Tw: Mature language, Insulting slurs towards the boys and others, manipulation, blackmail, threats of violence, mentions weapons and other sensitive content. Read at your own discretion.
Again a reminder, this is pure work of fiction. All the characters and institutions mentioned in this are purely out of imagination. Do not correlate them with real life incidents.
Jessica's pov.
'Alexander thinks he is smart. He is cunning for sure, he is trying to rile the boys up, trap dad in. But what he doesn't know is that I have 4 Geniuses on my team, excluding me of course. He doesn't know we already have got hang of his plan. So go ahead you fox, try your luck.' Jessica thinks while Alexander is trying to make his presentation dramatic.
"Let's not dwell on the gossip Mr. CEO, you said you have proof. So let's start from there." Jess stated, this somehow turned Jakes's smirk into a frown. And he asked one of his assistants to switch on the projector. On the screen they could see pictures of some busy street and at the centre of it was a hooded figure, wearing a grey mask,and glasses, Walking through the crowd. As the pictures proceeded through the sequence, they could see the person taking the hood off, brown luscious long waves of hair flowing with the wind. Then next to be gone were the glasses, asymmetric eyelids peeking through. The guys were used to it. There were doppelgangers everywhere trying to make money sending these "proofs". But something about the way these pictures were clicked, made them look different than those premeditated ones. These looked like they were clicked by someone who was hiding, keeping it low.
Third Person's POV
The boys were hooked. Because Kook's face was showing all kinds of emotions. It's like he saw something no one else could. The face, of which each of the nooks and corners he had memorised for years, he couldn't fail to recognise. He spent years studying that face. For an artist like him, he couldn't not recognize his muse for a lifetime. So he knew, even before the mask came off, he knew it was him. He shuddered, lips wobbly, voice waving, he called for his Jimin hyung. He knew, if apart from him someone else could recognize that face without taking away the covers, it would be the platonic soulmate of his lover. And he saw the exact same reflection of emotion on Jimin's face too. It's the only confirmation he needed. They were holding each other's hands, so tightly, as if they left those hands, they would be sucked in a blackhole.
Jake laughed wickedly. "It's your boy isn't it Jeon? Huh? I thought so. But for you Woo, keep watching the next photos, to get your answers." He commented.
Jessica was watching each of his moves, very carefully, but she wasn't the only one. There was the other genius from her side who also was focused on Alexander rather than the screen. As if they knew what he was going to show, or rather they planned what he would get to show. So while the others were ready to jump from their seats, these two people were leisurely rolling in their chairs. So when the next slide played everyone but these two were shocked. They saw their Tae, clinging on and back hugging someone, who looked like a guy of petite built, chubby cheeks; crescent, kind eyes with plump lips. Joon and Jimin knew exactly who that was. One had met this person years ago, and the other one has been picturing him in his head for years. The first one was introduced to this guy by Yoongi, and the second was introduced by Yoongi again, but in a drunken state.
Jimin's Pov
Jimin couldn't hold it in, he released a quiet sob. How many times he is going to lose to the same guy, the same one who had been conquering the past of his lover, and the present of his soulmate. The one and only Chris Woo. He had nothing against Chris, he didn't even know him, but still every inch of his existence was threatened by Chris as he remembered, Yoongi calling Chris, 'irreplaceable'. So even though he had so many similarities with Chris, he always knew he could only be a 'replica'. The ghost of Chris's perfection kept haunting him in his dreams.
He turned his attention to Yoongi, but all he saw was a stone cold demeanour, with a stoic expression. He didn't know why Yoongi was so unaffected. Was it because he had moved on and accepted Chris belonging to someone else or was it because he knew exactly that Chris belonged to only him? Both of these scenarios were painful for him as one would break his best friends' relationship, and the other one would break his own hope. But then something else on the screen caught his attention and he saw Joon gasp.
There, with the duo on the screen stood a figure, huddled up with the other two men. A short woman of 30s, looked like Indian-Asian origin. She had a round face, high cheeks and sharp eyes. All three of them seemed to be laughing, carelessly. But that's not what shocked Jimin, what shocked him was that Joon went still. As if he also saw a ghost from his past but before Jimin could observe more, Yoongi roared.
Third person POV
"Okay so you know where they are. What now? What do you want us to do? They all seem happy together. If they wanted to come back, they would have done it long back. It seems they are there on their own choices. What do you want from us?"
This puzzled Jake but he tried to maintain his composure.
"You know what I want, I want you all to come back to NEO and work there till the last second you can make us money for. We own your past work, and now you would sign an exclusivity contract with us for the rest of your lives."
"And why would we do that?" Yoongi questioned lazily.
"What do you mean why? I know where the Kim boy is, so I am sure your golden boy wants to listen to me. I know where the Woo heir is, so this oldie here would want to listen, so will his 'son in law'. Jung here has a child on the way, so he would like to do everything in their best interest. Also, I don't know who's slut that is in the picture, but I am sure your ex-leader seems affected by it. And you Min, used to be close with all the 3 of them in the picture. No matter how good of an act you put, you wouldn't want to lose tabs on them or put them in harms way, right?. And Park over here would do anything to keep you happy, follow you like a lost puppy, huh? So I don't think your question is evwn valid."
Yoongi snorts, "You have got nothing on us Alexander. It's all just gibberish to me. So unless you got them in hostage, all this 'talk is cheap'!"
"YOU ARE PLAYING WITH FIRE MIN YOONGI!" Jake spits.
"Is that a threat Mr CEO? Has NEO stooped so low? That you are threatening people left and right?" Jessica quirks her brow.
"Sweetie, you don't know what we can do! It's in your best interest to listen to us. Leave the boys to us. It's just for work. Not that we are asking you to trade your sugar baby with someone. Just lend his work to us and they are free to do whatever or whoever they want in the time they are left with!" Said Jake.
Joon, who is still sitting in shock, stirs in his seat. Too tired to say anything. He looks at Jin, as if seeking comfort from his hyung. Jin, who is puzzled himself, manages to say, "We are not commodities Alexander. We are people. Our talent is not an object, it used to be a blessing. We used to make people happy, take their pain away for at least for a few minutes. But now the way you are putting it, I am sure we would be slaves at your hand, who's sole purpose would be to make money, no matter what. Just like you did to us in the past, you would like to control and manipulate each of us to be under your weight. That's not what we want."
"Who cares what you want, pretty-face? That's not how business works. You are toying with CEO yourself, still you manage to be so oblivious. Bang, you have spoiled these boys too much with your ideologies, and Woo, you have given them too much free reign too. No wonder you guys are stuck under us. Anyways, I'll get the contract ready, come down tomorrow to sign."
Yoongi laughed loudly, "You are so delusional Jake, don't you get it, we aren't working for you. You have got nothing against us."
"You really want to check my patience ha? I tried doing this the gentle way for 2 years. First that Kim went bonkers and now you are trying to act all smart. I didn't want to get my hands dirty, but if you really don't have a mind to save your own asses, let me show you what I can do. Max, take these dirtbags and this girl to the base. And keep them locked up till I get the rest of 3 ducklings in the pictures, and oh yes, also collect the swollen bitch of Jung, we are going to have a family meeting."
The gaurds surround them and suddenly they realize they are held on a gun point." Jake scoffs and shifts his attention to Mr. Woo,
"And you Woo, don't get into crossfire. You know I don't mind playing dirty. My investors want the boys to work, so I'll make them work. You stay happy knowing your faggot of a son is alive and breathing under my custody. You are a businessman Woo, you know my folks would like to earn back some returns on the money they invested on these jokers. Till now these have been nothing but a nuisance. So I need to recover the losses and earn some profits for my investors. I don't tell them how I do it, the don't care how as well. I have been trying to make these geese lay some golden eggs for NEO, but these brats are too entitled. So I am gonna put some discipline in them. Your daughter will return to you once you surrender the boy's contract with you and sell back their rights to me. And in return, your daughter comes home untouched and your dying self has at least one of your litter alive with you when you die of cancer." the evil laughs.
"And Bang you are a musician, stay a musician. Now that you know what I am capable of, you better keep your mouth shut. And you will have a family to return back to. Am I clear?" Sî-Hyuk was too terrified to respond but he sends a curt nod.
As the guards take the 7 to the parking lot of the building, 5 of them are too stunned to resist or even react.
'How did it turn to this? They all thought the storm was already over, it was the calm after that. But all went topsy-turvy in a matter of few hours. They were just here to see the 'proof', so how did they end up being hostages themselves?'
All of the oblivious 5 think. And the rest two? They are having the time of their life as their best move is 'Yet to Come'!