the world is full of beautiful and awful things, but all that can be deceiving.
look how a person dressed in rags can still have a heart of gold. that person running, trying to escape from stealing a bag from a lady might not be doing it out of evil but just so he can feed his children. a man wearing the best suit might have worked hard to reach wherever he is but in the worst way possible. the high school heartthrob that has made all the girls swoon over him might be working for a gang.
in this world, the villain can also be the victim.
neo culture technology, the new civilization of the mafia world, can be described in only one word by all that has encountered them or knew of their name— ruthless.
their faces bear the coldest look you'll ever see but just like the world that has been described, looks can be deceiving. once they are all together in their base, they become a family with the softest eyes when they look at one another. they increase in number as time passes by and that is if the boss sees potential in them then will they be included— that is what people knew, but they once again have been deceived. as much as the boss wants to look for people who will bring benefit to the team, he has always picked them up at their lowest times in life.
jung jaehyun, the underboss, was a young, scrawny boy when the boss saved him. he was abused by his uncle the moment he was left with him when his single-mother decided to have a new shot at life without her son.
the once weak boy was never fed well and if that devil of a man was drunk, he'd lash out on him, but taeyong came to the rescue. he saw him standing in front of a pharmacy, all beaten up, and asked him to join him. jaehyun didn't dare to think twice just to get out of that hell hole. these two worked hand in hand to make everything the mafia has today. they proved to each other that they were worthy of each other's trust which is true 'til this day— the boss-underboss duo of neo culture technology. together, they consult and make decisions for the betterment of the whole group.
taeyong stepped out of his room to be greeted by a loud dolphin yelling, "you see that? its legend!"
the boss slapped a hand over his forehead, asking himself why he took these kids in when this should be a mafia organization not an orphanage but was also reminded that they need him. it's early in the morning yet chenle was running around, probably high on caffeine from somebody's coffee that has about four shots of espresso with no water mixed in it. tastes absolutely terrible as it sounds.
he continued walking until he came across the same kid again, "chenle, calm down. what's the hype all about?" how many rounds has this dolphin run? "give me a good reason or you'll be on cleaning duties for the whole day."
"the bomb we've been working on succeeded!" the leader nodded, patting on the shoulder as a sign of congratulating him, about to proceed to eat breakfast until reality sunk into him and pulled the boy by the shirt before he could start running again. "chenle! a bomb?! where the fuck did you test it? is everyone alright? you're not hurt, are you?"
"oh, we tested it behind the house, near the shooting range. it was lit!" the young boy did extra hand movements to describe the explosion together with some sound effects, "but don't worry, no one is hurt and nothing is on fire."
taeyong nodded with a sigh of relief, told the younger to go on his way and to be a little more quiet for the sleeping members but chenle, being the sly kid he is, smiled and just had to make his boss start panicking again.
"but if we're talking about fire, it would probably be in the kitchen. donghyuck is cooking breakfast," i can rely on donghyuck. he knows how to cook well. no problem with that, "with jisung and mark." that alarmed the older male and he started walking towards the kitchen after the younger said, "see you at breakfast, boss." they better not be frying up some eggs and it better not be any sunny side up eggs.
chenle skipped down the hallway while taeyong briskly made his way to the kitchen, searching for the three who might burn down the house which he doesn't want to happen in a million years. his eyes laid on the three who were standing in front of the stove, well, one cooking while the two others were watching until they noticed the new presence in the room.
"good morning, taeyong!" mark greeted but met the eyes of a worried leader until he realized how bad the image must be for him. jisung and mark plus the kitchen isn't that good of a combination. "boss, it's early in the morning. stop worrying, okay? donghyuck is the one cooking and not me or jisung.
mark lee is the known all-rounder in this mafia probably because he was one of the earlier members and being there in a young age, he got trained a lot in different aspects since taeyong saw great potential in him. now, he is nct's best assassin and in charge of foreign affairs in canada.
this guy's got the stamina, agility, damn visuals, and all that but he's the worst you'll see in the kitchen. scratch that, the members wouldn't even want to hear that he's in the kitchen. he is unwanted and banned in that specific part of the house. he cooked one time, one freaking time, and sent smoke all over the kitchen as if he set off a bomb which made the members alarmed thinking they were under attack. thus, the stress taeyong felt when the young dolphin said that he was there made him go to the kitchen even when he had no intentions to. can you blame him though?
"um, good morning, boss?" jisung greeted with an awkward smile. "i dragged donghyuck 'cause i was hungry but mark is being too clingy today." the youngest remembers how he walked in donghyuck's room but saw the two all cuddled up on the bed. he doesn't want to think about it any further as it sends shivers down his spine... as if he isn't like that when he's with the dolphin earlier but being oblivious to his feelings, of course this boy doesn't know he's a duplicate of mark.
park jisung, the unexpected member of the mafia. this kid got street casted out of the blue. he was walking his way home when he got stuck in the middle of an encounter. nct against an old mafia which they wanted to take down due to human trafficking. the unfortunate boy was used as hostage and got shot in the leg and torso, bleeding so much he was losing consciousness.
jaehyun decided to take him in and talked it out with taeyong that he was a witness to the trade that turned out bad and he didn't have the heart to finish him off. the boss agreed to take in the boy and give him treatment. soon he was asked where he wanted to be assigned and he chose to be a medical assistant, knowing how it feels like to have rehab for his legs. jisung became close with chenle so quick everyone felt like they might have known each other prior.
don't get me wrong, boy's got the tallest height among the members of dream, could throw a couple of punches here and there, and has one of the scariest facial expressions which might have other mafias tremble in fear once caught in sight, but they have been deceived. jisung is probably the softest member, still frightened by the thought of harming others and is one of the biggest crackheads of the mafia. others have mistaken him as one of the aggressive members. but boy is he dangerous. dangerously clumsy. taeyong might have joined a few of dream's missions just to watch out for the boy.
"what else to expect from the best assassin?" donghyuck jokes, "definitely not any fried eggs." the tanned boy flipped the maknae's requested pancake while the assassin in question was pouting over his shoulder.
lee donghyuck is nct's investigator. this quick witted male can figure things out almost in an instant and make strategies for the mafia for a successful mission. his brain probably works faster than you could ever. he got in the mafia for some weird reason. he voluntarily showed up to taeyong saying 'i want to work for you as your investigator'. sure did he startle taeyong and jaehyun being a boy who is younger than them wanting to be in a mafia. apparently, he also wants to leave his shitty family and put his skills into good use. 'why not under the police?' the underboss once asked him and gained the reply, 'eh, i bet they're gonna be boring as hell.'
this boy is a social butterfly, befriending everyone once he stepped in and welcomed in new members as time passed by. yes, he got on everyone's good side but not for renjun. he loves annoying that gun enthusiast and everyone's just waiting for the day he gets shot and will be needing some stitches. wonder why mark is the ace? its because our boy, donghyuck here, taught him anger, but the two are attached as if they were glued by some strong paste. he might sound like a chill person, to which he is, and all that but he can be very very serious for a mission and no one can stop him once he gets his hands on solving a case.
taeyong laughed a little while taking a seat by the counter. "this isn't really a meeting, but how's the dream team doing?"
"all i can say is," jisung stifled a laugh, "jaemin and jeno are still trying to get renjun's attention, but other than that we're still all focused on training."
"still?" the leader laughed more, "if i were them i'd stop trying 'cause that boy is scary as fuck." taeyong stopped midsentence because of cussing in front of the youngest of the mafia but got a response from donghyuck saying 'we're in a freaking mafia, what's the use of censoring words at this point' which earned the approval of the two who can't cook. "well, what i was going to say is that renjun could pull out a gun anytime and shoot them. i won't even be surprised when that happens."
the seagull looking guy, also known as mark, laughed and kept hitting donghyuck. "slap me one more time and i swear the oil on the pan will be cooking your face."
while the two were making fun of the assassin, taeyong's phone lit up, showing up in his sweatpants. he pulled it out and read the notifications. all the joy he felt while talking to his younger members have been sucked out from his body, becoming obvious also on the face. the leader looked at each of them straight in the eye with all seriousness.
"boys, finish your breakfast and wake up everyone. meet me in the conference room in 15 minutes. emergency meeting."