Well, this sucked.
Two hours of hanging in his car, bored shitless while glancing from window to window. Even his muscles were beginning to cramp.
Hoseok was contemplating razing the pastel painted abode to the ground for some light entertainment, but Taehyung would toss his backside onto a bonfire if he so much as left a scratch on the people occupying the beach house without his permission.
It was growing tiresome keeping an eye on the place from his undisclosed spot. Jimin, Namjoon and Jin were hardly acting suspicious. Unless reading a book with a brooding brow, drinking black coffee while browsing a phone, or burning food in the kitchen was considered out of the ordinary.
As per usual, Hoseok was following his boss' orders.
Taehyung wanted a report.
The greedy son-of-a-bitch wanted many things. That was why he'd broken into someone's property earlier. He was tempted to root through the heap of personal belongings on the passenger seat that he'd purloined, but Taehyung would no doubt sniff out his curiosity when he finally handed them over.
Hoseok cussed and slid down in his seat. He was ready to leave this picturesque hellhole of an island. He was even prepared to lie to his boss about the goings on inside the house just to assuage him.
Jimin had a desk full of blueprints.
Jimin was building an underground bunker.
Jimin was gathering troops to start World War Three.
Was that what Taehyung wanted to hear? Did he get off on the idea of his enemy challenging him? Why couldn't he just slit the bastard's throat, take Hahm Yunhee, and be done with it?
Griping contemptuously, Hoseok started the engine and threw the car into gear. He was about to pull away, but a flash of red hair bouncing into the smoky kitchen made him slam on the break and shove the stick back into neutral.
It was a woman, laughing joyfully with Jin as they wafted tea-towels at the smoke alarm that had started beeping. Her flame-coloured locks were tangled, and her face was puffy as if she'd just awoken from a nap.
She must have, because Hoseok had not laid eyes on her once during his two-hour stake-out.
Shuffling to the edge of his seat, Hoseok squinted through the windshield to take a closer look.
Holy shit: she was gorgeous. Those virtuous eyes and those succulent lips.
Not only that, it was a face he recognised. A face he'd seen smiling while shopping in Seoul then pierced with fright when he'd launched her into the cargo container. But she hadn't been taken from the masquerade like the others.
No, Hoseok had spotted her a week ago leaving a department store in the city. Her distinct appearance reminded him of a girl he once knew. The recollections of their past had long surpassed bittersweet, turning into rotten memories that resurfaced like the plague whenever he glanced at a redhead.
Still, he wanted to taste it again. And it had been too long since he'd satisfied his addiction.
Instructing his men to pick her up, Hoseok had gleefully whisked her back to the mansion for a night of debauchery. They hadn't made it three steps up the staircase before Taehyung slithered out of the darkness like a snake, detaching her struggling form from his arms to sum up how much she was worth.
The nameless woman was in the container within hours, distraught and kicking up a fuss as he begrudgingly locked her inside with the twenty-three others.
Hoseok was pissed to say the least. He never got what he wanted; it was always Taehyung's way. But it seemed the Gods were on his side today because his little protégé was no longer bound for Russia, but shacking up with Park Jimin and co.
And judging by the way she giggled like a schoolgirl around that purple-haired twat, she was fond of them, too.
Glowering, Hoseok rolled the car out of his hiding place, watching disdainfully as Jimin and Namjoon sprang from their chairs to join the mayhem in the kitchen.
He didn't care to see any more. Their friendship was sickening.
Her name.
He wanted to know her name.
*
Taehyung sipped on his Château Margaux as a young waitress showed his companion to his seat.
'You're late.'
'It was a long drive,' Hoseok mumbled.
Plonking himself into the opposite chair, he flung a duffel bag onto the table, making several heads turn in displeasure as he peered through the glass wall.
'Nice,' Hoseok approved, his cold eyes scanning the metropolitan capital built on ancient green hills.
Although Taehyung had not asked for the man's opinion, he had to agree. The restaurant was a favourite of his. Not only for the breathtaking view from the high-rise floor, but because he relished in the exquisite delicacies adorning the menu.
He was also well acquainted with the owners, and intimately familiar with their lovely daughter.
'Wishing you'd worn a tie?' Taehyung smirked over the rim of his wine glass as Hoseok unzipped the bag and unloaded a pile of bric-à-brac onto his empty dinner plate. 'Come to think of it. Do you own a tie?'
'The fuck I do,' Hoseok wrinkled his nose, his eyes subtly following the swaying arse of a passing waitress.
'How are our friends doing?' Taehyung mused, taking another sip of his delicious vino as his colleague zipped up the duffel and dropped it by his feet.
'Living life to max in that dump on the beach.'
'Really, Hoseok. I thought the place looked quite charming in the photos,' Taehyung mocked as he placed his glass down to unbutton his cuffs.
Calmly adjusting his sleeves, he swept his gaze over the assortment of objects filling the dish, raising a questionable eyebrow when his eyes landed on a knitting needle and yarn.
'They also have an extra guest,' Hoseok added animatedly.
Taehyung's fingers stalled, his intrigued eyes snapping up as a billow of elation quivered in his stomach.
Had his precious girl returned?
Shifting forward a notch, Taehyung wheezed, 'Who?'
'Remember that tasty looking redhead that you stole from me last week?'
Disappointed - and somewhat chagrined - Taehyung slumped back and swiped up his drink with a frosty lour. 'You mean the tasty looking redhead who escaped with my twenty-three women?'
'Yes.' Hoseok licked his lips while Taehyung fought the urge to throw his wine in his face for speaking so derisively. 'Seems they've taken her under their wing.'
Interesting, Taehyung thought as he swirled the burgundy liquid around the base of his glass, but he didn't give a fuck. The cherry bombshell may have been worth a bob or two, but she was of no use to him now.
'Can't a guy get a drink?' Hoseok hollered rudely across the busy eatery.
Taehyung flinched at his lack of decorum as the youthful waitress with the ample arse scampered over to their table. The shy girl glanced at the nail marks on Hoseok's cheek, then at the unpleasant scar on his own pale skin, before gulping and obediently lowering her eyes to the ground.
Ordering his poison, Hoseok sent her on her merry way before leering knowingly at his boss. 'The food here looks delicious.'
Taehyung rolled his eyes, pretentiously picking through the trinkets Hoseok had brought.
A musty floral purse, a glass marble. A hardback book with an embellished gold cover.
Honestly, he'd asked the scornful plonker to retrieve items that may be of value to him, not the sentimental knick-knacks of an OAP.
'I presume you found the location without issue?' Taehyung enquired, picking up a plastic owl with a missing eye.
He had to be taking the piss.
'Yes,' Hoseok verified with a jubilant grin, 'I waited until she'd left the premises before breaking in. Didn't want to give the old bat a heart attack.'
'How considerate of you.'
Taehyung tapped the small ornament in his hand while peering out at the magnificent panorama. His eyes were glued to the city shimmering beneath the afternoon sun, but his overactive mind was focused on today's fruitful progress.
After finding Hahm Sook's whereabouts on the 2019 Census, he was saddened to discover that she no longer resided in Songpa-dong, but had moved to a new home six weeks ago. Not deterred in the slightest, he'd used his resources to track down the old lady and obtain a brand-new address.
Taehyung was intent on keeping Sook alive, not wanting to disturb the woman until it was time to reunite her with her "deceased" granddaughter. In the interim, he required a few bargaining chips that would help bring Yunhee to him and keep her by his side.
The worthless stack of shit that Hoseok had pilfered was the first step. There had to be something here that would catch her attention.
Chucking the tacky owl onto the table, Taehyung slipped the gold book out from under the yarn of wool, a thrill of anticipation suddenly stirring his blood when he realised that it was a diary.
Fascinated by the secrets it may hold, he lowered the glasses perched atop his shaggy hair and pulled it open, his eyes immediately drawn to a passage written in old-fashioned handwriting on the inside front cover.
Hahm Sook
June 2017 -
The closing date was left empty, which told Taehyung that the journal was still in use, but the beginning month and year was an indication that Sook had started making entries not long after the death of her family.
Captivated, Taehyung flipped through the wrinkled pages of her private memoirs, each word an insight into her grandmother's painful loss, but when he took note of the dates at the top of each section, he smirked triumphantly, knowing he'd found the perfect carrot to dangle.
The last entry was only yesterday.
'Anything saucy in there?' Hoseok jested as Taehyung closed the diary and tenderly laid it on the white tablecloth.
'Throw the rest of this junk in the bin,' he requested, waving his hand over the other articles while removing his phone from his shirt pocket.
Taehyung had everything he required in the shape of a beguiling journal. It was practically flawless, but should his plan fall through, he would benefit from another ace up his sleeve.
A contingency was always wise.
Staring at his smartphone, Taehyung obsessively re-read the latest weather update dominating the screen.
A storm was due, and if Jimin hadn't cottoned on to the dramatic weather coming their way, it wouldn't be long until he did. The relentless scoundrel would get under his feet trying to follow him tomorrow, but there were many ways to put a man out of action without snuffing him out.
He'd given Jimin and his chums five relaxing days at the beach, but it was time to drop by and see how they were settling in.
'Order whatever you want,' Taehyung smiled as the pretty waitress returned with his comrade's beverage.
'Oh, I will.'
Before the girl could serve his drink, Hoseok snatched her wrist, the contents of the glass sloshing down her bare legs as he perversely ogled her hourglass figure.
'I'm starving.'
***
Short and deliciously sweet. Muhaha.
27th October 2020