Be Mine

Chapter 28

"Of what use can he possibly be to us?" Black Bird asked.

"The one disadvantage we have is that we don't know where Night Sky's base is," Seokjin replied, "We could use Jonathan for that." "Knowing where Night Sky is, is of no use when we have no idea what to do with him," A-Yeong said, "He is weak now. He has to rely entirely on his own resources. No one is willing to help him. This is the best time to take him out. Plan that first." "In the short time he has been here, Night Sky has rapidly increased his business. He couldn't have done that alone. There is someone betraying us, someone more discreet than Baek Hyeon," Namjoon said. "Don't you have spies keeping an eye on Night Sky's businesses?" A-Yeong turned to Namjoon, "Can't you make out who the traitor is? If there is one." "All transactions are under strict vigilance," Namjoon replied, "But almost all of them are exports. Coming to manpower, Night Sky is hiring local people, who have no idea what they're selling or who they're working for." "What makes you think, then, that one of us is supporting him?" Black Bird looked at Namjoon questioningly. "He has to have a Korean coordinator to get the required licenses and workforce," Namjoon replied, "And that's the suspicious part. No one has seen such a person; things are just happening on their own. Who ever that coordinator is, he has no reason to maintain such secrecy...unless he is desperate to avoid getting caught." Namjoon laid particular emphasis on the last line.

"Not only that, but Night Sky's team of goons has expanded to include Korean men," Black Bird smiled, surprising Namjoon. "I...didn't know you already knew all this," he said, embarrassed, "I apologise. I couldn't give new information." Seokjin patted Namjoon's back, laughing, "You're talking to the man who has not one, but several countries' mafias under his control. Of course he has to be aware of everything that's going on in his dominion." "We wanted to see your performance, Namjoon," A-Yeong said reassuringly, "You don't need to apologise. In fact, you're doing a great job. Find the traitor, and you won't be considered a trainee anymore."

"I won't let you down," Namjoon said confidently.

~ x ~

"I think they're done," Jungkook's breath tickled the back of my neck. "Step back, you're giving me goosebumps!" I said.

Jungkook and I were peeking through the door, listening to and absorbing as much as we could from the meeting A-Yeong, Yoongi, Seokjin and Namjoon were having in the drawing room. "All right, all right," Jungkook stepped back, "What the-"

"Hi hyeongsu!"

I turned around to see who Jungkook bumped into. Taehyung stood there, smiling at me. Jungkook stepped closer to me, "Who is this?"

"Jungkook, meet Taehyung. The younger brother of Seokjin oppa and Namjoon," I replied, "And Taehyung, this is Jungkook, my bodyguard." "You two don't look like a master and bodyguard," Taehyung raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here?" "Nothing important," I said, dragging Taehyung with me as Jungkook followed. "You were spying on them, weren't you?" Taehyung said that more like a statement than a question. "Well, you could say that," I replied. "Why? You can just go sit with them. You're soon going to have to anyway."

"They told me not to worry about these things."

"But she can't help it," Jungkook joined in.

"And why are you filling in for her?" Taehyung looked straight at Jungkook. "Taehyung, relax. Jungkook and I are friends. You can be free with him too," I smiled. We had reached the garden and Taehyung settled down beside the fountain. "You do realise that that's not going to work with the others, right?" he eyed Jungkook disapprovingly. "I do, but I also realise that my favourite brother-in-law isn't going to be so harsh on me," I said, making him smile shyly, "All right, I'll be lenient with you, but be careful around the others, especially Yoongi hyung. He does not appreciate having sympathy for people who work under you." For the first time since I met him, Taehyung donned a serious tone, meaning that I couldn't ignore his words. I sighed and sat down beside him, "By the way, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be inside too?" "I don't really need to know the details. Jin hyung fills me up when he comes out, and I sometimes accompany Namjoon hyung when he's working. He's the one in focus now, being trained by Yoongi hyung and Jin hyung." "Great, family businesses being passed down to the younger generations," I heard Jungkook mumble. "Keep your opinions to yourself if you want to stay alive," Taehyung said sharply before turning to me, "Hyeongsu, how many times have you spied on them?"

"Um..."

Thinking about it, I have been spying on them since the day I set foot in this place. I practically knew Seokjin, Namjoon and the rest way before they knew me, having eavesdropped so many times. "Forget it," Taehyung laughed, "You're so eager to get into this. Tell me, who was your first kill?"

"My first...kill?"

The question made my heart stop. Killing people...? And he asked it so casually. Taehyung turned grave when he saw me pale out, "You don't have a criminal background?"

A couple of minutes passed in silence. "Hyeongsu, don't follow Yoongi hyung around," Taehyung said seriously, "You won't be able to take it. This is real life, not a T.V. show. No matter how brave you are, it's not a joke."

I could see Jungkook nodding his head. It made me remember that he too had killed. It couldn't have been easy for him, even though he was dying to get revenge.

What Taehyung said got me thinking. He was right, I couldn't kill. Forget killing, I don't think I have it in me to at least threaten. What could A-Yeong's actual purpose be, then, in keeping a chicken like me here? She was even being nice to me, nicer than she needed to be. A thought crossed my head, a possible explanation for why I was here. It made me laugh. "I'll take your advice," I said, turning to Taehyung, "You're right. I wouldn't be able to take it if someone died right in front of my eyes. I myself am going to be killed anyway, as soon as A-Yeong gets a grandson."

"What? No! Hyeongsu! What made you say that!?" Taehyung almost screamed.

"Then why am I here?" It was my turn to demand answers now.

"Because you are my sister-in-law! You're going to marry my older brother. You deserve all the respect we show you. You're family..." Taehyung trailed off, seeing that what he was saying, was not convincing me at all. He sighed, "I understand, hyeongsu, that it is hard for you to believe me because we are mafias, but trust me, we are not as stone-hearted as you think. In fact, Yoongi hyung has the softest heart of us all. He takes great care of the people he loves, even though he acts cold sometimes."

I turned away. I didn't want to believe him, even if everything he said felt true. "Aish...what do I do now?" Taehyung muffled before saying, "I know! Hyeongsu, how about this? Let's go see Hobi hyung. It's been a while since I've seen him as well. Maybe after talking to him, you'll feel better."

I brightened up at the mention of Hoseok. Taehyung shot me his lovely boxy smile when he saw me cheer up. Jungkook, however, seemed to get the real reason behind my sudden change of mood, because he gave me a look with a very clear message, "Don't even think about it!"