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Aug 21, 2018

6 Bullets: Chapter 01

Warnings: Death, violence, blood, suicide, deception, sexual harassment, swearing, angst

You come home after 5 years in America, but what you find is not what you expect.

Word count: 4989

My hand hits the desk in anger and even the biggest of the new recruits jumps back in fear. I can feel my lips curl back into a snarl and I have to physically make it stop. Looking over the small line, I realise how screwed I am. My sister is getting here in 3 days and they’re just not ready. If I’d had even a month - no, two weeks! - more notice, I could’ve done better. I could’ve found a different house to say I lived in, I could’ve hired better men and I could’ve finished the deal before she got here. I can’t do that all in the same day. My hands are tied and I don’t have a choice. I dismiss the men in the line and tell them all to leave but one. I beckon a raven-haired man forward and sit on the side of my desk that’s closer to him,

“Jeon, right?” I ask. It may be a little cold but I’m at my wit’s end here and I don’t have the patience for formalities. In my head I can hear the seconds ticking by, every moment closer to throwing her into this mess. I never wanted this. Especially when I was so close to leaving. The recruit nods to indicate my correct naming of him and I crack a smile. I can practically read the wariness in his eyes. That’s good. He should always be on alert,

“You’re in. I need to call two more men, and briefing is in three hours. Understood?” I state a little blunter than necessary. But does it really matter? He needs to understand that this isn’t a game and he’s not here to make friends. He’s here for a reason. With that statement I dismiss him with a wave of my hand and tell him to send the other 5 recruits home. They’re useless anyway. The man - I must remind myself of his first name soon - turns on his heel and walks away quickly, obviously hiding some sense of pride. How little he knows. This lifestyle is nothing to be proud of. I sigh as I pick up the phone on my desk and tap in a number I’ve had memorised for ages. They pick up in 3 rings like always and answer with the same greeting they’ve been using since I met them,

“Kim Namjoon speaking. What’s the problem?” His gravelly voice comes down the phone like a wave of relief and I can feel the tension flood out of my body almost instantly,

“It’s Seokjin. I need you and Jimin. Can you be here in three hours?”

“Yes.” Is all I hear before the line goes dead. I stand up from my desk and straighten my shirt. I should’ve called them first rather than messing around with new recruits. 3 days is more than enough to train up Jeon if I have Namjoon and Jimin. She’ll be safe in the hands of our old business partners and - more importantly - our friends.

~~~

You take a deep breath in as you step off of the plane, and onto the floor of the airport. You’re finally back. After 5 years of living in America, you’d finally managed to convince your auntie to let you come home. The second she gave the okay, you set about getting yourself ready. That was 5 days ago. Sure, your brother Seokjin didn’t sound best pleased by your announcement that came with no warning, but you just knew that he’d be glad to have you back. He’d sent you away 5 years ago, and you’d barely had any contact. If you were totally honest, you harboured a little resentment over that, but you understood why. It was your parent’s death. It screwed him up badly and even if he acted like it didn’t matter, you knew it did. He was the one who had found them shot to bits.

But that didn’t matter. You’re here to reconnect with your brother, not get hung up on the past. You turn your phone on and smile at the text that comes in immediately - it’s from Namjoon. He’d kept quite regular contact with you, and he’s really the big brother that Jin isn’t. It’s not that Jin doesn’t care, it’s just that he’s a hard worker - at least, that’s what Namjoon always told you when you asked after him. But Namjoon never told you what Jin was working hard at. He just breezed over the question in the way only Namjoon can, telling you that it’s just the ‘family business’ and ‘nothing to worry about’. Quite frankly, you never really took an interest until Jin actually instigated contact for the first time in ages, asking if you could push off coming home until he’s finalised a few deals. ‘Only a few days’ he had said. It seemed reasonable enough, but you didn’t see the problem. But again, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now, and you’re going to find Jin once you find the person sent to drive you home.

“HEY!!” You hear, followed by a heavy form crashing into you clumsily, “I missed you!” The form yells, picking you up into strong arms and hugging you tight. You struggle for breath and find yourself in a bit of a panic until you look down into the smiling eyes gazing up at you - Namjoon. He puts you down as he grins, dimples dazzling any person looking over at the two of you. He’s changed a lot since you last saw him. For one, he’s taller now and a lot broader. His arms look toned and muscular from what you can see under his white shirt. He’s wearing what you’d call business casual - formal trousers and shoes with a white shirt, but undone partway with the sleeves rolled up neatly - and he’s already holding your luggage in the hand he hadn’t used to pick you up. He’d also dyed his hair. Last time you saw him, he’d looked a little nerdy. His hair was usually stuck flat against his forehead but it was now platinum blond and shaved at the sides, styled up in wave. Your eyes take in the man before you and you barely recognise him as the person you consider your older brother.

“I missed you too, Joonie,” You reply sweetly, leaning up to wrap your hands around his neck, “Could Jin not make it?” You add after a bit of thought, trying to swallow the lump in your throat when Namjoon launches into what sounds like a very rehearsed excuse about a busy schedule. Busy schedule your ass! You’re his little sister, and he hasn’t seen you in years! You can feel your bottom lip quiver and you try to excuse yourself to the bathroom for a moment, but Namjoon frowns slightly and objects,

“I’d feel better if you went with someone. You never know what could happen to you in a huge place like this. There’s all kinds of weirdos wandering around. Jin sent me and a new worker he recently hired. Will you please let him wait outside?” Namjoon pleads, the red shade of embarrassment creeping up his neck at even the prospect of offering you an escort to the toilet. You don’t say anything in response, just nodding your head before trudging off to the bathroom. Waiting around for an escort will only make you feel worse, so you head straight in. Does Jin really care so little that he’ll just send a new worker to come pick you up? Someone he’s probably not even learned the name of. You look at yourself in the mirror over the sink and sigh. The bags under your eyes are showing and you look a little pale, but it’ll have to do. Blinking back tears, you exit the bathroom hastily, only to crash into who you assume to be your escort.

“Sorry,” You mutter, slowly bringing your eyes up his body and to his face. He’s quite tall - probably the same height as Namjoon - and he’s wearing what you guess to be all leather, down to his face mask. His shoulders are quiet broad and his hair and eyes are as dark as each other. He has a gentle kind of face, but the kind that seems just a little too old for him. The boy (you don’t want to say man because he looks only about your age) shakes his head slightly in response and offers you his arm. You smile thinly and take it nervously, wondering where someone would pick up on such an old- fashioned gesture nowadays. You’re guided back to Namjoon quickly, where you let go of the boy’s arm and walk with Namjoon. Unsettled doesn’t even begin to describe how you’re feeling. First, Jin won’t tell you what he does for a living. Now, he’s sending some shady guy to pick you up from the airport. You don’t know what’s coming next, but you aren’t excited for it.

~~~

Namjoon sits in the back of the black 4x4 as the other boy drives. He neglected to share his name, and Namjoon refuses to, insisting that Jin will give introductions when you get back to the house. You spend the two hour journey catching up with Namjoon, telling him everything that had happened since you last spoke with him a few weeks ago. He listens well, but you can tell that he’s a little distracted by the way he looks out of the back window every few minutes. By now, you know better than to question him, and assume that he’s just a little jumpy.

You can see the house you’re heading to from quite a way back. Your father was a business man, and amassed quite the empire over the years. When his estate was handed over to Jin, you learned that he kept a huge mansion, and Jin told you that’s where he would train new employees, so he could be sure they’d do their jobs right. You were told it was a big place, but you never realised it was so grand. You enter through large security gates, manned by several men dressed in black body armour, and find yourself greeted quite warmly by people you had never met before - although Namjoon doesn’t seem so fond of this and promptly rolls up the tinted windows up when one of them leans in to talk to you. His jaw clenches as the unnamed man drives slowly up the straight gravel path. The grass either side of stretches for a long time, and it’s all neatly trimmed and emerald green. As you get closer to the large building, you see small groups of people dotted around, all dressed in grey sweatpants and black tank tops. Some are just sitting and talking, some are running and some are doing push ups, but the large majority are walking towards a grey concrete housing unit (well, what you assume to be a housing unit) that’s smaller than the mansion, yet still much larger than a normal house.

You find yourself gawking up at the main attraction of the landscape as the car pulls to a halt, and almost miss Namjoon’s voice telling you to wait in the car for a moment - but you do see him jog up to the front door, knock three times and step back to wait for a response. Your eyes wander across the space in front of the mansion. It’s largely gravelled, but it has some outdoor seating and a grand fountain about 50 metres from where Namjoon’s stood. It must be 10 metres wide at least, and the clear water shoots up from the hand of a golden statue. You can’t quite make out what it is exactly from where you are, but it looks to resemble some sort of animal,

“I don’t know what the fountain’s statue is supposed to be either,” You hear, and jump in your seat as you turn around to see the nameless man watching you in the rear view mirror. His eyes seem to dance under your gaze, almost like he’s smiling under his mask, “But I suggest you ask Mr. Kim. He’s been around longer than me,” He adds with a shrug. You snort as you turn back around to look out of the window. Namjoon’s walking back towards the car, with a shorter man in tow. This new man stops about a few metres short of the car, but Namjoon walks right up and opens your door for you, offering you his hand so that you can climb out as gracefully as possible. You thank him with a smile as you go to grab your bags, but Namjoon stops you with a tap on your arm,

“Don’t be silly, I’ll get your stuff. Go see that man - he’s missed you,” Namjoon tells you, his dimples on full show as he turns to go to the back of the car. You walk over to where the man has stopped, a little cautious as you’re not sure who it is. As you get closer, a wide smile spreads across your face and you run towards the figure, who has his arms out for you already,

“Jimin!” You yell as you jump into his arms, feeling the man who was as much of a brother to you as Namjoon was when you were growing up wrap his arms around you as he laughs. You wrinkle your nose when you realise that he still wears that God-awful cologne that you hate. It makes him smell like an old person,

“Hey, short stuff,” Jimin teases, setting you down as you smack his chest, wishing you were taller than him, “Jin’s waiting for you in the main office, but he’s going to need a minute. He suggested I show you to your room. Is that okay?” He asks, smiling widely and offering you his arm when you nod. Jimin guides you through the huge oak doors and into a large hallway space. It’s a little empty, but Jimin explains that neither Jin nor your father ever saw much point in decorating the ground floor of the mansion. It’s just a training area, so why bother making it pretty when it could just end up broken? You saw your father’s old logic in that, so nodded in understanding as Jimin led you up three flights of stairs, to what he called the ‘bedroom floor’. He goes on to explain that everything is kitted out for weekend training courses in the other building you saw, but these rooms are for the higher ranking employees. Jimin also tells you that Jin had a room renovated entirely in just one day to prepare it for you. You’re not given long to look around, because Jimin tells you that he wants to get you to Jin’s office at 4 o’clock precisely, like he was asked to.

You have just enough time to look over the silk bedsheets and velvet curtains before Jimin’s pulling you out again. Holding onto his arm like before, you walk up the next flight of stairs and Jimin tells you to wait on the top step while he speaks to a man dressed in a nice suit in hushed tones. You’re looking over a painting hung beside you, but you suddenly hear a panicked curse word fall from Jimin’s lips, and suddenly he’s got a vice-like grip on your arm and he’s tugging you back down the stairs,

“Jin’s not ready, my watch is off by 2 minutes. We need to go back to your room,” Jimin tells you hurriedly, nearly running as he tugs your reluctant body back down the stairs. He huffs slightly and goes to pick you up, but then stiffens. The man in the suit had been stood in front of a large white door with a fingerprint lock where a door handle should have been, and that door just opened. Jimin’s fingers tighten impossibly on your arm and you whimper, trying to get away. But Jimin isn’t having any of it. You see his jaw clench and his biceps ripple as he nearly shoves you down the last few steps. He has his hand on a closest door handle when a chilling voice speaks from the top of the staircase you had just descended,

“Woah there, why don’t you let the pretty lady say hey?” The voice says, followed by a hollow laugh that sends shivers straight down your spine. You’re frozen in place, but Jimin springs into action, pushing you behind him as he stands up a little straighter. For once, you’re glad he’s taller. You don’t know why, but something in that voice screams danger, and you don’t really want to find out if you’re right. He sounds manic. Like the over-exaggerated villains in the sci-fi shows you used to watch when you were little, but more real. More terrifying,

“She’s a little shy,” Jimin nearly growls back, and your eyes widen in shock. You’ve never heard Jimin so aggressive in your life. He’d cuddled with you every night for three weeks after you lost your parents. It’s hard to believe the man who held you as you both sobbed was the same one standing in between you and the new person now. For a few moments, nobody says anything. You nearly think the man’s gone, but when you peer out from behind Jimin, you realise he’s not. You’re met with dark eyes that seem to stare right through you, so dark they’re nearly black, and containing no warmth whatsoever. The man has dark brown hair that’s parted to the side, and he’s dressed in all white, save for a black bandana around his neck, which he pulls up to cover his face once he shoots you a smile that’s all teeth, no happiness. He beckons to the two men flanking him and barges past Jimin, who barely moves. The man doesn’t turn back as he walks away, but says loud enough to be heard through his bandana,

“Remember this sweetheart, we never forget faces,”

~~~

You jump slightly in your seat as you hear your brother’s angry voice from down the hall. Once that man had left, Jimin had taken you straight through the security door, and told you stay put. Namjoon had come in shortly after, but hadn’t even spared you a smile as he hurried into what you assume is the ‘main office’. The person by the door - the man in the suit, as he is now aptly named in your mind - had followed Namjoon’s route a few minutes later. So far, no one has come out, and you’re sat impatiently where Jimin left you. You can’t hear any individual words, but Jin doesn’t sound happy. If you weren’t so shaken from earlier, you’d be pressing your ear against the door right now. But the way that man had scared you with just a few words was so new to you, and you don’t know how to react. The way Jimin had defended you had thrown you off, as well. What kind of business is your brother running?

You’re playing with your fingers as the man in the suit comes out of the main office. He stops in front of you, murmuring that you can go in now. You then stand up nervously, legs shaking as you step towards the door you’d seen Namjoon and Jimin enter. Part of you is scared about the happenings of that day, but part of you is just scared to see your brother. It’s been so long, but you know you won’t have time for the family reunion you’d wanted. You have too many questions.

The room you enter is very large. The back of it is a taken up by a glass window, and the flooring is a luxurious white carpet that extends half a metre up the wall before changing to a beige wall paper that compliments the simple colours of the room. A black leather couch sits against the length of the left-most wall, and is opposite a large cabinet. The first quarter is glass, and filled with books and various other ornaments, but the rest of it is opaque, the right-most part seeming to be locked like the door that the man in the suit had been standing in front of. Your eyes gradually move to the large desk at the back of the room, which is covered in large stacks of paperwork, and has a large PC on it, with three screens. Sat against the desk is who you assume is your brother - although you barely recognise him. He’s grown up a lot in the last 5 years, and he’s dressed in a fine suit, hands in his pockets as he watches you closely. When your eyes meet, he stands up awkwardly and clears his throat,

“Welcome home?” Jin says, posing it almost as a question due to his uncertainty of the situation. Even though you want nothing more than to run into your brother and hug him and catch up for the last 5 years you missed out on, it’s clear that’s not going to happen. Instead, you feel 5 years of resentment build up, and it doubles when you look at the two men who had spoken to you more than your actual brother in that time. Your eyes fill with tears as you turn to Jin, and nearly spit your words,

“That’s all you have to say after 5 years? Welcome home? Kim Seokjin, those two men there have spoken to me at least once a month since I left. Where have you been? Also, why don’t I know anything? Why can’t they tell me what you do here? And who was that man in the hallway who saw me? Why are you hiding everything from me?!” You scream, no longer able to hold it in. You hear Jimin whistle lowly and tug at Namjoon’s arms, gesturing to the door. They both move to leave, but Namjoon pauses at the door, turning back to Jin, who’s face is burning with embarrassment,

“I suggest you come clean. You may not have seen what’s hidden there, but I do. She’d be good in discipline. Better than Jimin. Tell here everything,” Namjoon says. You turn around to address the seemingly cryptic message, but the door clicks shut and you’re left alone with Jin. Your brother, who now only feels like a stranger. Your jaw clenches as you turn back around, crossing your arms as you wait for his answer. Jin sighs and stands up, rubbing his hands over his face. He walks slowly to the large cabinet, opening the first of the opaque doors. You walk closer and see a series of pictures. They’re all of your mother or your father, shaking hands with various people, or in front of different buildings. You smile fondly to yourself as you remember how you travelled a lot,

“Dad started a business some 15 years before I was born. It was an innocent business, just a coffee shop. He made the best coffee in town, and things went well for about 5 years. But one day, our mother walked in and changed that. They fell in love before they realised what could happen as a result,” Jin starts, and you let your eyes pass over one of the oldest pictures there. Your parents loved to tell the story of how they met. You can feel yourself start to choke up the way you do anytime you think about them being gone,

“That’s them there, right? They look so young and happy,” You note, pointing to the picture that you were looking at. Jin smiles and nods, pulling it down to take a closer look. His smile drops as he continues,

“It turns out that mum was running from some murder charges a few countries away. She was running, but she somehow got caught up with dad. They fell in love, and she got pregnant. Then the cops came. Dad wouldn’t let her go, so he made some deals and offered a few favours. 3 months later, he wakes up and realises that he’s in the mafia,” Jin tells you. He doesn’t even look at you as he tears down your views of your parents,

“Mum wasn’t a murderer,” You tell Jin firmly, hating that he’s saying these things. Your voice is rough from unshed tears and anger simmering just below the surface. Under that is raw pain, and the shock that comes with being told things like that. Even as you say it, you know it’s pointless. Jin’s eyes shine with tears, but he sounds almost robotic as he continues,

“So the story goes from there. Dad’s in the mafia to protect mum, and then he’s in it to protect me. Then you. He was a great father, but an even better leader, as I’ve come to learn. The night we lost them…” Jin pauses, face turning away from you even more. His voice shakes as he continues, “The night we lost them, it wasn’t a freak shooting like I told you. They were killed. Dad had become too big and too dangerous, so a rival gang took the lives of him and his beloved wife,” Jin’s voice trails out here, and you can’t help but notice how his shoulders shake,

“It’s okay, Jin. I miss them too,” You whisper, scared that if you spoke any louder, it would betray your tears. Reliving your parent’s death like this is painful, stabbing your heart in a dull mockery of how you felt when it first happened. You never knew how much Jin had on his shoulders until he told you this,

“I sent you out of the country so the same thing wouldn’t happen to you. There was a note left on one of the tables, and it said that we were next on the list. Since then, I’ve been working hard to take out the bastards responsible,” Jin finishes, with a strong tone. You’ve always admired how quickly he’s able to get a hold of himself. He opens the next door, and reveals to you a mess of photos, maps and drawings all pinned onto a cork board like in crime shows where there’s an old case that hasn’t been solved,

“What the fuck?” You whisper, stumbling back as you take it all in. Your brother must be crazy. That’s the only possible explanation in your head as you try to wrap your brain around all the information coming at you. You decide that you don’t want to believe this at all, no matter how much sense it makes deep down. You almost try to run out of the door before Jin’s gathering you up into an awkward kind of hug. There’s a sneaking suspicion in your mind that maybe this hug isn’t just for you,

“Please, just calm down. I can explain more later. But for now, I need to meet with some staff. The other man who picked you up from the airport will escort you to your room after I introduce you, and he will wait with you,” Jin pulls back and moves over to the desk, picking up the phone and speaking into it for a moment. You sigh as you see Jin’s emotional walls go back up. You thought that maybe you’d finally get to talk about things, but the hope is beaten down as quickly as it blooms.

About 10 seconds pass before the door opens, and the boy from earlier steps in and walks up to Jin, shaking his hand firmly,

“This is Jeon Jungkook. He’s a new recruit, but he’s very able. He’ll protect you for now. Don’t ask him questions. The man who you saw was Jung Hoseok. I can explain his role in all of this after briefing my staff. I may be a while, but we’ll talk over dinner. Jeon, take her to her room,” Jin states, barely looking at you as he types on his computer, dismissing you with a wave of his hand. The boy - Jungkook, apparently - offers you his arm again, but you scoff, ego wounded by Jin’s sudden business-like treatment of you. You stomp out of the room angrily, glaring at the line of men waiting outside the room.

~~~

Once you reach your room, you lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling, thoroughly annoyed. You hear the door click shut but pay ‘Jungkook’ no attention until he sits on the edge of your bed. At this, you sit up and stare at him in shock,

“What are you doing on my bed? There’s a perfectly good couch over there for you to use,” You inform him, rolling your eyes at his rude assumption that he’d be welcome on your bed. Jungkook stands up and looks at you with one eyebrow raised. You roll your eyes again and point at the white couch in the far corner, like he didn’t understand what you said. His expression suddenly changes, looking at you like a wounded puppy, before grinning,

“I don’t think so. Your brother may be the Big Boss, but I’m protecting you. I deem it necessary to be within 5 feet of you at all time,” He retorts, flopping himself onto your bed decidedly. You let out a frustrated sound and march over the couch yourself, only for him to follow you. As he walks over, you notice a slight limp in his step. You look away, but suddenly sit up straight and look again. The boy’s face suddenly strikes you as familiar, and the limp only helps you to identify him in your memories,

“I saw you when I was in America! You used to live in the apartment next to me!”

#bts #bts mafia au #bts angst #bts fluff #6 bullets

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