✓ ! MAFIA AU ! Don't lose your heart to a Dragon. You might never get it back. If you do, you'll find that there are scars that don't heal, wounds that fester and spread infection. Once you're deep in the Underworld where mafias reign, you can n...
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Getting used to having a small child underfoot—especially one who had been exposed to the mafia world since birth—was challenging. Most of NCT wholeheartedly embraced this challenge, often with messy results.
The only members who had grown up with full knowledge of the underworld were Jungwoo, Chenle, and Xiaojun. Everyone had been ordinary people before something had forced them to join the mafia underworld—like me.
"Juwon! Where are you?" I dashed around a corner and almost slammed into Haechan who laughed.
"Lost the kid haven't you?" Haechan's eyes twinkled. "Maybe you should check the weapons room."
My eyes widened. "Again?"
Immediately, I ran off towards the weapons room.
Juwon had some kind of fascination with the shiny guns and knives even though I tried to discourage that behavior. I didn't want his young mind to be fixated on violence already.
As I approached the room, I could hear Hendery's loud voice along with the murmurings of a younger, higher-pitched voice.
"Yeah," Hendery said, "that's a gun. It's a sniper, specifically. See how long-"
I burst into the room.
"Oh shi-"
"No cursing!" I said, with an exasperated finger in Hendery's direction and then turned to the five-year-old who had been caught in the middle of trying to climb up to the sniper rifles high on the wall. "Juwon, did you eat all the cookies in the kitchen?"
Juwon shot me a guilty look. "No."
"I see chocolate around your mouth," I said. "Now you've spoiled your appetite for lunch!"
In the middle of my lecture, Hendery sidled out. Juwon tried to signal with his eyes for Hendery to help, but Hendery had already left with his bullet cartridge. No one could save Juwon now.
No one except the only person who could stop a rage-filled Mingyue.
"Hey honey!" Taeyong's arms encircled my shoulders. "What is it now?"
Breathing in his scent, I was filled with calm and all anger left my body. "Hey Taeyong. Juwon, would you like to explain what you've done wrong?"
Tears had risen in Juwon's eyes. He'd seen Taeyong only a handful of times since he'd arrived, what with all the work Taeyong had to do.
His strongest impression of Taeyong had come from the raid on his father's home. Taeyong, sweaty and bearing fresh cuts and bruises, had grabbed him roughly and Juwon had thought this was the end. He was being taken away to his death.
That couldn't be farther from the truth now, but Juwon was still wary of his adopted guardian. He was terrified that the maniac light in Taeyong's eyes that had flashed at his father's killers might return and alight upon him.
"I- I- I'm sorry..."
Taeyong stayed in the doorway as Juwon stuttered a fast apology. "I accept your apology," he said, clearly. "I don't blame you for being here in the weapons room. You were curious. But, remember, you have to listen to Mingyue noona. She makes these rules to keep you safe. What if someone accidentally turns the safety off and you shoot yourself?"
Juwon had calmed down, realizing Taeyong wasn't mad and certainly wouldn't be beating him... not like Father.
"I also don't want you touching the cookies until snack," I said. "Then, you won't be hungry for lunch."
"Okay..."
"Why don't you go find Chenle hyung and get him to play outside with you?" I said.
Juwon took the exit and sprinted out of the weapons room as fast as he could.
With the kid gone, Taeyong spun me around to face him and kissed me fast. "I need to tell you something, Yue."
"Anything."
"Don't be too harsh on Juwon. His father wasn't... the nicest man. He expects corporal punishment when you get mad. Also, it's only natural for him to see all of his hyungs with guns and want his own."
"Tae... he's only five!"
"Why don't you talk to Chenle or Jungwoo about their childhoods? I know that Chenle was playing with toy guns by the time he was Juwon's age."
"That's no excuse. I want Juwon to grow up without Chenle's backstory."
Taeyong chuckled, a dark light in his eyes. "He already has his own trauma, even at five. It's not normal people like you who end up joining mafias, Yue, it's the broken ones. It's the ones who didn't have any other choice. Juwon is not going to grow up normally."
"I know." I buried my face into Taeyong's chest. "I just don't know what to do."
"Welcome to the underworld. We're making it all up as we go along."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
"So the cookies are gone?"
I laughed and looked up into Taeyong's pouting face. "Maybe Juwon can help me make a new batch, Tae. God Jihyo knows, we need another mafia member who can bake."
[You know, I really meant for these epilogues to be light-hearted but I'm about to get into childhood trauma... its the way of a writer I guess XD ]
[Anyway, happy 3K!!!!!! Thank you to everyone who's delved into this story and interacted with it and also me. Thanks to all those ghost readers too; don't think I don't see you and appreciate you ;) ]
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