WITHOUT You [YOONGI] (Book 2)

Chapter 31 [Taehyung's Story pt.2]

Taehyung listened intently to each word, soaking in all the information that Lisa just said.

"So why is this Min Yoongi still in there? If his parents were caught by Kwon, then shouldn't he have been killed too?"

Lisa barked out a laugh, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're catching on the story now, huh?"

She continued, "Kwon purposely kept him alive. In a cunning way for revenge, he made their son become one of his own pawns. He brainwashed him, made him do all of his dirty work and won his loyalty that he never got from his parents."

"Is Min Yoongi willing to stay in the gang?" Taehyung questioned, his brain already analysing the situation.

"That's where things become difficult." Lisa said, lighting up another cigarette much to Taehyung's dismay. "That bastard Kwon got him so wrapped around his finger that the poor boy never knew just how brave his parents were."

Taehyung sat silent and still for a moment. "If I take on this mission, what do I have to do?"

"Protect the boy. Keep Min Yoongi alive. Find information about the gang."

"Why me, though?" Taehyung perked up quickly, "there's tons of other candidates, why did you pick me?"

Lisa's cackle filled the air around them as her chest shook in fits of laughter. Taehyung, on the other hand, resisted to urge to knock her out.

"Oh Taetae, you're so cute-"

Bile churned in his stomach as soon as he heard that nickname from her again. That particular name brought horrible bloody memories that he wished to bury and forget forever.

"-of course it had to be you. I can't send a fifty year old agent to befriend a fifteen year old high schooler, can I?"

Taehyung nodded as heat rose up his neck. He hated the fact that he hardly opens his mouth to talk and when he did, it had to be a stupid question.

"Hwasa will be joining you back in Korea if you agree." Lisa suddenly said, using every way to persuade him.

"Hwahwa got a mission too?!" He blurted quickly.

"Yes," Lisa replied, sucking in a lungful of that toxic stick in between her fingers, "that girl has a look or two so we're sending her in to bait horny old gangsters."

That disgusted Taehyung. He and Hwasa were very close during training so for her to be spoken like that made anger swirl in the bottom of his stomach.

"So are you in?" Lisa asked tentatively, tapping her fingers on the table impatiently.

"On one condition." Taehyung replied. Taking in a deep breath for what he was gonna ask, he mentally prepared himself to finally have an answer to what Lisa had always denied him of.

"Will you please tell me my real identity now? What happened to my mum and dad? How did I even come to join the KSI?"

Lisa stared at him, the only sound from the tapping of her long fingers only made his nervousness worse as the seconds ticked by.

"There's a reason why you never had any public records, Taetae."

Taehyung flinched hearing that god awful name again but Lisa didn't seem to notice.

She continued, "your mum and dad were North Koreans. They barely have any scraps of food to survive on, let alone bring you up. They sold you to the SK military at the border when you were just a newborn, hoping you would have a better life on our side here and we took you in. Of course, with us you don't ever need to see doctors, register at the hospital or even go to school. The KSI provided all of that for you. In other words, the name 'Kim Taehyung' doesn't exist."

His mind went completely blank at hearing the truth finally. What surprised him though, was that he didn't even feel shocked at all.

"A-Are they still alive?" Taehyung asked, finally finding his voice.

"Who knows," she said carelessly, pulling her laptop forward towards her, "when that pig dictator is the only fat person in North Korea, I highly doubt so but don't worry, we're your family now."

Taehyung's solemn face was unreadable. He expected his parents to be dead but hearing the truth directly from someone else crushed the little hope that he always clung onto.

Meanwhile, insensitive Lisa had a satisfied smile painted on her lips, not caring to console Taehyung. She tapped away on her laptop, encrypting his profile with high security passwords and leaned back as the loading bar flashed across her screen... Forever trapping his identity within the system of the KSI.

KIM TAEHYUNG
Member of the Korean Secret Intelligence
Male
Status: Alive
Training: Complete
Kill count: 14
Ranking: Agent