I'VE BEEN FREED FOR ANOTHER SEMESTER TIME TO DIE FOR A WEEK
But before I turn into a pile of ash, have...whatever this is that wouldn't leave me alone while I was trying to do my term paper
Nothing could ever just be simple.
Not a mission, not a deal, not a single damn night could just be simple. Including this one.
A night that had started as a takedown mission cause a civilian was getting a little too close to figuring out their arms ring. They were staying at some hotel downtown. The plan was to sneak to the roof of the hotel across the street and take them out through the window. Clean. Easy. Simple.
But then Hyunjin had gotten spotted, their entire mission was compromised, and now Seungmin and Hyunjin were left scrambling down eight floors trying not to have the other guests call the cops, and their escape plan was not coming fast enough. Typical Wednesday.
Seungmin would complain more about being the designated babysitter for the night (would Hyunjin ever learn to just shut his mouth on a mission? Maybe then he wouldn't need a constant escort), but hey, when was the last time he got to actually let loose like this? If only it were under better circumstances. And when he still had all his fingers.
"Need an out here Han! Didn't bring enough ammo for the whole hotel if someone gets curious!" Hyunjin's voice hissed over Seungmin's earpiece along with the dull thud and a groan of another security guard getting shoulder checked into a wall.
"Working on it! One of the guards must've called the front desk cause someone hit the panic alarm, officers gonna hit the front doors in eight minutes." Han's normally tired voice was strained between clacks from his keyboard.
Seungmin could only roll his eyes. Cops. Just what they needed on top of this shitstorm sundae. "If only loverboy here had decided that getting to his position was more important than flirting with the housekeeper, we wouldn't be in this mess." He gripped under his breath.
"I was not flirting! She had information about the target! And what were you doing? Waiting for me to fix everything like usual?" Hyunjin snapped, voice high with annoyance.
"Both of you shut it." Lee Know's cold tone cut in. "You'll have plenty of time to continue your catfight later. The last thing we need is you two getting caught and being down two members. Han, we need a plan. Now. Give me something."
Han's sharp inhale didn't make Seungmin feel better. "It's gonna be touch and go in the middle but it's better than nothing. When you hit the ground floor, take a left and then right down the first hallway. The kitchen staff should all have gone home by now so that's your out. If shit gets dicey, there's an emergency exit. The police are already on their way so what's the harm, right?" He laughed with a yawn. Silence. Seungmin could hear Lee Know's facepalm. "Geez, tough crowd."
"You have your orders boys. Get out of the building, follow Han's instructions, and get home. Quickly. Quietly. Safely. I'll get ahold of Felix to see how the situation looks on his end, try and keep them off your tail." Lee Know commanded. If the boys didn't know any better, they'd think he was the boss. Much to the offense of their actual boss.
"Bet I can make it home faster than you." Seungmin challenged, grinning to himself.
"Oh you fuckin' wish." Hyunjin shot back.
"Yeah yeah, I'm pulling up a stopwatch." The techie chuckled, clicking around his desktop. "Alright boys, on your marks, get set, go!"
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Chan's face was impossible to read on a good day, let alone on a day when something went wrong. Even Hyunjin's usually unshakable cockiness was tempered into a nervous tic of his jaw. Seungmin swallowed hard, the sound loud against the cold silence of his boss's office. The only reprieve was the steady presence of Changbin, Chan's right hand and the physical embodiment of his impulse control. Constant, quiet, impassive Changbin. But even that comfort wasn't enough to convince the two members that Chan wouldn't strangle them both if he felt like it. And he certainly looked like he'd rather do that than let them talk.
"So. Anyone wanna tell me what happened?" That's how it started. That's how it always started. Cool, calm, collected. If Seungmin were an idiot, he could believe Chan wasn't actually mad. But he knew better. And the white knuckle grip Chan had his hands locked in betrayed his deadly calm demeanor.
"Hyunjin got distracted and got us caught!" Seungmin started, making Hyunjin tense.
"I did not! I was gathering more intel! Seungmin could've jumped in sooner to help but no, cause apparently he's incompetent." Hyunjin snapped back, face flushing in offense.
"I wouldn't have had to jump in to save your sorry ass at all if you could learn to shut your fucking mouth."
"Oh I'm the sorry one?" Hyunjin sneered, looking Seungmin up and down, thoroughly unimpressed.
"You're the only one of us who needs a damn babysitter on every mission you're sent on." Seungmin said hotly, feeling his face heat in a mix of temper and embarrassment.
"At least I get missions, unlike your pathetic ass. When's the last time you were actually useful?"
"You wanna go there, pretty boy? Let's see how much intel you can get when you're missing a few teeth."
The heated tension that had been rising like a boiling pot threatening to spill froze in an instant. Chan had stood from his desk, his dead stare pinning the bickering team members in place. "Lee Know already gave me his report." Of course he did, damn left hand with a stick up his ass... "I was hoping it would sound less messy from the players on the field. Clearly, I was wrong. I really don't know what I was expecting."
"Chan..." Hyunjin tried but was quickly silenced by Chan raising a hand.
"Don't. I don't wanna hear it. You had your chance. Now you, both of you, get to deal with the consequences of your idiocy."
The two members glanced at each other in panic, their slip-up suddenly feeling much more real. Consequences was a heavy word, meaning anything from confinement to their rooms for a week to being given to upper management to get the Old Yeller treatment if they deemed them too much of a liability. Too much hassle. Too risky.
"Luckily for you, Felix checked in before you got here. Thanks to him, the police haven't connected your presence to the death of the loose thread. They think you were there for someone in the hotel. So your fuck up has been sufficiently covered." Hyunjin's shoulders relaxed, and Seungmin let out a quiet breath.
Of course there was a however. There was always a however.
"You did fuck up. Royally so. And if Felix was any worse of a liar, you two would be in some hot water with management. So you will be thanking him properly. You're staying in the house. Three weeks. Until we're sure that this blows over as some unexplained coincidence. You'll be writing proper thank-you letters to Felix, and they will be sincere." Chan glared at Hyunjin at that, making the prideful sniper look away. Seungmin could almost see the sweat beading on his brow. "And I don't wanna hear a peep out of either of you until morning. Your bickering has caused me enough problems for one night. Understood?"
"Yes Chan." They muttered like scolded children.
"Yes, Chan hyung." They repeated, louder this time.
Chan dropped back into his chair. "Better. Now get the fuck out my office. I've got other things to worry about."
As Hyunjin and Seungmin prepped to do just that, the office door burst open, revealing the last, estranged member of the team. "Aw, Channie, don't be so hard on them. You can't expect everyone to be as great as me." I.N laughed, adjusting his fur coat with an easy smile. Hyunjin sucked on his teeth while Seungmin rolled his eyes. Chan sighed from his chair. "Speaking of things to worry about." He whispered under his breath.
"Is that a new coat? Didn't you just get one a couple months ago?" Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at the youngest member.
"What, that old thing? That style is so outdated now. How am I supposed to show the wealth and power of the team if I'm not up to date with fashion? You should know better." He tutted, patting Hyunjin's cheek as he swaggered past, making the older man bristle. If there was one thing an asshole hated, it was a bigger asshole.
"What is it, I.N? Usually you call before you visit." Chan's demeanor shifted, softening almost imperceptibly.
"Management heard what happened. They sent me to get the details to prep for the PR storm. Cause apparently I'm the only one who can do anything right around here." He threw a sarcastic smile over his shoulder at the other members. "No offense."
"Sure." Seungmin snorted, grabbing an angrily mumbling Hyunjin by the wrist and dragging him out of the room before he could say something to get them in even more trouble. Though he swore he could hear a "fucking brat" and "pompous prick" in between all the angry grumbles. Seungmin couldn't really say he disagreed. I.N was an asshole. Like...a bigger asshole than Hyunjin. Which was saying something. The precious maknae had an ego the size of Korea and the wealth to inflate it. As the team decoy, so the rest of the world would leave them alone; he expected some pride. After all, how hard could it be to sit and enjoy the splendor of the mafia life while everyone else did all the work? He really wondered what had made Chan insist on bringing him onto the team some days. But hey, he wasn't the leader. He was sure Chan had a reason. Most of the time.
Whatever, Seungmin had bigger things to worry about. Like, actually writing that letter before Chan really blew his top and took another finger. Having nine was already hard enough.
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There was a gentle tapping at Seungmin's window, pulling his attention from where he was hunched over his desk, writing furiously and muttering about how holding a pencil was so much harder than it used to be.
At the window wasn't a person, not that Seungmin expected it to be considering he was on the seventh floor, but a drone. A drone carrying...was that kimchi jjigae? He all but ran to the window, throwing it open and retrieving the warm food it was holding. On top of the container was a short note. I expect that letter by morning. Eat well, don't stay up too late. - Chan
Seungmin let out a soft snort. "Softie." He muttered quietly.
"I'm telling him you said that." Han's voice suddenly came from the tinny speakers of the drone, making Seungmin nearly drop his soup. "Fucking Christ! Warn a guy before you do that, Han!"
Han just laughed as Seungmin scowled at where he figured the camera was. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help it. How ya holding up? Heard the boss grounded you and Hyunjin cause of the whole hotel thing."
He sucked in a breath, setting his food on his desk. "Yeah, that's a word for it. Making us write thank you notes for Felix for covering our asses." "What, like kids?" "Apparently." "Damn. Sucks to be you." He gave the drone a deadpan stare. "Thanks Han." "Anytime. At least he gave you dinner."
Seungmin glanced at the food, his stomach growling. Not just food, his favorite. A peace offering for taking him off duty. He supposed he could forgive his boss just this once. "Yeah, at least."
"Speaking of which, I got another delivery to make cause apparently that's all I'm good for around here." Han sighed, making Seungmin roll his eyes. "I'll see you...eventually, Min." "Yeah, yeah, see ya later Hannie."
As the drone took off again, Seungmin stood by the window, breathing in the cool night air and watching the dark side of the city come to life. It wasn't the night he asked for, but it was the one he got. It wasn't the life he wanted either, but he'd gotten that too. And maybe, just maybe, it wasn't so bad. Sometimes.
But his food was getting cold, and he really needed to finish that letter so the melancholy would have to wait for another time. He closed the window and returned to his desk, settling back into the routine he never asked for but knew too well anyway.
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For those who want a clearer explanation of the roles each member plays in the mafia, here's the list for ya
Bangchan - Leader (duh) with an iron fist and a temper problem
Lee Know - Ice cold field lieutenant and information broker, Chan's left hand who could not give less of a fuck
Changbin - The muscle, Chan's right hand and resident leash holder to keep his boss's temper in check
Hyunjin - Sharpshot sniper with an ego the size of a small country and a mouth that never stops running
Han - Sleep-deprived techie with a raging caffeine addiction, spends his time either staring at screens or getting smacked awake by other people, hasn't seen his own bed in two weeks
Felix - Lee Know's main field agent, the sunny-seeming double agent and master manipulator
Seungmin - Sadistic demolitions expert, missing a finger from the time he pulled one of his firecracker stunts on Chan
I.N - The puppet leader, lives the fancy lifestyle to take public pressure off and is otherwise insufferable
