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.”
