Double update! Read chapter thirty three before this <3
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"We have to go get her body out of there," Yoongi says, his stance firm as he stares at the wall, not giving a fuck about Hoseok and Namjoon's reaction.
"We?" Namjoon asks.
"I."
"You mean, Suga?" Namjoon clarifies again.
"Me."
"You can't face Vante as Suga," Hoseok says.
"Then I'll face him as J-Hope."
"What if he recognises you?" Namjoon asks.
"J-hope's mask is better than both of ours," Yoongi says. "I'll change my accent and the mask will change the voice anyways."
"He knows you like the back of his hand," Hoseok reasons.
"No, he doesn't," Yoongi says confidently, knowing full well Taehyung doesn't know shit because of his PTSD.
"What about Jungkook?" Namjoon glances around. "He remembers everything."
"I am gonna go," Yoongi looks forward again. "Whether you want me to or not."
"Maybe we can send someone else?" Namjoon tries.
Yoongi stands his ground, remaining unfazed.
Namjoon shakes his head, "Yeah, he 's not gonna listen."
Hoseok sighs.
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Taehyung shifts, grunting as he adjusts himself. He frowns and squints his eyes open, registering the tight arms wrapped around him. He lifts his head up and looks around, blinking sleepily.
He's in bed with Jungkook, it's dark outside and the only light is coming from a slit in the bathroom doorway.
Taehyung looks at his changed clothes.
He looks up at Jungkook's sleeping face. Jungkook changed his clothes?
Taehyung inhales deeply, trying to imagine what Jungkook was thinking of as he took Taehyung's clothes off.
The scent of shampoo floods Taehyung's nostrils and he frowns.
Jungkook gave him a bath too?
Taehyung leans closer to Jungkook and inhales the scent off his neck. Bubblegum bath bomb.
What happened after Taehyung passed out?
Taehyung grunts and untangles his legs out of Jungkook's strong ones, gently prying Jungkook's arms off of him.
Jungkook groans and Taehyung sits up, pushing Jungkook out of his personal space.
Jungkook whines and stretches his back, letting out a loud moan as he stretches every muscle in his body, adjusting himself on the bed.
Taehyung rubs his eyes and gets out of bed, his feeting fumbling around for his furry slippers.
"Tae..." Jungkook mumbles, voice deep with sleep.
"Hmm?" Taehyung hums in a deeper voice, his feet slipping into his slippers.
"Where're you going?" Jungkook turns towards Taehyung and reaches out for him.
Taehyung stands and stretches himself, "Bathroom."
"What time is it?" Jungkook mumbles.
Taehyung blinks up at the clock and reads the glowing hands, "Seven."
"A.m?"
"No," Taehyung walks towards the bathroom. Seven in the morning would mean there'd be light coming through the window.
Jungkook sits up immediately, his eyes wide, "What date is it?"
Taehyung squints because of the bathroom light and stops in the doorway, turning to face Jungkook, "Hmm?"
"We slept at six p.m," Jungkook says quickly. "So, it's either been one hour... or twenty-five."
Taehyung's eyes almost pop out of his skull.
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They did, in fact, sleep for twenty five hours.
How?
Taehyung is just going to blame sleep-deprivation and extreme exhaustion. He passed out, so he slept longer, about twenty-nine hours.
So much shit to catch up on.
Why didn't anyone wake him?
Taehyung speed-walks through the entire mansion, having left Jungkook to his dinner a while ago. Taehyung is starving, his head light from hunger, but there are matters that need his immediate attention.
Walking the hallways, Taehyung spots a familiar face, "Timothée!"
The young man looks up from his file and nods, walking closer to Taehyung, "Good to see you again."
"Why wasn't I woken up?"
"Jimin tried, you wouldn't budge."
"Why didn't you try?"
"I threw you off the bed."
Taehyung frowns.
"Jimin said you were unconscious, so it was best to just leave you till you woke up."
"I was unconscious and Jimin just left me like that?"
"He said you had a rough few weeks and it was finally catching up to you."
Taehyung sighs, "Updates, give me updates. I missed an entire day."
"Right, sorting by priority," Timothée thinks out-loud as he walks beside Taehyung.
Taehyung pays careful attention to every word that comes out of his mouth next.
"Okay, Taylor is gonna be here a day early, so we booked a room starting the twenty-second. She said that she was okay with the meeting time and could wait till the twenty-fourth."
"Change the meeting to the night of the twenty-second," Taehyung says. "I don't want her to have an excuse to spend time in my territory."
"Okay, done," Timothée nods as Taehyung turns a hallway, his stomach accompanying him with a growl. "Jisoo's body has been put in a freezer and we're waiting for you to tell us what to do with it."
Taehyung closes his eyes and tries not to dwell too much on Jisoo's death. He's not ready for that yet.
"Do whatever you want with it in the morning," Taehyung says. "Anything that's not sexual."
"Got it," Timothée nods, pulling out a pack of two vanilla cupcakes from his pocket, handing it to Taehyung.
Taehyung gratefully accepts it, tearing the packet open.
"Jisoo's daughter is being taken care of by seven different people at the moment," Timothée says. "All in different shifts."
"And Junghyun?"
"He was moved to Jungkook's floor."
"Montero?"
"Close eye on him," Timothée says. "Nothing too suspicious."
Taehyung stops in a hallway and quickly finishes his cupcake, setting his hair. "Does she know Jisoo's dead?"
Timothée stares at the guarded door, "No one knew what to do."
Taehyung nods and takes in a few deep breaths.
"Eat the other cake, Tae."
Taehyung swallows it down in two bites, rushing off to the room. The guards salute and move away from the door, allowing the leader a clear path.
Taehyung looks at Timothée, who shows him a thumbs up and smiles.
Taehyung exhales and nods, setting his suit as he prepares himself for what seems to have become the most difficult moment of his life.
What will he tell her?
Taehyung swallows, Jisoo's dead body flashing in his mind as he dreads telling the little girl in the room.
Taehyung inhales sharply and shakes his head.
He has to do this.
No one else can.
Taehyung nods firmly and walks into his daughter's room.
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Jungkook walks around the room, his hands held loosely behind his back as he studies Taehyung's entire room for the tenth time that day.
Twenty-five hours.
That's a new record.
Jungkook surprises himself sometimes.
Jungkook chuckles as he thinks of how fast Taehyung was in getting ready and running out as if he was being chased.
Just mafia leader things.
Jungkook can faintly recall Jimin trying to wake Taehyung up but the latter wouldn't because Tata is a very heavy sleeper.
How he slept through an assault when he was thrown to the floor, Jungkook has no interest in knowing.
Jungkook is more keen on trying to understand all the things Tata told him in the bathtub while Jungkook cleaned him.
"Tata, what's wrong?" Jungkook asks as he throws the bloody clothes to the side.
Tata pouts at his reflection in the refilling tub-water, "Kookie, are you a bad person?"
"What?"
"TaeTae doesn't think you can take care of him."
"How does that make me a bad person?"
"You killed my Noona."
Jungkook's eyebrows raise, "What?"
"She was screaming, Kookie."
"Jisoo?"
Tata looks up, his eyes teary.
"Oh baby," Jungkook moves closer to the four year old and runs a hand through his wet hair. "Jisoo was hurting Taetae hyungie."
"She said she loved me," a tear slips out of Tata's eye.
Jungkook rubs Tata's cheek and gives him a pitiful look,"But she lied to Taehyung."
"She said she loved me," Tata insists, more tears coming out of his eyes.
Jungkook is about to assure him again when he properly registers what Tata said,"She talked to you?"
Tata nods, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.
Jungkook gets off the edge of the tub and leans closer to Tata, "Did she know your name?"
Tata sniffles and nods.
Jungkook's frown deepens, "Who else knows your name?"
Tata blinks and wipes his eyes, blinking again before taking a deep breath. "Yeonjun hyung, Jennie noona and Baekhyungie."
"Yeonjun knows?"
"M-hmm."
Jungkook stands, the frown still clear on his features.
"And you know," Tata smiles a little.
Jungkook places his hands on his waist,"Tata, is it possible for me to talk to Mama again?"
Tata closes his eyes and then shakes his head, "Daddy says I should stop talking."
Something about all the people who knew about Tata was that each and every one of them was Korean. One was a confirmed August spy, another was under suspicion and Jungkook doesn't know about the rest.
He'll find a way to ask Taehyung later.
For now, maybe he should just focus on his stance during their meeting with Rings.
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"Appa!" the little girl squeals, running into Taehyung's wide arms, her smile shining like a million lights in the dark.
"Oh, my tigress!" Taehyung exclaims, displaying the widest smile he's had in a few months as he lifts the little toddler into his arms and tosses her into the air, catching her again.
The girl's blue eyes shine in delight and her pink lips seem pinker in excitement, her face flushing as she continuously giggles and squeals, having missed the presence of her father. Her blonde, curly hair falls onto her face but she doesn't even bother, too focused on enjoying Taehyung's games.
Taehyung smiles at the guard, "Hey, Harry. She wasn't too much of a bother, right?"
Harry closes his eyes and shakes his head, "Not at all, sir. I actually relaxed the most I have in months today."
Taehyung chuckles. "Happening to a lot of people lately."
Harry smiles brightly, "I trust you slept well?"
Taehyung frowns at Harry.
Harry snickers, "Sorry. It's not everyday that such a busy man sleeps for twenty-five hours straight, oblivious to even the end of the world."
"That's it," Taehyung rolls his eyes, a playful smile on his lips. "Get out."
Harry laughs a little and bows, walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"I would've woken up if the world was ending," Taehyung looks at the girl in his arms. "Right, Yoonjeong?"
Yoonjeong giggles, "Uncle Jimin said you became a rock."
Taehyung laughs with her, "Oh, I'll have to take care of uncle Jimin later."
"Where's mama?" Yoonjeong asks. "She said she was gonna bake a cake."
Taehyung licks his lips and swallows, carefully seating himself onto Yoonjeong and Jisoo's small bed, seating the girl in his lap. "You want a cake?"
"Chocolate," Yoonjeong nods. "With extra sprinkles."
"Oh, I''ll get you all the cakes in the world."
"Really?" Yoonjeong's eyes light up, a smile spreading to her round cheeks. "With extra sprinkles?"
"All the extra sprinkles you want, baby."
Yoonjeong squeals in excitement but then stops, pouting.
"Jo?'
"Mama said that too much cake will make my tummy hurt."
"Yeah?" Taehyung nuzzles his nose in her hair. "Don't tell mommy, then."
Yoonjeong gasps as if Taehyung personally attacked her, "But then what if my tummy hurts?"
"There's medicine."
"But that medicine is so 'bleh'," Yoonjeong sticks her tongue out, pretending to vomit.
Taehyung giggles at the child's antics and pats her back, "We'll eat just one cake then."
Yoonjeong smiles and then holds up five fingers.
"Five?" Taehyung scoffs. "I thought your tummy was gonna hurt."
"Don't tell mommy," Yoonjeong giggles.
Taehyung laughs out and slowly stops to observe Yoonjeong become a snorting and giggling mess. Despite not being related to anybody close to Taehyung, he would always find a way to see Yoongi in his lovely little baby.
She had the same sense of mischief the elder had, even displaying the same sense of humour from time to time.
Taehyung found himself trying to understand the phenomenon.
Jisoo was raising her, so how the hell was she becoming Yoon—
Taehyung's eyes widen.
Just how close was Jisoo to Yoongi to be able to get a little girl to adopt habits that the woman might've picked up from him?
How strong is Yoongi's influence in August?
How close is he to Suga?
Why not just face Taehyung openly instead of sending so many spies to 'take care of him'?
Taehyung's hold on Yoonjeong strengthens as his body freezes.
Was it possible Yoongi was one of the big three?
J-hope, RM... or maybe even Suga himself?
Taehyung closes his eyes tight and prays that's not the case.
Junghyun said Yoongi worked for Suga.
Yeah, yeah, Yoongi was just a high-ranked member, nothing else.
He definitely wasn't leading the mafia Taehyung wanted to go to war against.
"Appa?"
"Hmm?"
"How does batter turn into ca—"
The door bursts open, slamming into the wall with full force.
Yoonjeong screams and curls into Taehyung.
"Jimin, wha—" Taehyung studies Jimin up and down.
The elder male heaves loudly, his shoulders rising and falling with the action as his hair falls into his eyes, his entire body red and sweating.
Another figure runs in and pauses at the doorway, panting as well.
"Jungkook, what happened?" Taehyung sits up, pulling Yoonjeong closer into himself as the girl peeks from behind her hair.
Jungkook's arms flail around a little and he opens his mouth to form words but struggles to come up with a coherent sentence.
"It's August," Jimin says.
Taehyung completely wraps his arms around Yoonjeong, hiding her behind them as he sits up, his heart fastening its pace. His throat goes dry.
Now what?
Another spy?
Please, not someone close to Taehyung.
Taehyung's fingers impatiently tap over Yoonjeong's head. The only comfort at the moment is the girl's small hand placed over his chest as she clutches onto his shirt tightly.
"They sent a message!" Jungkook exclaims, snapping out of his daze. "In your code!"
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Standing in the computer room, Taehyung is a panting mess as he carries Yoonjeong over his back while Jimin leans over a few of the computers.
"Tom, pull the deciphered version up on the screen," Jimin orders.
Tom nods and does as told.
Jungkook takes Taehyung's hand into his own and squeezes it tightly, leaning on Taehyung's shoulder while Yoonjeong places her head on his other one.
"Here, sir," Tom moves out of the way so that Taehyung can read the message.
Greetings, Vante Kim
It has come to my attention that one of my members, Kim Jisoo, has been discovered and taken into your custody. I do apologise for the inconvenience, and I am praying that you spared her.
I am sending this message to arrange a time to meet with you, so that I may collect Jisoo, dead or alive. In the event that she is alive no more, please do keep her body preserved.
J-hope will arrive in Croatia on the sunrise of the twenty-second of September with nothing but five other men to escort him around the area. It would be best if the meeting is conducted before noon and gotten over with.
There will be no violence, no exchange of information. The exact time and place of the meeting is up to you, so long as we can take Jisoo home.
Do deliver your response before the afternoon of the twenty first of September.
Regards,
SUGA
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A/N:
What did you think of this chapter?
This week was loooong. I had my practical exams and we had to drive for so long and I am so damn tired.
How are all of you?
Thank you for reading, commenting and voting!
I purple you! 💜💜💜