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Chaeyeon paced around the lobby, her heels kicking against its marble floors as she tried to calm her nerves. She couldn't sit still, there was no way she was going to be able to when she was left alone in the large room with her own thoughts, waiting for her day of reckoning to come. She had failed her mission given to her specifically by the Godfather of the entire Kim Faction, to bring in the girl who was allied with the Seo Faction. She failed miserably at the job given to her, barely getting her anywhere near the headquarters of the Kim Faction.
The woman had gotten the assistance of their new special members unit from the newly appointed Underboss and made a fool of the group due to her anger fueled decisions. They were picked and trained by Underboss and the mere fact that she had misused the unit for her own gain and didn't even succeed made it even worse. Chaeyeon tried to do as much damage control as possible, keeping the mission and its results a secret from the rest of the faction to uphold their new and fragile reputation.
Though she wouldn't be able to hide from the cold judging eyes of the Godfather and his men, in fact, she didn't even get the chance. The moment she had returned to their headquarters Chaeyeon had received a message from one of the lower ranked soldiers that her presence was requested by them. That's how she knew she had become a dead woman walking.
The Godfather and his men were ruthless people, they didn't wait for anyone nor gave anyone any second chances. Once you had failed them, you would never get the chance to rebuild their trust. Either you were stripped of your title or six feet underground, many ended up being the ladder.
But they couldn't just kill off Chaeyeon like she was nothing! She was far too important to the Kim Faction, her family was one of their main sources of income. If they cut off Chaeyeon's connection to them, then a large portion of their money would be lost. It was the perks of a Caporegime, you're far too important to just be gotten rid off with the snap of a finger. "This is all that girl's fault!" She complained, digging her nails into arms at the thought of her. "Had she not aggravated me the way she did I wouldn't be in this situation! Had that idiot not coward out due to some petty child's play, I wouldn't be here right now!"
Chaeyeon needed to do something to release the anger inside of her, letting it fester and bubble up wasn't going to do her any good. If she accidentally exploded on the Godfather she'd lose her life before she even got the chance to beg for it. She wasn't for living life on the edge at the moment, she'd never be for it if it had the high ranking members of the faction on the line.
"Ms. Jung?" A voice spoke, shaking at the mere sound of her name. Chaeyeon turned around with a fire in her eyes, directing it towards the poor soul who called her name. It was nobody, the lowest ranking people in the Kim Faction who worked for the overarching Family who ran the entire underground business. "You are Ms. Jung, correct?"
"Of course I am, who else is here that would be me?" Chaeyeon questioned them, annoyance peaking in her tone as she ran her hands through her hair and walked towards them. "I'm assuming that The Godfather is ready to see me now?" She asked, not even sparing them a glance as she took the lead down the hallway that led to an elevator.
"Actually the Godfather is not in today," they explained, shuffling after Chaeyeon to try and take the lead to guide her towards the elevator. The woman narrowed her eyes at her escort, giving them a skeptical yet confused look as they continued to speak. "The Godfather left a few days before the Utopia fire with his wife to enjoy their own private time. The Underboss has been working in his stead until he returns in about a day or two from Thailand."
Chaeyeon inwardly groaned at the thought of facing the Underboss. The two didn't get along very well, they never have even before he was appointed the Underboss after the death of their past Underboss two months ago. They handled things rather differently from each other, plus the fact that Chaeyeon had taken his special unit and failed her mission with them meant she was going to be at even more odds with the man than she would like. Every time the Godfather called his Underboss, Consigliere, and Caporegimes, the two would always start bickering and cursing at each other. Usually, the Consigliere was there to supervise them and keep the peace, but it was just going to be her and Underboss this time.
"When this is all over, contact my associates for me," Chaeyeon demanded as the elevator to the top floor opened its doors as they drew closer. "I'm going to need several bottles of alcohol to get over this catfight."
"But Ms. Jung," her escort began, a worried look donning their face as the two entered the elevator. "From what I heard, you had quit drinking months ago to focus more on your tasks for the faction. Why would you want to break that streak now of all times?"
Chaeyeon rolled her eyes at their nagging, leaning up against the metal walls and urging her to punch in the numbers for the top floor. "Your Underboss gets on my nerves." Silence fell over the two as her escort nodded at her towards, not daring to say another word to her and pressing the button to raise them to the top floor. The elevator shook slightly and it began to move upwards, carrying them to the top of the building where the Godfather's office and the Underboss were located.
It stayed quiet as the two waited in the elevator, watching the numbers go from one to ten in only a few minutes. "Tell me has the Underboss seemed rather... odd today? A little more snotty and little angrier maybe?" She asked her escort, trying to give herself the heads up for the incoming conversation she would have to endure.
They seemed conflicted, not knowing whether answering Chaeyeon's question would have them killed or not. "Well... I wouldn't say he was angry. He was calm when he came in this morning as if nothing had happened the day before. I think he's just mentally preparing himself for the return of the Godfather and the amount of recap he'll have to give him so they can go over how they'll act next."
Chaeyeon nodded just as the elevator stopped, a smirk playing on his lips as it's doors slid open. "Is that so?" She replied, walking out without waiting for his escort.
They quickly rushed after her, trying to catch up with her and lead her down the dark wood hallway. Chaeyeon didn't give them the chance as she reached the room at the end of the hallway, pulling on the door handle and swimming the large double doors open. "You called?" She asked, her tone rough and annoying as she addressed the Underboss.
The Godfather's office wasn't much of an office, it was more like a dimly lit living room with a simple desk and chair sitting behind the sofas and coffee table in the middle of the room. On the desk were a few documents that seemed untouched, pushed to the side to make more space for the endless amounts of alcoholic gifts that were placed on it. Beside the documents was a lamp that's as turned on, illuminating a picture frame that originally would have been right next to it.
Instead of sitting on the desk, it was in the hands of some else. There was a man standing there staring intently at the picture of the Godfather and his family. His gaze was cold and unreadable, shining with some unknown flare that practically reflected against facial piercing on his cheekbone. "You came," He began, putting it down on its face and placing his hands into his dress pants pockets. "I was starting to think that you were going to ignore my orders."
"You would have run to the Godfather to tell him of my misdeeds had I not," She grumbled, walking into the room to face him completely. "Now what do you want? I don't have all day, I'm a very busy person and I'm currently not in the mood."
"Shouldn't I be the one who isn't in the mood?" He asked her, tapping the Godfather's desk rhythmically as he watched her movements carefully. It was as if the Underboss was a hawk, waiting for its prey to let its guard down so that they could strike at just the right moment. "Don't think I don't know what happened. You did a good job of not letting any information about what happened out, but it wasn't good enough to keep it away from me."
"It wasn't my fault she got away!" Chaeyeon growled, her heels screeching against the wood floors as she stalked towards him. "It was your group of bumbling idiots! They can't do anything for themselves, they can't do anything right! I left the task for them to complete and I still had to intervene myself. And I would have had her in my grasps now if your members weren't so childish!"
The Underboss chuckled, watching the woman get easily heated by just a few words that came out of his mouth. "Did you really think I was going to give you the most skilled members just for a simple kidnapping? You're joking, truly."
"It would have helped." She answered, slumping into the sofa that was facing away from the desk. "She's much smarter than she seems Jaebeom, though you probably already know that. She was there for the death of the past Underboss, our infiltration of the Seo Faction's masquerade, and now the Utopia fire."
"Exactly why I needed you to find her and bring her here," He explained, his eyes burning holes into the back of her head. "You had your chance and completely blew it. If the men I sent to you weren't helping, you should have done the deed yourself. Yet here you are without the girl and information I need for the Godfather. You are as big of a disappointment as they were."
Chaeyeon bit her tongue to keep her thoughts to herself, not wanting to lash out and say something she regretted. If she let Jaebeom get under her skin it was game over for her. "You do understand what usually happens to those who fail to meet their expectations, right? The useless are disposed of, we have no need for those who cannot do their job correctly. By now, you would have been escorted out of the building with a price tag on your head and hunted down by those who seek wealth. Or we would have taken matters into our own hands and ended your life right where you stood. I'm sure the market for a few body parts is still open, you have nice eyes after all."
Chaeyeon's eyes widened and she nearly jumped out of her seat when she felt his hands pat her shoulder, not even realizing that the Underboss had begun to approach her. "I'm giving you one more chance, Jung. Find her and bring her here. I don't care what methods you use as long as she's breathing when she arrives." He demanded, giving her a chance at redemption. It didn't matter what method she used as long as the girl got to Kim Faction while she was still alive.
"Of course," Chaeyeon replied, recalling the two encounters she had with the girl. Her mind was hyper fixated on the people she was accompanied by, how they seemed to have earned her trust and defended her no matter how dangerous the situation seemed. "Whatever it takes."
Mari watched the three from the curbside of Mingi's, her hand propping up her head as she tried to keep herself awake. Seonghwa had left early in the morning before anyone had woken up, leaving Mingi, Yunho, Hongjoong, and her all alone in the house to do whatever they pleased. Inside of staying inside and waiting for the boy's return, the group had left the house together. What was supposed to be a quick hangout turned into a hijinks ensued adventure as they ran around the city and caused chaos everywhere they went.
It was Mingi who had suggested they went and did something fun, trying to shake off all the energy he has restored due to him being the first person to fall asleep. Since Yunho and Hongjoong couldn't think of anything else to do and Mari was on board with whatever the group decided to do, they ran away into the city. They all had piled into one of the many expensive cars Mingi's parents owned, borrowing the vehicle and nearly shooting off out of the neighborhood at illegally high speeds.
They had visited several places, causing a ruckus with every step they took with how loud they were being. Any adults that were in the area threatened to call the police on them for being public disturbances but it wasn't enough to scare the group into stopping. So one could imagine how they all panicked and ran to Mingi's car when the police did genuinely show up at one point. They had immediately recognized Hongjoong for his several misdemeanors for property damages around the city and Yunho for helping Hongjoong escape whenever he was being hunted down.
They spent the majority of the day running from the police seeing as they were very adamant about putting all four of them behind bars. Mingi and Mari had no actual experience dealing with the authorities, seeing as Mari was forced to stay low due to her status in the Seo Faction and Mingi's parents were filthy rich. The two of them didn't have any sort of criminal record on them like Hongjoong and Yunho, so they had stressed the absolute importance of escape greatly.
Hongjoong and Mari had sat in the back of the boy's car, which ended up being the worst decision they could have ever made in their life. The getaway drive was filled with bumps and sharp twists and turns to get the police off of their backs, practically throwing everyone who wasn't in the driver's seat all around the car. Yunho had almost fallen out of the car several times due to how hard he kept slamming into the car's door. He held onto the grab handle so tightly she swore that the boy's knuckles were going to tear and bleed from the pressure and strength.
Mari and Hongjoong were flung around like tumbleweeds in the back of the car, making the idiotic decision of not buckling up when they had the chance. Every time Mingi would make a sharp turn Hongjoong would crash right into Mari's side or vice versa. When the boy slammed his door on the brakes for a quick stop to alarm their chasers, they would slam right into the driver's and passengers' seats. They begged Mingi to take a little more caution in his driving so that they would survive the ride back to his house, but he was too focused on losing the police to listen to them.
Clearly, though they got back to the boy's house in one piece. They all agreed to not tell Seonghwa what had happened when he returned, not sure if they'd get an excited cackle or an extremely long lecture from him. All they knew was that they didn't want to take any more risks that would potentially get them in trouble.
Though all three of them immediately ignored any sort of risks they were trying to avoid when Yunho brought out a giant two liter soda bottle and Mingi had a pack of mentos in his hands. The two made a mad dash for the street, wanting to shoot off the soda bottle like a rocket in videos that were all over the internet. Thankfully it was afternoon, so no one was going to be driving on the street or watching them with intense judgment as two acted like elementary schoolers working on a science project.
The two sat in the middle of the road, tearing open the mentos pack and struggling to open up the tightly shut two liter bottle. Yunho and Mingi switched jobs after a few seconds of giving up, letting the redhead unscrew the bottle while Yunho tore through the mentos packaging like it was nothing. "They're just a little brainless but they're just trying to have fun," Hongjoong's voice explained, making her look up from where she was sitting. The boy was leaning up against the wall, watching the two boys with an amused smile on his face.
"If letting a soda bottle explode in their faces is fun then yeah sure," Mari responded, turning her face back towards Mingi and Yunho. Two were screaming their lungs out when the redhead dropped the mint into the soda, nearly forgetting the screw the cap back and rushing to do so before it all spilled out. "Watching them play around like this is like watching a bunch of five year olds at a playground play with each other."
"They get physically older but Mingi is mentally elementary schooler when he's surrounded by people he likes. Yunho only amplifies that time one hundred because they're both close friends with each other," He laughed, taking a seat next to Mari on the curb.
"Oh? No jacket today?" Mari questioned, glancing to the side when she noticed he wasn't wearing his signature leather jacket he always wore. Instead, he was wearing a long sleeve shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and letting his arms breathe for once in his life.
"You know why I don't have that thing on," He scowled, though a soft expression grew on his face not long after. "You watched me get thrown into that pool by Mingi against my will. My jacket got completely soaked, now I have to wait and let it dry because someone didn't stop Mingi from sneaking up on me."
Mari rolled her eyes at his complaining, ignoring his pouting to look at his freed forearms. His tattoos on his left arm were on full display, the intricate design on his skin visible for all to see. She had never seen a majority of ink on his skin, only bits and pieces when he raised his arms causing the fabric to move. A large majority of it was made up of a skull tattoo, extremely detailed with each crack and indent in the bone as if it was real. Around the skull was a rose that sat below it and a butterfly resting on the forehead. Very pretty, yet very eerie at the same time. Mari wanted to ask why he had gotten it but was a little distracted by his right arm.
"Woah what the hell is that?" She exclaimed, snatching up his right arm and pulling it closer to her to inspect. It was some sort of scar healing from whatever damage it had taken in the past. It looked nasty, pinker than his natural skin tone and tightening together to contort his skin in odd ways. "I thought I told you not to hurt yourself anymore you idiot! This looks really bad, what happened?"
"Ah, that?" He replied, staring at the scar with an apologetic look. "I burned myself by accident a few days ago. It's healing now but I can guarantee you that playing with fire is not as fun as people make it sound."
"Are you dumb? What are you? A pyromaniac?" Mari questioned him, punching him in the shoulder out of sheer frustration. "You're so stupid, I can't believe you would go play with fire of all things! Were you trying to get charged with arson?"
"I wasn't the one who did it!" He pouted, taking his arm away from her and glancing towards the scar once again. "I got caught in the crossfire of a situation I had no part in. Normally I would turn and run to save myself whenever I get the chance but for some reason at that moment, I didn't want to. I tried to be selfless and save someone who had nothing to benefit from me and got hurt. I tried to do a good deed and it didn't work out in my favor so now I'm just never going to do that again."
"At least you did it for a good reason," Mari told him, crossing her arms as she turned her attention towards the two boys on the street. "I would have been angrier with you had you just gotten hurt for no good reason. But you saved a life and that seemed like something you don't usually do right? Don't mop about it, be proud of it. You did a good thing Hongjoong."
He snorted, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. "You know princess," the boy began, laughing a little to himself before he finished his sentence. "You're slowly becoming one of the reasons I'm starting to think rationally about my life. I didn't really care what my actions would cause at one point but in that situation... I caught myself thinking, would my friends be proud of me for the decision I made? Would you be proud of the decision I made? Not to sound cliche but you're literally not like any other person I've met before."
She stayed silent for a moment, watching as Mingi and Yunho ran and screamed as the soda bottle fizzled inside and shook rapidly. Her eyes watched the bottle intensely as it exploded into the air, flying thanks to its chemical fueled reaction to the mint. "You've just always got me on the mind don't you?" Mari joked. "Can't blame you, I'm kinda perfect."
"I'm being serious," Hongjoong complained, nudging her shoulder at her teasing. "I find myself thinking about you and your opinions a lot more than I should be lately."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Mari asked him.
The boy shrugged, rubbing the scar on his arm as he stared off into space. "Honestly? I don't know. It's anything you want it to be. I don't even know why I'm saying all of this at this point."
Mari turned to Hongjoong, forcing him to look at her as she placed her hand on his forehead. "Did you hit your head while you were in that fire as well? Or was it because you slammed into the pool earlier today? You're acting funny, I think you need to go to the doctor. I'll ask Yunho to call Seonghwa and tell him you got a concussion." She demanded, ignoring his clearly annoyed groans as she tried to make up a million excuses at once.
"The only thing the doctor will prescribe," He told her, wrapping his arms around her and forcing her to lay down on the ground with him. Mari practically hissed at him to let her go and he promptly ignored her, "Is for me to take a nap. Shhh... go to sleep with me princess. You're not you when you're sleepy."
She struggled to get out of his awfully tight grip, her ears burning a bright rid and her eyes continuously darting towards Mingi and Yunho. "Hongjoong, let go of me. Let go right now, I swear to god or I'll scream so loud someone will think a murder happened and call the police. Let go of me!" Mari threatened.
"Gross!" Mingi yelled from down the street, the empty soda bottle in his hands and a roll of mentos mints in his hand. "Get a room! And not in my house that's absolutely disgusting I don't want any of that non-platonic stuff going on in my house!" Yunho snickered as Mari screamed right back at them, letting a string of cursing escape her mouth as she got defensive with them. "My house is not for people to hook up in when there is no party! You two are gross!"