WITHOUT You [YOONGI] (Book 2)

Chapter 44 [Finale]

Two years later

The household that the Hope Gang served was plunged into pitch black darkness. It was eerily silent and Taehyung could only hear his own uneven breathing as he weaved through the corridors. The wooden floorboards creaked behind his every footstep, leaving a trail of spike high tension and cut throat like pressure in his wake.

"Left side's clear." Miyoung's voice sounded into Taehyung's ear piece.

Taehyung turned left, entering into the hallway leading to the staircase.

"Targets are making a move." In-ah said next into his earpiece and Taehyung could undoubtedly hear shuffling at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm on it." He whispered into his mic. He slid his hand down the banister, placing one foot after the other on each step like a discreet mouse, careful to not let his targets hear him.

"Target's 10 metres away." In-ah told him. He pushed his earpiece deeper into his ear, heart pounding like a drum as the shuffling sounds grew louder.

"5 metres." Miyoung directed him, "target's in the kitchen."

Taehyung inched towards the kitchen, sliding his back against the wall in an attempt to remain hidden.

"3 metres. Target located." Miyoung's voice chirped into his ear, "behind the doo- NO, NOT THAT DOOR!"

"TARGET LOCATED!" Taehyung yelled, snapping the broom cupboard open.

"HOSEOK, WATCH OUT!" Miyoung shouted in a frantic attempt to save him.

WAH!

Taehyung's bright gleam of smile dropped instantly.

All of the lights in the house switched on, revealing a crying toddler clinging onto a scowling Taehee who was squished in the little space of the dusty cupboard with her son.

"You can't... let your... son win... CAN YOU?!" She glared at Taehyung, struggling to wiggle her butt out of the mop bucket after passing their son into his arms.

"You said behind the door!" Taehyung whispered-yelled into his mic, cradling his sobbing son close to his chest.

"I meant the backdoor!" Miyoung shrieked back and as if on cue, the backdoor slammed open, revealing a laughing Jimin and Jungkook.

Namjoon and Jin emerged from their hiding spots also; Miyoung and In-ah coming into view with laptops clutched to their chests, earning a glowering pout from Taehyung.

"It's okay, Hobi woowoo," Taehyung cooed into his son's ear, "daddy let you win in Mario kart, hm? Daddy even be Wario and you can be Yoshi."

WAH!

Baby Hoseok cried even louder. His snotty nose was buried in Taehyung's neck, muffling his sobs into little sniffles as Taehyung rubbed his back gently.

"Seriously," Jungkook laughed at In-ah and Miyoung, "you two really need to work on it more. How can we go out there and put our lives in your hands when you can't even get hide and seek right?"

"We're only university graduates!" In-ah exclaimed, ready to put up a fight, "in Fashion and Fine Art, as well! We know nothing about computer hacking, the Dark Web and the sorts! We can just about open up Microsoft Word, for Christ's sake!"

Jungkook scoffed in her face, "I've been teaching you for the last two years!..."

The last two years for the Hope Gang was drastically different to when they were in the White Thorn, to say the least. Soo-ji, now leader, immediately took her high school friends, Miyoung and In-ah, under her wing. She knew that they would become an immediate target of the KSI if she hadn't done so and in a bid to make them useful, albeit not knowing much about advanced technology, she decided they could come in handy by helping behind the scenes. In actual fact, much to Jungkook's annoyance, she gave him the specific task to teach them all there was to know about computers and once in a while, they had to get together for them to practise their skills.