Boss
I look at the hitman I hired who has his arm in a sling as I sit across him. I slam my hand against the desk. ‘I said I wanted results.’ I yell out of frustration. This is not what I had in mind. It just complicates things now.
‘I know but things spiralled out of control. Her boyfriend went out to get food but for some reason he came back. He knew something was up. He kept looking at me with suspicion in his eyes but if it was just him, I would have taken him out but then Minji showed up. That * is tougher than she looks but they definitely knew something was up.’ He says and I frown.
‘How could they have known?’ I ask, annoyed at the thought that that there might be a traitor in my midst.
‘It doesn’t matter. I will kill that * too. Consider it a bonus.’ He says with a sneer. I see the hate in his eyes and I nod. I know he will take care of it – after all this has hurt his ego, possibly more than mine. Who would have thought that the great Scorpion would be defeated by an idol and a girl?
‘Make sure you don’t disappoint me again. I’ll find a way to see how they may have found out. I’ll keep tabs on her.’ I say.
‘How are you going to do that? She’s not stupid. If you put a tail on her, she’ll find out eventually.’ He argues but I laugh.
‘Oh no she won’t suspect a thing. I’ll use a friend and I know just who to put to the job.’ I say with a snicker.
I’m at the Fortina Café, waiting for Chi-Won to bring Rei in. I see them walking in and I wave at them, plastering a fake, warm smile. I stand up and give a little bow to Rei who returns in. ‘Please, sit down. What would you like to drink? Anything you’d like to eat?’ I ask.
‘Just black coffee would be fine.’ She replies. I make a signal to the waitress and make my order. She nods and walks away and I look at Rei. ‘Chi-Won said you can help our family in exchange for my help. What is it?’ She asks.
‘Straight to the point. I like that. Let me first begin by saying how sorry I am to hear about your brother’s illness but I can help. I’m a business man so money isn’t that much of a problem for me. I can help with the expenses.’ I begin and I see her looking straight at me. I see that she is definitely intrigued but she is also cautious. ‘You know Kyung Minji right?’ I ask. She looks taken aback by the sudden question but she has no reason not to answer or be suspicious so she nods.
‘Yes, she’s one of my University friends. I haven’t seen her in a while because we were out on teaching practice.’ She says and I nod. The waitress comes with her black coffee.
‘Do you know what has been going on with her right now?’ I ask but she doesn’t reply as she looks at me with sudden caution. She does know. ‘I know you must think this is weird but the truth is I am a relative from her biological family. I have been secretly looking out for her because she doesn’t know me. Recently, her friend was attacked and I am scared that she might be in danger.’ I say.
‘Oh my goodness. Really? She hasn’t told me anything.’ She says, biting her lower lip. I see the worry in her eyes and I know I’ve got my hook in. ‘But what exactly do you want me to do?’ She asks.
‘Minji is very hard-headed. I’m scared she will try to deal with this alone so I would like to ask you to keep your eyes on her and report to me what she is doing. That’s the only way I can protect her.’ I say. She seems to think about it and sighs.
‘I don’t like the idea of spying on her.’ She murmurs. ‘Why me?’ She asks, eyeing me. Hmmm maybe she isn’t so stupid after all.
‘If I send someone, she might notice. You’re her friend, she’ll trust you. I’m afraid I have to keep my identity a secret from her for now so it is of utmost importance to keep this a secret. I will pay you well for the information you provide me with and you can save your brother and your family with the money.’ I say. She looks away, this clearly hitting home for her.
‘I’d be helping you to keep her safe right?’ She asks and I nod. ‘And I’ll be helping my family.’ She adds, chewing on her bottom lip. ‘There’s nothing to lose, I guess. I’ll try to do my best.’ She says.
‘I know you will and to show you how serious I am about this, here’s the first payment.’ I say as I hand her an envelope. I see her eyes go wide as she opens it and sees the money.
‘This is too much!’ She exclaims but I smile.
‘It’s nothing, really. Go help your family.’ I say. We stay chatting for a while until she decides to leave and a few seconds later, Chi Won comes and sits down besides me. ‘You did a great job Chi-Won. I’m impressed.’ I say.
‘Come on Boss. Who can resist this charming, handsome yet innocent looking face?’ He replies with half a smirk. I find myself nodding because I know he is right. He’s young and handsome and no one would guess that he works for a crime boss like myself. He’s been doing well in all the errands I send him on – whether it’s to collect money, beat up some * or lure people in. He did a good job with Baekhyun and now even with Rei.
‘I have to hand it to you Chi-Won. When I first hired you, I never imagined you’d be this good. You’ve been proving yourself really well and you have real potential. Who knows, maybe in the future, you won’t just be someone who works from underneath.’ I say and I see his face light up.
‘It would be an honour sir.’ He replies. ‘So, I’m guessing she took the bait, right?’ He asks.
‘Of course. You may have your handsome face but I do have my charm. Words are just as important as fists. It all depends on the person you’re dealing with. Rei is a family girl – she’s ready to do anything to save her brother and family and the thought that she could keep her friend safe was just a bonus.’ I say.
‘Are you planning on getting rid of Minji? She is the DA’s daughter after all. What if Yoona has already outed you or Baekhyun?’ Chi-Won asks.
‘Do not worry too much about it. Baekhyun is a coward – he would be too scared to speak up especially after what happened to his dear big sister.’ I say with a chuckle. ‘As for Yoona outing me – they have no evidence. Even if they do out me – there is no evidence we ever met or that she was at my office or that I was the cause of the accident or that I sent the hitman. Besides, I have a couple of friends in the right places.’ I say.
‘Of course you do.’ He replies chuckling. ‘Are we going to let Baekhyun off the hook though? I’ve been dying to get my hands on him.’ Chi-Won says. There’s almost a blood thirsty look on his eyes.
‘No, leave him for now.’ I say as I raise my cup of coffee and turn my head towards the TV which is showing the news.
Jimin
Two more days have passed but it feels like we’re going nowhere with the case. It feels weird to say that but I can’t help but get excited as well. The thought of helping out makes me feel great.
I can see Minji is getting impatient about the whole thing though and sometimes that worries me. Jungkook has noticed as well and we both worry that she might try to act rashly or without us. Still, I am grateful that so far, she seems to be including me and Jungkook in everything. The rest of the boys know that we are working with her father and Baekhyun but they don’t really know the details. They’re focused more on taking care of Yoona and Hoseok. If I am being honest, I prefer it that way so we don’t worry them too much.
The comeback has been pushed further for now because of Hoseok’s injury and with everything going on, it’s better that way anyways. We wouldn’t be able to focus and the girls still have to work on their school stuff so they can’t always be with Yoona. This way we can protect each other and ensure each other’s safety.
Bang Pd-nim and management took it upon themselves to explain the situation but the boys and I did a V-live from Hoseok’s hospital room yesterday to talk to the fans as well. We all felt that at least they deserved that. ARMY has been absolutely amazing. They’ve been sending constant support to both Hoseok and to Yoona, wishing them quick recoveries. They’ve been sending a lot of cards and presents to BigHit as well which are being taken to the dorm.
Yoona is still unable to walk. They’ve been trying different physical therapies but the hope of her walking is very limited. She tries to hide how sad she actually is about that. At least, there has been a lot of improvement with her memories. She has started to recall most of her memories. She no longer confuses who is who and can distinguish between the memories as well. We play games where she recalls facts and tries to make sense of them and we help her with it.
Yun and Minji will be moving to our dorm tomorrow. They have finished bringing their stuff from their old apartment. Dong-Min was quite upset to see the whole thing unfold but he did understand it was for their safety. Hoseok and Yoona will be discharged from the hospital this week as well so we’re all planning to try and do something special for them.
‘Which banner do you think is better?’ Minji asks, turning to Jungkook and me as she turns her laptop to us. There are two banners – both of them saying ‘welcome back home’. One is a royal blue with white letters and the other is more colourful.
‘The multicoloured one is pretty but the blue one is more elegant.’ I reply and she nods.
‘And hyung loves that colour.’ Jungkook adds.
‘That’s what I was thinking as well and if I’m not mistaken, Unnie likes it too.’ She says as she clicks on the blue one. ‘I’m almost done. I’ll just post the order and then we can pick them up tomorrow.’ She says.
‘I can give you a lift so you don’t have to carry everything.’ Jungkook says and she gives him a thumbs up. ‘I know that you and the girls moving in is a result of something very *ty but I’m pretty excited about it.’ Jungkook says and she smiles.
‘Yeah, me too. I mean I get to spend more time with you guys and we get to actually live the siblings living together experience. I wonder how long it will take us before wanting to kill each other.’ She says.
‘Yah! Don’t be such a pessimist.’ Jungkook retorts back but also laughing. ‘We have to think about sleeping arrangements too. I have space for one person in my room.’ Jungkook says.
‘Actually, I kind of already talked to Jin-hyung. He’s okay with moving with you so Yun can move in with Yoongi and since I share a room with Hoseok-hyung, we both agreed that I’ll move out of the room and go to the other room and Minji can share the room with me.’ I explain. Minji smiles, her cheeks going slightly red as she smiles and gives me a thumbs up.
‘You knew, didn’t you?’ He asks, turning to look at his sister who shrugs. ‘Fine. I’m warning you – don’t get her pregnant hyung.’ Jungkook says. Sometimes I don’t know if he’s joking or being serious but I quickly see the small smirk which suggests he is teasing us.
Minji’s eyes go wide and I feel my cheeks flush. I know he loves to do this because he’s obsessed with seeing me getting embarrassed and while I don’t say anything, Minji seems to have other plans.
‘Yah! Stop being perverted.’ She yells at him as she hits him on the arms and shoulders repeatedly. He wrestles with her as he pins her to the ground. I end up laughing at the two of them. ‘If Jimin and I want to have sex, we will. We don’t need your permission.’ She says with a smirk of her own. I stop laughing as I look at her. What is with these two? How can they talk so freely about this stuff to each other? I can’t imagine myself talking to my brother about sex and I’ve known him for my whole life.
‘But Jimin hyung said you didn’t have any sex.’ Jungkook retorts back. She rolls her eyes. ‘What’s with that expression? Wait… are you a virgin?’ He asks. I look at her as she suddenly pulls back, her face growing redder by the second. Jungkook’s grin grows wider. ‘You are.’ He says as he starts to laugh and I roll my eyes.
‘Stop teasing her. It’s not like you aren’t a virgin either.’ I say with a shrug. He looks at me, ready to say something when the doorbell rings.
‘Ahh finally. Food is here.’ Minji says as she jumps from her spot and practically runs to the door. She loves food but I doubt she’s ever been more grateful for the doorbell to ring. It’s literally a saved by the bell kind of situation. She comes back with the take away from the Chinese restaurant. The food smells delicious.
I wake up in the middle of the night to realize that Minji isn’t in bed. I sigh as I get out and go to the kitchen when I see lights in the living room. I walk towards there and smile as I see Minji on the sofa, with the laptop on her lap but her head laid back as she snores lightly. She’s wearing the glasses she wears when she’s using her laptop and she has papers on the table. There’s a mug which is only half full of coffee. I grab her laptop and touch the touchpad to get it back on – Student and Teacher Relations – Tutorial 7. I smile, feeling proud of her.
Even with everything that is going on, she still manages to find time for everything – dealing with the case, spending time with me, looking out for the others, working, visiting the hospital and working on her school stuff. I always thought the boys and I were good at the whole multi-tasking thing but Minji and Yun continue to impress us every day that passes. They both love to have fun and laugh but they’re also very mature. I guess going through what they have would definitely make them so.
I close off her laptop and place it on the table. Carefully, I take off her glasses and place them next to the laptop and then pick her up bridal style as I take her back to the bed. I get in as well and quickly cover her before I spoon her. I bury my face in her back and inhale her scent. She smells of citrus and I smile. ‘Jimin…baby.’ She murmurs as she seems to snuggle closer. I can’t help but hug her tighter and smile as I fall asleep, with her in my arms.
Minji and I are in a beautiful but unfamiliar house. The fireplace is crackling as I walk into the living room. Minji is sitting on the couch, correcting some of the students’ work. I can’t help but notice the wedding band around her ring finger and I smile. I see myself handing her a glass of wine while I hold one in my own hand when Jungkook comes.
‘She can’t drink that.’ He says as he snatches the glass from my hand. I look at him confused and she shakes his head and chuckles. ‘I thought I told you not to get her pregnant yet.’ He says. I look at Minji who giggles and shrugs and places her hand on her stomach.
Minji
I wake up cuddled into his arms. I don’t even remember coming to bed so I’m guessing he brought me with him. I turn around so that I can look at him. I look at his beautiful and handsome features – his blonde hair that falls messily across his forehead, his neatly formed eyebrows, his short eye lashes that make his eyes look even more beautiful while closed, his puffy cheeks that I want to poke and his rosy, plump lips that I really want to kiss. I see him smiling as he sleeps as he seems to snuggle closer to me. I prop myself so that he has his head on my chest while I play with his hair.
He starts to open his eyes while I continue looking at him. He looks slightly up at me and smiles while his grip on my waist grows tighter. ‘Good morning baby.’ He says.
‘Good morning handsome.’ I say. ‘What were you dreaming about? You were smiling so big baby.’ I say and he chuckles.
‘I dreamed we were in our home I guess. We were married and you were working and I was going to give you a glass of wine but Jungkook stopped me.’ He explains.
‘Oh! Why’s that?’ I ask, intrigued, although I have an idea where this is going. His hand slides up to my tummy, causing me to smile and confirm my thoughts.
‘He said you were pregnant and you were touching your stomach like this.’ He says as he places his hand on my stomach and I place my hand on his. I see that warm smile that seems to light up his face.
‘You probably dreamed about it because of Jungkook’s comments last night.’ I reply with a shrug and he nods. ‘He’s right though. As much as I love kids, I don’t wish to get pregnant until I graduate and have a stable job.’ I say and I see him nodding.
‘I agree. Besides, I’d rather be married first to be honest. That way our future children can have more stability.’ He says. Why is he so perfect? ‘So, does that mean you want to have sex with me?’ He asks, his tone suddenly changing but he has a playful smile on his face.
‘Of course but only when the time is right. I love you Jimin, I really do but I don’t think I am ready for that step yet.’ I say and I see him nod once more. It’s not that I don’t want to but I do believe that something so intimate should only be done in the right time, whenever that is. Maybe I’m old fashioned or traditional but I do believe that it’s something very special, especially the first time.
‘I understand. I love you which is why I don’t mind waiting, even if you want to get married first.’ He says. I look at him and smile as I lower myself down so that I am closer to his face. I touch his cheek and he seems to lean his face in my hand.
‘I always find myself wondering how I got so lucky.’ I say as I snuggle closer so that our chests are touching and our faces are close to each other. He nuzzles my nose with his own nose before he leaves a kiss on my forehead and then fix his eyes on mine.
‘You know, before I met you, I rarely gave thought to something like this. I mean getting married or having a family – I even doubted if I would ever get a chance for that because of my work.’ He says and then he sighs. ‘After Jiyeon, I doubted myself a lot. I thought that no matter how hard I try; nobody would be able to love me for who I am. I felt worthless.’ He says as he looks at me in the eye.
‘Baby…’ I begin. I remember Jungkook telling me how destroyed Jimin was after what she had done to him.
When I had come face to face with her, Jimin focused on making me feel better and making sure I saw my worth. He didn’t talk much about how he felt but I knew he had endured a lot. Even during their relationship, Jiyeon was constantly verbally abusing him but he loved her, he loved her to the point that he forgave her time and time again. She broke his heart and spirit but eventually the love from his brothers and his fans had got him to the point of seeing how worthy he is.
‘The boys and ARMY helped me a lot to start loving myself but I still wondered about it every now and then. I wondered if love was something for me and then you walked into my life. That has been the greatest thing to happen to me.’ He says as he places his lips against mine. He starts to kiss me and I kiss back, my hands going around his neck.
‘I love you so much Jimin.’ I finally say as we break the kiss. ‘Shall we get up to do breakfast? Jungkook will be hungry and we need to go to the hospital this morning.’ I say and he nods.
‘Sure but give me five more minutes of cuddling with you.’ He says and I let out a sigh which is accompanied by a small giggle as I nod. ‘I cant wait to start experiencing this more often. Sleeping with you in my arms and waking up to us cuddling.’ He murmurs and I can’t help but smile.
Mr. Kyung
I’m in my office and Baekhyun is working on his desk when there is a knock on the door. I look up and I can’t help but be slightly surprised at who I see. ‘Oh!’ I exclaim as I see him standing there. He looks tired but he walks into the office. He looks over at Baekhyun who stares at him for a moment as he realizes who he is. ‘Baekhyun… can you give us some privacy please? Maybe go have lunch or something.’ I say.
‘Sure thing Mr. Kyung. Shall I bring you some food as well for later?’ He asks and I nod. He gives me a thumbs up, closes the laptop, stands up and grabs his jacket as he leaves. Mr. Oh comes and sits down on the chair opposite mine.
‘I was expecting you to come one of these days. Minji was convinced you’d show up.’ I say.
‘Was she now? What made her so sure?’ He asks and I shrug. ‘Well she knows how to convince people. She knew exactly what to say to get me here. I want to help.’ He says.
‘I’m glad. It’s good to see you back. I missed my friend.’ I say quietly and he looks at me confused before he sighs.
‘It’s been hard Kyung.’ He says. ‘I had lost any faith in the police or the law when my wife’s murderers were never found.’ He admits and I nod in understanding. I know it must have been so difficult – living with that and raising a child on his own. It would change anyone – even someone good. ‘I’m doing this for her – my wife I mean.’ He says as he plays with the wedding band on his finger. I realize that in the last couple of times I saw him, he wasn’t wearing it.
‘I understand. I will try to keep you and your son out of it as much as possible but maybe you can give me a leeway to get in.’ I say and he nods.
‘There’s no saving my ass. I know that the moment I talk, I’ll be most likely going to jail but I want you to know that Byung has nothing to do with what I am about to tell you. It’s him I want you to protect.’ He says and I nod.
‘I will try my best Oh. I say this from one father to another. I know there is nothing more precious than our children so I promise to do my best.’ I say and he nods.
‘I know you will Kyung. Do you remember when we were in high school? The six of us were such great friends. At the time, we all thought that nothing could come between our friendship and that we were untouchable.’ He says and I nod.
‘Yeah I remember. It feels like time flew by so quickly. Do you ever wish you could turn back time? Do things differently?’ I ask and he nods.
‘Yeah a lot of times. After my wife died, I did a lot of horrible things Kyung. She’d be so disappointed with me but I am lost without her. She was the best part of me.’ He says and I nod. ‘Anyways, let us talk about why I am really here. Lee and I run an illegal business. I’m guessing that you might have figured out already. We traffic drugs and partake in money laundering.’ He explains and I sigh.
‘These are both pretty huge crimes but how did it escalate to attempted murder?’ I ask and he smiles a bitter smile.
‘It didn’t just escalate now Kyung. Lee runs another business dealing with usury. It’s not something I ever had any interest in. He charges with impossible interests. Lee does not care about who dies and he has killed before or set other people to kill for him.’ He explains.
‘Did you ever murder or have anyone murdered Oh?’ I ask as I look at him intently.
‘You might think I am saying this to save my own skin but you believe what you want. I’ve beaten up people and had homes destroyed but I never killed nor have I ever had anyone murdered.’ He replies, not looking away. I nod, knowing he is speaking the truth.
‘I believe you. Thanks to you, we know Lee sent someone to kill Ms. Sung. Minji managed to see his face. Do you recognize him?’ I ask as I take the sketch and push it forward. Oh looks at it and then nods.
‘Tuseoggi.’ Oh begins. Scorpion – how appropriate. ‘That’s his underground name so to call it but Lee and I know him pretty well. He’s been doing Lee’s dirty deeds for years now and he’s like his personal hitman. His name is Sun Jung-hwan.’ He says. I write down the name and nod.
‘Finally. We have a name to the face. We couldn’t identify him anywhere. Still, it’s going to be a challenge to find him but we will.’ I say and I see him nodding.
