D E S P E R A D O

one

"I swear I don't know anything!" the man cries out in pain as the knife held to his neck cuts his flesh.

"Do you think we're stupid?! I'll ask you again, where did you get this?" the man holding the knife holds up an expensive chain, gleaming with gold, studded with rare blue diamonds.

"I don't know!" he pulled on his wrist and tried to move off the chair he was tied to, only to be stopped by the man in front of him.

More pressure is put on the knife and the man feels it sinking into his skin. He cries.

"Stop." a dark voice comes from the other corner of the room, "I'll handle this."

He walks closer to the pair, chunky boots clicking on the tiled floor where blood was splattered all over. It was gruesome and the room smelled of death, like a slaughterhouse. But the people inside didn't seem to mind it at all. As he walks closer, the man holding the knife pulls it out and walks away.

"Do you really want to die that bad? Why don't you just tell us where you got it?" he asks in a sweet tone that came out more sinister than calming.

"I don't-"

He pulls the man's chin up to look at him, "Don't give me that bullshit. We both know you're lying." he leans in, "Tell us where you found it and we'll let you go-"

"You're going to kill me anyway." the man splutters and he simply smiles in a way that makes the man uneasy.

"Bingo. You're smart after all." he says smirking, "Then a different deal. If you tell us the truth, you can decide how you die. However, if you don't-" he licks his lips, "I'll torture you for the rest of your life and make sure you live to feel the pain."

"You're a monster." the man's breath hitches.

He laughs, "Thank you. Now," his hand moves from his chin to grip his throat, "Tell me."

The man swallows, "This man in a black cloak, came up to me in the black market. He said he had stolen precious metals and stones from a warehouse of some kind and he sold it to me for a hefty sum. He was tall and broad. He looked very old, maybe in his mid 40's."

"Was there a symbol in his cloak?" she asks sternly.

"I don't know, I can't remem-"

He grips his throat, making him cough, "Think carefully."

The man stays quiet for a while, trying not to choke on the grip he has on him, "It was a circle with a cut through it, red in colour."

"Interesting." he smiles and drives a knife through his chest.

The man screams in pain and coughs as he lets go of his throat, "I thought you would let me choose how I died!" he cries.

"About that..." he surveys him, "I lied. I had a strong urge to stab someone today." he chuckles.

"You're going to hell." the man says trying to get out of his bounds but failing pathetically.

He smiles and pulls the knife out of his chest, eliciting a gagging response from the latter, "I'm going to rule hell." he clicks his tongue at him.

He turns around and makes his way out of the room, his entourage trailing behind him. They close the door once everyone is out of the room.

"Sell him in the black market, or cut him open and sell his parts in the black market. He should be at least a little bit useful."

"Yes, sir."

Jeon Jungkook. Golden member of the Jeon clan, the future leader of the underground business. They did all sorts of shady shit which are not going to be listed lest I be killed but all you need to know is that they did shady shit. The black market was competitive and lawless, and people who are too soft would not survive a day in there.

That's why from childhood he was trained to be ruthless, brutal and never show emotion. He was good at everything. His hard work and efforts put him on the top of the ranks, which was essential since it was a dog eat dog world. 

He had no friends since other people just slowed him down. Once he was finally leader he could make the clan the best in the business. There was no ranking since it wasn't really a competition but Jungkook was competitive and he wanted to be the best. Once he overthrows the Kim and Park clan and makes his clan the strongest in the black market, he would succeed and never ever-

"...Sir? Sir, Jungkook sir." 

Jungkook snaps back to reality. Was he dreaming? "Yes?" He answers. 

"Boss wants to see you in his office." 

Jungkook doesn't say anything. He just simply turns and walks down the hallway and up the stairs to the office. The building they were in was a huge mansion occupying a 100 acres by itself in the 500-acre land they owned, in the outskirts of Seoul. The mansion was covered by trees on all sides so it was not in public sight and perfectly hidden.

Jungkook opened a large double door which led into a study room. He walked in and closed the door loud enough to make his presence known to the old man sitting on the chair. The man raised his head from the papers he was going through and smiled.

"Ah, Jungkook, how did it go?" he takes out his glasses and gestures for Jungkook to take a seat.

"It went well. We have new enemies." Jungkook says taking a seat in the chair opposite to the man.

"It's not like anything we haven't heard of before. Just keep an eye out, that's all."

"Is that all you called me for?" Jungkook leans forward in his chair.

"No." the man keeps his glasses on the table. "I want you to come with me to the casino next week. Since you are going to be my successor I would like for you to get familiar with the other clans."

Jungkook raises his brows. Once a month the leaders of the underground clans get together for a high stakes poker game. It's very exclusive and very risky. This month it was the Jeon's turn to host. 

"That is all. You may leave." The boss dismisses him.

Jungkook smiles and leaves the room. Excitement buzzed through his body. He had never interacted with anybody outside their clan. He wondered how they were and how he could get close to them. You know what they say; keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.