PART TWO of a REWARD SOLO for PROMOTION TO SECOND-IN-COMMAND
tw: death, branding, mutilation
“To prove that you would die for the gang and more importantly, for me, I had to get a little creative. Because I can’t make you die for me… That’d be fucking nuts. You can’t work for me if you’re dead, can you? I also considered making you cut off your hand or some crazy shit like that but… It’d be messy, and then it’d make you vulnerable and you still might die on me, then all of this drawn out shit will have been for nothing. But! I can’t just sit here and do nothing! One of our very own was a god damn traitor and I have got to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I need someone who is willing to fight for me, not someone who is looking to take me down. Whether it’s because you’re loyal to someone else, or because you want to be on top…” He pauses, a smile forming on his lips though the laughter that accompanies it is full of venom. It’s sarcastic and laced with annoyance, as if the very thought filled him with anger. “Because let me get one thing straight real quick… No one is taking my place.” By the time he finished his statement, the smile was gone and his expression was cold and stern. However, in the blink of an eye, he had bounced back and once again wore a smile and seemed to be playful, finding everything to be much funnier than it actually was. “So then it hit me… A good, old-fashioned branding. Because who the fuck would want to walk around with a Hydrus brand if they weren’t dedicated to Hydrus? Not to mention, it’ll show me that you’re willing to sacrifice something for me, and you’re willing to endure intense pain for me. It shows me where you stand without me having to kill you! A total fucking win-win situation right here. Now, let me just say, I considered telling you that we were going to do it somewhere really visible, like your face. But damn, you’re just too fucking attractive for that. I mean… No one would want to mess with you, that’s for sure! You’d look scary as shit, but that’s not what we’re going to do. I’ll tell you what… You choose.”
The warehouse floor is wet with blood.
The bodies of the men Jongsuk executed still lay where they fell on the cold concrete before him, forgotten the moment that the gunshots finished echoing from the steel walls. The crowd around him is restless now, excited from the bloodshed and eager for more. Drifter’s betrayal has wound the members of Hydrus into a frenzy. Spilling the traitor’s blood hasn’t satisfied their lust for revenge, and this execution only incited that bloodlust further.
If Jongsuk isn’t careful, his body could very well join the others on the warehouse floor before the night’s end.
He’s all too aware of Woobin and the others scattered throughout the crowd, watching the events unfold with narrow eyes and stiff shoulders. Should things turn south, they certainly won’t be going down without a fight.
Jongsuk doesn’t believe for a moment that the executions are the only test that King has in store for him tonight.
He isn’t disappointed.
The crowd rallies as King announces his decision to prove Jongsuk’s loyalty with a branding. Their cheers do little to help the uneasy curl in Jongsuk’s stomach at the announcement. It isn’t dread or fear settling in-- not really. He’s been hurt worse for less.
The thought of this many people seeing him vulnerable, though.
That thought makes him a little ill.
He isn’t about to back down, though. Lifting his chin, he gives King a lazy grin. “I get to choose, huh?” he says, pretending to mull over his options rather than balk at the branding as so many of the men gathered surely thought he would. After a moment, he tilts his head to bare his neck. “How about right here?”
Just in case the implication wasn’t clear enough, he even taps a finger against the bared column of his neck.
It’s nowhere near the reaction that King half-expected to receive from Dante, but he was also aware that his hopeful soon-to-be Second-in-Command was someone that didn’t scare easily. King loved that. A mixture of surprise and amusement overcame him and was visible from his expression, a huge grin forming on his lips. “Holy shit. You’re one ballsy son of a bitch, Dante. I give you the chance to choose… and you go straight for the jugular— literally!”
The crowd grows rowdy again.
This little show may be a public display of Jongsuk’s loyalty to King, but that doesn’t mean that Jongsuk will let these people see him bow.
He’ll serve his King-- he’ll just do it his way.
“You’re fucking nuts and that’s one of the main reasons I wanted you to be in this position. Somehow, you never disappoint.” He pauses, staring at the other male for several moments before quietly chuckling and stepping away to retrieve the iron. “Well, let’s stop bullshitting around and get this done.”
As King nears with the red-hot brand, Jongsuk is sure to hold the older man’s gaze until the leader stands directly before him. After a loaded pause, he tilts his head and bares his neck for King once more.
His eyes only close as the brand nears his skin.
The pain of the searing metal meeting his flesh is blinding. Jongsuk’s eyes clench shut tighter as he fights back the urge to scream, refusing to give the crowd the show they so desperately seek. His teeth grind tightly together as a sharp hiss tears its way past them, but it’s the only sound he allows, the only concession. His hands curl into tight fists at his sides.
It’s over in a moment, but it feels so much longer.
The pain only surges once the brand is removed from his skin. As air hits the seared flesh of his neck, the pain flares, morphs into a new kind of agony that Jongsuk is careful to keep smoothed from his expression. His jaw remains tight, but he forces himself to open his eyes once more, to raise his chin and meet King’s gaze unflinchingly.
The leader thought that Dante would have passed out from the pain. Hell, maybe he was even a little disappointed that he didn’t. However, above all of that, he was impressed and incredibly proud. The smile that he’s almost always wearing grows wider as he slightly shakes his head in disbelief. “Wow.” The single word is dramatically and softly exclaimed, filled with awe. “You took that like an absolute champ. What a fucking badass… I still can’t believe that you chose your neck. I almost want to ask that you don’t try speaking… Actually, I will… You don’t need to say anything, just listen. I want everyone to listen.” With his last sentence, his voice is raised as he addresses the entirety of the gang that is gathered around them. “Dante has just proven to us all that he’s loyal, respectful, tough as shit, and probably a little insane… Which I think is incredible. Not only did he accept my terms in an instant without putting up a fight, but he did so fearlessly, and perhaps even a little cockily… And I fucking love that. So, I don’t think I need to tell you all that this is the new Second-in-Command, because I think he’s fucking proven that shit on his own.” Once he finishes, he returns his attention to Dante and beckons for a medic. “We’ll take care of that for you. Welcome to the top, killer. I have a lot of expectations… But I don’t think you’ll let me down.” He pauses, his expression turning sterner as his entire body stiffens. “Don’t prove me wrong.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentioning of murder, strong language
A mission to prove his worth. That was what he had been told. If Min is a good hitman or not is a good question. He remembers his first kill, the guilt he felt, but he also remembers doing it so smoothly, nobody ever suspected it was him, unless you knew it was him you would never guess it. He always gets the job done, there has never been a single time where his target escaped or survived, there was the one time where he got the wrong person, but it didn’t matter too much, Min just killed his target the following day. None of his targets are alive, and most of his targets has never seen him, so even if they miraculously survived then they wouldn’t know he’s the assassin. And why would anyone suspect Min of being a killer? Most people who knows Min knows him as a simple flirty guy, one that has sex too much, and they also think he is a nice guy, he’s a smart guy. He’s in the top of his class, he’s trying to become a doctor, why would someone that is trying to save lives also take lives? Nobody suspects him, yet so many people know of his true self. He never gets the job done perfectly, oh so often there is a witness, or people will figure out he’s a hitman. He leaves a picture of Daniel Craig behind at his murder scenes, he calls himself 007 and has a tattoo of the words James Bond on his right middle finger and the words 007 behind his left ear, it isn’t that hard to figure it out.
Why would his seniors ask him to do a high-profile job? Don’t they know how good he is at having witnesses? Perhaps they want that, for him to get caught, but who knows? There’s no way Min could’ve said no to this job, that would make him seem scared, weak. A yes was the only correct answer, after all he needed to ‘’prove’’ himself. It wasn’t like he never had killed before; this shouldn’t be too hard, should it? And the mission seemed fun, it was to scare them, to get revenge and show them who’s boss, this mission for sure would be fun.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentioning of murder, murder, blood, torturing, death, strong language, long post
Other’s in Lynx might not care as much as Min does about the guy who had been killed, in their eyes it was just another member, everybody always died, whether they were good or bad, are you in a gang then you can’t expect to live for long. The pimp who had died went by the name “motor”, Min knew Motor’s real name, they were close, surprisingly. When Min joined Lynx he didn’t mind it too much, did he die nobody would care, did somebody else die then he wouldn’t care, but Motor was an old man (which means he was in his thirties ) and he was always someone who gave Min advice. His death didn’t mean Min would cry for days, he wouldn’t even shed a tear, but he for sure would miss Motor, and he promised himself he would let Hydrus know not to mess with Lynx and especially not him or his friends ever again.
A Saturday was the chosen date, for obvious reasons, any weekday wouldn’t fit for Min, and Sunday wasn’t ideal because he would need to go to school the next day. It had all been planned, he had played what he was going to do over and over in his head, he was more ready than he had ever been, torturing is not a skill of his but today it is. Normally his kills are rather quick, he goes to a medical college and knows where to stab to make sure his offer dies. If he doesn’t stab his victim then he shoots them, he’s gotten good at shooting after having done it for a long time. His last choice is poison, it’s more exciting, he likes the different ways poison can kill a person. But this time killing wasn’t the most important thing, it was fear. A slow and painful death was perhaps better than a quick one, at least this time. All feelings were put aside, whoever was in there definitely deserved what was about to come.
The place is dark, it is late at night. It’s quiet, the few things you can hear is the mosquitoes and Min’s breath, Min is close enough to hear the talking in the room, how funny, they think that because they’re in the middle of nowhere they don’t need soundproof walls? Isn’t Hydrus supposed to be one of the best gangs? Why is it so easy to kill four of their hackers? He did a background check on them, just to make sure he kills the right guys, while he doesn’t mind taking ‘’innocent’’ lives, he prefers not killing more than needed. Killing takes time and he doesn’t have all the time in the world.
The first guy; Purple. What a good name of choice, his hair is purple, it’s rather easy to remember his face and recognize him. He’s pretty if Min is honest, but he’s only nineteen years old, most likely he has this job to provide his poor family. His real name is Heo Kangjoon, it was surprisingly easy to dig that up, for being one amazing hacker you would think he’d know how to hide his identity, but then again, he may be a good hacker but he’s also just a kid.
The second hacker; Noah. Nothing is much special about Noah, not even his name; Lee Taehyung. Everything is ordinary about him, he has the most normal body type, face and everything, he blends in with the crowd. Perhaps that is an advantage for Noah, does nobody notice him then there is also less of a chance he will get suspected for being a hacker.
The third hacker was a bit more difficult, Min had had to ask quite a lot of hackers in Lynx to help him find the guy, and never was the real name dug up, it seemed as if they guy had never existed, that before he joined Hydrus he was nothing. An alias and a picture were at last found, Blue. He seemed to be good friends with Purple, oh how funny, friends in life die together, don’t they? That’s why Min doesn’t need friends, you’ll just end up dying with them, and if not you will have to suffer from their death.
The last person; P. God knows what it stands for, Min doesn’t care. Unlike the others she is rather old. Purple is nineteen, Noah is twenty-five and Blue also seems to be rather young. Her face however is covered in wrinkles, and she does not seem like the most elegant type, but she is rather badass, apparently she has been a hitman before, but she had lost her foot and turned to become a hacker.
Those were the targets; three boys and one girl.
Being in a gang is a serious job, but for some reason Min is able to hear their laughter, perhaps they’re taking a break? Is there time for something like that when you’re in a gang? Well who cares, perhaps that’s nice, they get to laugh before they get to suffer. Min turns on the cheap phone he had bought, he has a backpack on his back filled with the so-called ‘torturing weapons’ and in his right hand he holds a gun. Fear, that’s your job. He takes one deep breath before turning on the recording on the phone, it’s a recording of a girl screaming, a young child, that should get them out, shouldn’t it? He throws the phone and puts both of his hands on the gun, this in one versus four, while they might not be skilled in killing, they’re still far more than him. They’re laughter fades away, now the only sounds he can hear is the one the mosquitoes make and the recording. The recording continues, the screams of the little girl, the girl who suffers, the recording is an hour long, they must come out at some point, mustn’t they? There goes a minute without no sound, but then Min can hear footsteps closer to the door “remember the gun Noah” a voice shouts, and the footsteps fades again, soon coming back. Well that was stupid of her, wasn’t it? Now Noah won’t have the time to suffer, he’ll die right away, poor Noah, he won’t be a part of Min’s revenge. He lifts the gun, Noah is 175 centimeters, the average height of a Korean, how funny, Noah really is average. The door opens slightly, firstly two hands shows, two hands who holds a gun, the hands are shaking, so are Min’s, but not as much. “Show yourself!” a trembling voice says, and then the trigger gets pulled.
A scream is heard, the blood flows out. Min stands still for a second, he felt it when he shot the gun, he always does, it takes strength to make sure you don’t fall or the gun slips out of your hand. But there’s no time for standing still. Noah’s hands have been shot, the gun is on the ground, and Min has to move in seconds. And so he does, he grabs the door and swings it open, immediately pointing the gun at Noah “step back Noah” he says, his voice is filled with confidence, and most likely they can’t hear how scared he actually is, how he fears that they will outman him. Noah luckily follows Min’s orders; he steps back and the door closes behind them. Min looks over Noah’s shoulder, he can’t see Purple, but P is on the floor and Blue still sits in his chair. He got distracted for a second and suddenly Noah grabs out for his gun, fuck and shit. That can not happen, in a second Min hits Noah’s shoulder, Noah’s grip on the gun looses and Min shoots, once again he feels it through his body, the rush and the power of the gun. Noah falls to the floor, and screams from his mouth can be heard, they’re way louder than the ones from the recording. His stomach was the one to take the shot, he rolls on the floor and it seems like he’s in utter pain. Blue stands up from his chair and it seems like he’s about to go to Noah. “Not so fast” the words leave his mouth just as fast as he points the gun at Blue, and immediately Blue sits down again. “All of you sit in the center of the room” the words leave his mouth as he steps into the room from the passage. They gather in the center of the room while Noah lays on the floor, and finally Min is able to see Purple as well. “How’s your foot P?” he asks, confidence can be heard in his voice, even though that’s not at all what he is. She doesn’t answer, but why would she? “It hurt when it got cut off, didn’t it? It was by a knife, right? Do you think it would’ve been less painful if it had been shot instead?” fear, all you have to make is fear. Like before she doesn’t answer, but Min points the gun at Noah’s foot, and then again he shoots, screams can be heard, and blood continuous to run. “You’re a good hacker Noah, but you’re also quite dumb? Why did you try to grab for my gun when I had already shot your hand? Even if you had managed to take it from me, how would you shoot me?” no answer, there’s not an answer from any of them, Noah just continuous to groan. And then sobbing can be heard, Min looks in the direction of the sobbing, and it seems to be coming from Purple, well he’s quite young so it makes sense he would cry, is this his first time witnessing murder? “P? Do you mind comforting him? While it might be sad to see Noah go, there’s no need to cry” gun is still placed in the direction of Noah, but his look is at the other three, P follows his orders and puts an arm around Purple. “Who are you and what do you want” it sounds from Noah. Min turns his head to Noah, in a way he feels bad for the guy, but perhaps Noah should’ve expected that he sooner or later would get killed, he’s in a gang after all. “My name is 007, I’m from Lynx. I don’t want anything, I just need to kill you guys” and with those words he shoots the gun again, this time it hits Noah’s stomach again, soon enough the guy will be dead. “Please stop, we’ll give you anything” there can be heard through sobbing, from Purple it of course is. Min gulps, there’s something he wants, but he can’t get it, can he? He’s at work right now. “I’ll consider your offer Purple” and so he sends a smile in the direction of the young boy. He drops the bag on the ground and opens it “I would suggest that not a single of you even think about doing something” it calmly sounds from him. He takes out a knife from the bag, it’s long and it’s sharp, and it’s one he stole from a restaurant on the way. He looks at Noah, the guy is quiet, hopefully not dead yet. He bends over Noah, gun in his pocket and knife in his right hand, he places his hand on the male’s neck to check the pulse and surprisingly it’s still there. “Noah? Can I ask you a question?” he puts a hand on the guy’s shoulder, tries speaking with his most comforting voice. Noah doesn’t answer, of course he doesn’t, none of them does. “Which of the James Bond movies are your favorite?” he asks, a joke made in a serious situation, perhaps that’ll make him seem more like a psycho. Oh well the fun was there, or well not, killing Noah had been no fun, or he wasn’t dead yet, it was just time to do it now. He stabs Noah, harshly in the stomach, he feels the blood on his hands, it splatters all over his clothes, but he continuous, he stabs Noah with no breaks. And all while he does it, he laughs loudly. Killing isn’t fun, not the least, but he has to make fear, that’s what he came for. And after at least twenty stabs he stops. And then he stands up, he drops the knife on the floor and returns his look to the three others, luckily they seem scared. He unbuttons his shirt as he looks at them, and then he takes it off, thereafter wiping his face with it before throwing it at Noah’s head. “Blue? Take off your shirt and throw it to me, while I am confident in my body, I don’t think it’s fair you guys get to see my abs too much, I came here to make you guys feel pain, not pleasure your eyes” and Blue listens to him, with trembling hands he takes off the shirt and throws it to Min where Min afterwards puts in on.
He pulls up the gun from his pocket and points it at the three “so who is next?” he says as he once again shows his smile. “Please stop” Purple says through his crying. “It’s funny, you’re the youngest, aren’t you Purple? How can you be the only one confident enough to speak to me?”.
“Did you know Motor was my friend? Motor, the pimp from Lynx who was killed. I’m sure you guys had nothing to do with it, you guys aren’t killers. Well not anymore. However you’re a part of Hydrus, and Hydrus killed him, I’m sorry to say, but you guys had this coming, you yourself chose to be a part of this gang, an early death was expected. But that’s off topic, the important thing here is Motor. Motor, my friend, he always gave me advice. Once he told me ‘sometimes it’s better to stay quiet, other times you shouldn’t stay quiet’ and you know what? This was one of the times where you shouldn’t have staid quiet”. He pulls out a gun from the bag, and points it at P “do you know Russian roulette? You two will have to play it. Since Purple was the only one confident enough to talk, he won’t be a part of the game”.
“Say a number and I’ll pull the trigger as many times as the number” he looks at the two, “should we let the youngest start?” he says as he points the gun at Blue. In a way this feels pleasing, to see their fear, and feel the power, in another way he feels bad, normally he does it quick, now he has to see the pain they go through, normally he doesn’t have the time to think, now he has the time to think about who he kills. “I want to go first!” a female voice shouts, it’s from P of course, Min raises an eyebrow, but if she wants to go first, then she wants to go first. “Say a number” he slowly says as he aims the gun at her “hundred”. “What?!” he says, “hundred” she repeats”. All eyes are on her, everybody seems surprised, maybe it’s a motherly instinct, maybe she’s like a mother to them? “Wait—” it sounds from Blue, but as if Min cares, he shoots the gun, and it directly hits her head, most likely she dies on the spot, but does Min care? No. He shoots again as he counts, one shot more “three”, one more “four”, one more “five”. “Stop” Blue yells through tears, and Min stops for some reason, both Blue and Purple seem scared, isn’t this enough? Can’t it be enough? Min doesn’t want to kill anymore. “Six” he whispers as he once again shoots at her body, and then he drops the gun.
“You two are friends, aren’t you?” he says with a worrying look, both of them are filled with tears but they both manage to nod. Min sits down on the floor, he pulls out another gun from the bag and plays with it is his hands. “Do you know, I have no friends? It’s quite lonely. I said me and Motor were friends, but were we really? I didn’t cry nor felt sad when he died, and most likely he wouldn’t have cried nor felt sad if I had been the one dying. I don’t really have friends, and I’ve never had any. When I was younger nobody liked me, I was invisible, and people only started noticing and liking me when they figured out I’m handsome. It’s irritating how people only care about looks, how if I wasn’t pretty then I had never been enough. Do you guys have friends? People that care about you?” he feels tears pressing on, but no way he can cry right now, he’s supposed to act scary and make fear. “Yes! I have people who care about me! I can’t die” Purple yells, Min looks at him suspicious “did I ask?”. The rooms goes silent, Min points a gun at Purple “answer me! Did I ask?” both guys are crying but both also try their best not to. A quiet “yes” can be heard from Purple, but Min isn’t satisfied with the answer “louder! Did I ask you? Did I ask you Purple?” he yells, now putting both of his hands on the gun. And even louder than Min had yelled, Purple yells “yes!”. And with that Min takes down the gun “correct answer, I did ask you”.
He turns around and grabs the bag before pulling three cans of beer out, “you two are old enough to drink, right? Let’s grab a drink together and then we can go back to what we were doing before”. He tosses the drinks to the two, before opening his own and taking a sip “drink.” It’s not a request he makes sure they know. Both open their drink, with fear in their eyes they look at Min. “You don’t have to kill us, you said you don’t have friends, right? W-we can be friends” Blue says. Min looks at Blue with a smile, many have asked Min to become friends, and he has said yes to many, but all of those relationships were fake. “Let’s be friends.” Min says, and a smile is sent to him from Blue, most likely it’s fake but it feels nice. “You said you would give me anything to stop, didn’t you Purple?” he says as he puts down his beer, slowly the young boy nods. “There’s someone I would like to find, since you two are hackers you should be able to do that, right?” and then once again he aims his gun, and as soon as he does that a loud “yes” can be heard from Purple. “That’s nice, did you two drink any of the beer yet?” he looks at the two, they still seem scared, but if he knows right they also seem as if they’re in the middle of tricking him, perhaps they think that because they’re friends now then they won’t die? Blue takes up the beer to his mouth before taking a sip, soon enough starting to cough. “Seems like you were the unlucky one Blue, I poisoned one of the three cans and you got the poisoned one, but I guess that’s nice to know for me and Purple” the coughing continuous and Blue seems to be in pain, he looks at Min with something in his eyes, something Min hasn’t seen before “don’t look at me like that! Don’t look at me like I’ve betrayed you!” he feels sad for some reason, as if he actually betrayed the guy. “Fine! I’ll do this since we’re friends” and with that he points the gun at Blue and shoots, Purple again starts crying, and Blue’s dead body falls to the ground. “I did him a favor. It would’ve taken minutes for him to die if I hadn’t done that”
He looks at Purple, his last target. “What do you want! What is it you would like to find! Please don’t kill me! I beg you” the sobbing becomes louder, and Min looks at Purple worried. Purple is only two years younger than Min, but Min feels bad for the young guy. Purple is covered in blood, he has watched people die, even though “all” he is, is a hacker. “Kangjoon? Let’s make a deal. I’m going to keep you alive, but it’ll be on conditions, alright? So listen carefully” never had it been his intention to let one guy be alive, but there is something he wants and Purple can give him that. The young male slows down his crying and slowly nods “my parents, Heo Kanggeun and Kim Seungchan, you’ll have to find them and keep an eye on them and update me about them. That’s condition one, but there’s more. Even if we’re friends I can’t just trust you, I don’t know if you’ll walk to your bosses and tell about me as soon as I leave, you’ve seen my face and know my alias, you’re dangerous for me, you could get me killed, and that I don’t want yet. Therefore you’ll have to promise me that you won’t tell anybody about me. I know your family, if you get me killed then both you and your family will die, understand?” how irritating, is he really making an agreement with a kid, when all he needed to was just kill these four people? “I understand” the young male says as he nods. “Good Kangjoon, now I’m making my escape, I need you to call the police and say that a guy who calls himself 007 was here and killed all your friends, thereafter you give them the address and run off, you can’t get caught, if you do then you’ll go to jail and then keeping you alive would make no sense“ he stands up once again, looking at the young boy who is trying to press the numbers in his phone, even though his hands are trembling. “Oh and Kangjoon? Tape this pictures of Daniel Craig on the door, I always put pictures of Daniel Craig on my murder scenes” and with that he throws tape and a picture of Daniel Craig to Purple, before taking his guns and knife and putting them back into his bag and thereafter he starts walking “I’ll see you around, friend” he yells. When he opens the door he sees the phone on the ground is still there, the recording has stopped which means he has used over an hour, he picks up the phone and puts it into the bag as well, and then he begins running for his life, you can never know when the MPD shows up.
Friends, perhaps Min will never get a real friend, but it’s nice to have people you can call friends, people that you can pretend you would die for, because pretending and imagining is delightful, it makes you forget reality, and that’s good because reality is fucking trash.
𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑,
a solo for the unaffiliated reputation reward.
the call arrives in slivers of trepidation, and he captures the hints of hand tremors that come alongside it. it’s 2:38am. the voice contains too many fears, dissolving the truth of despair. it’s the man’s first time diving into the pool of blood, so naturally, jongin understands that he’s scared. still, it’s impressive how the man can find the number that leads to zero. there’s no secret code to decipher, everything given in plain details as the man seems to cling to this as the last resort. definitely naïve, but jongin isn’t here to judge. there’s always a first time for everything, and he respects the prior engagement the man has conducted to reach the point he is now: speaking to the altered voice of a heavily cloaked presence. fairly sure the man shakes more once jongin ended the silence on his end to speak in the unnatural voice, ensuring the man that the job can be done at such a price. it’s hefty, sure, but the target isn’t just anyone. the man speaks too much, or so the man realizes, stopping himself in the midst of his own rant. it’s amusing, to say the least, and jongin decides to give this man the time of his night. he’s patient — or so he’d like to think.
thoughts flit. the name returns to the conversation albeit stilted. the crooked spine of this man’s wants a young blood dead. his mind filters names, conjugating them with faces. kang doyoon isn’t a man of unabridged riches; it reminds jongin of himself. they’re of the same age, and certainly within the same social circle. all the affluent, they’re bound to cross paths in this small island run in cold veins. and here’s what jongin understands: nothing can touch doyoon for those whose channel doesn’t splay across the territories jongin has known like the back of his hand. and that’s where zero’s aid is needed. therefore, the so-called job, but jongin has a feeling that this won’t unfold the way his client wants it. still, payment has been sent to the fictitious account, that will later meander its way through twenty-eight more from banks in various countries, ending up in an actual bank account that jongin has never bothered checking. say, he does this occupation as a form of volunteer, wiping the weak off this filthied land so that the thriving players can last longer in the games. long enough to strive for the pandemonium to begin. all the manmade slaughter; everything that jongin wants to witness in this reality.
he doesn’t need to know the man’s name; an untraceable number, discarded after its use is over. sure. he will know soon enough, jongin decides. a man like kang doyoon doesn’t keep his mouth shut, enemies with slit throats acting like common decencies in his agenda. jongin only understands that doyoon suspects nothing of him as far as he’s concerned, kim jongin the beguiled and spoiled heir who poses no danger whatsoever towards doyoon’s wellbeing. but zero, now doyoon perhaps has heard of him in fleeting news. rumors that sneak into the corners of the transient thoughts. and back to the blueprints of this potential crime scene, instincts tell the man to hang up as soon as possible: all these idle talks get naught done. also, perhaps the man notices that the more he converses with the supposed hitman, the more about himself spilled. alas, it doesn’t matter now. the assassin has been multitasking, discovering the coordinates as to where the man’s currently at. how careless, but it adds to the amusement. he accesses the public camera, finding the man standing nearby an alley, his posture slouched. balding, perhaps in his mid 50′s to 60′s. wrinkled shirt, tie hanging loosely from his collar. pacing in anxiety, trying to end the conversation that has lasted for almost five minutes. jongin rests his chin on his hand, ennui creeping in together with impatience. ah well, there goes his presumed virtue; he’s not here for inane exchanges. when it eventually ends, jongin finds his eyebrows raised. he’s taken notes, both mental and physical, on anything that’s required for the task at hand.
kang doyoon is coiled around his own ego, flattering to say the least. it almost reminds jongin of his life prior to boston, with tacit bodyguards following him around, except this one is more twisted. those shadowing doyoon works for a certain gang whose strings are synchronized around this island’s existence: a name hushed among the bustling city. he’s known enough about all of them, deeper than superficial level. sponsors that support their means are provided with protection, and doyoon has exactly that. as far as impression goes, doyoon is lacquered with borrowed arrogance. a pinch of daredevil smiles that don’t fit his mouth well, but jongin isn’t one to comment on that. instead, he decides to see where this leads. he’s in a river; this is a flow. calls it a night after collecting enough information for himself, he calls it a night. being roused from sleep is not a rarity, inevitable in this line of job, but an insomniac would still find it a nuisance at the very least.
a day is all he needs, schedules cleared to make space for this one kill that might turn things around. the men around doyoon remain vigilant, as if smelling his presence already, but zero isn’t one to be taunted by sheer number considering the experiences he’s pocketed. underneath the shadows that flicker with the night’s jaundice lights, he admires the dedication. it’s almost midnight. he can wait longer, always pedantic with his works. all the punishments ouroboros has marked on his psyche are not in vain — they’ve shaped such an effective weapon with too many repressed traumas. but here, a toast for these merciless men. stitches that don’t dry in his mind, now only soothed via his lust towards chaos. an infernal machine he is, clad in his specifically designed gear; kang doyoon certainly doesn’t make it effortless for zero with having his office within the confines of too many walls. walls to penetrate, with dozens of guards readied to take zero down. well, fuck, doyoon could’ve had an office facing the city skyline, all full-length glass windows that shatter with ease — but instead, he’s enveloped with the highest level of security. yet, zero has mapped it out, the escape route and everything.
time is incising. inside, probably buried underneath the piles of paperwork, is his target. he’s approximated at least twenty people in the perimeters, and zero knows this won’t leave a clean scene, but the bloodier, the better. when he enters the building via the rooftop entrance, he’s greeted by two men that hold this like nothing of a surprise. coursing in zero’s veins is the hunger for a good fight, however, so he entertains their trying to shoot him from the distance, evading bullets an ingrained skill. he closes the gap between them and himself in quick strides, leaping to meet one’s chin with his knee. taking down the other with the gun of his comrade’s is always satisfying for zero, saving his own for a latter’s use. a point blank with the silencer attached, he grabs the man in his grip closer, turning the position around to wrap his garrote around the neck. it’s an easy kill, and a quiet one at that, too. he hasn’t given them time to notify their fellow bodyguards, but they might realize the night is silent, too silent. zero likes it this way.
the stairs are all equipped with the cameras, stalking his every move, but he’s not here to be furtive. once he hits the second from the top level, he knows that the evacuation system for the man they’re protecting has been enacted. he knows that it means the surmised exit doors are taking his target away as he’s running towards more guards with their guns — there’s no flavor to it, but zero will take whatever thrill that he can obtain. his gunning them down only serves as a waste of time, but approximately, there are ten more minutes until he needs to reach the given rendezvous point. in this abrasive collision, there’s also this complexity that leaves zero’s persona a wish: to build an empire, to claim a crown. this is of his own accord, which is why he didn’t choose to join any of them. there must be a name carved for his glory, and he’s trying to get the message across by counting the bullets he’s clattered. all these butchered lives leave pungent elements of iron, invading his nose as he inhales. this is a true juxtaposition, placing gore alongside his satisfaction. it’s the malady speaking.
twenty-three, and twenty-four. the number of the now victims doesn’t fulfill his craving. he’s still in the season of desires even when he’s drenched in the blood of his enemies. their stench doesn’t differ them from anyone even when they were supposed to be the serpents twined around ankles. he watches their corpses with a blank expression under his full-face mask, giving them a once over to admire his work. he’s never prided himself in leaving the scene clean – it’s the trace that heads towards nowhere in general that proffers satisfaction for him. he’s named zero for something. the null for those who try chasing after him: they can always reach him, but they can never catch him. a reputation to uphold, he believes even his connection to ouroboros is something that the majority are unaware of, still. but now, it’s not about them, not about the men that sometimes still haunt his nightmares in poltergeists. but from them, he’s learned to speak sans tongue, like now. but it won’t remain for long. ensuring that everyone is dead within the establishment, he understands that a man like kang doyoon would know that he cannot run that far. and even if his suspicions are wrong, zero has too many ways to derail doyoon’s trip away from the designated rendezvous point. no, this hasn’t been a shock at the very least, to see that the target is waiting for him in the lane just beside the office. as if this was planned, when it’s anything but.
the meeting can be concise, but even the prideful can be scared for their lives. four men, holding zero at a gunpoint. but this is besides the message he wants to convey. can do the job within this moment, just right here, although that might compromise his own safety. but where’s the fun in staying within that comfort bubble? zero is always one to challenge that. he smirks when doyoon signals for the men to standby. he’s tall, almost as tall as zero, built infused with the weight of overflown conceit. a normal exposure for jongin, as it resembles those he would meet frequently within the social circles. but zero, he likes these men because they think they can take down the world with money. a risible belief, but sure, at least there’s willingness to fight a battle in there. the man who puts the stakes on zero, however; well, that man is already out of commission. doyoon is a fresh face whose ambitions would partake in this war. zero cocks his head to the side, wondering what about doyoon that is very… off… to the point where everything zero guessed came true. men like that, they always hang onto their askew point of view, grinning through their stalactite teeth. zero decides that he likes doyoon just fine, but doyoon can be one thing that his competitor cannot: a messenger to hydrus.
of course, doyoon would start with a wary countenance, but it doesn’t mean that he’s fully sure about his own demise. zero would give him an applause for that; trading lives has never been an easy task to accomplish. still, doyoon tries. “how much did he pay you?” he asks, voice barely wavers but it’s still there, the reek of fear. zero quirks his eyebrows, smiling. it’s incredible how the man fits such a mold zero conceived way prior. zero hums, and says the number as he raises his hands, ensuring that he’s harmless. no gun, no knife. nothing. he’s defenseless against the four hydrus men. “he’s the one stealing from me,” doyoon tries again, this time with more composure. not bad. zero’s distorted voice doesn’t bother him at all. if anything, doyoon is confident that he can win against the one hiring zero. there’s more conviction lining the tone as doyoon elaborates further, the man’s name a factor that’s pressed several times, as if trying to ensure zero that doyoon does understand the gravity of his own position. “i’ll pay you as much, and you can keep the half he’s given you,” he bargains at the end, now letting zero know that he, too, has comprehended the systematics of this business. “we’ll turn it around, hm, zero?”
zero tilts his head to the side, before scoffing. the muzzles of the guns still aimed at him, he’s already putting his hands down. to be very honest, he hates the way doyoon carries himself, all the derisive mannerism that makes jongin have to look at himself in the mirror. “sure,” zero eventually says, but that doesn’t make the bodyguards lower their defenses. doyoon walks closer, nevertheless, knowing that zero has nothing against the four men. zero chuckles. the meeting is over as soon as one of the men step into the trap zero has created under the shade. the small detonation is enough to set the man on fire, its sound redeemed by the scream of the man. it suffices as a way to distract them, with zero gunning the two men down at a time. the last one shoots last, and while he manages to avoid most of it, the bullet grazes his cheek. he retaliates with a determined murder, and when he turns around, it becomes the classic case of doyoon pressing his gun against zero’s temple. zero doesn’t have time to digest it, body already moving to kick doyoon away from his station. the trigger is pulled, aiming at nothing in general but the air above. the bullet lands on the asphalt in ricochet, and the gun skids towards the wall with a decisive ending.
it’s not like zero doesn’t relish in all this, sauntering towards doyoon to step on doyoon’s hand before doyoon can reach out for the closest weapon. now, doyoon trembles. zero basks in the sight, his shooting doyoon’s right thigh while locking his gaze on doyoon’s face obviously amuses him. there’s no pity as he presses one knee on doyoon’s chest to keep him grounded. there’s a mantra of apologies stuttered, but it doesn’t make differences for zero. he huffs in mockeries, shaking his head. “ah, where was i? oh, right. consider your order granted,” zero says after clacking his tongue against the palate of his mouth. “i’d kill both of you, but a wise man once told me i should leave one man alive to tell the tale. so be my messenger, would you?” he asks in an unreadable intonation. the distortion of his voice doesn’t help, and doyoon is in too much pain to pick apart zero’s disdain, that’s for sure. “you look good smiling, too,” zero adds, retrieving a knife. this time, he carves a permanent smile to doyoon’s face, cutting deep into the cheeks.
he leaves the crime scene filthy save for evidence leading to his dna, and the same goes to the second. the old man has been unsuspecting, but he dies fast with three slugs holing his office wall, and then body — zero would consider that mercy killing. the man was on the verge of losing everything anyway, and guilt never looks good on zero.
word count: two thousand six hundred and thirty nine words.
PART ONE of a REWARD SOLO for PROMOTION TO SECOND-IN-COMMAND
tw: death, kidnapping
“I guess you’re probably wondering what the fuck you’re looking at right now, huh?” He pauses, a grin tugging at his lips which indicates that he’s having a much better time than the six Hydrus members tied up in the middle of the large factory floor. “Guess you probably recognize these unfortunate sons of bitches. I’m just gonna get straight to the point… I am about ninety-nine percent sure that one of our brothers here has been feeding more information to a rival gang. I know that we all identify as snakes here, but some of these people just take that title way too seriously. Now… A little bird told me that Lynx knows more than they should about our current situation, and I narrowed it down a bit… Tried weeding out the ones I knew had my back. All signs point here. The issue is… I have no way of knowing which one it probably was, and I know that none of them would flat out tell me.” He laughs a little, as if the situation is humorous to him. “We have a lot of mean, selfish people here. Hell, that’s what makes us so fun.” After another short pause, his expression hardens once again. “Which is what leaves us here… I’m going to let you decide what happens. Their venomous little lives are in your hands, Dante.” To punctuate his statement, he moves closer to Dante and puts an arm around him, briefly squeezing his shoulder and looking him in the eye to indicate that he trusts him to make the right call. Seconds later, he’s retreating and turning away as he continues to speak.
“If it were me, I’d just kill ‘em all to make sure I eliminated the threat, but… This is a test, so I want to see what you do to help this shit storm of a situation. Everyone in here is looking to you for a solution. If you want to be Second in Command to the King… you have to know how to lead your people and make these tough calls. So… Fix this.”
Jongsuk’s expression is carefully blank as he eyes the men lined up before him.
To anyone who doesn’t know him, he might even look bored by all the pomp and circumstance of this little test-- but this is a show meant only for an audience of one.
This is a show put on for a King.
So Jongsuk plays his part. He stands tall and listens to King’s monologue, to his taunts and insinuations. He doesn’t flinch when the old man throws an arm around his shoulders with a sharp smile either, doesn’t shudder despite the contact making his skin crawl. There’s no doubt in his mind that if he makes the wrong move here, his blood will be left to stain the filthy concrete of the warehouse floor right along with the blood of the men bound before him.
King’s little line up is a mix of familiar faces-- some more so than others. A few Jongsuk recognizes from past jobs worked together. Others, he recognizes only in passing. None of them are anyone he’d have considered worthy of note, however it's clear they've done something to land themselves on King's radar following Drifter's betrayal.
Time is not on Jongsuk's side tonight.
Under other circumstances, he would take his time with the six men before him, extract the information King seeks with his blade, but answers aren't what the boss is truly after. No. He'd bet his life on it that King already has all the answers he needs from this lot.
This isn't an interrogation.
It's a test-- King said so himself, after all.
All too aware of the boss’ sharp eyes on him, of the collective gaze of the Hydrus members gathered, Jongsuk reaches for the gun holstered at his hip. He draws the weapon with practiced ease and levels it at the man nearest him. His expression is cool, detached.
"After all this fuss, we can't afford to leave any loose ends," he decides before he squeezes the trigger.
the solo for a high-profile job, done my kim miteum
TW: Prostitution
Sex. Miteum really does not do anything but have sex here in Hydrus, it’s like they see him as their little sex-machine, that they expect him to be able to get anything and everything just by having sex, stupid people. Miteum knows he’s good, the amount of clients and overwork he does tells him that, and definitely if he wanted he could drop his job as a masseur, however if he did that then everybody who doesn’t know about him being in Hydrus would just think he has no job and would put suspicion into where he gets his money from.
But oh well, what can he do, with his disability he can’t really do a lot beside sex, can he? But if that’s what he’s good at then he should at least use his talent, shouldn’t he? Getting this information can’t possibly be too hard? Anyways this mission sounds better than other missions, this client is younger than Miteum by two years, and described to be strongly build, that’s much better than fifty-year-olds who can’t please their wives or husbands, isn’t it?
One thing he keeps in mind is; “We can’t have him telling everyone Hydrus doesn’t keep its end of the deal. Right?”, what a weird thing to say, so he’ll literally have to make sure to get the secrets spilled, but also without the guy completely noticing? Miteum will need more than just a bottle of wine and lust to make miracles happen, but he doesn’t have anything more than a bottle of wine and himself, and he can only pray that he’ll be more than enough.
TW: Prostitution, mention of murder
He sits at the bed, all lonely with nothing but his rope, nothing underneath, for once he’s only having sexual intercourse with one person, normally he takes at least five clients a day. The guy is late, surprisingly, Miteum thought they would’ve been more willingly, he’s twenty-five? If he’s so strongly build then why pay for sex, he could probably get someone himself, why Miteum? Is it because Miteum is a guy? Is Youngdo curious about having sex with a male? Hilarious.
A soft knock is heard on the door, and for a second Miteum sits still, wonders if he should shout ‘come in’ or walk over to the door himself. “Just a second” he shouts, he adjusts the rope slightly, makes sure his chest can be seen, and then he slowly finds his way over to the door. He slightly opens the door “Youngdo?” he asks, he can’t see, and he doesn’t know their voice, so he can only hope whoever is there is Youngdo and if not they’ll speak the truth about not being. “Yes” the other voice lowly says, Miteum stretches out a hand and find theirs, slowly pulls them in. “Do you mind showing me the way to the bed” he softly asks, voice not much louder than a whisper, but still audible and high enough to be heard in this oh so quiet room.
He slowly feels his hand getting pulled, soon enough being by the bed and the two sit down. A lot of thoughts are going through his mind, how exactly he’ll do this. “Can you get us the bottle of wine and the glass?” it sounds from Miteum’s mouth, he needs alcohol for this mission, a lot more than just this stupid bottle, “unless… you’re too impatient?” he continues as he places a hand on Youngdo’s thigh and caresses it. Without a word he feels Youngdo moving, seconds soon enough the male gives Miteum a glass and Miteum can feel it get filled. He slowly takes a sip and then puts his hand back on Youngdo’s thigh. “Youngdo~” Miteum stretches the word, slowly puts his head closer to Youngdo’s “tell me Youngdo, a new handsome CEO chooses to have sex with me? Why me?”, he drives his hand over Youngdo’s thigh, slowly up to their belt. They keep silent, not much to Miteum’s like, he would prefer it if they would talk non-stop, spill all secrets possible. “Somebody doesn’t talk a lot?” Miteum teases, voice still sweet, he takes his own glass of wine and puts in on Youngdo’s lips, he’s not in particular interested in drinking any alcohol tonight, he’d much prefer if Youngdo would drink all of it.
Youngdo places his hand on Miteum’s, slowly pulls his hand down so he doesn’t have to take all of Miteum’s wine in one gulp, “can I have your name? Your real name?” they ask. Miteum smiles slightly, of course, Miteum usually gets called Lovely, but oh so many people wants his real name, Miteum doesn’t like giving it out, he would prefer his clients not knowing his real name at all, but today may be an exception. “My real name? I don’t give it out that I easily you know? Youngdo~ If you tell me something I don’t know, something I can use, then I’ll give you my name, something you don’t know. That sounds fair, right?” Miteum says, he drives his hands all over the other’s body, both voice and touch seducing. The other keeps silent, like they have to use time to think, and then they finally begin, and Miteum listens carefully “Park Nahyun wants to sue his agency for fraud but he’s falling short on the funds as well as solid evidence because of his agency’s blackmail” Youngdo finally says. Park Nahyun? Isn’t he that top celebrity…? Oh… Miteum will remember that. “My name is Miteum” he says, this guy will be basically the only client who will know his real name.
“Have you ever done it with a guy before?” Miteum asks, slowly taking a little sip of the wine, however the other keeps silent. “So silent, aren’t you?”, Miteum continues, slowly his hands find their way to the other’s shirt and he tugs in it “may I?”, however before he can do it Youngdo does it himself. “Impatient? Or is it eagerness?” Miteum says, his hand driving over their abs, his body does fit the description he got, they stop behind the other’s neck and he pulls Youngdo into a kiss. Youngdo slowly breaks the kiss and the two both try their best to catch their breath. Youngdo’s hands are all over Miteum, obviously he wants that rope off “can I ask you something? Why did you become a prostitute?” he says. “Youngdo ~ I’m not telling my secrets unless you tell yours”, Miteum makes circular moves on the other’s back. Surely that isn’t Youngdo’s preferred answer, but Miteum isn’t really here to only have sex and talk about himself. “You’re quite difficult... Did you know a small-time CEO called Ahn Taewoon assaulted and also murdered his friend and fellow small-time CEO Park Hyunmin? He’s trying to persuade the firm to represent him in court should the MPD discover the truth” he finally tells after a while, interesting. ”I didn’t know” Miteum says as he pulls Youngdo into another kiss. This time one that does not get broken by Youngdo’s question.
he managed to slip into the store five minutes before drifter was to be executed, just in time for the real chaos to break out. hyunjoon was rather thankful that he was to just stay here and not really get involved, babysit the weapons supplier and make sure hydrus had their hands full of enough guns and ammunition to really cause havoc around the city. it sounded easy enough and he might actually say he was pleased that he had been given this assignment. while he usually hated the act of babysitting, he would rather do that than hurt innocent people and riot like a madman.
the only real problem he was having was that this dude would. not. shut up.
every moment there was a quiet time he would start talking again, about his past deals, how important he was to the organization and how they would get nothing done without him. hyunjoon seriously doubted this and would much rather just sit there in silence. but he supposed the talking was at least making things run a little smoothly, it was clear the guy wasn’t exactly comfortable in the middle of this environment being guarded by a soldier well known for usually messing something up. at least in this situation, there was not much he could fuck up on, which was something.
“fascinating,” hyunjoon just mumbled as the dealer started up one of his stories again after a couple of hydrus had just left with enough weapons to rob a bank. hyunjoon shifted himself against the wall as he folded his arms across his chest, eyes glancing towards the door again, almost wishing that someone else would come along. what he would give to get away from here and go back to his uni. maybe get some coursework done and not have to worry about what was happening outside.
but he was rather interrupted from his thoughts from the door suddenly opening. and walking right into the den of two snakes was a s.w.a.t officer, fully equipped to deal with a riot, but clearly not expecting to stumble into a room with two gang members and a shitload of weaponry.
well, that was a problem.
hyunjoon was first to react to the situation, the supplier not even looking up. “get down!” he yelled, diving towards the dealer and pushing him down behind cover, scrambling himself as the s.w.a.t officer finally came to his senses of what the situation was and started firing on the two of them only moments before they rounded cover. clearly, he was more of a shoot first and ask questions later sort of guy, which hyunjoon supposed he could understand in this sort of situation, but he would much rather not have to worry about being shot at. and now came the problem of how he was going to get out of this.
“you alright?” he just asked the shaken looking dealer beside him, eyes quickly flicking over him to make sure he was at least still alive. that’s when he saw the blood starting to stain through the bottom of his shirt. well, shit.
“he shot me!” came the confirmation only seconds later and hyunjoon just groaned, refraining from pinching his nose, only managing to push the supplier down again with a hand as there was another hail of fire in their general direction.
shit, shit, shit and shit again.
“you’ll live,” he snapped, poking his head up for just long enough to try and zero in on where the officer currently was in the room, “just sit there, keep the pressure on it, don’t move and shut up.”
hyunjoon really didn’t have the energy for this right now.
he could see the officer had taken cover behind one of the boxes of guns, while the two of them were currently taking shelter behind another. hyunjoon waited for a moment, hearing another round of bullets, and he knew that it would not be all too long before one of them managed to make it through the cover. and then where would he be? either with a dead dealer or a dead him. and, to be honest, he knew which option he preferred there.
only once the firing had stopped did he react, rolling from behind cover, hoping to spring a surprise on the officer while he was reloading.it was quick movements, raising his gun as he fired only once, a clean shot right in the leg. the officer shouted out, stumbling slightly onto one knee, which gave hyunjoon enough time to lunge forward, basically tackling the guy to the ground. now they were too close to be using weapons, which was honestly better for him. he didn’t want to think of how many bullets he would have to waste trying to shoot through body armor.
hyunjoon didn’t know at which point he had dropped his weapon, but he was more than capable of using his fists. there was quite the scuffle, the officer managing to land a few good punches as they wrestled on the ground. it was clear this man had the training, but so did hyunjoon. he almost thanked his parents as he managed to roll with the man, wrapping an arm around the officer’s neck from behind, the man basically on top of him as he started to squeeze his neck.
an elbow came into to contact and hyunjoon grunted from the impact but refused to let up his grip, using his hand to try and put even more pressure on the arm wrapped around the officer’s neck, locking it into place as they wiggled on the ground. and it was quite clear the lack of oxygen was starting to take effect now as he felt the struggles starting to get weaker and weaker. and, after a couple more struggling movements, the officer stopped moving completely.
hyunjoon finally relaxed, wheezing as he pushed the unconscious officer off the top of him, slowly sitting up. blood dripped into his lap from his nose, but hyunjoon ignored the pain, slowly standing up just as he felt a new presence, glancing towards the door to find four more arrivals. thankfully they were hydrus, clearly looking for weapons to continue with their rioting.
“the fuck is all this?” one of them asked, clearly looking for some kind of explanation.
“we had an unannounced visitor,” obviously, but hyunjoon wasn’t even looking at the two men, instead, moving back to where he had left the supplier sitting. only to find that he had passed out long ago from blood loss. or maybe just shock from getting shot. “great,” hyunjoon muttered, crouching to look for a pulse, thankfully finding one in his neck which did mean he was at least still alive and only unconscious. for the time being, he couldn’t really say how long that was going to last. though he wasted no time in trying to put pressure on the wound to at least stop the bleeding, but he knew that was most likely in vain. there was not much of a chance of this guy making it through his injury.
he finally looked up, looking towards the four standing in the doorway, “one of you get a medic here now, unless you want to explain why we’re down one weapons supplier. and someone deal with that officer before he wakes up again.”
this really had not gone to plan in the slightest, but he didn’t really think he could have done anything about that. and now he was going to have to explain a dead weapons supplier.
