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As she had promised, Clarity went to work the next day.
The moment she entered the front doors of Bangtan Corporation, however, she realized something was off.
Unlike the usual work atmosphere, the entrance to the conference room was blocked by several employees as they hovered over the closed binds that blocked the situation in the conference space. Feeling apprehensive, she poked her head over the ruckus to get a sense of what was going on.
One of her coworkers noticed her presence and spoke up. "Miss Secretary! Aren't you supposed to be in the conference room?"
Clarity blinked dumbly at his assumption of an order that she never heard about until now. She was certain that Seokjin did not mention this to her in yesterday's conversation.
"What's going on inside the conference room?" she asked.
"People from Senyu's here," the coworker responded, "they came unannounced, so something big must have happened. I figured you would have to be there too, since you're CEO Kim's secretary."
An ominous foreboding came upon her. Clarity vaguely recalled the members' talks about a plan in progress, and Jimin's words resurfaced in her mind.
It was not in Kim Seokjin's nature to take a bomb without throwing two in return.
As a result of the Underground Auction, Senyu had suffered great losses in their reputation. Like Bangtan Co, while Senyu was secretly affiliated with the underground mafia world, they were still officially registered as a renowned company in the business industry. Although the company's split identities were two sides of the same coin, one side could not show without hiding the other. The mafia and the business industry were, in the end, two clashing worlds.
As a mafia organization, Bangtan was on the opposing side of Senyu. Strategically speaking, however, there was no benefit in carrying this bad blood into their business decisions.
A frown subconsciously made its way to Clarity's expression. Just what was happening inside that room?
As if to answer her internal inquiries, a silhouette smoothly made its appearance amidst the crowd of spectators. A path automatically paved itself as the employees moved out of the way at his presence.
"Excuse me. Coming through!" Jung Hoseok's usual cheery voice echoed through the room as he strode towards the entrance. A certain silver-haired man trailed after him silently, the prominent bags under his eyes complementing well with his annoyed expression.
"Move." Placing his hand on the door handle, Yoongi made sure to speak in a tone harsh enough for the employees to voluntarily disperse themselves.
It was then Clarity noticed his gaze fall onto her. Yoongi signalled her to open the door with a slight tilt of the head. "Lead the way."
"Our wonderful Suga has arrived with the material needed for the conference to progress smoothly. Miss Secretary, please show him the way," Hoseok piped in.
A smile was plastered on his face, contrasting with his surprisingly cold eyes. He had used Yoongi's mafia alias instead of his actual name, which meant whatever material he had in possession was related to the Underground, more specifically, the auction that had occurred a few days ago.
Blinking twice, Clarity looked at the door handle to the conference room, then to Hoseok's unmoving smile. She had an ominous feeling, but decided that playing along was the best option. With a sigh, she opened the door and led the silver-haired hacker into the room.
A dreadful tension inundated the silent space, which was visibly darkened by the closed blinds. Subconsciously gulping, Clarity glanced nervously at the back of a certain man dressed fully in a black suit, expecting to be hit by Seokjin's intimidating aura.
She was hit by a wave of intimidation alright—except it wasn't from Bangtan's CEO.
Clarity's eyes widened as the man she had been talking to at the kitchen counter last night now leaned back in the conference chair with a chilling air of oppression. As usual, his dark curls dropped before his forehead. Although it covered a part of his eyes, it did not block their piercing gaze.
The oval conference table was seated with only three people, with Senyu's two men on the further end of the room while Kim Taehyung sat on the closer end.
"Where is CEO Kim?" One of Senyu's representatives spoke up, his voice coated with an obvious malice. At the entrance of a young woman and a silver-haired man, both who he did not recognize, the representative started to grow impatient. "We were told to come here because it was an emergency situation, but what is this?"
An emergency situation?
Confusion was visible on Clarity's face. She had originally speculated Senyu to be the ones who initiated this meeting in order to get back at Bangtan for tarnishing their reputation, but it appeared that the opposite case was true.
Why was Seokjin absent? More importantly, why was it Taehyung who came in his place?
Her burning questions dissipated into thin air as the raven-haired man beside her finally spoke up after making eye contact with Yoongi and the folder in his hands.
"CEO Kim will not be coming, and I will be speaking in his stead." Taehyung's voice was firm yet cold. "Although it won't be much of a conversation."
"...You're The Variable, aren't you?" The more composed representative identified the raven-haired man.
He recalled Kevin's words of caution before they left for Bangtan Corporation earlier in the day. He was advised to avoid direct conflict with Kim Seokjin's group, as they were all individuals with extraordinary abilities. Seeing the young man in front of him, who was reeking the aura of death, the representative couldn't help but feel goosebumps on his back.
Kevin, the right hand man of Senyu's leader, had sent him and his coworker to Bangtan's company to retrieve an item. He had sent them with full awareness of their membership in the mafia, while also knowing that they were present at the Underground Auction. This only meant one thing.
This conference wasn't one between Bangtan and Senyu of the business world, but the two mafia organizations in the Underground.
Sensing the peculiar atmosphere in the room, Clarity flinched when Yoongi handed Taehyung the thin paper package, which the latter tossed indifferently onto the conference table.
"W-what is the meaning of this?" The impatient representative stared the material with confusion.
Taehyung ignored his outburst. "See for yourself."
Still eyeing him with caution, the calmer representative took the package into his hands and unrolled the red string that sealed the front. His eyes widened at the content inside. It was a single USB.
"...How?" The man seemed to realize the significance of the item as his feigned calmness was breaking apart. He jerked his head towards Taehyung, who sat with a stoic indifference.
"Based on your reaction, I suppose we don't have to show the video on the big screen," Suga stated in a calm yet mocking tone. "I assume our representatives would prefer to not witness the laughable sight of your escapes at the Underground Auction, anyway."
Clarity's eyes shook at the hacker's blunt words and shifted her gaze towards the representative's flabbergasted expression. Even she had thought there were no CCTV recording of the Underground Auction process, since a video existence of the illegal event would be detrimental to any mafia organizations with a business identity.
Who would have thought that Bangtan Corporation would create evidence even at the risk of exposing themselves?
With the video footages at hand, releasing them would be a huge punch in the face to Senyu's business line. Clarity could already foresee the downfall of their stocks and reputation as a upright corporation.
"Don't make me laugh. Bangtan attended the auction that day as well. Are you going to throw your own kind under the bus?" One of the representatives smacked his palm onto the table.
Unaffected by his angry tantrum, the hacker, Suga, brushed his bangs leisurely with a shrug. "What auction?" He dragged his words out on purpose, and cocked his head to the side with an ignorant smile. "I don't see any Bangtan in the footage. Do you?"
The two representatives were unable to hide their shock at his sarcastic retort.
Clarity looked over to Yoongi, who stood there with a mocking smile. She noticed once again his darkened eyes, which were full of fatigue.
He must have spent all his time modifying the hidden cameras around the auction space. It was strenuous, technical work; he had to conceal the camera's ability to take in the presence of all the attendees while making sure the camera angles and positions would not reveal Bangtan's own attendance. In order for the cameras to go unnoticed by the examiners in the auction space, he had to maintain a high focus for hours and alter the cameras based on the situation in real time.
The representative's expression was visibly sour as his frown progressed further into a scowl. Understanding his current situation, the man had no choice but to accept his disadvantage and go along with the enemy's plan.
"Cut to the chase—how much do you want for the footage?"
With his weakness exposed, the representative admittedly sighed. Kevin must have been aware of this. He knew he had to get the evidence from Bangtan at all costs.
The corners of Taehyung's lips lifted into a smirk. "Name the price."
"Five million," the representative said without hesitation.
"Ten million," Taehyung retorted.
Clarity had to stop herself from gasping out loud. With shaking eyes, she listened to the price that was sufficient to buy two houses in Seoul.
The representative sniggered internally at the black haired man's naivety. He may be notoriously known as The Variable amongst the mafia people, but he was ultimately a business amateur. To let a novice handle an important negotiation as such—that was Kim Seokjin's mistake.
"Seven million," the representative responded. He had intentionally started with a lower price, knowing the man across from him would call a higher number. With this, the benchmark for bargaining has been set.
The representative's smug expression froze at V's next words.
"Twenty million."
"This wasn't how negotiations were supposed to work...?" The man's eyes widened at the price, which had doubled from its original proposal.
Not only was he silent, the entire room was still.
"T-this makes no sense!" His impatient coworker, who would have flipped the table by now, could only stare dumbfounded at the turn of events.
Ignoring their shouts of disbelief, V continued on. "Forty million."
This time, even Clarity let out a quiet gasp at the astronomical number that would have fed her entire family line in the real world for the rest of their lives.
Beside her, Yoongi leaned against the wall casually, scoffing in amusement.
"You crazy bastard." The impatient representative couldn't stop the profanity coming out of his mouth.
"Thirty-five million. I can't go any higher than that," the calmer representative said through clenched jaws.
V pretended to contemplate his final offer, before brushing it off with a sneer.
"Fifty million." The raven-haired man's voice was stoic with composure.
Kim Taehyung had witnessed Seokjin's way of business negotiations for years. The eldest was adamant, manipulative, and cunning—he played with his opponents, who danced helplessly on his palm with no ways of resistance.
Taehyung wasn't Seokjin.
However, it did not matter.
Although he was less knowledgeable in business strategies, it made no difference.
All he had to do was reach his goal.
"Well?" The Variable leaned back in his chair.
It finally hit Senyu's men that this was never meant to be a negotiation in the first place.
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this was so satisfying to write LOL
it was about time our bangtan kick some asses
stay tuned for the next chapter!
lori ✿