”

“I just…I won’t survive if something happens to you,” Jeongguk sighed, stepping even closer to the other and cupping his cheek: “I would feel guilty for the rest of my life, because I would have known that it happened because of me.”

“I know the whole truth now,” Taehyung argued: “It doesn’t matter how we got in this mess, how it started, what matters is that now I can make a decision, because I know all the facts and this is my decision. I wanna do this, I wanna infiltrate that fucking gang and kill Chin-Hwa, so we can finally live freely again.”

Jeongguk just sighed, giving the elder a reluctant nod and that was good enough for Taehyung.

Jeongguk just wondered - did Taehyung intend to live freely with him or separately? What was going to happen to them if they survived this? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

*

In the next few days, their dynamic has changed. Before it was Taehyung who was giving Jeongguk a silent treatment as a payment for his betrayal. But now it was Jeongguk who was ignoring the elder, occasionally shooting him bitter looks, and Taehyung understood that it was his silent protest against the whole plan of him infiltrating Chin-Hwa’s gang.

It was too late to call it off now, especially after the phone call that came not even a week after Yoongi’s and Hoseok’s visit. The two gangsters were coming to see them again with some news and to discuss the plan. There was no coming back.

Jeongguk and Taehyung were in yet another motel that they moved to, so that’s where Yoongi and Hoseok came. They ordered a take-out and drank some beers, before moving to the heavy conversation.

“Jimin says hi,” Yoongi said casually.

“Seokjin and Namjoon too,” Hoseok added: “And they want us to tell you that we are all fucking stupid.”

“Seokjin’s words, no doubt. I happen to agree with him,” Jeongguk grumbled.

“We told them about the plan and what we have been up to,” Hoseok chuckled: “You can imagine they weren’t happy about it.”

“Because those two have always been smart,” Jeongguk said bitingly.

“But at the end of the day, they know they won’t talk us out of it, so you should follow that example,” Yoongi looked at the youngest man pointedly before he glanced at Taehyung too and added: “We have some news that should make at least the beginning of the plan easy.”

“What is it?” Taehyung wondered.

“We managed to convince Chin-Hwa to let us join the manhunt on you two,” Hoseok revealed with a grin: “We made up a story about coming face to face with Golden Phantom once or twice. He was impressed that we even made it out alive, so he agreed for us to go and follow you.”

“Well, that will make everything easier,” Taehyung smiled, nodding and understanding why this was good: “Letting myself get captured by someone else would be too risky, they might kill me on the spot. But if you do it…”

“Exactly,” Yoongi nodded: “We will just pick you up and drive with you to him. We will go along with your story about JK holding you hostage.”

He shot an amused smirk at Jeongguk.

“Fuck off,” the younger grumbled.

“It’s perfect,” Taehyung said: “We will say that you were watching us but before you could really attack, you saw me running away one night. We will say that I came for you to help, figuring that you were in his gang and I will follow up with that sob-story about how Jeongguk was holding me against my will, how I wanted to get out because I was devastated to learn that he killed the love of my life. And now I want revenge, I wanna get on Chin-Hwa’s side.”

“It shouldn’t be hard to make him believe that I am an asshole that held you hostage,” Jeongguk said bitterly: “But what can you offer to him? He won’t think that you are useful, so he probably just decides to get rid of you. Or do you think that pulling at his heartstrings with how much you loved Junghyun will help you? People like Chin-Hwa don’t care about that, he doesn’t have a heart.”

“I will offer to help him find you and get rid of you,” Taehyung shrugged: “He knows I have been with you for years, I know you better than anyone.”

“It might help if you gave Chin-Hwa some fakely useful information about JK,” Yoongi hummed: “Like where to find him, for instance.”

“Oh great, so your plan is to tell him where to find me so he can send his dogs to finish me,” Jeongguk scoffed.

“You can fight them off,” Taehyung said with confidence. He has witnessed what Jeongguk could do, he was extremely skilled.

“He would probably send more people than ever before.”

“We would go too,” Hoseok jumped in: “And if it looked like you can’t deal with them alone, we would help you get rid of them.”

“And return back to him? Wouldn’t that be too much of a coincidence that you were the only ones getting out alive?” Jeongguk asked with a raised eyebrow.

“We already got out of the meeting with Golden Phantom before,” Hoseok shrugged with a cocky grin, reminding Jeongguk of what they told Chin-Hwa.

“Maybe we should just leave Taehyung out of this altogether,” Jeongguk suggested: “You’re inside his gang, that’s great, so that should make it easier for me to get close enough to Chin-Hwa to kill him.”

“It is more dangerous for you to get close to him than it is for me,” Taehyung insisted: “He hates me now, thinking that you killed Junghyun for me. If I deny that and he believes me, he will focus his attention and anger on you.”

“There are lots of ifs and that is not fucking good,” Jeongguk shook his head: “You can’t count on a coincidence, if I learned something in all those years of being a hitman, it’s that improvisation almost always sucks, having a proper, thoughtout plan is the way to go.”

“I am good at improvisation though,” Taehyung protested: “We’ve talked about this, you are not gonna talk me out of it now.”

“You decided for the both of us,” Jeongguk grumbled, suddenly standing up and heading to the balcony, leaving the three other men alone.

Taehyung sighed, wanting to get up and follow him, but Yoongi squeezed his shoulder and said to leave it to him. He and Jeongguk went way back, they shared a very special bond, so Taehyung figured that if there was someone that Jeongguk would actually listen to, it was Yoongi.

When Yoongi stepped out, Jeongguk was stress-smoking, taking one drag after another and looking in the distance.

“You are not gonna talk him out of this, you know? He is one stubborn motherfucker, just like you, that is one of the reasons why you two work so well together,” the elder spoke.

“Well, not so much anymore. He broke up with me.”

“Wait, seriously? You never told me that.”

“He told me we were over, when we were still in the safehouse…”

“But you have been hooking up, right? You told me.”

“Doesn’t mean anything,” Jeongguk muttered, putting the butt of the cigarette in the ashtray before he lit up another one. Yoongi grabbed the packet from him and took one cigarette as well, accepting the lighter from the younger when he handed it to him.

“Right, you were together for over five years, so I am sure that sex doesn’t mean anything,” Yoongi scoffed sarcastically.

“He never stopped wearing the engagement right though.”

“Then he clearly didn’t mean it, that you are over, I mean,” the elder said encouragingly.

“How can I let him do this?” Jeongguk sighed, finally turning around to look at the other: “He shouldn’t pay for my past and my fuck ups. It is my fault, everything that’s happened in the past months, I can’t just let him go to Chin-Hwa to get himself killed. He is not trained, not enough, he doesn’t stand a chance against experienced gangsters.”

“He’s got brains, that is sometimes more than muscles,” Yoongi commented: “He was with Junghyun and survived, that has to count for something.”

Jeongguk didn’t say anything.

“You kinda owe him this, you know?”

“You’re saying that because I lied to him, I should just indulge his insane wish to die?” Jeongguk scoffed, glaring at the other.

“He wants to help and I think that he wants to prove himself too,” Yoongi thought out loud: “Maybe you are not as over as you think, maybe…he wants to show you that he is strong enough to be with someone like you.”

“That is the biggest bullshit I’ve ever heard,” the younger deadpanned: “I don’t want him to prove anything to me, I don’t need him to be badass, if I wanted someone strong, I would have gotten together with some gangster.”

“He is gonna do this whether you like it or not,” Yoongi said with finality, putting the cigarette out: “But I think that he really wants your approval, he wants to hear that you support him, so you should show him that you trust him.”

“It is not about lack of trust…I am just so fucking scared of losing him,” Jeongguk admitted letting his usually indifferent and strong mask disappear and making himself vulnerable: “I have been scared of losing him for years, that’s why I hid the truth from him. And I didn’t lose him, even though I know that if he had a choice to walk away, he would have, he just stayed because he knew it was safer since we were in danger. But now…I feel like we have been getting close again and I might lose him for real this time and it’s not gonna be him just leaving, it’s gonna be him dying and I am not gonna be able to live with that kind of guilt.”

“We will look out for him,” Yoongi said seriously: “The kid is like a little brother to me, you know that you can trust me and Hobi, right?”

“Of course I trust you, I trust you with my life.”

“We have always had your back.”

“I just don’t trust anyone with Taehyung’s life,” Jeongguk added and Yoongi wasn’t offended, he knew what the younger meant.

“This can go two ways,” Yoongi concluded: “You can either give him a green light and support him, or he will leave and think that you don’t believe in him, which will just discourage him. Would you want that?”

With that, he opened the door and headed back inside the motel room, leaving Jeongguk outside with his third cigarette and with something to think about.

*

The atmosphere in the motel room was tense. Another week went by and yesterday, Jeongguk received a phone call from Yoongi, that he and Hoseok were finally sent by Chin-Hwa to go after them, so their plan was about to begin.

Jeongguk hadn’t really spoken to Taehyung about the whole undercover mission like Yoongi advised him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it when he didn’t agree with it. But he knew that now it was too late and Taehyung was determined.

“You are not gonna pack anything?” he asked when Taehyung walked out of the bathroom in the evening, freshly out of the shower.

“If I showed up with a packed bag, it wouldn’t look like I ran away from you,” Taehyung explained: “It must look convincing, Chin-Hwa must believe that I escaped from our motel room and found Yoongi and Hobi.”

“I guess, that makes sense,” the younger hummed.

“I am sure they will give me some clothes and other things I need.”

“Unless they give you a bullet in the head as soon as they see you…”

“I know that you don’t agree with this, but it is happening,” Taehyung sighed, walking towards the other in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He stood in front of Jeongguk and added: “I am not trained like you are, but I can take care of myself.”

“People like Chin-Hwa are more dangerous than you think,” Jeongguk protested, but his voice remained calm, he didn’t want to yell and get overly emotional.

“I survived Junghyun, didn’t I? That must count for something,” the elder argued: “We did fight a lot and he was abusing me, but I was also good at manipulating him and dodging bullets, believe me, it could have been much worse.”

“I just don’t want you anywhere near those people,” Jeongguk said with a worry written all over his face: “You survived Junghyun, but you still carry trauma from that time with him and now you are giving yourself up to his father who is just as cruel.”

“I know that you are worried about me,” Taehyung whispered, giving the other a sad, sympathetic smile: “No matter what happened in the past months…I know that you never stopped worrying about me and you did what you had to to protect me. Now it is my turn.”

“You don’t have to prove anything, not to me,” Jeongguk whispered back and the atmosphere turned from tense to emotional. This was the first time in months that they were truly talking about their feelings, before, it was mostly Taehyung yelling at Jeongguk for what he did. This was different, they were opening up to each other and sharing their raw emotions.

“Like I said before, it is partly my fault that we are in this mess. If I never got involved with Jungyhun, Chin-Hwa wouldn’t be so obsessed with revenge,” Taehyung said: “He would still want your head for killing his son, he is a proud man, but the fact that he thinks I made you do it just makes him angrier.”

“It is not your mess to clean.”

“It is happening, you are not gonna talk me out of it. So can you just…say that you believe in me?”

“It is not a lack of trust, I am just not happy to give you my blessing for this suicide mission, you can’t ask that from me,” the younger said with a pained expression.

“I wanna say something, in case something happens to me,” Taehyung stepped closer, suddenly cupping Jeongguk’s cheek. His palm was warm and Jeongguk leaned into it, it felt like the first truly loving touch he’s received from the elder in months.

“Stop it,” he whispered.

“I need to say it,” Taehyung insisted, looking him in the eyes as he breathed out: “What I said before about hating you…I didn’t mean it, not really, I don’t hate you.”

“I know,” Jeongguk reassured him, but the confession meant the world to him. He never truly believed that Taehyung hated him, he knew the elder said it because he was angry with him, but it still warmed up his heart to hear Taehyung confess it out loud.

“I think I wanted to,” Taehyung said, voice a bit choked up and eyes glistening: “I wanted to hate you, because it hurt so much that you lied to me for years, that you betrayed me. But I think that…hating you is something I just can’t do, no matter how hard I’ve tried.”

Jeongguk too felt his eyes sting and he had a slight trouble breathing when Taehyung suddenly leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. And they just stood there like that, in the middle of the motel room, closer than in the past months and it felt so bittersweet because this was a goodbye. Hopefully only a temporary, but tomorrow they were going to be separated and Jeongguk could do nothing to protect the love of his life.

“I know I said this before many times,” Jeongguk spoke with closed eyes as they were still connected with their foreheads: “But I wanna say it again, because no amount feels enough. I am sorry for everything, especially for lying to you and for making you feel like I didn’t trust you enough and like you weren’t important enough for me to be honest with you. Because you are important, you are the best thing that’s happened to me and that’s one of the reasons why I never brought myself to tell you the truth, because I couldn’t have risked losing you. I am sorry that I hurt you, darling.”

Taehyung let out something between a chuckle and a sob and for some reason, Jeongguk felt that at that moment, Taehyung finally forgave him. Maybe not completely, he knew that it was going to take a long time to make the elder trust him again, but it felt like the first step to mend their relationship.

“I wanna be with you tonight,” Taehyung whispered, putting his hands on Jeongguk’s upper chest and rubbing it a little. And those words weren’t specific, but Jeongguk knew what they meant.

They finally pulled away from each other and their gazes met and they were filled with so many unspoken emotions. There was sadness, acceptance, fear of what was to come, but also care and hope, hope that there was going to be a happy ending for them.

Jeongguk didn’t say anything to Taehyung’s previous proposition, instead he let the actions speak for him, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Taehyung’s. And the kiss that followed was nothing like the ones they’ve shared a couple of times in the past weeks. Those kisses were rough and needy, there was always so much arousal and need for a physical connection and relief. This was different, this was deeper, this was emotional.

The kiss deepened but it remained slow as Jeongguk started walking Taehyung to the bed. Until now, he always slept on a sofa and also, on those couple of occasions they had sex, they never did it in bed because it just felt too intimate and they weren’t ready for such a level of intimacy back then. But tonight was different, tonight they were both open to intimacy, they really wanted to give themselves to each other and it meant a lot, especially from Taehyung’s part.

As soon as they lay down, the towel wrapped around Taehyung’s hips went loose and opened up, leaving him completely exposed to Jeongguk. And the younger was always bad at containing himself at the sight of Taehyung’s gorgeous body and the honey skin, so he let go of his lips and started kissing his way down, over his jaw and shoulders and collarbones.

He stopped at his chest for a moment, biting and licking until he got to a nipple. Taehyung let out a breathless moan when the younger swirled his tongue around the bud before he took it between his teeth and gently squeezed. The action alone made Taehyung’s cock twitch on his stomach and it started filling with blood when Jeongguk gave some treatment to the other nipple too.

“Oh shit,” Taehyung gasped, closing his eyes and enjoying the sensation when Jeongguk got all the way down to his lower belly and licked a fat stripe over his cock. He forced himself to open his eyes again though, looking down just in time to see the younger wrapping his lips around the head and sucking.

“Holy fuck!” Taehyung choked, hips buckling as Jeongguk took his dick deeper into his mouth and that action just resulted in him thrusting his cock in the younger’s mouth until it hit the back of his throat. Jeongguk gagged, but he didn’t let that stop him, he just pinned Taehyung’s hips down as he started bobbing his head, all the while keeping an eye contact. And Taehyung couldn’t help it but find it incredibly hot that this infamous assassin, the legendary Golden Phantom was blowing him and pleasuring him.

He reached to the bedside table and found the bottle of lube he put in there when they arrived to this motel and he tossed it to Jeongguk. The younger just smirked around his cock, silently teasing him for having the lube prepared as if he expected something to happen.

Taehyung let go and moaned loudly and freely when Jeongguk started fingering him while still sucking him off, the two sensations were driving him positively insane and he knew that he could easily come from that. Jeongguk was just so fucking skilled with his fingers, crooking them just right to brush his prostate and his mouth felt so heavenly around Taehyung’s cock, he was only moments from releasing.

Jeongguk, of course, recognized the signs, he knew what it meant when the muscles in Taehyung’s stomach started spasming, he knew what it meant when the elder was gripping the bed sheets so hard he could tear them. And because he always loved teasing and edging his boyfriend, when it was clear that Taehyung was about to come, he stopped everything.

“You fucking asshole,” Taehyung whined with a frustrated groan.

“Now, that is not a nice thing to say to someone that made you feel so good,” the younger grinned at him.

“It is exactly the right thing to say to someone that denied me orgasm,” Taehyung retorted.

“Don’t whine, baby, I just want you to come on my cock,” Jeongguk said matter-of-factly, climbing higher so he was at the same eyelevel with the other, then he grabbed his hips and flipped them around so Taehyung was on top of him.

“I did all the work until now, I think it’s only fair that you put some effort into it now,” Jeongguk said before he added with a command in his voice: “Ride me, baby.”

And Taehyung always had a weakness for when Jeongguk got slightly dominant and riding him was one of his favourite things, so how could he even be mad at such a request?

His thighs were slightly shaking when he started sinking down on Jeongguk’s dick. He has always been addicted to the feeling of being split open by it, since their first time, Taehyung decided that it was the best cock he’s ever had and that feeling hasn’t changed over the years.

He put his hands on Jeongguk’s chest for support as he started gyrating his hips, looking down at him, biting his lip, knowing that Jeongguk was going crazy on the inside at this sight. Jeongguk loved holding him down, that was not a secret to either of them, but he confessed on several occasions that he had a huge thing for watching Taehyung ride him. And since it’s been a while since they did it in this position and it was their last night for god knows how long, Taehyung wanted to give the younger a show.

He started bouncing up and down, thighs pressing into Jeongguk’s hips, head thrown back in pleasure as he kept impaling himself on the thick shaft. Jeongguk was just staring at him, feeling lust and adoration fill him up, because it’s been so long since Taehyung put his guard down like this during sex. The sex they’ve had a couple of times in the past weeks was great, physically, but this was just on another level, because for the first time in ages, Jeongguk could tell that Taehyung was really into it, both body and soul.

“Shit, feels so good,” Taehyung moaned, opening his eyes and looking at the other with the most sinful bedroom eyes. He brought one hand up to his chest, dragging it over his skin, feeling himself, until he reached one nipple and started pinching on it, moaning at the sweet combination of pleasure and pain.

“Holy shit, baby, you look so fucking good,” Jeongguk groaned, fingers digging into the elder’s thighs, knowing that they were probably going to leave marks behind.

Taehyung gave him a playful yet sweet smile in return and Jeongguk instantly started hating that they were so far apart. It was great to watch Taehyung bounce on his cock, don’t get him wrong, but he wanted him closer.

So without a second thought, he grabbed the back of Taehyung’s legs and pushed himself up until he was sitting and then he threw the other back so now he was hovering over him. Taehyung’s breath visibly caught in his throat and Jeongguk knew that it was because he loved being thrown around.

He started snapping his hips, holding Taehyung’s thighs in place, fucking him fast and hard until the elder was screaming in pleasure.

But Jeongguk wanted to prolong this moment to make it truly memorable, because tomorrow they were going to separate and see each other god knows when. For that reason, he slowed down, rolling his hips slowly and sensually, letting go of Taehyung’s legs and instead taking his hands, intertwining their fingers on both sides of Taehyung’s head. Their noses were almost touching and the atmosphere quickly changed from hot and needy to intimate.

Taehyung leaned up and captured Jeongguk’s lips in a deep kiss and the younger happily kissed him back and their hands were holding onto each other so hard their knuckles hurt, but it felt so good to hold each other like this after so long.

They broke the kiss but the tips of their noses were touching, their eyes almost crossed, but they couldn’t help it but stare.

“I love you,” Taehyung whispered with a mixture of pain and love in his voice: “I still love you.”

“I love you too, angel,” Jeongguk replied without a second thought and the confessions made him feel better than anything they have done so far, because he didn’t even hope to hear Taehyung say it again. When he came clean to him, when Taehyung found out that he was lying to him for years, he was so convinced that they could never get back what they once had. But right now, Taehyung was confessing that he still loved him and Jeongguk wanted to cry because it was so fucking unfair that he was leaving tomorrow, walking straight into a cobra’s den.

“Just come back to me,” he whispered, grinding his pelvis against Taehyung’s ass, pushing his cock impossibly deep, knowing that he was pressing against his prostate by the ragged breaths that Taehyung was letting out.

“I will,” Taehyung got out with slight difficulties, cutting himself off with a moan, before he added shakily: “We will do it together, I will hand him to you and you will finish him and this nightmare will be over.”

Jeongguk smiled at him, liking the prospect of the implied shared future. He started moving slightly faster, knowing what Taehyung needed to trip over the edge, hitting his prostate with each thrust, until the elder was shaking in his arms and until tears were sliding from his eyes.

They reached their heights together, moaning each other’s names and kissing, trembling and scratching each other’s skin with a silent promise hanging between them that they were going to reunite soon and work on their broken relationship. Because no matter what happened, no matter what secrets and lies there were between them before, it turned out to be impossible for them to let each other go.

Chapter Text

Jeongguk woke up in a great mood, because he woke up next to Taehyung.

Last night, even when the post-orgasm high wore off, Taehyung asked him to stay in bed instead of going to sleep at his usual place on a sofa and Jeongguk happily obliged. They even cuddled, which was yet another proof that they were on a good way to mend their relationship.

He was in such a great mood that he didn’t even start thinking about the fact that Yoongi and Hoseok were going to come in a couple of hours, taking Taehyung away from him and to Chin-Hwa, where god knows what fate was awaiting him.

He contemplated waking Taehyung up with kisses and maybe even a morning rimming or something, but then decided against it. He let the elder get some sleep, knowing that he wasn’t sleeping very well in the past months. Instead he got out of the bed as quietly as possible, still naked and covered with sweat and come, but that was just a reminder of the great night they shared.

He hopped in the shower, letting the warm water massage his tense muscles. He even started singing, which was a habit he had but he realized that he hadn’t been doing it lately, probably because of the constant stress of being hunted by gangsters.

He got out and dried himself, not bothering with dressing up, feeling too warm to put anything on.

“What a view,” a raspy, deep, familiar voice made him look in the mirror and smile. He was currently brushing his teeth, bent above the sink, so he didn’t notice that Taehyung was standing in the doorway.

“I would have said the same, but you are wearing underwear,” he commented.

“Would you want to see me naked?” the elder asked with playful sparkles in his eyes.

“Always,” Jeongguk grinned and watched Taehyung through the mirror as he moved and walked towards him until he stopped behind him, pinching his naked ass. Jeongguk couldn’t even describe just how happy that made him feel, because these were mornings and gestures and teasing that he remembered from when their relationship was not stained by his lies. It was back now and it made him even more hopeful that they were going to be alright.

“You should punch me,” Taehyung said quietly, lips only an inch from his ear.

“Did you just discover some new kink?” the younger asked amusedly, looking at the other through the mirror: “Are you gonna start moaning ‘daddy, punch me’ now?”

“No, you perv,” the elder scoffed, rolling his eyes, but it was clear that he was amused. He turned more serious though as he added: “I am seriously asking, you should punch me.”

“What, why?” Jeongguk frowned, finally turning around and facing Taehyung.

“Well, to make my story more believable to Chin-Hwa,” Taehyung explained, making it crystal clear that his request had no sexual subtext: “We wanna convince him that I have been with you for all these months against my will and it will be even more convincing if I have a proof that you have been abusing me.”

“Taehyung, I am not gonna punch you,” Jeongguk said resolutely, walking past the other and into the room, going to his bag and finding a pair of fresh underwear, putting it on.

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I promised to never hurt you!” Jeongguk turned around, angry that Taehyung could even ask him something like this: “I know I have hurt you with my actions and my lies, but I am never gonna physically hurt you.”

“But the plan-”

“I don’t give a shit about the plan, I am not punching you,” the younger repeated: “You told me about Junghyun and what he used to do to you, it still makes me angry just thinking about it. I am not gonna do what that asshole did, I am nothing like him.”

“No, you are not,” Taehyung said softly, stepping closer to the other until he could put hands on his shoulders and the heels of his palms were resting at the top of his chest: “The fact that the mere thought of hurting me is pissing you off proves that you are nothing like him. Abusive assholes don’t wait until their partners ask them to hurt them, they just do it.”

“I am not going to hurt you,” Jeongguk insisted.

“It is for greater good,” Taehyung argued: “I can’t really punch myself in the face, I would do it if I could, but I can’t. But if you really don’t wanna do it then I will just ask Yoongi or Hobi when they get here-”

“The hell you will!” Jeongguk growled: “No one is gonna touch you, you hear me?!”

“Then you have to do it,” the elder said quietly, looking him in the eyes: “I am not gonna start thinking that you are an abuser, it is my idea, I am standing here and asking you to do it. Don’t you want this plan to work out? Don’t you want Chin-hwa to believe my sob story?”

“Of course, I do, otherwise he will kill you on the spot as soon as he sees you.”

“Then you have to do it, love.”

The pet name did something to Jeongguk’s heart. He hated everything about this, he hated that Taehyung was going somewhere without him, somewhere where he was not going to be able to protect him. He knew that Hoseok and Yoongi were going to look after him, but that just wasn’t the same. And he hated that he had to hurt the one person he swore not to.

“Do it,” Taehyung encouraged him, taking a step back and taking a deep breath: “And punch me hard, we want it to bruise.”

Jeongguk was shaking as he closed his palm into a fist.

“I fucking hate this,” he grumbled.

“I know.”

“You shouldn’t put ice on it afterwards, that way it will really swell and bruise…”

“Do it,” Taehyung nodded, taking another deep breath. He wasn’t happy about getting punched in the face, but he didn’t mind pain if it helped them in the long run.

Jeongguk thought for a moment what spot he should hit, a spot that would easily bruise and show Chin-Hwa that Taehyung really was abused, but at the same time, he wanted it to be a spot that wouldn’t hurt so badly. He decided to go for the cheekbone, it was a hard bone that could take the impact and it hurt much less than a punch in the eye or in the nose.

“Never hold this against me,” he breathed out.

“Never,” Taehyung reassured him with one last smile.

And then Jeongguk swung his arm, not as hard as he would if he was fighting someone, but still hard enough for it to have an impact and show for days.

*

“Oh shit, what the hell happened to you?” Hoseok gasped when Taehyung opened the door, sporting an ugly bruise on his cheek.

“Did you get attacked again?” Yoongi wondered, frowning.

“No, Jeongguk did it,” the younger replied casually, stepping aside and letting the other two in the room.

“Jeongguk, what the fuck?” Hoseok snapped at Jeongguk who just stepped out of the balcony, caught off guard and looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Why the fuck would you do that to Taehyung?” Yoongi growled.

“Guys, guys, it’s not what you think,” Taehyung came between them and Jeongguk. He found it sweet that they were so protective of him, but he needed to explain the situation: “I asked him to do it, it was on my request.”

“What?” Hoseok stared at him: “I mean, I knew you guys were kinky but this?”

“Why does everyone think it is my new kink?” Taehyung rolled his eyes: “No, it is for appearances, I asked Jeongguk to punch me to make it more believable to Chin-Hwa that I was with him against my will.”

“I see that you are really dedicated,” Yoongi commented.

“It hurts like bitch, but we need him to believe me,” Taehyung shrugged.

“I didn’t want to do it, for the record, he made me,” Jeongguk grumbled. His knuckles still hurt, but every time he looked at Taehyung in the past couple of hours, it hurt even more, he hated that he did that to him, even if the elder asked him to.

“Are you ready?” Hoseok turned to Taehyung.

“As ready as I can be,” Taehyung nodded.

“You should leave your phone here, Chin-Hwa would have taken it anyway,” Yoongi lectured him: “He will be suspicious, at least at first, he is going to think that you are playing him and you are still in touch with Jeongguk.”

“But I need to stay in touch with him,” Taehyung frowned.

“We will get you a phone in secret later.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense.”

“JK, do you have some rifle here?” Hoseok turned to the younger.

“Yeah, why?”

“Before we leave, we need you to fuck up our car a little, we will make it look like Taehyung ran from you and asked us for help and that you came after him and went berserk when you saw he was leaving.”

“Seeing indents from bullets will make Chin-Hwa believe us more,” Yoongi nodded.

“Not a problem,” Jeongguk shrugged.

“I still need something to buy Chin-Hwa’s trust,” Taehyung said. That was something he had been thinking about for the past week, but he didn’t really come up with anything. Hoping that Chin-Hwa was going to believe him blindly was not enough.

“You should tell him where I am,” Jeongguk spoke.

“What?” the elder frowned.

“Giving him my position would do the trick, it would convince him that you really want me gone,” the hitman started explaining.

“I am not gonna do that, he is probably gonna send like twenty gorillas for your ass!”

“And I will get away as always.”

“You don’t know that, if you get ambushed, they might get you and I am not gonna be responsible for that,” Taehyung protested with worry written all over his face.

“I think Jeongguk is right, you should do it,” Yoongi jumped in.

“What? No, hyung, that is crazy. I know he is good, but how do we know that this time they won’t get him?”

“When I know that I should expect them, I can prepare for it,” Jeongguk stepped to Taehyung, speaking more softly. He understood why Taehyung didn’t like it, just like he didn’t like that Taehyung was going to Chin-Hwa.

“But how are we gonna do it anyway? Logically, you can’t stay here, that would be too suspicious.”

“No, I will leave, after I watch you run away, I will get on the move, knowing they might come after me,” Jeongguk said: “But you will have an information where I am headed next, you will tell Chin-Hwa that you saw me looking at a map and I didn’t know that, so that’s where I headed next.”

“I have some C4 in the car, I can leave you some, when they come after you, you can blow them up,” Hoseok suggested.

“That is not a bad idea, I won’t go to any motel, I will find some empty, old house, so I don’t risk hurting anyone,” Jeongguk hummed, already starting to plan in his head.

“We should go,” Yoongi said.

“I am gonna take a quick shower and then we can go,” Taehyung nodded, grabbing fresh clothes and disappearing in the bathroom.

When he was gone, Jeongguk turned to his friends: “Promise me to take care of him no matter what. If you sense some trouble, just get him the hell out of there, doesn’t matter if your cover gets blown.”

“We promise,” Hoseok reassured him seriously: “Tae’s safety is our priority.”

“Where do you think Chin-Hwa will let him stay? If he does?”

“In his house, probably.”

“But then you won’t be able to look after him at all times, will you?” the younger frowned.

“Chin-Hwa has a main house in which he lives, but there is a house on the property where lots of his men stay, us included,” Yoongi said: “We won’t be with Taehyung twenty-four-seven, but we will be close enough most of the times.”

“Fuck, I don’t like this,” Jeongguk grumbled: “It hasn’t even occurred to me until now that you won’t be with Taehyung in the same room. You won’t be able to protect him at night.”

“It is risky, not gonna lie,” Yoongi hummed: “But Chin-Hwa is not into young guys, he won’t try anything on Tae.”

“Sexual assault is not the only thing he can do,” Jeongguk retorted: “He can still hurt him, or someone else might.”

“We will try to stay as close as often as possible,” Hoseok said: “He will be fine, Jeongguk-ah.”

“Don’t make promises that you can’t keep,” Jeongguk mumbled: “If anything happens to him, I am gonna come for your asses too, because you supported his idea while I didn’t want to let him do it.”

“Noted,” Yoongi nodded: “Now come on, grab that rifle and fuck up our car, it must look like we barely escaped from you, that’s a plausible excuse of why we ran instead of trying to get you.”

The sun was setting when they all walked out to the parking lot. The car in which Yoongi and Hoseok arrived had bullet indents in it, Jeongguk made sure to not hit the tire, but made it look like that was his intention and he just missed.

“Be careful,” Hoseok gave Jeongguk a short hug.

“We will try to make Chin-Hwa send us too when he gives the order for the attack,” Yoongi said: “That way, if it looked like you were in trouble, we would help you.”

“I am gonna be fine,” Jeongguk reassured them, not really fazed by the prospect of being attacked in a few days, he had faith in his abilities, when he knew that they were coming, he was going to be ready.

“Don’t get yourself killed,” Yoongi looked at him seriously, but then he pulled him into a hug and whispered to be careful.

After saying their goodbyes to Jeongguk, they went to sit and wait in the car, giving him and Taehyung space to say proper goodbyes too.

“Don’t take unnecessary risks,” Jeongguk stepped in front of his lover, looking at him worriedly: “Be smart and don’t be reckless, Chin-Hwa is not stupid, you need to be really careful with what you do or say around him.”

“I will make him believe that Junghyun was the love of my life and that I want you dead. And when the hyungs get me a new phone, we will figure out together how to get you close enough to Chin-Hwa to kill him,” Taehyung nodded. His heart felt heavy, he didn’t like being separated from Jeongguk. It was funny, really, when he remembered that months ago when they were chased out of their home and he learned the truth about his fiancé, he wanted to leave. But being with Jeongguk always made him feel safe, he wouldn’t have stood a chance without him by his side, Jeongguk and his skills and experience saved their lives on many occasions.

“Can you keep this safe for me?” Taehyung suddenly asked and Jeongguk was confused for a moment, but then he looked down when he saw Taehyung fumbling with his hands. The elder took the engagement ring and slipped it from his finger.

“It belongs to you,” Jeongguk shook his head: “You kept it until now, don’t give it away.”

“Saying that I hate you wouldn’t be too convincing if I still wore it,” the elder explained his reasoning, pressing the small band in Jeongguk’s hand, closing his fingers around it before he looked him in the eyes: “Chin-Hwa did his research, he most likely knows that we got engaged, it will just feed to my story if I tell him that I flushed the ring down the toilet or something, when I found out you killed Junghyun.”

“Well, I hope that you will let me put it back on your finger when we reunite,” the younger caved in, putting the ring in the pocket of his jeans. Last night gave him hope that they were going to be alright, the intimacy and the confessions they shared had to count for something.

“We’ll see,” Taehyung replied ambiguously, not wanting to give Jeongguk a definite answer just yet. But to show that things had changed, he pulled him into a tight hug, his throat closing and eyes stinging, because separating from Jeongguk turned out to be much harder than he thought.

“Take care and be careful, I am gonna miss you,” Jeongguk whispered against his neck, squeezing him tighter in his embrace.

“You take care too, don’t let them get you now,” Taehyung whispered back.

“I have survived so far.”

“I forgive you,” Taehyung breathed out, feeling like he needed to say it and knowing that Jeongguk needed to hear it. He added: “I understand why you lied, I know that you wanted to protect me and that you didn’t want to lose me, for that, I forgive you. Just don’t lie to me ever again, no more secrets.”

“No more secrets,” the hitman reassured him, feeling emotional, because until now he didn’t even realize just how much he needed Taehyung to say those things. And even though he apologized many times before, he still added: “I am sorry for everything, angel, I am never gonna hurt you again, just get back to me in one piece and we will figure out  the rest later, okay?”

“Okay,” Taehyung breathed out, pulling back and their gazes met for a moment before they leaned in at the same time and kissed. It was slow yet passionate and it was filled with hope and promises, promises to reunite in health and hopefully without running away from angry, dangerous gangsters.

Jeongguk held onto Taehyung’s hand when Taehyung pulled back and stepped towards the car. Their fingers brushed one last time as they finally let go and then Jeongguk watched Taehyung get on the backseat. And he stood there and watched as the car drove away and he felt so fucking scared, because for the first time since he met Taehyung, he knew that there was nothing he could do to protect him.

For at least twenty minutes, no one in the car spoke. There was just soft music filling the vehicle, but Taehyung didn’t mind. He was sad and also incredibly nervous, praying that Chin-Hwa was not going to kill him as soon as he saw him. Technically, he had no reason to hate Taehyung, they only met like twice when he was with Junghyun, to Chin-Hwa, Taehyung was probably one of many people that his son was fucking and abusing since he was just a teenager. It was his connection to Jeongguk that made Chin-Hwa obsessed with a personal vendetta, so Taehyung had to make him believe that he had nothing to do with his son’s murder, which was true, but the gangster was not going to want to hear that.

“So…you and Jeonggukie looked pretty cosy just now,” Hoseok suddenly spoke, bringing Taehyung back from his thoughts.

“Well, it was not easy to say goodbye,” Taehyung replied, knowing that was not going to be enough, the two men surely wanted some gossip.

“When we first saw you months ago in that safehouse, you were barely speaking,” Hoseok pointed out.

“Well, I was really pissed off at him, at all of you.”

“But you are not anymore, it seems.”

“We have been through a lot in the past months, he killed people for me, I killed someone for him…I guess that changes things whether you want it or not.”

“Fucking also changes things,” Yoongi suddenly said, so bluntly and unexpectedly that it made Taehyung choke on his saliva.

“W-we, we…”

“Cut the bullshit, we know about that,” Yoongi said, glancing at him through the rear-view mirror: “Jeongguk is not one to gossip, but he was really fucking happy that he couldn’t help himself and told us.”

“Told you what exactly?” the younger wondered.

“That you fucked a couple of times in the past weeks.”

“We did it last night too,” Taehyung admitted.

“Not surprising, goodbye sex is always emotional and good,” Hoseok grinned at him.

“It wasn’t just…goodbye fucking…”

“Your emotional-ass goodbye at that parking lot made that pretty obvious,” Yoongi deadpanned.

“So are you two back together? Are you okay?” Hoseok turned to look at him from the passenger seat.

“It is more complicated than that,” Taehyung mumbled, avoiding eye contact: “Some things are not mended that easily, what he did, how he lied…that’s not something a couple of hook-ups can repair.”

“But you are on a good way, aren’t you?” 

“I guess.”

“I think there is something you should hear from someone other than Jeongguk,” Yoongi said, looking at him through the mirror before he focused back on the road, but he continued speaking: “He really loves you, that was not a lie, that was not some sick game. And he always hated that he was lying to you and that really says something, because he is normally really good at lies and secrets. It was destroying him, but he was really scared of losing you, that was what held him back from being honest with you.”

“I get that,” Taehyung replied and Yoongi’s reassurance meant a lot. He was right, it was good to hear it from someone other than Jeongguk, it was good to get the perspective of people that had known the younger for longer than Taehyung had.

“We should establish some code, safe word in case you were in trouble and needed our help,” Yoongi changed the topic.

“That will only work if you are close enough to hear me though.”

“Not necessarily,” Hoseok said, opening the compartment in front of him, taking something out and handing it to Taehyung.

“It’s a wireless earpiece with a mic in it,” he started explaining: “Namjoon gave it to us, kept a couple after he and Seokjin officially left the gang. He gave them to us when we infiltrated Chin-Hwa’s gang to stay in touch with each other and with them. Now you have one too, your hair is pretty long so your ears are covered, you can wear it all the time.”

“When you turn it on, we will hear everything that is going on around you and if you got in some kind of trouble, we are gonna hear it,” Yoongi added.

“Well, that makes me feel a bit better,” the youngest admitted.

“Hence the code word, it should be something inconspicuous, something that you can easily sneak into a normal conversation, but something that will immediately tell us that you need us.”

“Well, it should be something that I remember easily,” Taehyung thought out loud: “How about orange?”

“That is too casual, you might say that out of context and we don’t need for us to come in with guns blazing.”

“Then…I don’t know, how about Busan?”

It was one of the first things that came to his mind, the birthplace of Jeongguk, he had no idea why he thought about that, but it seemed easy enough to remember and incorporate in a conversation.

“That should work,” Yoongi hummed: “There is nothing suspicious about a city name if you use it in a certain context. Busan works, just remember not to say it without the intention of calling us.”

He and Jeongguk were not hiding that far from Seoul, so the ride to the capital wasn’t that long. And the closer they got there, the more nervous Taehyung was. He missed Seoul, for months returning to the city that he has been calling home for years was something he wished for more than anything, but now, his stomach felt heavy, because he had no idea what was waiting for him there.

“We are almost there, are you ready?” Hoseok turned to look at the younger with a worried smile.

“As ready as I can be,” Taehyung breathed in and out.

“I am gonna call Chin-Hwa to expect us,” Yoongi announced: “It would look weird if we just showed up with you without at least some previous notice.”

Taehyung didn’t dare to speak when Yoongi grabbed his phone and dialled the gangster’s number. When he spoke, he spoke surely and strongly, making Taehyung remember that he, Jeongguk and others had been doing this for a very long time, they had nerves of steel.

“Good evening, boss, I am sorry to bother you so late,” Yoongi said when the phone was picked up with a rough voice on the other side. He put it in handsfree mode, so Hoseok and Taehyung could hear everything.

“I hope you are calling with good news,” Chin-Hwa replied: “Did you find them?”

“We did.”

“And you are still alive, so I take that as a good sign. Did you get them?”

“Not exactly,” Yoongi said, contemplating his next words for a moment before he added: “Things didn’t go exactly as we planned them. We didn’t get Jeon, we were lucky enough to get out of there alive, but we are not coming empty handed.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“We’ve got Kim,” Yoongi informed him, glancing at Taehyung through the mirror, now there was no coming back, they couldn’t just drop him off and ride off, the plan was happening.

“You managed to get that bitch?” Chin-Hwa breathed out and the tone of his voice suggested that he was surprised as well as impressed.

“He told us lots of interesting things during the ride,” Yoongi continued: “We were contemplating whether we should just shoot him and throw him in some ditch, but I think that you might want to spare him and hear what he has to say.”

“What could he possibly say that would make him useful?” the boss scoffed.

“He knows where Jeon is off to next, but he refused to tell us, he said that he will only talk to you.”

There was a moment of silence, the moment of truth, the moment in which Chin-Hwa was going to decide whether he wanted to hear what Taehyung had to say or not.

“Bring him to me, I suppose that questioning him won’t hurt,” the older man decided and then the line went silent.

“Well, the first step went well,” Hoseok commented.

“Thank god,” Taehyung hummed.

“Sorry, Taehyungie, I am gonna have to tie your hands and mouth, it will look a lot more convincing, you are our prisoner after all.”

“Do what you have to,” the younger nodded with determination in his eyes. He made Jeongguk punch him to convince Chin-Hwa, being tied up and gagged was the least he could do to play his part properly.

They made a quick stop by the highway and Hoseok got out of the car and restrained and gagged Taehyung, it all took just a minute, then they got back on the road.

Only ten minutes later, they were driving through a gate onto a big property just at the Eastern end of Seoul. There was a big mansion in front of them with few smaller houses and buildings around, Taehyung supposed that’s where many of the gang members were staying, while Chin-Hwa had the main house. He was trembling on the inside, but at least he knew that Chin-Hwa was not going to kill him as soon as he saw him, thanks to the heads up that Yoongi gave him on the phone. The old man was too intrigued to hear what Taehyung had to say, he was especially eager to get any information on Jeongguk’s whereabouts, because the Golden Phantom was his main target.

His heart was hammering in his chest when Yoongi stopped the car in front of the mansion. Hoseok helped him out of the car.

“Come on, move your ass,” Hoseok poked him, speaking loudly, he and Yoongi couldn’t show any resemblance of friendliness towards him.

Yoongi reached the door first, knocking on it.

Taehyung was barely breathing when the door finally opened, he was half expecting some butler or some minor gangster. So his heart started beating even faster when he saw Chin-Hwa himself, standing there in all his dangerous, mob boss glory, staring at him with dark, hateful eyes.

“Take him in, we are going to have a nice, long chat in my office,” the boss ordered and then he turned around and walked off.

“You heard him, go,” Yoongi shoved Taehyung forward and into the luxurious entry hall, and normally Taehyung would have probably stopped and admired the exquisite furniture and art work, but now, the only thing on his mind was that he was hoping to not get killed tonight.

Chapter Text

Taehyung only met Choi Chin-Hwa twice, as far as he could remember and that was years ago. But the man hadn’t changed much, there was just more grey hair amongst the black ones on his head, and maybe there were more wrinkles on his face, but that only made him look more intimidating and powerful.

Even now, as he sat behind the expensive desk and Taehyung stood there in the middle of the study with his hands and mouth tied, Chin-Hwa looked dangerous and cold, it was his eyes that made everyone feel uncomfortable, those same eyes that Junghyun inherited from him and that Taehyung still remembered all too well. But now he had to play his part, he had to make this powerful boss believe that he was still in love with his piece of a shit of a son.

Chin-Hwa was just staring at him, not saying anything and Taehyung was getting more nervous in the silence. Some irrational part of him thought that the man could see right through him, that he could tell that he was up to no good, but he told himself that he was just paranoid.

“Tell me what happened,” Chin-Hwa finally spoke, turning his attention to Yoongi and Hoseok that were standing on Taehyung’s right.

“It wasn’t hard to find the motel they were staying in after checking the traffic cameras, we saw what exit they took so we drove around the area,” Yoongi took the word: “We had no idea if it was the correct motel when we drove to the parking lot, but we didn’t even get a chance to start looking for them. Just when we arrived, we saw someone running out to the parking lot.”

“It was Kim,” Hoseok continued: “He looked really scared, we thought that maybe someone got to them before us and that he was running away from attackers.”

“I didn’t order anyone else to look for them,” the boss pointed out.

“He wasn’t running away from attackers, we understood that pretty quickly,” Yoongi spoke again. Taehyung was glad that they were asked to speak first, because he could use their story when he spoke later, so he was carefully listening to not miss out any detail that would make their stories differ, which would make Chin-Hwa suspicious.

“Soon after him, Jeon ran out of the motel with a rifle,” Yoongi added: “He looked really pissed off, he was shouting and cursing Kim. It looked like…Kim broke free and he didn’t like it.”

“Oh, do lovebirds have trouble in paradise?” Chin-Hwa scoffed, glancing at Taehyung with an amused, cruel smile but he quickly turned his attention back to the other two men: “What happened next?”

“We got out of the car, and as soon as we did and Kim saw us, he ran to us and yelled for help,” Hoseok said and Taehyung couldn’t help it but be impressed by how the two friends seemed to complete each other perfectly. Did they previously talk about what to say? Or were they just used to working together so much that they could improvise on the spot and come up with a seamless lie?

“He had no idea who we were, I think he just ran to the first people he saw,” Yoongi continued: “There was not much time to think about what to do, because when Jeon saw us with Kim, he went mental and started shooting at us. So we just stuffed Kim in the car and drove off, the car is a bit damaged, but not to the point we couldn’t escape.”

“Well,” Chin-Hwa said, making a pause before he added: “It was probably the smartest thing to do under given circumstances. We all know that Jeon is extremely dangerous, lingering would be stupid, standing face to face with him when he’s got a rifle in his hands would be even worse.”

“We thought that at least we got Kim,” Hoseok nodded: “We know that you wanted him too, so the mission wasn’t completely futile.”

“I agree,” the boss hummed, standing up and walking around the desk to stand in front of Taehyung and staring at him: “As much as I’d like to capture or kill the Golden Phantom, having his bitch is good too, he might know something useful and I can finally avenge my son.”

No one said anything.

“What happened to him?” Chin-hwa asked, pointing at Taehyung’s bruised face.

“We didn’t do it, he already had it when he approached us,” Hoseok said.

“It looks like there really is some trouble in paradise,” the man chuckled: “Take off the gag, I want to hear what he’s got to say.”

Yoongi moved to obey and take off the piece of fabric from around Taehyung’s head. The prisoner’s heart was hammering in his chest, he was so fucking nervous, because now it was going to be decided whether he lived or not. He had this one chance to convince Chin-Hwa about his made up story, to make him believe that he hated Jeongguk and that he still loved his son.

“We meet again at last,” Chin-Hwa said, taking one step closer to Taehyung when his mouth was finally free. Taehyung thought he was a bit dramatic, but he chose not to utter any snarky comment, he needed to kiss Chin-Hwa’s ass and stroke his ego.

“What happened to you?” the boss asked: “Why were you running away?”

“I wanted to get away from him,” Taehyung said, putting as much hate in his gaze and voice as he could muster.

“He gave this to you?” Chin-Hwa wondered, pointing at his cheek.

“That’s just one of many he has given me in the past months.”

“I thought you were like Bonnie and Clyde, it certainly looked like it when you were running away from my men and leaving corpses left and right.”

“I had no choice in that matter,” Taehyung grumbled: “He held me against my will.”

“Really?” Chin-Hwa asked, one eyebrow rising, obviously intrigued by the new information.

“He essentially held me hostage,” Taehyung lied: “He was like obsessed, he couldn’t have accepted the thought of losing me.”

“I thought you were two lovebirds.”

“We used to be,” the younger mumbled, looking away for a moment, looking as sad as he could before he looked back at Chin-Hwa: “He lied to me, this whole time…”

“Lied about what?”

“About everything, about himself,” Taehyung said and at least that part was true: “I had no idea who he was until quite recently, until we were chased out of our home here in Seoul by your men.”

“You didn’t know he was the Golden Phantom?” Chin-Hwa asked, voice full of doubts.

“He posed as a salesman, I thought he was just a normal guy.”

“Lies!” the boss roared angrily: “Was it Taebin that sent you to be with my son, to spy on him?”

“No, I was never involved with any gang!” Taehyung said quickly.

“So should I believe that it is just a coincidence that you were with my son and that later he was killed by your current lover?!”

“He is not my lover!” Taehyung retorted, knowing that now he needed to convince Chin-Hwa that he hated Jeongguk: “He told me everything after we ran away from Seoul. He revealed his identity to me and he revealed that…all this time, it was just a sick game to him. He knew that I was involved with Junghyun, he watched him for months before he killed him. When he finally did, he seduced me, at first it was just a game to him, but then he developed this sick obsession.”

Chin-Hwa was looking at him with eagle eyes, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth.

“When he told me that…that he killed Junghyun…” Taehyung continued, making his voice break as he continued with the sob story: “It nearly broke me, because I loved him, I loved Junghyun and he took him away from me.”

“My sources from that time told me that you were broken up with my son,” the boss growled.

“We had our ups and downs,” Taehyung sniffled, eyes watering: “But I loved him and I know that we would have eventually gotten back together. Jeon ruined it though, he killed Junghyun and then he came for me, thinking it would be funny to mess with me.”

Chin-Hwa just stared at him, obviously still not convinced.

“I wanted to run away as soon as I found out the truth,” Taehyung added: “But he found out about my plan and he locked me in the bathroom of the house we were hiding in. He held me there before we moved and started sleeping in motels. I begged him to just kill me, but he didn’t, he was too obsessed with me to do it.”

“So you are saying that you weren’t with him from your own will?”

“Not since I found out he killed the only man I ever loved. I hate him, I want the fucker dead,” Taehyung said with voice dripping with hatred and he could see that Chin-Hwa’s expression changed ever so slightly. He was starting to be interested, he was starting to believe him.

“Well, your wish could be granted.”

“I know where he’s off to next, if he didn’t change his plans,” Taehyung said: “He had a map of the country to plan where to go, he didn’t use his phone out of paranoia. And he doesn’t know that just yesterday, I saw the map and the spot he marked.”

“This could be our opportunity, boss,” Hoseok spoke.

“If he doesn’t know that Kim saw the map, he doesn’t have a reason to change his plan,” Yoongi added with a nod.

“I will tell you everything, I want the fucker to burn in hell,” Taehyung said with hard voice.

“I still haven’t decided whether to kill you or not,” Chin-Hwa said with a glare.

“I understand that,” Taehyung mumbled, bowing to show respect and regret: “You have no reason to trust me, I know that you surely think that I helped Jeon kill your son.”

He looked up and met eyes with the boss as he added: “But I would never do that, I loved Junghyun and even after all these years, I haven’t gotten over the fact that he is dead. And finding out that the man I trusted killed him…I want Jeon to suffer.”

Chin-Hwa hummed, looking at him pensively. The study was dead quiet, no one dared to speak a word.

“I guess that getting the information where Jeon is going can’t hurt,” Chin-Hwa eventually said: “It might be a trap, you might be leading us there on purpose, but I will take precautions.”

“Jeon is dangerous either way,” Yoongi pointed out: “He is always ready, whether it’s a trap or not. We barely got away tonight and all he had was a rifle.”

“That is true,” the boss nodded: “Which is why we need numbers, if I send enough men, he won’t be able to get away.”

Taehyung was happy that so far, it looked like Chin-hwa believed him and didn’t want to kill him, at least not straight away. But he was also scared for Jeongguk, they knew this would happen, they were sending gangsters after him on purpose, they were doing it so Chin-Hwa would trust him. But was Jeongguk going to be able to fight off an army of gangsters on his own?

“What with him?” Yoongi nodded towards Taehyung, acting indifferently.

“I want to have a chat with him to tell me everything he knows about Jeon, anything that we might use against him,” Chin-Hwa replied like Taehyung wasn’t even in the room: “But it is late, we’ll leave it for tomorrow.”

“Do you want us to lock him up in the basement?” Hoseok asked.

“Not for now,” Chin-Hwa shook his head to Taehyung’s relief, because god knows that he didn’t want to be locked up in some home dungeon. He added: “He is my guest now, at least until I figure out whether he lies to me or not.”

Taehyung gulped.

“There are a couple guest rooms on the first floor, he can go to one of them, they all have their bathrooms,” Chin-Hwa decided and Taehyung was almost in disbelief that he was so generous. That was until the boss added: “Lock him up though, I don’t want him to wander around.”

That wasn’t a strange or unexpected request, Taehyung knew that Chin-Hwa was not going to fully trust him, he was just glad that for now, he didn’t want to kill him, that in itself was a win.

“But first, search him, now,” the boss ordered, looking at Hoseok: “I suppose you already searched him for weapons, but do it again.”

Hoseok nodded, walking behind Taehyung and starting to drag his hands over his body and into his pockets. Taehyung would have felt uncomfortable if some random gangster did it, so he was glad that it was one of his friends. 

Hoseok circled him then and searching him from the front, dragging his hands even in his armpits and hair, fingers carefully brushing over his ears in a way that made it look like he was thorough but at the same time careful to not reveal the earpiece that they gave him and that Taehyung was already wearing.

“He’s clean,” Hoseok announced when he was finished.

“Not even a phone?” Chin-Hwa asked doubtfully.

“I didn’t have the time to grab it when I broke free and when Jeon chased me with the rifle,” Taehyung replied.

The boss hummed, obviously admitting that it was a plausible explanation. If Taehyung was really running away from a captor, he wouldn’t have time to take any personal items.

“You two get some rest,” Chin-Hwa then looked at Yoongi and Hoseok: “Bring him to the meeting room tomorrow at nine, I want to question him further and I want you to be there. If he really knows where Jeon is off to next, I want to start to plan the attack as soon as possible.”

“Yes, boss,” Yoongi nodded and then grabbed Taehyung’s arm while his hands were still cuffed behind his back: “Move, let’s go find you that room.”

“Bring him some clothes, make him change in front of you and take his away,” Chin-Hwa ordered: “I don’t want to take any risks, make sure he isn’t bugged.”

“Will do,” Hoseok reassured the man and Taehyung thanked the heavens that they infiltrated the gang and that the boss trusted them enough to do all this. Because the plan couldn’t have worked if it was some other men searching him. Having Yoongi and Hoseok there was not only calming, but it became clear that it was also essential for everything to work out the way they wanted. For now, he had no idea how they were going to continue, how they were going to get Chin-Hwa to fully trust him and how they were going to get Jeongguk close enough to the boss to kill him. But he could be patient and play the long game, for now, he just had to be really careful and really convincing and make Chin-Hwa believe that Junhyun was his one and only true love and that he wanted Jeongguk’s head for killing him. 

But now, the most important thing was that Jeongguk was not caught and harmed. Taehyung trusted his skills, he saw what the younger could do, but he was still scared for his life, more so now that he finally started forgiving him and when they were on a good way to mend their relationship and be happy again.

*

Taehyung spent the first day with Chin-Hwa, his inner circle members and Yoongi and Hoseok, giving them some information on Jeongguk. His story that he hated the younger had to be believable, so he made it look like he was more than happy to tell Chin-Hwa everything he knew. He pointed at a map the place where Jeongguk was off to next - but it was all planned, he knew that Chin-Hwa’s gangsters were going to come for him.

Once he told the boss everything he could, he was locked in the guest room again and he wasn’t let out for days, so he had no idea what was happening.

He didn’t dare to contact Yoongi and Hoseok first through the earpiece that they gave him, but finally one evening, it came to life just as he was lying in the bed.

“Taehyung-ah, do you hear us?” Hoseok’s voice asked.

“I thought you already forgot about me,” Taehyung replied quietly, pulling the duvet higher up over his mouth. He had no idea if the room was bugged, so he had to be extra careful.

“Of course not,” Yoongi reassured him: “We were just waiting for Chin-Hwa’s next move, we knew you were locked up, meaning that you were not in imminent danger.”

“What is going on?” Taehyung wondered, happy to hear some news.

“We are going after Jeongguk tomorrow,” Yoongi revealed: “Thankfully, Chin-Hwa ordered us to go too.”

“So it should all go according to the plan,” Taehyung hummed. Before they left Jeongguk, all four of them talked about a plan of the attack, and for it to work it was necessary for Yoongi and Hoseok to be amongst the gangsters that Chin-Hwa sent. Thankfully the two men played their parts well and over the weeks, they gained Chin-Hwa’s trust.

“Should be easy enough, we just have to direct everyone where we want them to be,” Hoseok said, positivity from his voice seeping through the earpiece, which made Taehyung calmer.

“I just hope that we will be able to convince Chin-Hwa that it was not a trap,” Taehyung whispered: “Let’s suppose it all goes well and Jeongguk annihilates the fuckers, Chin-Hwa will be raging.”

“He knows the risks, he knows how dangerous Jeongguk is,” Yoongi tried to calm him down: “Let’s hope this will earn his trust, you need it.”

“And do you think that Jeongguk can handle this?” Taehyung asked worriedly.

“He will be fine,” Hoseok reassured him: “Being a great hitman isn’t just about a good shot or fighting skills, it requires lots of planning. And sure, JK is used to being the predator and not the prey, but he’s got the brains, we planned it all out and he will execute it perfectly, I have no doubt.”

“If you say so.”

“It will be okay,” Yoongi added.

“And do you think that…I will be safe here while you’re gone?” Taehyung worried. He felt much calmer, knowing that they were always close and they would come to his rescue if anything happened, but they were not going to be there tomorrow.

“It is very unlikely that Chin-Hwa would want to hurt you,” Yoongi reassured him: “Yesterday at the meeting, he mentioned that he will keep you locked up at least until the mission to go after Jeongguk is over.”

“So I only have to worry about him when he gets pissed off that Jeongguk got away.”

“For now, it looks like he believes you, which is a good thing,” Yoongi said: “And he will probably be angry and suspect you led us into a trap, but we will tame his temper.”

“Let’s hope. Anyway, I should not talk for too long, we wouldn’t want them to find the earpiece on me. Good luck, hyungs, be careful tomorrow.”

*

“Are you sure this is the motel?” a man with a big scar on his face looked at Yoongi when all men got out of the cars to have a quick briefing when they arrived at their destination.

“This is the spot on the map that Kim pointed at,” Yoongi nodded: “And before leaving, when we did our research, we only found one motel in this area, so Jeon must be here.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s just get him,” one man said eagerly, loading a handgun.

“Do you have a deadwish?” Hoseok scoffed: “Do you know who we are standing against?”

“He’s right,” the man with the scar nodded, siding with Hoseok: “This is not some petty gangster, this is the Golden Phantom. Just in the past couple of months, he killed everyone that the boss sent after him and he did it all alone.”

“We have to be smart about this,” Yoongi hummed, playing the part and getting everyone where they needed to have them: “We can’t just storm in with guns blazing, Jeon is smart, we should be too.”

“What do you suggest then?” the man with the gun scoffed.

“I am gonna go to the reception and ask about the guests for starters,” Yoongi said: “The rest should wait here, get back in the cars, we can’t risk Jeon seeing us. He is not dumb, when he sees twenty people in the parking lot, he will know we are coming for him.”

He walked off and went inside the motel and to the reception. He didn’t really talk to the receptionist, there was no need, it was all planned beforehand, he just needed to get the eighteen gangsters that Chin-Hwa sent with him and Hoseok to follow their lead and let themselves be led into a trap without knowing.

He came back after a while, grabbing a radio to talk to everyone since they were now back in the cars.

“The receptionist said that one guy arrived a few days ago, alone, and he didn’t really talk to anyone and hadn't left the room,” Yoongi said: “That could be him. I also asked about other guests, there are around fifteen occupied rooms now.”

“That’s too many civilians to execute the attack here,” one of the gangsters replied: “The boss hates getting civilians involved, because it draws the attention of the police and we don’t need that.”

“No, we don’t,” Yoongi hummed: “For that reason, it would be for the best to wait for Jeon to come out, it will be much easier to attack him outside.”

“But you just said he hadn’t left the room since he arrived,” some guy pointed out in the radio.

“The receptionist also said that he hadn’t come to their restaurant to eat, which means that he must have some stocks right there in his room.”

“Which means that he must come out to do some shopping,” Hoseok finished for him.

“But that could take days,” one of the men protested.

“Then we will wait for days,” Yoongi said casually: “We are on an important mission, the boss wants him, too many failed before us. We are in advantage now, we know where he is and we have numbers, he is a legend, but he doesn’t stand a chance against twenty of us.”

“We should wait and attack him when he gets on the move,” a man with a rough voice spoke in agreement.

“He will come out sooner or later and then we will finally get that son of a bitch,” Yoongi said coldly and turned off the radio, glancing at Hoseok who was sitting next to him. There were other two men in the car with them, so they couldn’t really talk, but there was no need. They knew what was going to happen next, now it was mostly up to Jeongguk to follow the plan and get rid of as many fuckers as possible. 

*

Jeongguk knew that they were coming. Yoongi and Hoseok sent him a message through Namjoon and Seokjin, since they infiltrated Chin-Hwa’s gang, it was the safest option to not communicate directly with him but through their friends.

He knew at what time they were leaving Seoul and he knew how long it would take them to arrive here, so according to all the calculations, they were surely waiting in the parking lot now.

He was prepared, Yoongi and Hoseok obviously executed their part of the plan since the gangsters hadn’t stormed the motel and he was an infamous hitman, but he hated when civilians got involved. He didn’t want innocent people to get hurt, which was why it was important to get Chin-Hwa’s men to a secluded area. He prepared everything a few days ago already, so it should all be quick and easy. His only worry at this point was for Taehyung, he was scared of what Chin-Hwa might do to the elder when most of his men were going to be killed, but right now, he had to stay focused on his task.

He waited until it was completely dark outside and just a bit before eleven, he left the hotel room, armed with nothing but a gun behind his belt. It had to look like he was just going to buy some things in a local gas station, from where he was going to lead the gangsters into the trap that he prepared for them.

He walked out to the parking lot, looking around as he normally would have to see if the air was clear. No one was going to be suspicious, they were all going to believe that he was just being cautious.

He got to the car he rented after Taehyung and Yoongi and Hoseok left, he got in and he started driving.

He rolled his eyes when he saw a convoy of cars in the rear-view mirror just a couple of minutes after he got on the road. It was so fucking pathetic just how damn obvious those fuckers were, even if he didn’t know they were coming, he would have known that he was being followed. Sometimes he seriously couldn’t understand how Chin-Hwa’s gang could be the most powerful in Seoul when he was employing a bunch of brainless idiots.

He drove off the main road and to the gas station, then he parked the car. But instead of going inside the little shop, he circled the small building and headed to a bigger one behind it. He looked at the area on Google maps, using the satellite photos to find the best place to do this, and that is how he found this abandoned building.

He prepared a surprise for the fuckers, something that Hoseok left with him the last time they saw each other. Then he waited, he was a patient man, that was how he became the best hitman in the Seoul underworld, he was used to waiting for hours, sometimes even days, until he found the best time and opportunity to get rid of his targets.

“He is not inside,” one of the men that went to check inside the gas station shop returned to the others. They parked the cars right next to Jeongguk’s, ready to ambush him, but it turned out that he didn’t go shopping.

“What is he up to?” Yoongi asked, making it look like he was thinking.

“Maybe he saw us,” the member with the scar suggested: “He is no rookie, he is trained, he might have seen us following him.”

“Everything is possible,” Hoseok hummed.

“What about that building? It looks abandoned, it would be a good hiding spot for him,” another member nodded towards the building behind the gas station.

“Good thinking,” Yoongi said: “If he saw us, he wouldn’t just wait around to get attacked, he would either hide or try to attack us first and get rid of us like he did with the other guys the boss sent before.”

“Let’s get him then, he might be the Golden Phantom, but he is alone,” Hoseok said with determination, earning echoes of agreement, succeeding in hyping the others up.

“We should still be careful, for all we know he might have his sniper rifle with him and he is looking at us as we speak, waiting for the opportunity to start shooting us down like dogs,” Yoongi pointed out: “His aim is impeccable, I heard he never misses.”

“We should split in a couple of groups and search the building as quickly as possible,” one member said: “One group will go around the building and stay outside, he might count on us all going inside while he is lurking out here.”

“Yeah, we need to cover as much ground as we can, someone should stay here by the cars too in case he slipped through our fingers and got back here,” Hoseok hummed.

“You, you, you and me, we will go check the outside around the building,” Yoongi pointed at himself, Hoseok and two other men.

“We will stay here by the car,” one man said, pointing at himself and his buddy.

“And the rest of us will divide into three groups and go inside,” the man with the scar decided, so it looked like they all planned this together, even though Yoongi and Hoseok just needed to stay outside. Jeongguk prepared a nice surprise for the fuckers, going in would be a death sentence. And for Chin-Hwa to not get suspicious of them, it was crucial that they weren’t the only two members that survived, that is why Yoongi randomly chose two guys to go with him and Hoseok. They needed witnesses, they needed those two men to later tell Chin-Hwa what happened here.

They split up and got in action, passing the gas station and heading to the abandoned building. Yoongi, Hoseok and the two other men walked around the building with their guns out, searching for Jeongguk here while others were inside.

Jeongguk was, in fact, outside, he was waiting behind the building, hidden in shadows. But before they could get to him, he took out a small remote control with a single button. He waited until he saw men in the mostly broken windows on higher floors before he decided to give them his gift.

He pressed the button and the quiet night was interrupted with ear-tearing explosions. A couple of C4 explosives went off in the building where he put them two days ago, one exploded in his rented car where two gangsters were waiting. He was sure that no one survived this, no one but four men that stayed outside, but that was the plan all along. His friends and two other witnesses were spared, while the rest of Chin-Hwa’s soldiers were dead. They were going to go back to Seoul, reporting that they failed to capture the Golden Phantom yet again. 

And then it was up to Taehyung to get close to Chin-Hwa and make him trust him and then they were going to figure out how to get rid of him once and for all.