Taehyung grabs the little note with the code Suga sent earlier in the morning and walks straight to Jungkook's room, in large strides, not wasting a moment by engaging in conversation.
He catches the worried whispers of all the people around him and his frown intensifies.
These are his people.
He refuses to let them down.
Walking into Jungkook's area, Taehyung makes the younger's three other roommates cower in fear and rush to their respective rooms.
Taehyung barges into Jungkook's room, making the latter turn from his seat at the desk where he's writing his notes.
Yeonjun peacefully interrogated Jungkook earlier and apparently Jungkook's reasons for knowing it was English were justified. The FBI once interrogated a member of August who directly translated a code before Suga blew his head up in front of the authorities.
"Vante?" Jungkook asks, standing up as soon as Taehyung enters.
"Did you make sense of anything?" Taehyung asks, closing the door behind him.
"No," Jungkook looks back at his notebook. "Not yet. Sorry."
Taehyung slams the paper onto Jungkook's desk. "I lost twenty-eight of my people in the last half hour. Some of them, my most trusted men and women."
"Oh," Jungkook chokes out, gently dragging the paper on the table into his vision.
"I need you to find out what Suga wrote here and why they reacted to it the way they did."
Jungkook nods and lifts the paper, "I'm working on it."
Taehyung looks away and clenches his jaw. "I don't have time for this, Mr. Lee."
Jungkook looks up at Taehyung and sucks his lips in, nodding, "Yeah, yeah, I know."
At that moment, with Jungkook pouting his lips as he raises his eyebrows, his red hair framing his forehead, Taehyung sees something else.
It's Jungkook, but he's... younger.
He's smiling at Taehyung as he shows off a portrait he drew of Yoongi. Taehyung can't see the picture, just a blur, but Jungkook's face. Oh, Jungkook's beautiful face is as clear as day.
A memory. A buried memory, like all the other flashes Taehyung has been seeing lately.
He shakes his head.
Taehyung slams his hand on the table again and leans closer to Jungkook's face, making the younger lean back. "I want instant results."
Jungkook's breath shortens and he nods, a faraway look in his eyes.
Taehyung glances down, relieved Jungkook didn't get another erection.
Taehyung searches Jungkook's face before biting his lip. He can't leave Jungkook to figure it all out alone.
How can Jungkook accomplish in three hours what he himself couldn't in three years?
Taehyung walks around Jungkook and pulls his black coat off, revealing his white shirt below it.
"We'll work on it together."
————————
Jungkook keeps his eyes on the notebook as Taehyung brings in a chair from the next room and rests it perpendicular to Jungkook, taking his seat.
"Let's start with you telling me how you got this far," Taehyung places a closed fist over his mouth as his elbow rests on the table, his back leaning forward.
"Right," Jungkook flips through the pages and looks up at Taehyung, who keeps his eyes on the notebook. "So, the FBI once caught one of Suga's men and made him translate a code. They told him all trackers and standard heart stoppers had been removed. So, when he translates it, he says it's direct english. Seconds later, his head blows up. That's when the FBI learned that Suga usually has a camera, microphone and bomb placed inside his men's eyes."
Taehyung nods. "So, it's English and an alphabet and a number make up one letter?"
Jungkook blinks. "Uh, yeah. Most likely."
"Do you have the deciphered message written down?"
Jungkook picks up another notebook from the floor, "Yep, here it is."
Jungkook reads it over before he hands it to Taehyung.
C3C4C2C3XXJ5J3A1F4J4C1A5J3XJ5C3A5XA4J3O1C2XA3A1J3J5A5F2J4XJ5C3J3F5O1C2C3XJ4F5O1J5C3A5J3F4XJ3F5O1J3A5XXX
Taehyung frowns the moment his eyes land on the code and he skips the number to see the translation, his frown deepening. "Hi transfer the drug cartels through southern route?"
Jungkook nods, lips pressed in a thin line.
He totally wasn't marvelling over how good Taehyung's eyebrows looked when furrowed.
Nope, definitely not.
Okay, maybe a little.
"How the hell does all this translate to this?" Taehyung flicks the notebook with his index finger. "What does the code he sent us translate to?"
Jungkook blinks rapidly and shakes his head before he quickly nods, picking up the note Taehyung gave him.
Oof, that's a long one.
F5J1A5J3A1J5C4F5F4XC3A1O3F1XJ3A1F4A4J4
X
A1A2F5J3J5A5A4
X
A1F2F2XJ1A5J3J4F5F4F4A5F2XJ2F5XJ3A5J5O1J3F5XJ5F5XA1O1C2O1J4J5XC4F3F3A5A4C4A1J5A5J3O4XA2O4XA1F4O4XA2O4XA1F4O4XF3A5A1F4J4XF4A5A3A5J4J4A1J3O4XXX
X
A4F4
X
J4J1J3A5A1A4XJ5C3A5O3F4J3A4
X
J5J3A1O2A5F2XC4F4XJ1A1C4J3J4
X
A4F5F4J5
X
F1C4F2F2XC2A5F3J4
X
J3A5O2A5A1F2XO1J3XC4A4A5F3J5C4J5O4
XXX
"Um... this is really long," Jungkook chuckles sheepishly.
Taehyung nods, "What does X mean? It's never followed by a number."
Jungkook inhales and sucks his lips in before exhaling slowly. "I don't really know. Maybe it's punctuation or something."
"Who cares about punctuation in code?"
"Someone who does things differently so as to not get caught."
Taehyung's frown deepens and he nods, "How long ago was the drug code intercepted?"
"About a year and half ago," Jungkook says.
"Did the language advance ever since?" Taehyung looks up at Jungkook, catching the younger off-guard. "Given how Suga knows the FBI have a headstart in figuring things out?"
Jungkook gulps and nods, lips stretching in a thin line. "Yep, that's totally possible."
"Place the drug message according to your theory," Taehyung slides the notebook towards Jungkook. "Ignore the X."
Jungkook picks up his pen and turns to an empty page in the notebook, quickly noting the code down.
C3C4C2C3 J5J3A1F4J4C1A5J3 J5C3A5 A4J3O1C2 A3A1J3J5A5F2J4 J5C3J3F5O1C2C3 J4F5O1J5C3A5J3F4 J3F5O1J3A5
Hi transfer the drug cartels through southern route
"The 'hi' is two letters too many," Taehyung points out.
Jungkook's head snaps up to him. He spoke in Korean.
For the first time in years, he heard Taehyung speak in Korean.
To say Jungkook is delighted would be a major understatement.
Jungkook is absolutely ecstatic.
"What?" Taehyung asks, meeting Jungkook's excited gaze, still speaking in Korean.
Jungkook smiles wide and shakes his head, "Nothing, just haven't heard your Korean voice in a long time."
Taehyung raises his eyebrows and smiles lightly, looking back down at the code. "It's different from my English voice?"
"Yeah, it sounds more natural," Jungkook nods. "When you spoke to me in English, I thought I had forgotten what you sounded like, 'cause that's not how I remembered it."
Taehyung laughs lightly, air blowing out of his nostrils.
"But your Korean voice is almost just as I remember it," Jungkook tilts his head. "When you speak in English, your voice deepens even more."
Taehyung licks his lips, the smile still on them as he sits back, playing with his fingers on the table. "Your voice deepens in Korean."
Jungkook chuckles, "So I've been told."
Taehyung keeps staring at his hands as Jungkook stares at him. Truth be told, he thought he moved on from Tae too when he fell for one of Rings' Caporegimes, Ariana.
But meeting Taehyung like this again feels so unreal and almost like he's falling in love with him all over again.
Jungkook loves the euphoria of falling in love.
"The code, Jungkook," Taehyung sits up and Jungkook subconsciously smiles at the elder referring to him by his birth-name.
"Right," Jungkook picks the notebook again. "The code."
"What kind of bullshit is this?" Taehyung exhales, massaging his head.
Jungkook chuckles. "This bullshit has helped August hide in plain sight for the last three years."
"Well, they aren't very good," Taehyung scrunches his nose. "August used to be the number one gang four years ago. They were number two when the language developed. They hit five this year. Not very dangerous, are they?"
"Well, if you think they're going to topple your empire, they must be working on their position," Jungkook says.
Taehyung groans and throws his head back, "It's just easier toppling an empire when you do it from the inside."
"How the hell did he sneak so many of his people in without you even noticing?"
Taehyung sits up and rubs his eye with the palm of his hand, "I got side-tracked for a while, it's not my fault."
"Not your fault?" Jungkook looks up at him, his voice raising, yet the playful smile remains on his lips. "You're the leader here, dude! Anything that isn't your fault, is still your fault!"
Taehyung sits forwards again, head on the table this time, "Well, I'm trying to fix it now, okay?"
"If Rings finds out you're this weak, all hell is going to break loose," Jungkook shakes his head.
Taehyung's head shoots up, "I'm not weak."
"Whatever you say."
"How do you know Rings are that powerful?"
Shit, slip up.
"They're on number two for a reason, you know."
Smooth, JK, smooth.
"Did you ever run into any of them?"
"It's hard not to," Jungkook stacks his notebooks. "Given they're all over America and the FBI."
"Did you ever run into trouble with any of them?'
Before Jungkook denies it, he remembers how Jewels found him after he murdered Travis Barker. Travis was a popular soldier for Rings. It was unlikely Taehyung didn't know who he was.
"Well, yeah, I stole some of these codes from them and wiped all translations and leads to you from their database," Jungkook lies without a hitch.
Taehyung sits up, "You did?"
Jungkook nods, looking Taehyung straight in his eyes, "Yeah, but they could have back-ups." He shrugs.
Taehyung nods, a finger over his chin, "Thank you."
Jungkook nods too, "We should really focus on the code now."
Taehyung chuckles lightly, "Yeah, let's get to it then."
Jungkook smiles, relieved that Taehyung doesn't press the issue anymore. "Let's get it!"
————————
Taehyung sits in his office as he stares at Jungkook's empty room through the camera. The younger is currently in the bathroom, refreshing himself after all the events of the day.
Taehyung himself has a lot to think about.
Exhibit A: Most of the people who disappeared were ones Taehyung wasn't exactly sure of were on his side from the beginning. He didn't like them. But overtime, Jimin's association with them warmed him to them as well.
Always trust your gut, Taehyung.
Exhibit B: A few of them were people who Taehyung adored and would do anything to protect. They were his friends, his brothers and sisters. So, he's willing to believe Timothée's hostage theory. Maybe some of Suga's men took his men to use as hostages in case they got caught.
Always keep an open mind, Taehyung.
Exhibit C: Jungkook is still suspicious. He never explained why his records say he was taken captive by August. He claims he was Rings' enemy when Travis and him clearly seemed to know each other.
Never trust anybody's words, Taehyung.
Exhibit C: Jungkook's code theory made sense to some extent. Still, the drug cartel code was a few code letters too many. Jungkook's vowel theory however, made sense. He said that the most used letters in English were all the vowels and a few consonants. And the vowels were most likely in every single word. So, picking out what's commonly used could get them somewhere.
Be wary of Jungkook's street and school smarts, Taehyung.
Exhibit D: The blister cream Jungkook uses for his chest is the one Taehyung has seen people use for tattoos. People don't just randomly get blisters on their chest. Jungkook's got an infection... or a tattoo removed.
Keep a close eye on Jungkook's body language, Taehyung.
Exhibit E: Taehyung is sleep-deprived.
Take a nap, Taehyung.
————
A/N:
Hey there, Orchids! (I'm so glad you liked the name)
Did you enjoy this chapter? It was on of the ones I really enjoyed writing! Oh, but the next chapter is easily one of my favorites...
Also, let's appreciate this lovely edit made by my wattpad daughter @kooktoptaebottom This is really very cool, doll! To appreciate her editing, do tell her so in the comments and give her a follow, Orchids! She worked really hard on this!
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Also, those of you who think that Taehyung is under the notion that Yoongi is dead really need to reread... I mean, how did you reach that conclusion? But, you have two days to read again since next update is on Sunday!
I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this!
Thank you for voting and commenting!
I purple you all!! 💜💜💜