The moment passed as soon as it had come. Beomgyu continued scanning the crowd, probably eyeing up all of the new recruits. Taehyun blinked hard and a shiver ran down his spine. He wondered if Beomgyu had actually noticed him, or if he just was another face in the crowd.
That was the Choi Beomgyu, Taehyun was sure of it. Beomgyu was even more ethereal in real life. All of the photos that Taehyun had studied were not capable of capturing his otherworldly beauty. All of his features were soft yet stern, and his tanned skin was the color of amber. His hair swished around his shoulders as he made his way across the lobby. He was wearing a designer suit, of course, all black. It hugged him in all the right places. After Beomgyu broke their eye contact, Taehyun tried not to ogle too much at the other as he was escorted past the crowd into another part of the building.
Taehyun turned to Park, confused. No one had told him that Beomgyu would be here today. If he had known, he would've taken more time to mentally prepare himself for it. He just hoped that whatever impression he had made on Beomgyu had been positive.
Park appeared just as confused as Taehyun. He shrugged, signaling to Taehyun that he had no idea what was going on either. This set off alarm bells in Taehyun's head- why would the future head of Dagou come to see a random scraggle of recruits? There had to be more important matters for him to tend to. Maybe that wasn't even the reason he was here at all. He tried to maintain his calmness and ease his racing mind as they continued to wait for instructions.
As more time passed, Taehyun's nervousness became more physically apparent. Or at least that's what he assumed, because Park turned to him, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his suit jacket pocket.
"Here, take this. You look like you need one." he offered, flipping open the top of the box and extending his arm towards Taehyun's direction. When Taehyun hesitated, Park shook the box clutched in his grasp with an annoyed expression. "I'm serious. If anything happens, I'll come get you. You don't actually have to smoke it, just get some fresh air. This is a good excuse to get you outta here for a breather." he whispered, pulling a lighter out of his pocket with his free hand as he spoke.
Taehyun nodded eagerly, immediately taking the lighter and a cigarette from the box. He tried to look normal as he made a beeline for the door that they had come in through. He hoped no one was suspicious of his hurried steps. His rational side was telling him to slow down, but his nerves got the best of him. Once outside, he stood on the curb as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought about what Soobin said to him last night. He had reassured him that he could do this, that he was prepared. Taehyun wasn't so sure now. Any confidence that he had had had been thrown out the window the second his eyes had found Beomgyu's. Why was he so nervous? He didn't do anything wrong. Maybe knowing that the consequence for any mistake was torture, death, or both was just exhilirating. Maybe it was for another reason.
While getting lost in his thoughts, he looked down at the cigarette and lighter in his hands. He had never smoked before, but he had also never joined a gang before, so perhaps today was the day to try new things. He lit the cigarette after fumbling with the lighter, figuring that even if he wasn't actually going to smoke it, his excuse of going out to take a smoke break would look suspicious if anyone walked out of the building to see him just standing there with an unlit cigarette in hand. After he managed to get the lighter to work and the cigarette lit, he tried to hold it in between the pointer and middle fingers of his left hand like he had seen in movies. He felt sure that he looked awkward, but he hoped it wasn't too noticeable or attention grabbing. To try to refocus and calm his nerves, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths.
Taehyun flinched when he felt a hand ghosting around his left wrist, lightly touching it for a second, before delicately grabbing it and softly pulling up. Taehyun's eyes flew open, turning to locate the source of the touch.
The man gently pulled Taehyun's hand up to his mouth, taking a long drag from the cigarette perched in Taehyun's slender fingers.
"You gonna let the whole thing go to waste?" he inquired with a smirk. Taehyun gasped airily, body going rigid and surprised etched all across his face as he realized who it was. The other just chuckled in response as he blew out the smoke.
"Or, do you want me to take care of it for you?" he raised his eyebrow as he took another drag, still holding onto Taehyun's left hand with his right. Taehyun suddenly came to his senses as he realized what exactly was happening.
"Y-you-" he stumbled, mentally throwing every curse he knew at himself. If he didn't get it together right now, his mission would be over before it even started. He remembered everything Kai told him. He relaxed and tried again, trying to sound cool and collected.
"What's the heir doing here? I'm sure you have better things to do than check out Dagou's fresh meat." He finished smoothly, bringing his eyes up from looking at their connected hands to make eye contact with the other with a small smirk.
Beomgyu was still holding on to Taehyun's left hand which held the cigarette. It was driving Taehyun insane; he tried not to fidget or twitch while he waited for a response.
Beomgyu maintained the smug expression on his face as he took a third and final drag from Taehyun's cigarette, taking his time and enjoying the feeling. He had a blissful expression on his face when he threw his head back and blew out the smoke.
"I do. I didn't come here to meet our new blood; I'm a very busy man." he replied finally, voice deep and dripping with something that Taehyun couldn't quite put his finger on.
"It's a coincidence that you all ended up here." he added, at last letting go of Taehyun's hand. Taehyun let it fall back to his side, still holding on to the half-smoked cigarette. He wasn't sure how to respond, so he let his eyes fall back to the ground with a nod. He wanted to ask what Beomgyu was doing here, but he didn't want to risk pissing him off.
"Whose man are you?" Beomgyu asked casually, turning his head to look at Taehyun again. His head was tilted with curiosity and his eyes held that same expression from before that Taehyun couldn't place.
"Park. He deals with real estate in the Gangnam area." Taehyun replied with ease, feeling less nervous than before after being able to answer Beomgyu's question with no problem. Beomgyu nodded knowingly and hummed lightly in approval.
Taehyun thought the conversation was coming to a close when the two of them were enveloped into silence for a moment, so he put out the cigarette. The silence was not awkward, but neutral. Taehyun was ready to turn and go back inside to meet Park when Beomgyu suddenly stepped in front of him.
"Your suit is cheap," Beomgyu stated plainly. His eyes raked up and down Taehyun's body without shame. Taehyun felt his cheeks go hot under Beomgyu's wandering gaze.
"All my men dress exquisitely. We'll have to get you a new tailored suit for work. It would be a shame to hide this body under ill-fitting clothes." he observed. With that, Beomgyu reached out and ran his fingers along the seam of Taehyun's suit jacket, licking his lips.
"So, does that mean I'm your man now?" Taehyun replied without hesitation, testing his boundaries with a light tease. Beomgyu smiled at him, amused. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he stayed silent, checking Taehyun out one more time shamelessly with a soft chuckle before heading back inside the building without another word on the matter.
Taehyun took a moment to process what the hell had just happened before he re-entered the lobby, immediately finding his way back over to Park's side. Not only had he just talked to Choi Beomgyu- it seems like the other flirted with him. Taehyun had a flashback to his conversation with Kai from three and a half weeks ago.
"The plan is to impress him with your knowledge of everyone and everything. That will be your in. Of course, your pretty face could help too. Beomgyu likes pretty faces." Kai finished, giving Taehyun a smug look and a wink.
Taehyun didn't think he was especially good looking. Personally, he thought he was slightly above average at best. When he was in school, being the top of the class, he had had many girls (and a few boys) confess to him, but he rejected them every time. He had a goal in mind, and nothing was going to stop him from getting there. He had no time for romance or a lover. Aside from the occasional after-school confession, no one had ever called him handsome or pretty before, until he met Kai. Taehyun wondered if Beomgyu thought he was handsome.
With that, Taehyun suddenly remembered the second half of his conversation with Kai from that day. Choi Yeonjun- who was he, really? He wasn't accompanying Beomgyu today. Kai had mentioned that no one in the SSFG suspected that the two had a romantic relationship, but after meeting Beomgyu, Taehyun wasn't so sure. Did Beomgyu generally have a flirty personality, or was he just flirting with Taehyun? Did he talk to Yeonjun like that? The thought of Beomgyu flirting with him made Taehyun feel uneasy. He certainly did not have a specific type, but if he did, it would not be good looking criminals.
Once Taehyun returned to his spot beside Park, the other shot him a dirty look.
"Were you having tea with the Queen out there? I told you not to dilly-dally." Park scolded him. Taehyun wasn't offended; he had learned over the past week that that was Park's way of showing his care and concern.
"I met Beomgyu." Taehyun whispered in response, face expressionless. Park tried to conceal his surprise, but to no avail. He seemed to ponder Taehyun's words for a moment before breaking out into a shit-eating grin.
"Damn, no shit. I've never even got the chance to meet the kid personally myself. I guess the rumors are true then." he commented with a slight nod.
"What rumors?" Taehyun asked, puzzled. He shifted his weight. No one had mentioned any rumors about Beomgyu to him. Park had no time to answer as an official looking man, obviously Dagou, came out into the lobby to address the group of recruits at last.
"Thank you to our members who brought offerings as we transition to a new era for our group. All of our new members, you can follow me." he said with simplicity, turning on his heel to lead the group deeper into the building. Taehyun shared a final look with Park. The old man gave him a firm nod and a tight-lipped smile as one last semblance of good luck before Taehyun briskly walked to catch up with the others.
The man led them to an even more exquisite room than the lobby, a ballroom. It was a large wide open space, with glorious golden decor in every nook and cranny. Everything was gorgeous and shining. The art on the walls appeared to be from the Renaissance period. Taehyun wondered how much just one painting cost. There was no other furniture in the room besides the art on the walls, causing every little sound to echo. Taehyun tried not to drag his feet to avoid making any excess noise.
Once everyone was inside, more Dagou officials stepped in to accompany the man that had led them there. Taehyun recognized them from his time with Kai. They weren't low ranking, but they certainly were not irreplaceable either. They didn't have any specialties, they were just the ones sent on jobs that no one else wanted to do. They had a short, hushed conversation with each other before turning to the group of recruits. The room was silent other than their whispered voices haunting the room.
"Line up! Facing us, shoulder to shoulder." one of them barked. It echoed off the walls, giving Taehyun an eerie feeling. Everyone started to shuffle around him, pushing him if he was in their way. He stumbled into a place in line, memorizing the faces that pushed him and mentally cursing them. The room fell silent again once everyone was in line. No recruit dared make a sound.
The group of Dagou men at the front of the room made their way to one end of the line. They looked at each recruit critically, assessing them. If someone caught the attention of one of the men, they would ask some questions before moving on to the next person. Their words bounced off the walls. It made Taehyun slightly dizzy; he was nervous for his turn. Would they question him? What would they ask?
Fortunately, Taehyun didn't have to find out. Once the group had gotten about halfway through the line, the doors to the ballroom swung open again.
The group of men that were evaluating the recruits stopped in their tracks once they heard the door open. After they saw who it was, they all bowed and greeted him brightly.
"Hello, sir. What can we help you with?" One of them asked with an obviously forced smile. Beomgyu ignored them, looked slightly displeased as he scanned the crowd, clearly not finding what, or rather who, he was looking for. The group of men exchanged anxious looks with each other, fearful of Beomgyu's sour mood.
After a second of sweeping the room with an irritated gaze, Beomgyu laid eyes on Taehyun again. His expression quickly eased into a smug smile as he confidently crossed the room, footsteps echoing off the golden walls. He came to a halt directly in front of Taehyun, standing just a little too close. Taehyun held his breath.
Beomgyu smelled like sandalwood and rain. Taehyun felt intoxicated by the mellow scent, staring Beomgyu in the eyes and wondering what the hell he wanted with him.
"You," Beomgyu breathed out as he grabbed Taehyun's wrist, "You're accompanying me to my meeting today." Taehyun's eyes fluttered in surprise and confusion. The group of men that Beomgyu had ignored also looked bewildered, but didn't dare question his actions. Taehyun just nodded lightly in response, letting Beomgyu pull him away. Taehyun could feel the eyes of all the other recruits piercing into his back as they made their way towards the ballroom doors. The sound of their footsteps was the only noise in the room. It was deafening.
Once back in the hallway, Beomgyu stayed silent as he continued to pull Taehyun along by the wrist. Taehyun didn't say anything either; he wanted to ask a million questions, but it seemed like he was on Beomgyu's favorable side at the moment and he had no intentions of messing that up. Instead, he let his eyes wander down to where their hands were connected.
Beomgyu had pretty hands, the veins on the back of them visible enough that Taehyun could trace them if he felt so well inclined. Everything about Beomgyu was pretty. It wasn't fair. Someone who had committed such horrible crimes like Beomgyu didn't deserve to be so damn attractive. Taehyun didn't have much more time to think about Beomgyu before he was being pulled into a meeting room.
The other occupants did not look surprised in the slightest to see Taehyun. As soon as they entered the room, Beomgyu dropped his grasp on Taehyun's wrist. Inside the meeting room was a large oval shaped dark oak table. There were several chairs all around it, each filled with men in expensive suits.Two chairs remained unoccupied, the one at the head of the table and one chair that was sitting in a corner of the room, abandoned. As Taehyun examined the room, he realized that he recognized every face. These were all important Dagou men, they were each valuable and had many connections both inside and out of Dagou. Taehyun wondered again why the hell Beomgyu brought him here.
"Is this your newest toy, Choi? I'm not surprised, he's very pretty. Where'd you find him?" One of the men remarked. Taehyun maintained a stoic expression as he peered at the man that had asked the question. His surname was Jung, and he specialized in firearm ammunition. From everything Taehyun knew about him, he was a sarcastic asshole, so he wasn't taken off guard in the slightest when he discovered it was him that had made the offhand comment.
However, as much as Taehyun knew not to take Jung seriously, he wondered what he had meant with his remark. What, or who, were Beomgyu's "toys"? Was Taehyun the newest one? Did that mean that once Beomgyu was bored of him, he'd dispose of him in favor of a newer toy?
"Shut up." Beomgyu snapped, shooting Jung a dangerous look. He quickly morphed his expression into a creepily pleasant one as he retrieved the abandoned chair from the corner, pulling it up next to the one at the head of the table.
"He is our newest member, so be nice to him. I'm going to demonstrate to him how a Dagou meeting runs and what we do to those who betray us." Beomgyu explained simply. His expression was calm but his words held venom, causing a chill to run down Taehyun's spine. Beomgyu sat down in one of the chairs as he was talking, and gestured for Taehyun to sit next to him in the other empty chair. Once Taehyun sat down, he looked around the table again to gauge the reactions of the others. They looked uneasy, not yet scared, but definitely guarded. Beomgyu loosened his tie and let out a soft sigh.
"Jung." he spoke, voice suddenly colder than ice. Beomgyu looked at him with a sharp glower. Jung shifted in his seat, evidently uncomfortable.
"Yes, sir?" Jung responded, voice quiet. Everyone else in the room was deathly silent and still. It felt like everyone was collectively holding their breath.
"How are you spending all the money you've stolen from my family?" Beomgyu asked tiredly, wanting to get this over with already.
Jung's mouth fell open as he scrambled to come up with a response.
"What do you mean, sir? You've read all my financial reports, I report all my earnings and give you all the profits-" he defended.
"Don't bullshit me!" Beomgyu interrupted, getting irritated now. "Don't think I don't know. I know everything!" he professed, exasperated. Before Jung could come up with another pathetic excuse, Beomgyu turned to face Taehyun.
"Newbie," he breathed. He was too close again, the scent of sandalwood infecting Taehyun's nose. Beomgyu brought his lips up to the shell of Taehyun's ear, his breath tickling down Taehyun's neck. Taehyun realized at that moment that Beomgyu had never asked him for his name.
"Do you know what happens to people who betray me?" he mumbled. Taehyun was as still as a statue, hyper focused on the sensation of Beomgyu's breath dancing on his skin. "They get punished," he purred.
Taehyun took several shaky breaths, causing Beomgyu to snicker, his deep voice making Taehyun shiver. Then Beomgyu suddenly pulled away, gesturing to two other men in the room who Taehyun recognized as Kim and Lee. The two got up and restrained Jung, who had begun to struggle in protest, still insisting he was innocent.
Beomgyu stood up from his chair and walked around the table to where Jung was being held. He stared the other man down with an expression of disgust.
"Newbie," he called again, "Let's see what you've got. How should Jung die today? What do you think would be appropriate?" he implored. Jung's eyes flicked between Beomgyu and Taehyun as he began to plead for mercy.
Taehyun froze, mind blank. What? There was nothing that Kai could have said that would have properly prepared him for this moment. He tried to think rationally, come up with a response that would satisfy Beomgyu.
"Well," he began, voice uneven. Beomgyu's eyes were fixed on him, waiting for him to finish. "Since he sells ammunition for Dagou, we should show him just how powerful Dagou's ammunition is. Shoot him, but not fatally right away. Make him suffer first, so he can think about what he did." Taehyun answered. He could hear the words he had spoken, but it felt like the voice he was hearing wasn't his. He felt like was dissociating, watching the scene play out in third person. How the hell did he come up with something so sadistic? He was the same person that fed all the stray cats outside his apartment complex. Taehyun reminded himself that it was all for the greater good.
Beomgyu quirked an eyebrow at him. Taehyun couldn't tell if he was impressed or pissed, his expression hard to read. Then, his face morphed into a twisted grin as he reached into the waistband of his pants, pulling out a sleek handgun. Beomgyu held eye contact with Taehyun the whole time he did so, flaunting half lidded eyes. Finally, Beomgyu broke their eye contact to turn back to Jung, who was crying and fussing like a baby. Kim and Lee kept their grip on him tight as Beomgyu walked closer to him.
"Apologize." Beomgyu demanded, thrusting the gun under Jung's chin, forcing him to jerk his head up to make eye contact with Beomgyu.
Jung was blubbering apologies, words incoherent as he sobbed. Beomgyu rolled his eyes and removed the gun from under his chin. He instead pointed it at his left leg, pulling the trigger without hesitation. Bang! The shot echoed in the small meeting room.
Because he was shot from such close range, there was a huge hole in his leg, dark crimson blood spewing and spurting everywhere from the wound. Jung started screaming. Beomgyu looked disgusted by his screams and pleads.
"Shut him up, I'm tired of it." he waved his hand at Lee, who then subsequently gagged Jung with his own tie. Blood was seeping all over the floor, getting close to Beomgyu's designer shoes. He took a step back before his shoes got ruined, evidently irritated by the mess that was being made.
Taehyun felt sick. This was all his fault; he had suggested this. The room started spinning. Taehyun gripped the table in front of him with vigor, trying to keep a hold on reality. He was glad that he was already sitting down because if he wasn't, he definitely would have already fallen over by now. He was witnessing a murder. The fact bounced around in his mind, his better judgement screaming at him to do something. Taehyun ignored it and tried to maintain consciousness, looking at the floor.
"Yah, newbie!" Beomgyu noticed Taehyun's turmoil, walking over to him, agitated. "Is this your first time seeing violence?" Taehyun felt himself nod subconsciously, on the verge of passing out. Beomgyu leaned down to Taehyun's ear again, hot breath fanning over his neck.
"Don't look away. I want you to watch." Beomgyu whispered slowly, any sign of agitation in his voice now gone. Taehyun forced himself to peel his eyes off the ground and make eye contact with Beomgyu. Beomgyu smiled at him before turning back around to finish Jung off.
"Now...where was I?" He smiled sadistically, waving his gun around. Taehyun felt like he was going to vomit.
Beomgyu stopped to contemplate where to shoot him next for a second, making an exaggerated thinking face that you would see in cartoons. Then, like a lightbulb had lit over his head, he pointed the gun at Jung's uninjured leg.
"Let's make it symmetrical!" He giggled with glee, sparing no time as he quickly aimed the gun at his right leg, pulling the trigger.
The sound made Taehyun flinch, but he didn't tear his eyes away. However, rather than looking at Jung's bloodied legs, he looked at his face. Taehyun knew he made a mistake as Kai's words from the bar played on repeat in his mind like a broken record.
"The hardest part to forget is the pleading in their eyes. I see it every night when I sleep- I'm pretty sure that will never go away."
Jung's eyes were broken from a mixture of the pain, regret, and humiliation. Taehyun felt himself start crying, and he couldn't stop. Jung's soul looked destroyed, like it was smashed into pieces and bleeding out both of his mangled legs. Taehyun had never seen another person look so shattered before. Taehyun forced himself to look away, instead choosing to focus on Beomgyu.
Beomgyu looked like he was getting bored, not at all bothered by the violence or blood. It was the same expression Taehyun saw on toddlers that were getting tired of playing a game, ready to move on to the next one. He appeared to be disgusted by the mess, still trying to avoid Jung's blood from getting on his shoes. He brought the gun up to Jung's forehead. He was done playing around now.
"Goodbye, shithead. See you in hell."
He pulled the trigger.