SONG REC: "VENOM" - STRAY KIDS
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AUGUST 13TH
His pencil clattered to the floor for the fourth time in that minute.
"God," Lee Know groaned, leaning down to grab it once again. Rubbing at his eyes, he looked at the clock. It was seven at night. "I need a drink," he mumbled to himself.
He stood up and stretched, audibly cracking his back and neck. He kicked his chair out of the way and pulled on his coat. He would hurry to the liquor store.
None of the members questioned him as he exited his room.
"Finally out of your room, huh?" Han taunted, eyes remaining on the TV. "When are you going to relax?"
Lee Know ignored him and left.
Outside the inconspicuous building, he took a deep breath, clearing his head. He had a headache and knew liquor wouldn't help much, but he needed something to loosen up.
Although it was only seven at night, the streets were dead-empty. Of course, in this part of Korea, no sane person would walk around outside right now, unless they wanted to be robbed, kidnapped, or killed. It was common with the amount of gangs lurking around.
A sane person would stay home. Fortunately – or unfortunately – Lee Know was sane. Everybody else just knew better than to mess with him, the boss of the deadliest gang in Korea: Stray Kids. Despite that, he still wanted to keep a low head and avoid attracting attention, so he stayed within the shadows.
He turned the corner into what appeared like an empty alley, when a flying body made him hit the ground.
"What the fuck?" he shouted, as his head knocked against cement.
It didn't hurt, but he was certainly surprised as his body made contact with cement.
"Leave!" the person screamed, punching him. The voice was feminine, but deep and violent.
He quickly flipped the person onto their back and straddled them. Pressing their arms against the floor, he tried to absorb as many details about the person as he could.
Long, black hair, almost my height, unhealthily skinny, and an eyepatch on their left eye. Several bruises. No possessions around except for a backpack hidden in the shadows. Wearing multiple layers, as if to lighten the load in the backpack.
The person continued squirming, and he maintained an even tighter grip on their wrists.
"Let me go, please," the person begged, "I'm just some random street girl." She was no longer using a deep voice. It was light and smooth, and he noted this as well.
He could no longer ignore the trembling throughout her body. She didn't seem to have targeted him nor realized who he was, so he decided she wasn't going to kill him.
"I'll let you go slowly, okay? No sudden moves."
She nodded vigorously. Like he promised, he got up, and the moment he was completely off of her, she slipped out of his hold and stood up quickly.
"Who are you?" she asked breathlessly, her hands raised to defend herself if necessary. She adjusted her eye patch as if it was out of habit, and her one revealed eye was drilling into his.
He realized that she probably found comfort in the eye patch, which was black with a minimalist flower design on it. Chances were, she adjusted it when she was nervous.
"You don't need to know that yet. Although..." he trailed off, tilting his head. "I could use somebody like you."
She slipped a knife out of her sleeve. "What do you mean by that?" He could tell that she was working very hard to stay calm, despite the panic in her eyes. "What. Do. You. Mean," she repeated, although her voice trembled.
He raised two arms. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. Will you trust me?"
"No."
"Smart answer. Amuse me though. If you could join a gang, the deadliest gang in Korea, would you?" He spun his hand around, and somehow, a knife appeared in his hand.
"Stray Kids?" She raised an eyebrow. "Are you recruiting me for Stray Kids?"
"I am. And I'll give you half an hour to make a decision. I have liquor to buy."
She nodded. "I won't be going anywhere." But she already had her decision in mind.
He turned his back and finished the route to the liquor store. She was sneaky – he could already tell she would make a good spy. When he had entered that alley, he carefully scanned the area before entering, yet she surprised him anyway.
She was also able to knock him down. If she was any stronger, he could've been killed, right there and then.
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Exactly half an hour passed when he returned to that alley, with a bottle of expensive alcohol in his hand. Again, he scanned the alley and saw nothing. He entered confidently.
The world suddenly flipped upside down, and he looked up to see one of his legs tied to a rope on one of the wires running across the top of the buildings.
He flipped his soju and it landed on the floor perfectly. A skill he learned from the younger members, namely Felix.
He moved his fingers quickly, and he now held a knife in what had appeared to be an empty hand. He curled at the stomach and sliced the rope that was tethering him to the wire.
The girl appeared from the shadows with a baffled expression. "You cut through my most expensive rope in two seconds!"
That was the least of Lee Know's concerns. He was impressed. "Your rope doesn't matter. It amazes me that I didn't see that. I let my guard down for sure."
Her brows furrowed, not liking that statement. "Or maybe I'm good enough to amaze you. Recruit me and I'll show you what else I can surprise you with." She had decided to join Stray Kids the moment he asked, but she didn't want to appear too eager by immediately agreeing.
She saw the approval in his eyes but maintained a neutral expression. He reached out to shake her hand but she just glanced at it dismissively.
"So you'll come with me?" he asked, his hand still hovering.
After a beat, she nodded and took his hand.
He had a tight grip on her hand as he observed her. "I want you to say it."
She huffed. "I'll go with you." She eyed him, and he could tell she was observing him. She looked at his dark brown hair, sharp nose, big eyes, and a mouth that reminded her of a bunny.
They shook on it, and he smirked. "Try to keep up with me as we get home."
We, she thought pleasantly, despite their banter. She hadn't been a part of anything for years. "I would beat you if I knew the way," she said confidently.
"Oh, really?" He handed her an old-fashioned map and stood behind her, and his body heat made her tense. She hadn't had any healthy or safe physical contact in years, and she wasn't going to trust a male now.
"Relax," he said, his voice low. "If I'm going to be your boss, you have to learn to trust me."
"I'll learn to trust you when you earn it."
His lips quirked up. "Good response. Now let me show you how to get to the base before we both get kidnapped standing here."
"Hah. Kidnapped with a Stray Kids member here," she said drily.
He reached over her shoulder and started to trace the map. The man smelled good. His smooth voice brought her back to reality. "We're here, in this alley. And here," he moved his finger, "is the Stray Kids base."
"In the middle of the city?" she asked, incredulous.
"Blending in," he replied. "And this is the path I take to get there." He traced the paper with his finger, and she realized with a snort that his hands were quite small. It was actually quite cute for a mafia boss.
He ignored her snort and then stepped away. "You got that, Yun-Yeong?"
"Yun," she corrected automatically. "And how do you know my name?"
His eyes twinkled but his expression remained neutral. "I know everything that I need to know about everybody. You can fill me in on everything else later." He looked at his watch, which she noted was gold. He looked like he was going to leave.
"Wait!" she called.
"What?"
"What's your name?"
Spinning his knife, he said nonchalantly, "Lee Minho, better known as Lee Know, at your service." He bowed mockingly.
He could tell she recognized the name by the way her mouth was open and her eyes were wide.
He tapped her chin and she closed her mouth in a rush.
"You–" she said, but he cut her off.
He handed her the map. "Meet you there."
In seconds, he was gone, but he didn't realize that she was already ahead of him.
While she ran, she tucked her hair into her hoodie and slung her backpack on. She took shortcuts that only she was aware of as she thought about Lee Know.
He was notoriously famous for being the boss of the most deadliest gang in Korea: Stray Kids. For being the most seductive killer around. For being the boss that could plan anything to get what he or his team wanted.
They were a powerful group, with bad and good on their record.
And she wanted to be a part of it.
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last night i went to stray kids' maniac concert and it was literally the peak of my life 😭 i have never been any happier. i was sitting all the way in the back but it was still SUPER fun and i lost my voice HAHA. i highly recommend you guys go when you have the chance <3