Jimin's feet were rooted to the ground, his jaw tightly clamped as Tae and Yunhee disappeared inside the elevator.
After firing that bullet into the ceiling, he'd watched his girlfriend haul that predatory bastard over her shoulder and knock the wind right out of his black sails. Still, there was little relief in seeing her escape.
Taehyung - wherever he was - would be steaming, and The Dark Energy would not let her go so easily.
She was also wearing the red dress and necklace from her premonition.
If Yunhee didn't make it, if Taehyung caught up with them, he would kill Tae, take her back to Pyeongchang-dong and...
Gritting his teeth, Jimin's eyes darted from pillar to post to look for the man who intended to defile the woman he loved. He had to be somewhere within the building, searching for Yunhee after her candid rejection.
On a mission to locate Taehyung, Jimin whirled around, spotting his right-hand man in the distance as the crowd jostled towards the fire exit.
Jin's patience was evidently wearing thin as he manhandled an obnoxious male aside to get to his boss, but the pair pushed through the mayhem until they eventually met in the centre of the lounge.
'Did it work?' Jin questioned, looking atypically laboured as he rammed his Smith & Wesson into his holster. 'Please tell me they got out.'
'They're in the elevator,' Jimin replied as his eyes analysed every person scarpering to the exit.
Grey suit, too short.
Wrong hair colour, too podgy.
Blue dress, too busty.
'For fuck's sake,' Jimin sighed. 'Where did he go?'
Jin turned his palms over in defeat just as Namjoon wedged his way between two women and careered into his side. 'I can't find the worthless turd anywhere! He must have taken the stairs!'
Jimin's fingers twitched around the handle of his gun.
The thought of Taehyung going after Yunhee made him sick to the stomach, but they were a hundred and twenty-three floors above Seoul. There was no way in hell he could make it down to the lobby before their elevator did.
'Hate to be a killjoy, boss,' Jin uttered while scratching his smooth chin, 'but nothing is certain until we receive confirmation from Tae that they're in the limo.'
'Even then, Yunhee isn't safe,' Namjoon added. 'The limo belongs to Taehyung. If he finds out they're using it to hitch a ride, one call from him, and they'll be taken straight back to Pyeongchang-dong. We can't protect them from here.'
'And in about five minutes, this place is going to swarming with cops who will gladly hand us over to Taehyung for half a buck,' Jin reminded him. 'Getting in was child's play. Getting out...'
'I'm aware, guys,' Jimin sizzled as his gaze remained fastened to the dispersing guests.
Getting into the skyscraper was indeed child's play.
After Tae's impromptu decision to fill Taehyung's shoes, they'd left Jebu-ri Island and drove to Lotte World Tower.
The security manning the foyer were perplexed by the Mafia King's second coming, but he breezed through the lobby with his trio of bodyguards, and no questions were raised when they boarded the lift.
Not wanting to make a grand entrance into the private function, they'd hopped off at floor 117 and climbed the last six flights on foot, opening the fire exit door to peek inside once they reached the top.
With Taehyung already present amongst the flourishing soirée, they'd agreed that Tae would remain hidden inside the stairwell until he heard the signal. Sneaking in with his men and spreading out, Jimin had kept himself as discreet as possible while scouring the joint for Yunhee.
He knew the facts. He'd walked into the party tonight mindful that Taehyung was commemorating their "first anniversary". He'd walked in mindful of The Dark Energy's purpose, and Yunhee's struggle to detangle herself from its sticky web.
Seeing Taehyung's hands on her waist as they danced, though, seeing his lips touching her temple and his fingers brushing her backside as he whispered into her ear. It tormented him.
But then he'd sensed a shift in the air, a spark of electricity akin to the energy created by the vortex.
When he'd felt that magnetic pull tugging on his heart, Yunhee's eyes had shot open.
Jimin had felt like the richest man in the universe, remembering in those fleeting seconds when their eyes met across the busy room that there was nothing Taehyung or any dark force could do to come between them.
His Little Legs had found the will to fight. She'd shoved the motherfucker away.
'Jimin, listen to me,' Jin's pressing voice shattered his boss' thoughts. 'I know you want this cocksucker's head on a platter, but our window is closing. If we don't go now...'
Jimin scanned the lounge one final time. He didn't want to give up, not after all the effort they'd undergone to gatecrash. But it was either stay on the off chance they locate Taehyung within the tower, or leave now and cut off Tae and Yunhee before someone else did.
Why was he even deliberating this?
Jin and Namjoon were right; they couldn't protect Tae and Yunhee from here.
With a curt nod, Jimin swished two fingers towards the fire exit, promptly following his men when they began to move out. He was double-checking the stragglers on the top floor as he walked, brewing with indignation and paying little heed to what lay ahead.
Until he heard an almighty curse explode from Jin's mouth.
'Get down!'
*
Taehyung's anniversary gala was a catastrophe, but the Dom Pérignon was top notch.
Appreciating the sparkling wine bubbling on his tongue, Hoseok reclined on a snug sofa in the Seoul Sky Secret Garden, listening to the chaos unfurl six floors above with an indulged smirk.
Oh dear. It sounded like Park Jimin had arrived to rain on Taehyung's delusory parade.
Not too long ago, he would have sprinted upstairs to protect the Mafia King he'd dedicated years of his life to, but after a face full of champers from Yunhee, and a flagrant dismissal from his so-called friend and ally, Hoseok was quite content in his own company.
They could kill the disloyal bastard for all he cared.
Weeks and weeks of watching Taehyung detach himself from their trustful partnership. Weeks and weeks of watching him neglect his multi-billion empire. The mobster had gone do-a-diddy, forsaking half their business deals, their drug transactions, their gambling operations.
Even their budding new agreement with Alexander Volkov had fallen on the back burner, all because of that damned woman he'd found snooping around the House of Cards a couple of months ago.
At first, Hoseok understood Taehyung's desire to pursue Miss Hahm; he was a sucker for a rare beauty, and she was the true love of his archenemy. And yet - despite going to extreme measures to bring her through a vortex - he'd failed to pin her to his bed and stick his dick in every last one of her holes.
Instead, Taehyung had concocted some weird-arse fantasy that they'd been "dating" for twelve months. Breakfast every morning, dinner every evening. Riding some fancy horse when she should have been riding his cock.
The man had lost the fucking plot, salivating over Yunhee as is if she was the most "precious" jewel in the world who he'd die without.
Well, too bad for Taehyung. Hoseok was done and planned to jump ship before it struck rock.
He'd thought long and hard about his personal situation since their return. He was tired of his right-hand life, bored with it, in fact. What he needed was his own venture, an enterprise that he could manage, and a female by his side to satisfy his addiction without having to first seek permission.
The redhead holed up at the beach house, the same redhead that Taehyung had stolen from him and thrown into the cargo container. Her name was Byun Mee, a fine creature who resembled Yang Gi, the bitch who'd left him high and dry all those years ago.
Tonight, he would drive to Jebu-ri Island. Tonight, he would take what he wanted and never look-
Hoseok's ears perked up when restrained footsteps padded along the adjoining hallway.
Great, he was about to have company.
Presuming it was a trickle of guests trying to find their way out of the building, he necked his champagne and rose to his feet with a stretch. He faltered, however, when a familiar cadence drifted around the corner and along the corridor.
'Stay close to me,' Taehyung gruffly spoke.
'Ugh,' Hoseok scowled as his eyes raked the passageway decorated with tropical greenery, 'wish he'd fuck off.'
In no mood for his boss' overbearing bullshit, Hoseok impatiently requested the elevator that would take him down to the lobby. He pushed the call button once, twice, hitting it over and over again as his ears bled listening to Taehyung's hushed exchange with that darned woman.
'Hey,' Taehyung whispered, 'are you sure you're okay?'
'Uh huh, all good,' Yunhee responded. There was a prolonged pause before she asked, 'Are you okay? You seem injured...'
'I'm fine. Just keep moving. We're almost there.'
'O-okay...'
Hoseok's finger froze, the fine lines on his forehead tripling as he discreetly backed away from the steel doors.
Something was off.
Taehyung and Yunhee would never speak to each other like that, nor would Taehyung creep around Lotte World Tower. In the heat of the moment, he would be barking orders and yanking the two-timing hellcat out by the scalp.
It wasn't the disreputable Mafia King approaching with his moll.
It was his resurrected doppelgänger.
Hoseok sniggered gleefully, recovering his gun as he slunk into the elevator and knocked the emergency stop.
Tae may have failed to die after putting a bullet in his chest at Crystal Kingdom, but the minor setback could easily be rectified.
With her ex-boyfriend perished and his boss nowhere in sight, Yunhee would be left unprotected.
Why have one delicious slut at your beck and call when you could have two.
*
'Stay close to me,' Tae instructed as Yunhee tip-toed behind him.
Mesh panels draped in ivy and LED fairy lights, stuffed wild animals beneath giant dangling ferns.
If the Hanging Gardens of Babylon existed, Yunhee imagined it to be like this, and if not for the pressing urgency to get out of the building before Taehyung found her, she would have stopped to admire the captivating tourist attraction sitting 500m above the city.
Seoul Sky Secret Garden was awesome.
Unfortunately, the only sight-seeing on her itinerary tonight was the hemline of Tae's tuxedo as he guided through the leafy archway and focused on getting them to the next elevator.
'Hey,' Tae's soft voice cut through the stifling silence, and when he peered over his shoulder, his concerned gaze lingered on her unstable legs, 'are you sure you're okay?'
'Uh huh, all good,' Yunhee cheeped. So, he'd noticed her limp, but now was not the time to complain about her throbbing thighs, especially when Tae was wincing in discomfort and rolling out his arm. 'Are you okay? You seem injured...'
'I'm fine,' he claimed with a contradictory grimace as he adjusted his hold on Jimin's Raptor. 'Just keep moving. We're almost there.'
'O-okay...'
Passing a pair of stuffed giraffes and a blue plaque showing a detailed floor plan, they finally reached the end of the scenic route. Tae stalled, holding his finger to his lips as he moulded his spine against the plastic shrubbery and peeked around the corner.
'It's clear,' he mumbled, quickly ferrying Yunhee into the neighbouring passage.
At the far end of the corridor was a cosy seating area with a leaflet stand and a potted pear tree. Alongside that, to Yunhee's relief, the lift that would carry them down to the lobby.
Picking up their pace, they jogged along the colourful hall and slewed to a stop outside the elevator.
'Come on,' Tae growled, his eyes examining the path they'd just taken while repeatedly pressing the call button. 'Hurry up!'
The elevator dinged, but when the doors finally opened, a pocket of air rushed between Tae's teeth and he briskly lifted his Raptor.
'S-shit...' Yunhee stammered, her painted nails fisting his suit jacket when Hoseok stepped out.
His pistol forced them to retreat, but Tae's upper lip quivered like a snarling dog's as he assertively moved Yunhee behind him.
'Hoseok, stop horsing around and put your toy away. It's time to leave-'
'Nice try, Tae,' Hoseok scoffed disdainfully. 'You think I'm stupid?'
Although rigid under the threat of a bullet splattering his brains out, Tae retorted with a sturdy, 'Yes.'
'Drop it,' Hoseok commanded.
Tae cursed but complied, his silver pistol bouncing along the spongy carpet as Yunhee peeked around his shoulders.
Her attention was drawn to an enormous army knife sheathed at Hoseok's waist, but zipped up when he brassily purred, 'Why are you always hiding, kitten?'
'No.' Tae stiffened and tried to hold her in place, but Yunhee shook her head, squeezing his hand to ask for his trust as she slipped out from behind his back.
'Please don't do this, Hoseok,' she appealed while judiciously edging closer. 'Don't you see what's happening? Didn't Taehyung tell you? He's...he's not himself. If he finds me-'
'The fuck, woman? You think I'm going to hand you back to that pompous crackpot?' Hoseok chortled while haphazardly wafting his firearm in her face. 'Fuck Taehyung! I'm done with the brat. He takes everything from me! Everything!'
'You're right,' Yunhee gulped, 'Taehyung does take everything, but you're free to make your own choices. You could walk away now and leave all this behind. Imagine the things you could-'
'You know what I've often imagined?' Hoseok slurred. 'How much quieter you'd be with my cock choking your airway. Guess the ex would know. Why don't we ask him?'
A distasteful blaspheme tore from Tae's mouth as he lunged forward, but he came to a jarring halt when Hoseok grabbed Yunhee and tucked the barrel of his gun beneath her chin.
'You're disgusting,' she spat, staring up at the vile man while he ate her up with a deranged gleam in his eye. 'At least Taehyung has an excuse for his abhorrent behaviour. You, on the other hand-'
'You want to know what my problem is besides wanting to fuck every living thing that moves?' Hoseok seethed as he swished his head in Tae's direction. 'Him. I know what happened the night you met, Yunhee. He wooed you right out from under my nose knowing damn well I saw you first.'
Yunhee's hands trembled, but she used his hysterical state to her advantage, deftly feeling around for the blade attached to his belt as his bitter words hit home.
Hoseok wasn't just overflowing with resentment over Taehyung's success, he was brimming with jealousy because Tae had ultimately won her heart.
If she didn't act now, they'd both be on the receiving end of his wrath.
'I saw you first, Yunhee,' Hoseok fumed as he painfully clutched her cheeks, 'which is why I'm getting out of here and taking you with me-'
'The fuck you are!' Tae was upon him in one long stride, driving the weapon away from Yunhee's neck and grappling for control as she unsheathed Hoseok's knife.
The blast from the gun almost ruptured her eardrums as the bullet planted itself in the wall, but she still heard the edge of the blade puncturing Hoseok's skin when it plunged into his stomach.
A strained gurgle spurted from his lips, his limbs convulsing as warm blood trickled from his abdomen and drenched her fingers.
'Jesus Christ,' Tae croaked, drawing Yunhee away from the gruesome scene when Hoseok gripped the knife handle and slowly withdrew it from his insides.
Crimson liquid seeped from the deep laceration, his features creasing in confusion as his knees buckled and he slumped to the floor with a heavy thump.
Hoseok was dead.
She'd killed him with her own two hands, but there was no time for Yunhee to register the gravity of her actions. Tae was already working on autopilot, picking up the Raptor and collecting a silk handkerchief from his tux.
'Are you alright?' he asked with a rumpled brow while cleaning the red stains from her shaking palms. 'Yunhee, answer me.'
'Y-yes,' she stuttered as she focused on the white cloth soaking up Hoseok's blood, 'but we need...we need to go before the...the police...'
With a shuddering sigh, Tae discarded the tinged rag and gently clasped her pale face. 'Hey, I won't let the authorities touch you. I will clear this mess up, you hear me?'
Tae's peculiar declaration made little sense; what influence did he have here? But his strong doe eyes would not leave hers, boring into hers until she felt a smidgen of weight lift from her shoulders.
'You hear me?'
Taking a deep breath, Yunhee bobbed her head and sent him a brave smile. 'I hear you.'
'Good. Now, wait there.'
Kissing her temple, Tae let go of her face and squatted beside Hoseok.
'W-what are you doing?' Yunhee squeaked as he rolled his lifeless body over and patted down his pockets.
'Call it a hunch.' Springing to his feet, Tae waved Hoseok's smartphone in front of her nose before leading her towards the elevator. 'Let's get the hell out of here.'
*
Taehyung's security guards huddled around them the minute they stepped off the elevator, protecting who they believed to be the all-important Mafia King as he clutched Yunhee's elbow and dragged her through the skyscraper lobby.
They were doing a great job so far. Tae's dictatorial execution was enough to frighten a police horse as his Italian shoes clipped on the tiles, while Yunhee huffed and puffed in his wake, her heeled feet struggling to keep up as they headed towards the main entrance.
They were almost out. The glass doors were up ahead, but when they barrelled out into the night and a cold blast of air attacked Yunhee's bare skin, she gasped in surprise and her teeth began to chatter.
'F-fuck! It's f-freezing!' Though her complaint was partially authentic, Yunhee was conscious that any moment now one of Taehyung's sentries would figure out their lie and bust them. 'We...we can't leave yet, Taehyung. I left my coat inside-'
'I'll buy you another,' Tae growled as the limo skidded to a halt alongside the kerb.
A guard opened the passenger door for them, and Tae wasted no time trying to bundle Yunhee inside while she kept up her pretence and wedged her limbs against the door frame.
'Stop being a brat and get in the car!'
'No!' Elbowing him in the stomach, Yunhee ducked under his arm and stumbled along the pavement. 'Someone help me! I'm being kidnapped by a power infested creep-'
'For fuck's sake!' Tae's frustration sounded genuine as he gave chase. Hot on her tail, he snaked an arm around her waist and swooped her off her feet while whispering in her ear, 'Was that really necessary?'
'It's working, isn't it?' Yunhee hissed through the side of her mouth. 'Look, your security guards are quaking in their boots. They can barely look you in the eye.' Tae's fingers dug into her hips, but she heard his chuckle of amusement as he carried her back to the awaiting vehicle. 'Put me down, you brute!'
'As you wish, baby,' Tae rasped before tossing her inside the limo.
Yunhee yelped when she landed on all fours in the wide footwell. Immediately rolling onto her backside, she straightened her tangled dress and watched Tae plonk himself onto the leather upholstery as the passenger door shut and sealed them in.
'Oh, my God. You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?' Yunhee rumbled, observing his smug smirk and confident manspread as the car pulled away from the kerb. 'Okay, big balls. Fun's over. Stop being a douchebag and help me up-'
'One more word out of that pretty mouth and I'll gag it.' Tae's cutting declaration was condescendingly sexist, but his almond eyes told a different story, expanding in desperation as he jerked his head towards the driver compartment. 'Are you going to be a good girl and do as I say?'
'I...' Yunhee's gaze zipped up front to see what all the fuss was about, her own eyes doubling in size when she noticed Taehyung's chauffeur sitting behind the wheel.
The blackout glass was down; he was not only watching them through the rear view mirror, but listening to every word of their fiery exchange.
'Well? Are you?' Tae pushed as Yunhee scrambled towards the control panel. She'd seen Taehyung lower the partition on the way here and knew exactly how to close it. 'Answer me, woman.'
'Y-yes, sir. Tell me what you want,' she blurted when she located the button and smacked it with her fist. 'I'll do anything you say.'
'Hmm, the blindfold and handcuffs tonight.' Reaching across the foothold, Tae grasped her wrist and forced her up onto his lap, keeping in character as the divider began to rise. 'The ankle cuffs, too. How often I've imagined you spreadeagle on my bed.'
The chauffeur awkwardly cleared his throat, while the cheeky bugger restraining her against his muscular thighs repressed a laugh when Yunhee tutted and pinched his belly.
As soon as the privacy glass closed, her forehead slumped against his chest in relief, but Tae immediately cupped her jaw and pulled her away.
'Are you alright?' they exclaimed together.
'Yes!' they both answered.
'Thank you for getting me out,' Yunhee choked. 'I couldn't go back with him tonight, Tae. I was terrified of what might happen. It's not what I wanted.'
'You don't have to explain,' Tae uttered as he brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek. 'I know it was The Dark Energy. Oh, here,' wriggling out of his jacket, he flipped it around her back and draped it around her shoulders. 'Sorry we had to leave without your coat.'
'Thank you,' Yunhee said as she clambered off his lap. Sliding over to the window, she pressed her nose against the glass and watched the nightlife pass by with a sinking feeling. 'Tae, unless you tell him otherwise, the chauffeur's going to drive us straight back to Pyeongchang-dong.'
'You don't have to worry about that.'
Tae's response was so outrageously blasé that Yunhee paused and scrutinised him over her shoulder.
He was glued to an aged Nokia now, typing ten to the dozen on the old-school buttons while telling her not to worry.
How could she not? They may have escaped by the skin of their teeth, but they were not out of the woods yet. Taehyung was still gunning to get into her knickers while Jimin remained inside Lotte World Tower on a mission to hunt him down and tear his dick off.
'Hey-'
'We're not going to Pyeongchang-dong, Yunhee, trust me,' Tae assured as he finished up his task. Snapping the phone shut, he scraped the prosthetic makeup off his cheek and slithered along the seat to pull her away from the window. 'Are you sure you're alright? I saw you limping.'
Yunhee's eyebrows fired skywards as she looked down at her tender thighs and then back up at Tae with a curious smile. 'You never told me you could ride.'
'What?' His features were a picture of puzzlement before the significance of her words dawned on him. 'Oh! Yes, once upon a time when I was a kid. My father insisted I learn- wait, Taehyung took you horse riding?'
'Yesterday.' Yunhee rolled her eyes as she overlapped the lapels on her jacket and snuggled into his side. 'And I can safely say never again.'
'Was never a fan of the saddle myself,' Tae snorted as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. 'Left me walking like John Wayne for days.'
Yunhee sniggered at the mental image before the limo fell into deafening silence.
Tae appeared content watching the city pass by as they drove through Seoul, but the unsettled woman couldn't help but stare at him from the corner of her eye.
Tae was indisputably gorgeous with his classic features and striking profile, but the mistakes of his past never seemed to fade, the troubled lines of his history set forever in his deep brow. If he could only see that he'd already redeemed himself a hundred times over by coming to her aid.
In the end, he always had.
Demanding that Jimin let her go when they were at the warehouse all those weeks ago. Putting his life on the line when Taehyung took them to Crystal Kingdom. Travelling through a vortex to a parallel universe and undergoing a disguise to walk her out of the skyscraper.
Tae had never given up on her, but it was time for him to seek the happiness he truly deserved. Once he took that step, and he would, she would be there to help.
Tae wasn't destined to be her lover; he was destined to be her friend. And after tonight, Yunhee had no doubt that he always would be.
'Tae?' she whispered, her stomach twisting in knots as her mind drifted back to the time they'd laid everything out on the table.
That conversation meant the world to her, but to this day, she still didn't know if it was him she spoke to, or Taehyung.
'That morning in the café, when we talked...'
'It was me.' Tae sighed and dipped his chin to glance down at her. 'I confessed that I'd fucked up our relationship with my secrecy, you told me about The Dark Energy being inside your head, and I told you about what happened when I was fifteen. Oh, there was also something about locking you in my basement.'
Yunhee grinned, falling into his arms with a happy giggle as Tae enveloped her in a bear-crushing hug and kissed the top of her messy hair.
'Happy friendiversary, baby.'
'Happy friendiversary, Tae.'
***
11th December 2022