Synopsis : He never seemed to give her the time of day in the way she wanted. So why does she still love him when there's someone else that loves her the way she wants to be loved? What makes it worse? They all live together.
Pairing : Kang Yeosang x Reader, Song Mingi x Reader
⚠️This au will contain a lot of mature subjects such as : swearing, drinking, sex, and much more. Readers discretion is advised⚠️
[11:02] - Composer!Jongho stretched his arms above his head, a yawn escaping from his mouth. He expected to spend another long night in the studio, tweaking and slightly modifying the track he’d been working on.
You sat behind him on one of the studio’s couches, scribbling any words that popped into your mind. Unlike Composer!Jongho, you weren’t a songsmith. Writing lyrics didn’t come to you naturally. You were particularly struck with the pre-chorus, unsure how to smoothly transition into the chorus while also taking into consideration how the background production changed in major.
Composer!Jongho swung in his chair, catching you biting on your bottom lip. You were stumped, your forehead creased as you tried to come up with a good rhyme.
“I think we should take a break,” Composer!Jongho announced, reaching for his phone, “How about we order some take out?”
Your eyes lit up at the sound of food. Composer!Jongho smiled to himself, finding you awfully cute.
He passed you his phone, telling you to order whatever you’d like. Composer!Jongho, in turn, reached for your notepad, inspecting what you’d come up with so far.
Composer!Jongho smile only grew in size, “Who are these lyrics about?” He inquired.
Your neck heated up, “No one,” You mumbled.”
“Liar,”
“Here,” You thrust his phone back, “Your turn to order,” You pouted.
Warnings: Death, murder, violence, gaslighting, manipulation, mafia themes, weapons, angst, gore, eventual smut. I'm new at this lmk if I have missed anything.
A/N: After going through fifty different life altering events I have somehow managed to finish this chapter. It was in my drafts for 7(!) months begging to be completed. Everyone pray to whatever god you believe in for my continued writing inspiration.
Chapter 2
I didn't know what woke me up.
I remained still, not wanting anyone who may have been monitoring me to realize that I was awake. Slowly, very slowly I moved my head enough to get in more handful breaths of air while trying to recollect my memory.
There was a dull, twisting ache in my arms, my head was groggy, and I felt my cheek burning. I could remember what had happened recently, with Lee Jong In and Jaemin rushing back to me all at once. I gently wiggled my toes, trying to get back sensation. I still had my socks on, which was a good sign and better cover.
After determining that I hadn't indeed broken anything in my body, I raised my head to see where I was.
I regretted it soon though, as I suddenly heard a pair of legs coming near me. Someone gripped my hair and tugged hard, a groan escaping my mouth. My head fell forward as they let go, revealing a set of feet walking in front of me from behind. I looked up at a woman's face peering down at me, distaste written on it in bold letters. I looked around instead, letting my surroundings sink in.
It was clearly an interrogation room, plain walls on three sides with a giant glass on the left. I was sitting on a chair, my hands locked behind me. An array of chairs was strewn in front of me, all of them unoccupied though I had a rough idea who would sit in them.
"Shouldn't yo-" I started but fell short, my dry throat causing me to cough. I swallowed twice, trying again. "Shouldn't you get your boss?" I motioned to the glass panel to my left, which I was very certain was see through from the other side.
"You're a cocky one, aren't ya?" She responded in a dull voice, taking a step closer. I looked at her, properly. "You're beaten up, tied to a chair in an enemy base, and you still make demands. You're cocky."
I wanted to retort, but didn't. My throat was extremely parched and I felt it would tear and bleed if I tried to say anything again. I had become vaguely aware that most buttons of my shirt were open, most likely to check for weapons. My nose curled in distaste at the thought of being touched, but there weren't any visible bruises. Before I could examine my situation a bit more thoroughly, I was yanked by my hair again.
"Yo-you.." I panted. My throat was closing up, most likely an effect of the drug I had been injected with. " You've to stop..." She gripped my face next, fingers almost digging into my flesh. "...stop doing that."
She peered into my face, and I held her gaze as much as I could. Suddenly, the door behind her opened, and I could hear feet shuffling in. The woman took a step back, and Jaemin stepped into view. He signaled the woman to leave, and with a last lingering glance in my direction she did.
He kept staring at me, waiting for me to break the silence. I took a daring glance to my left instead at the glass, as I reclined slightly and stretched. Jaemin's gaze followed mine and he smirked, voice low and very suggestive as he said, "Hoping to see someone there?" I refused to answer, though he was looking at me like he could read my mind, knew what had happened before. I wouldn't be all that surprised if he did know. Jaemin was a powerful, influential man.
There was a familiar ringing in the room, and I followed the noise to see my phone on a corner table, ringing. I could think of a lot of people who would be calling. I didn't know how much time had passed since i had left my house, I realized with a jolt. My first guess was Jun, since I had tried calling him before. Jaemin though did not look like he had any intentions of picking it up. I noticed a bottle of water beside the device, and a shiny black object. It was my gun.
"What do you want." I managed to grit out. "From you, Iseul? I could list a lot of things actually." I glanced up. He was still smirking, eyes glinting. He knew I understood what he was implying. I glanced away, and he laughed. "What were you doing at the warehouse though? It looks like you know Jong In quite well." Again, I didn't answer. My hands were aching horribly, and my eyes could tear up any moment. I shifted in my chair, slightly easing the pain. He picked a chair and sat in front of me. "Lin, I will ask you again. Why were you at the warehouse?"
"Why does your boss want me?" He didn't answer, choosing to give out a long, dragged out sigh.
"Jaemin," I breathed. "You understand that taking me has consequences, right?" "Oh darling," He leaned in close, voice losing a few octaves. "I know who you are. " My blood chilled as he continued, "You're not that discrete about it." I dared to look at him, dreading his expression. Jaemin though looked unfazed.
"Lin." He waited till I looked back up, hesitant. "You may not realize it, but it is very important that you have an explanation for why you were at the warehouse when you were."
I weighed my options carefully. I didn't want to sound suspicious, but I couldn't give up a lot of information either. I didn't have to in the end, because just as I was about to say something, the door opened, and-
"Iseul?"
A bewildered tone from another familiar voice rang, and I looked up at Jung Wooyoung who was already staring at me. Despite myself, I smiled. A short, clipped, pained smile which had nothing to do with my aching jaw. "Hello, Wooyoung."
"Why are you here?"
"Jaemin here," I cocked my head towards the sitting man. "was just telling me that."
Wooyoung looked at his colleague, waiting for an answer. Jung Wooyoung was, for a lack of a better word someone I would go as far as calling a friend. Outside of business, obviously. He was easy to get along with when he wasn't working. Said friend's voice broke me out of my haze as he said,
"When Yeosang said Hyung caught an interesting fish, I hadn't expected to come see a Lin tied in our building. Iseul even more so."
So the other person in the warehouse waiting in the shadows had been Kang Yeosang. Another chill threatened to run down my spine. Just what had I gotten myself into? I definitely regretted going alone. This looked serious. It didn't help that I could still feel a sharp gaze on me from somewhere. Wooyoung's face showed slight confusion, and something else which he quickly covered with nonchalance.
He gave Jaemin a look, to which the latter simply shrugged. "Park's orders. I had no say in it."
"Wooyoung?" I asked tentatively. He spared me a glance, willing me to continue. His expression had changed after Jaemin's words. It was clear he did not want to do anything that could go against Park Seonghwa's wishes. I swallowed, indicating at the table. "Could you get me some water?" He looked visibly relieved at my request, and moved to get the bottle. Kneeling in front of me, he held it to my lips.
"Why do you want me?" I whispered in his ear so low, even he would have trouble hearing it. But he refused to answer, jaw clenching ever so slightly and with good reason. I sighed, focusing instead on getting the liquid down my parched throat. He stepped back, screwed the cap shut and threw it at Jaemin, who caught it easily. Without looking behind, he went out of the door, expression grim and rapidly conversing with someone who must have just arrived outside.
Their tone suggested they weren't happy about something, but my connection was lost as the door shut off completely, leaving me alone with Bang Jaemin who kept staring at me with a closed off expression.
I decided to ignore him, closing my eyes instead. I was tired. Beyond anything, I was tired and aching. Tear were threatening to form at the back of my eyes so I kept taking long subtle breaths through my mouth to let the feeling pass.
"Lin."
I remained still, not having the energy to look up. Jaemin took this as an invitation to go on. "Listen up, Lin." His voice was low, slight urgency in it. It felt like he did not want the others outside to hear us. Jaemin was definitely older than the eight of Ateez, and that too by a lot. He was also almost as powerful as them, and definitely had half of the criminal side of Seoul quaking at his name. Very few knew why he hadn't tried becoming a kingpin, and a lot wondered including me. His power was second only to Kim Hongjoong and his circle. Men in Ateez respected the fuck out of him, and his word was usually law. He had a lot of assets to his name as well, it wasn't as if he didn't have interest in amassing power. Quite the opposite was true, if you knew about him at all. Yet, he refrained from going after the highest spot. He was truly a confusing man, if not more so than his boss.
"A word of caution for you," he started. "whatever you've done, cut your losses and move on. Seonghwa is not very forgiving. Don't rub him the wrong way, given your history. He won't hesitate to put a bullet in your skull, Lin blood or not."
I said nothing. Its not as if I didn't know that already. I had met the man before, after all. Jaemin pulled back, seemingly done with his caution. My phone rang again. I looked at it and then at the man in front, who this time actually did get up from the chair and walk towards the device. With a glance at the screen, he declined the call.
The door opened yet once more, the woman from before walking back in. A man followed her in, whispering something in his boss's ear before taking his place at the wall near the door. Jaemin looked ready to leave. Someone tall walked in again, this time with a chair in hand.
Excluding the newly brought in chair, there were six lying around the room. The woman strutted towards me, with a sway to her walk that definitely wasn't there twenty minutes ago. She grabbed my face again, making me look up at her. She was enjoying this, clearly. This show of power over me. Her smug face made me see red. I yanked her right leg to the side with my left leg, and kicked her kneecap hard with heel of my foot. An audible pop echoed with her scream, and a masculine curse from the man who had brought the chair in.
"I'd told you not to do that. I will break your leg if you do it again." I gritted out. "Know your place."
She got up, her leg wobbling from the harsh impact. A sharp sting reverberated through my cheeks, probably because she must have punched me again. She was strong. But now I was madder. I prepared to kick her again, this time with the intention to break.
"Jen, you should leave." The man said in a tone that exuded gentle finality. She stepped back, not liking the order. I looked at the man, recognizing another face. Jeong Yunho. Whatever gentleness he had in him disappeared as he looked at me. He took a seat, looking relaxed as he eyed me up and down. His gaze didn't even bother stopping at my exposed torso.
"I have to say, when Wooyoung said Yeosang brought a Lin I didn't really believe him at first. Looks like he really did drag the princess out of her castle."
I pointedly ignored his last jab. The man at the door held it open and a few more bodies lined up, taking up places on the empty chairs. I watched Wooyoung come back in, followed by a person I did not want to talk to. I wouldn't know what to say anyway.
"Holy, that really is her." I looked at the latest man to say that, who seemed to be saying it to Yunho. So that was Mingi, I mused. He wasn't really seen outside much. He took a seat beside the former man, looking at me with slight curiosity. My gaze veered left, making contact with a set of eyes who looked like they wanted me to catch fire.
"Long time no see, San." I addressed him, knowing he wouldn't like it. Jaemin had warned me about not provoking Seonghwa, but he hadn't said the same about anyone else.
Wooyoung held his friend's arm, silently asking him to not take my bait. I smiled widely, despite myself. I was sure my eyes would be gleaming. The looks on the other's faces was confirmation enough.
"My my, it really is true." I groaned at the voice, knowing fully well whom it belonged to. "Yeosang was right, Seonghwa has brought in an interesting little bird."
I looked at Kim Hongjoong, the leader of Ateez. He was dressed like he had just travelled here, a black coat over his no doubt immaculate clothes underneath. "Really, Kim? You are calling me little?" I was taller than him.
He gave a smile, "Really, Lin? You are provoking me?" "Dragging me here has consequences, Kim. You know that just as well as your right hand. You can't hold me here, not like this. Not without an explanation." "I'm here to simply watch, princess. I trust my right hand enough." I gritted my teeth. "And where is this right hand of yours? Fashionably late?"
I wondered if I shouldn't have said that, because like a summoned creature the doorway darkened with two shadows, Kang Yeosang and Park Seonghwa himself.
Yeosang took a chair without any looks in my direction, face cold as always. I finally forced myself to look at the last person who had come in. He was already looking at me, a smirk on his face as he brought a chair forward to occupy it. I didn't fail to notice how the others were simply spectators, clearly not a part of this ploy. Except for Yeosang, but he didn't seem to be inclined to join the conversation anytime soon.
Park Seonghwa was......an enigma. An undeniably handsome enigma who was currently wearing a perfectly tailored black pinstriped suit and looking at me with eyes that looked like a predator enjoying watching his prey squirm.
"I'm hurt, princess. You don't give me enough credit for the beautiful trap I set for you. So when you ran your mouth asking for explanations, I'd have them all ready waiting at the warehouse. You bruise my ego," he fake pouted.
"Don't call me that."
"What? Princess? But it's the truth. Don't like what you are?"
I said nothing. Like clockwork, my phone's ring came back, and Seonghwa's expression changed from smirking to annoyed.
"Shut that damn thing off, it has been going off since the warehouse."
Yeosang got up silently, covering the distance in long steps. He picked my phone up and held it for Seonghwa to see, most likely to show who had been calling. He slid the ringer toggle down, and pocketed it. He must be planning to go through it later. He wouldn't find anything, except for photos- shit.
"What do you think you're doing with my phone, Kang?"
There was a sinking feeling in my stomach, he was going to look at the gallery. He was going to find out. Shit, Shit. There was nothing I could do. Dread started to settle over my already clouded mind and I was already looking for ways to explain what he would definitely deduce from one look at my photos.
"Going through it." He said matter-of-factly. I tried not to show any fear. There was no use asking him back for it, he wouldn't even entertain me.
Seonghwa was observing me with a cold calculation, and I decided to drop the issue for now. He would catch up with my fear if I continued so instead, I decided to focus on him, popping the million dollar question.
"Why am I here?"
He gave me a once over, eyes lingering on my torso. I knew what he was looking at, and I didn't want him to. "Eyes up here, Park." His gaze travelled upwards, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"
"Well, you tell me, princess. Why was Lin Iseul, the only child of Lin Baek Ho, the owner of everything in Seoul's underworld, the forgotten heir to her father's throne, the hidden queen on her uncle's chessboard, the owner apparent of every club in Gangnam, the most normal person from your family, at Lee Jong In's warehouse, talking to that man like you knew him for ages?"
He counted every title he gave me on his fingers, making a performance out of it. He looked utterly delectable doing that, and I shoved that feeling deep down.
There was silence in the room after his impressive monologue of my resume, and the guard at the door was gawking at me. I glared at Seonghwa, who looked like he had got me where he wanted. With the ball in my court. My next words would decide my future with these people. His eyes bore into mine, waiting for me to speak.
I stretched my feet a little, his eyes not missing the action. Testing the binds on my hands that had the guard touching his weapon, I took some more time to get comfortable.
"I want my phone back." I said in a final tone. A few eyebrows were raised, but I kept my gaze steady.
"No."
"Then I have nothing to say to you."
Seonghwa's lip curled. "Nothing?"
"Nothing." I repeated.
He was silent for some time. He was waiting, I realized quickly for me to break the silence. Well, he had a thing coming for him then. I knew techniques of intimidation better than anyone. I wasn't going to fall for this one. I waited with him, a challenge glowing in his eyes and boredom showing on my face.
"Why do you want it back, surely you aren't stupid enough to keep classified information on it?" I gave him an are-you-serious look.
"Why wouldn't I want it back? Its my phone after all. Wouldn't you feel weird if I went through your phone?" Come on, take the bait, take the bait. I kept my features normal, looking at him inquisitively. Hopefully he wasn't hearing my heartbeats rise.
He reached inside his jacket and fished out his own phone. One of many, I assumed.
He looked at me. "If you wanted me to untie your hands, you should have just asked."
I gave him a sheepish smile. "Now where's the fun in that?"
He threw the phone on my lap. "I know your left hand is free, princess. You are good, but you underestimate me."
I stared at him. Slowly, I brought my left hand in front. The cuffs were strong and locked, so I had simply pulled apart the chain that connected it to the other loop. My hand was sweaty and red where the cuff cut, and Park was unapologetically staring at the bind, eyes dark.
"Do cuffs entice you?"
Someone behind choked on a laugh. We had a audience, I remembered with a start. They had been so silent all this time, it was easy to forget them.
Seonghwa's eyes though were still on my wrist, unblinking. "Sometimes."
He leaned back in his chair, adjusting his sleeves.
"Do you enjoy seeing me tied up, Mr. Park?" I asked slowly, letting my voice deepen a bit. His eyes met mine, an arch in his left brow.
"Seonghwa is enjoying this more than he's letting on, Iseul." Wooyoung said with a smirk from behind. I kept staring at the man, coaxing him to admit it.
"Depends. Would you do something if I did?" His response was clipped, and I knew I was getting to him.
"What do want me to do, Mr. Park?" My voice came out lower than I wanted it to. His nostrils flared. With a shake of his head, he laughed. "You're good at this, Lin. Almost had me there. You're quite the manipulator." My spirit dampened at being caught, and I was now hoping he wouldn't read too much into it. I still kept my smile, trying to get him back to his state seconds ago.
"Almost?" I asked with a tentative smile. His gaze hardened, all humour gone. "Don't push it." My smile dropped, along with my facade. He had caught on. I shouldn't try again so soon. I held the phone instead, unlocking the device. It was password protected, and I raised a brow at him.
"7 3 2 1 5 4." I punched the code, and the screen clicked open. Making a show of looking around the device, I checked if it had a sim. I couldn't type messages, it would be too obvious. But I had a hunch I needed to confirm. One digit at a time and taking gaps in between, I dialed my cousin's number. I nonchalantly lowered the volume to minimum so the ring wouldn't be heard, and pressed exit. I glanced up at Seonghwa, who was looking at me like a hawk, sizing up my every move. I had a sinking feeling that he knew what was going on but let me continue anyway, wanting to see what I would do.
With a resigned sigh to distract my audience, I hit the call button. Now it was time for the show to start.
Kim Hongjoong leaned ahead, Yeosang and the guard following. Seonghwa put up a hand, asking them to pause.
The call connected in two rings as I put it on speaker.
Lin Renjun's voice reached my ears, familiar and lilted. "Park. I hadn't expected another chat so soon." That was all the confirmation I needed.
I leveled a scorching look at Seonghwa, which usually had lesser men spilling their guts at my feet. Literally. But he just blankly stared at me, giving away nothing. "Park, are you there?" My cousin was still on the other end of the line. "Is this about her?"
I cut the call. I didn't need to hear more. I threw the device at Seonghwa's head, and he caught it without hassle. He put it back in his pocket, massaging his neck. His next words were crystal clear, like he was unbothered about the revelation.
"Now that you've confirmed how you got here, lets move on to the why."
"What do you do, Lin?"
I tilted my head up at Kim Hongjoong, who had asked the question. "What do you mean?" "Where do you work, since you're the normal one?" I gulped. My gut told me I wasn't going to like where this was heading. "I have a degree in business development." "Yes, we're aware of it. But where do you use that brain of yours?" "I handle the commercial properties we own." "I see." I waited for him to contradict me, but he seemed done with his questions for now.
I returned my gaze at Park Seonghwa, who was still sitting in front of me.
"Twenty seven men." He abruptly said. Seonghwa's deep timber travelled my body, leaving tiny tingles all over my skin.
"Twenty seven men have gone missing under suspicious circumstances in the past two years ever since Lee Jong In's apparent death." I waited for him to continue. "Your family has also lost men, princess," "Everyone has."
"Exactly. Every family, organisation, everyone who has secrets to hide have lost men." He took a pause, and I held my breath waiting for him to finish.
"What secrets was Jong In hiding that you had to try to kill him?"
"I didn't try to kill him, but whoever did attempt it didn't do a really good job, obviously. Considering that vile man is still alive."
"Obviously." He repeated the word, like a robot.
"What does this have to do with me here?"
"Be patient, princess. I am getting to that. Do you agree that you had been with Jong In hours before he went missing?" Dread settled low in my stomach. I contemplated lying, but decided against it. He must have already been told what I had said to Lee at the warehouse. I was sure my skin had paled visibly. Slowly, hesitantly, I nodded. I knew what the next question was going to be, and I absolutely did not want to answer it. There were too many holes in my story. With a sinking feeling, I gathered enough strength to look at the man occupying the place opposite to mine as he asked the one question I had refused to answer for so long.
"Then why don't we start by you telling us what exactly happened between you and Lee Jong In's son two years ago?"
Chapter masterlist
A/N: I may add a moodboard later, depending on my mood. Happy reading!
