In The Heart of Darkness

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Yoongi walked out of his bathroom, a towel around his neck to catch the water droplets falling from his hair. He stretched his arms as far up as they would go and groaned. He had been keeping weird hours lately, and it was starting to take a toll on his already unfit body. He was thin. Almost too thin. But he also had very little muscle mass. Years of being less concerned about his physical stamina and more about his sleep had brought him to this point. 

He rubbed his head gently with the towel and walked over to his bedroom window that overlooked his father's precious rose gardens. Sure enough, the elder Min was hunched over a particular bush, clippers in hand, and a studious frown on his face. Yoongi's eyes moved a bit to the left and saw a tall man with his hands behind his back, standing nearby, his eyes and head constantly moving. 

Jung Jeong Hwa.

Yoongi smiled as he observed the man who had been his father's personal bodyguard for the last thirty years. He had also been Yoongi's mentor in self-defense and martial arts. He held the highest levels of achievement in all of the different martial arts, earning numerous awards and trophies for his skills. He could practically kill a person with a cotton ball. Yoongi had learned everything - from how to shoot a gun to how to behave at a dinner party - from that man. 

A light knock interrupted his thoughts, and he turned and saw Hoseok entering from the doorway that connected their rooms. This had been the setup since both men were toddlers and could sleep in regular beds. The two boys had been kept close to help forge a bond between them since their parents decided long ago that Hoseok would serve as Yoongi's bodyguard and personal confidante. 

Hoseok's father, Jung Jeong Hwa, had no regrets or second thoughts about practically forcing his son into a life of organized crime because, frankly, that was all he knew, and he was comfortable in that world. Min Joon Ji was of the same mindset, always working towards having Yoongi be the head of the business. The two men naturally decided the fate of their sons as soon as they were born and never gave them the option to think about anything else. 

The boys were tutored together, trained together, and slept in adjoining rooms. They also ate their daily meals together as well. Hoseok needed to learn Yoongi's mannerisms and disposition, and Yoongi had to trust that Hoseok would be able to protect him in any situation, knowing he was always nearby.

And so far, the system had worked. 

The only thing Yoongi and Hoseok had agreed on doing separately was celebrating each other's birthdays. Each one always tried to outdo the other with gifts or small surprises. Yoongi made a big deal out of Hoseok's birthday, and Hoseok always pretended to forget Yoongi's. Yoongi would then claim that his feelings were wounded and then threaten to leave Hoseok hogtied on the police station steps with a laundry list of all his wrongdoings pinned to his shirt. Hoseok would always come through at the last moment, a gift of great sentimental, as well as monetary value, being given to his best friend.

To keep them out of harm's way and away from the prying eyes of other crime families, Joon Ji and Jeong Hwa had seen to it the boys were privately tutored. This strategy kept their faces out of the public eye, which served a few purposes then and now. One was that neither of them was easily recognizable in the outside world, meaning they could move freely without fear of being threatened or kidnapped because very few people knew who they were by sight. Therefore, the boys were not tools the other families could use against their fathers. 

Yoongi slid a lazy gaze over to Hoseok, who was now standing beside him. The afternoon sun poured through the window, drenching the two men in warmth. 

"I thought you would be napping," said Yoongi, rubbing his head with the towel again. 

"I thought you would be too," mumbled Hoseok, his eyes narrowing as they fell on his father standing in the rose garden. "What is he protecting him from anyway?" he murmured.