Chapter Text
Yoongi tiptoed through the streets.
He looked around, eyeing all the food stands, all the people and all the guards nearby.
Yoongi didn’t like stealing. His parents had taught him it was wrong and if he wanted something, to ask for it nicely.
Dumb.
His father didn’t ask but begged the royal guards to believe him “nicely”, but they didn’t.
Yoongi shook his head. That’s not what he’s here for right now. Instead, he’s eyeing a fruit stand with what looked like freshly picked apples. He looked at the customers near it, biting into their apples as juice dripped down their sides.
Yoongi’s stomach growled. It’s been days since he’s eaten anything.
He looked around one more time before tiptoeing to the fruit stand, acting like a regular person doing regular things.
He got to the stand and looked at the apples; they looked delicious.
Yoogi wanted to reach, but was scared he'd get caught.
He’s done this a dozen times already. He’s stolen water, corn, and bread. It’s not his first time stealing. It doesn’t make it any less scary for a five year old though.
He took a deep breath and stretched his arm out before quickly grabbing an apple from a corner. What he didn’t realize was that the apple seemed to be holding that side of the fruit's balance. The moment he took the apple out, half of the others fell from the table and onto the floor.
Oh no.
The stand owner turned and looked at Yoongi furiously, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
Yoongi didn’t think twice. He ran.
“Hey! Get back here you street rat!”
Yoongi’s eyes watered at the words the man yelled at him as he ran away.
It was just an apple. Yoongi was a homeless, starving child. Did the man not have any sort of compassion? Sympathy? Anything? Could he not see that Yoongi's world was taken from him and he was now forced to survive on his own?
Yoongi ran as far as his small legs could take him, vision blurred by tears. He ran, and ran, and ran for what felt like hours before stopping in front of a soup restaurant.
Without thinking, he ran behind the small building, hiding between wooden boxes filled with vegetables. He panted and looked around, scared the man had chased after him.
After realizing he was safe, he stared at the apple in his hand.
‘All this running and crying over a singular apple. Is this what my home is becoming? Is this how things will work from now on with the new King?” he thought to himself.
He decided to stop thinking about it.
Thinking about it only confused and angered him.
He rubbed the apple on his shirt to clean it off. He brought it near his lips, but before he could take a bite, a door near him opened.
“My, these customers can be so greedy and rude,” he heard a voice.
His heart dropped.
No.
No, no, no, no.
He felt the box next to him being lifted up, ready to expose him. He scrunched up into a tiny ball in fear and waited for the scolding to come, but it never did.
Instead, that same voice spoke, “Child, what are you doing back here? Shouldn’t you be with your parents? The sun will set soon.”
Yoongi did this look up, but rather stayed curled up and listened to the soothing voice.
There’s a small hum of acknowledgement before the voice speaks once again, “Tell me child, do you have parents? Or were you born into these cruel streets?”
At the mention of his parents again, his eyes water, a sob building up in his throat.
‘I can’t cry. Crying will only make me a weaker target.’
He feels a hand on his head, softly running their fingers through his dark hair, “The sun will set soon and nights get cold, why don’t you come in and let me know what’s going on while I make you warm soup?”
Yoongi isn’t sure why the mention of real food for the first time in weeks makes him break, but a small cry escapes his lips as he nods and finally lifts his head to see who is offering him such blessings.
He locks eyes with an elderly woman, face wrinkled and eyes slightly droopy. She radiates warmth, kindness and understanding. He sees the empathy and pity for him in her softy brown eyes.
And that makes him cry more.
He softly cries into his hands as the woman continues to caress her finger through his hair, “It’s okay child, you will be safe inside. Come, come. Let me make you something tasty and warm.”
Yoongi slowly stands up, apple still in hand and follows behind the woman.
They enter a small kitchen, two females and one male running around the small room in an attempt to do what Yoongi thinks is to cook fast.
“Mrs. Lee, we need more potatoes,” one of the females said with a hint of rush in her voice.
The elder woman points to the box she left at the door, “I brought potatoes and carrots. There by the door.”
The girl nodded and rushed behind them to grab the box and continue her work. “That’s Nayeon, she’s 16 and is my youngest worker. Her parents were taken and never seen again so I’ve been watching over her.”
Yoongi quietly nodded as the elder, Mrs. Lee, he assumes, pointed to the other female, “That’s Misook, she’s my sister.” Yoongi looked at the other elderly woman who quickly smiled at him before turning back to the stove. “The man is her husband, Jinwoo. He actually helped me build this small building to open up my shop.”
Yoongi turned to see the man, who gave him a distasteful look. Yoongi hid behind Mrs. Lee, grabbing onto her dress with his small hands. She chuckled, “He may seem scary now, but I promise that over time, he will grow to like you.”
Yoongi gave her a questioning look as she directed him towards a corner farther into the back.
“Over time, he will grow to like you.”
That implied Yoongi would see the man often, but why? Why would he see the scary man after today?
He sat at the small table where Mrs. Lee directed him to, “The chicken soup just boiled, I’ll bring you a bowl child.”
Yoongi watched her walk towards the shelves where multiple bowls were stored. He took the moment to look around the area; It was small yet somehow spacious. Frames and pictures were hung everywhere, probably of Mrs. Lee’s family. The walls were cream colored with hints of pink in the corners. It was comfortable.
“Here you go child,” she came back with a bowl of warm soup in her hands, resting it on the table in front of Yoongi.
She sat across from him, “You haven’t spoken a word since I’ve found you. Why don’t we start with names? I’m Mrs. Lee, what’s your name?” she asked sweetly.
Yoongi gulped down a spoonful of soup; he hasn’t told anyone his name since he entered the cold streets. His parents always warned him to never give out personal information to strangers. Yet, strangers took them away, disregarding Yoongi and how he’d make it on his own. He supposed that he had nothing to lose. Everything that he loved was already taken from him, what else could possibly be taken?
“Yoongi…” he whispered.
The woman's smile stretched, “A beautiful name. Do you know what it means, Yoongi?” she asked.
Yoongi nodded slowly, “My mama said it means flourishing, to grow.” Mrs. Lee nods, “Yes, but it also means hero, prosperity and success. I have a feeling you will live up to your name.”
Yoongi didn’t know that.
They talked slowly as Yoongi slurped up the soup, getting two more servings afterwards due to the lack of food he had. Mrs. Lee could only watch with a sorrowful smile. The sun soon set, the moon slowly rose and the stars started to decorate the cold night and as much as Yoongi didn’t want to, he knew he needed to leave.
“I must get going Mrs. Lee,” he started, as he took his bowl and took it to the sink, where Jinwoo was washing dishes. The man groaned at the extra dish and glared at Yoongi, who scurried back to the comfort of Mrs. Lee.
She raised a brow, “Get going to where, Yoongi?” she asked.
That was a fantastic question.
Yoongi usually slept near empty fields or behind inactive buildings, using hay or leaves to makeshift a pillow and if he was lucky to have enough, even a small blanket. He couldn’t say that though, it’d make him sound lame.
“J-just somewhere to stay the night,” he answered cautiously.
“But where?”
Yoongi tried to think of an answer, before Jinwoo cut in, “Probably on the street. Just let him go Lee, he’s a stray cat. He belongs in the streets.”
Mrs. Lee scowled, “Now listen here Jinwoo-”
“No I don’t.” Yoongi cuts in, upset. The man looked at Yoongi in question. “I-I don’t belong in the streets. My family was taken away from me without thinking about how I’d make it out on my own. T-They took them from me!” he said, tears pooling in his eyes once again. “I-It’s not fair! Ever since that stupid new King sat on the throne, my world fell apart! Daddy couldn’t make enough money to buy food. Mama had less to cook. I was already eating less when my parents were with me and now that they're gone? This was the first proper meal I’ve had since they took them away three weeks ago! So no, I don’t belong in the streets. I belong with my Mama and Daddy!” Yoongi ranted, tears streaming down his pale cheeks.
“Jinwoo, look what you did, you made the child cry,” Misook scolded as she pulled her sleeve to wipe Yoongi’s tears away. “Don’t listen to my idiot husband sweet kitty, you’re right. You don’t deserve to be suffering like this.”
“No he doesn’t. That’s why you’re going to be staying here with me, Yoongi.” Mrs. Lee suddenly said. Yoongi looked at her with wide eyes, “W-What…?”
“Listen, I’m old. I can’t exactly raise a child right now, neither can my sister or her pathetic husband,” she jabbed at Jinwoo, who only scoffed and walked back to the sink to finish the dishes. “I offered Nayeon a place to sleep and a job for a small income but she’s on her own. I’d like to do the same for you. Help around the kitchen and shop and I’ll give you some money and a place to sleep. You have a bright future ahead of you, I’d like to give you a chance to achieve it.”
Yoongi cried for the third time that day. He accepted the offer and found himself going up a small flight of stairs and into a small room with two small beds, Nayeon sitting on one of them. “Nayeon, this is Yoongi. He will be staying with you, okay?” Mrs. Lee informed the teenager.
Yoongo worried she’d hate him like Jinwoo clearly hated Yoongi, but instead was met with a bright smile, “Fuck yeah, roomate!” she cheered. “Language young lady!” Mrs. Lee scolded. Yoongi giggled, he remembered how his mother would scold his father when he’d accidentally cursed in front of Yoongi. “Don’t ever say those words, okay baby? It poisons your heart and soul” his mother would say and Yoongi would nod.
“Sorry, come in, Yoongi! I’ll help you set the bed,” Nayeon apologized and stood from her bed, gesturing to Yoongi to follow her. Yoongi looked back at Mrs. Lee, “I have my own home a few minutes away. Jinwoo built this as an attic for storage but turned it into a small room once I brought in Nayeon. That means that you’re now in charge of making sure no one breaks into my shop with Nayeon, got it Yoongi?” she teased, though Yoongi seemed to think she was serious, so he nodded. “Yes Mrs. Lee, I promise to make sure no one comes in and steals your soups!” he declared. Mrs. Lee chuckled, “Well then, have a good night you two. Nayeon, let Yoongi know how things work here.” she said and closed the door.
Nayeon ran towards Yoongi and pulled him to his new bed. He was too short to climb, so Nayeon helped pick him up and set him on his bed, “I’m Nayeon! Mrs. Lee took me in last year and has been letting me stay here. I'm sixteen, how old are you?” she asked.
Yoongi took off his shoes and let them fall to the floor, “I’m five.”
“Aw, you're a baby!”
“I’m a big boy.”
“Yes you are little Yoongi!” she cooed.
The two stayed up for a few hours, Nayeon telling him about his new responsibilities. “You’re too tiny and cute to be in the kitchen so I’m assuming you’ll be in the front.”
“In the front?”
“Yeah! Mrs. Lee will probably want you to just clean tables and take small orders to tables. Nothing too hard, but enough to consider it work. I’ll tell Jinwoo to find a tiny broom so you can sweep and mop.”
Yoongi winced at the name, “I don’t think he likes me…” he expressed his concern.
Nayeon laughed, “Join the club, he hates me. Says I’m too loud and annoying but hey, we can’t let what others think about us get to us. He’s just a grumpy old man who cleans dishes and gets scolded by his cool wife, ignore him” she joked, making Yoongi laugh and feel a lot better knowing that he isn’t alone.
The next few days went just as Nayeon said; he greeted customers, took small orders to tables and after leaving, picked up dirty plates and gave them to Jinwoo to wash. The man would glare at him and Yoongi would feel intimidated, until he’d turn to look at Nayeon and catch her doing a mocking Jinwoo face to Yoongi, making him giggle and feel more at ease.
He’d eat three times a day and if Nayeon was feeling giddy, would keep watch as she’d steal some of Jinwoo’s lunch and share it with Yoongi in the back alley when being asked to get more boxes of fruits and vegetables.
After a month, Yoongi felt a lot more comfortable.
Mrs. Lee and Misook were sweethearts to him, cooing at him and pinching his cheeks. Nayeon would tease him and drag him into any mischievous plans she had, making him feel like he had an older sister. Jinwoo was still mean, but over time, when Yoongi would take dirty dishes to him and Jinwoo would glare at him, he’d turn around and look for Nayeon and make a funny face in mocking Jinwoo.
After closing, he and Nayeon would help clean the shop before getting ready for bed and talking about everything and anything; rude customers, Naeyon’s weekly crush, how Jinwoo was annoying that day.
Soon enough, Yoongi felt happy.
*
“I’m going out!” Yoongi yelled across the kitchen, running a hand through his messy, black, long hair in an attempt to fix it.
“It’s your turn to do dishes, Stray,” Jinwoo yelled back, annoyed.
“It’s my day off grump. Besides, I wouldn’t want to leave you being useless by taking your job” Yoongi taunted, earning a dirty look from Jinwoo, “Respect your elders brat. And since when does Lee give days off?”
Yoongi grabbed a steamed potato and took a bite, “Don’t be lame Jinwoo, I’m just going to the market” he said with a stuffed mouth.
“He’s 14 Jinwoo, he’s young, let him go out for a bit. My sister won’t mind him being gone for a few hours as long as he’s back by noon, got that kitty?” Misook asked Yoongi sweetly as she gave him a salt shaker. “Yes ma’am” Yoongi said as he grabbed it and shook some salk on his potato before biting it again, moaning in taste, “Fuck, it’s so good.”
“Language Yoon!” Nayeon yelled from the counter with a grin.
Yoongi rolled his, “You’re one to talk,” he said as he waved to the elderly couple and jumped the counter to face Nayeon, “You’re the one who taught me everything I know” he teased.
Nayeon chuckled, “Which I regret, you’re all over the streets causing trouble. Don’t think I haven’t heard about you stealing from that pearl stand, what was that about?” she asked.
Yoongi shrugged as he took another bite of his potato, “I saw the stand owner take a pearl necklace from an old lady by force earlier that day. Later, I walked by his stand and saw it on the table, selling it for probably twice the amount so I did the rational thing.”
“Stealing it instead of reporting it?” Nayeon asked flatly.
Yoongi scoffed, “Please, as if officials here are of any use. They just go around doing King Agust D’s dirty bidding. They don’t care about what’s actually going on here.” Nayeon chuckled, “There you go again, insulting our King. That tongue of yours is gonna get you killed one of these days if you keep yapping badly about the King, Yoon.”
“Look me in the eye and say I’m wrong.”
“You’re wro–”
“The King has been so invested in god knows what that he hasn’t even realized what’s going on in his own kingdom. Nay, people have been going missing the last few months. Farmers, scholars, children. Yet there hasn’t been any investigations or searches. If it weren’t for the missing flyers that the friends and families of those who are going missing hung up, people wouldn’t even know about it. Why would an official care about some seller stealing a necklace from an elderly woman when they don’t even care about the missing commoners?”
Nayeon sighed, “How do you even know about all these things?” Yoongi finished eating his potato, “I’m not brainwashed like the rest of you” he said casually, licking the salt off his fingers. “Brainwashed”? Or Disciplined?” Nayeon asked.
Yoongi grabbed his green coat near the door, “Being brainwashed comes from traditional discipline, Nay.”
Nayeon rolled her eyes, “Just be back by noon, I wanna go meet up with Yunji today so I need you to cover my shift” she says casually, trying to avoid Yoongi’s gaze.
Yoongi smirks, “Still talking to her, huh?” he asks teasingly. Nayeon turns her back to him, “And? Can’t I have friends that aren’t troublemakers like you?” she asked, defensively.
“For starters, I’m not your friend. You stopped being my friend when you moved out of the attic.” Nayeon groaned in annoyance, “Yoongi I’m twenty five, I couldn’t stay in the attic with a child forever! I had to find my own place.”
“I’m fourteen, I’m not a child,” Yoongi said back. “Even worse, I can’t live with a teenager!” Yoongi rolled his eyes, “Well I had to live with you when you were a teenager and I didn’t complain and was rather grateful” he said matter-of-factly. Nayeon laughed, “That’s because you were five and homeless with no proper survival instincts. I’m twenty five and know how to take care of myself.”
“I know how to take care of myself.”
“Stealing and becoming a young street thug isn’t taking care of yourself, it’s being stupid.”
“Well I didn’t exactly have anyone to raise me and unfortunately you were my main source of inspiration so everything I am is everything you are but are afraid to embrace.”
Nayeon snorted, “Just go before I tell Mrs. Lee you left during work.” Yoongi opened the door and smiled, “No, it’s my day off, remember?” he winked and closed the door behind him once he heard Nayeon laugh.
It had been roughly nine years since Mrs. Lee took Yoongi in and gave him somewhere to go back to after his daily mischievousness.
Back then, Yoongi feared being out and in the street, wishing he had a home.
Wishing he had his parents.
But that was Yoongi when he was five.
Now, Yoongi is fourteen and can’t seem to get off the streets.
It started with Nayeon.
She was always up to no good. Stealing Jinwoo’s lunch or snacks that Mrs. Lee very clearly told her she couldn’t have. She’d go out at night to see her crushes and sometimes, Yoongi would smell alcohol in her breath when she’d come back at four a.m. and tell him about all the crazy things she did with her friends.
So naturally, as Yoongi grew, he aspired to do the same. He was 10 when he first “snuck out”. It was only him and Nayeon so realistically, they had no one stopping them from going out, but he found it funner calling it “sneaking out”.
“NayNay, I’m gonna go out,” he whispered to a sleeping Nayeon, who groaned and turned to face Yoongi with a sleepy expression, “H-Huh..? What time is it?” she asked groggily.
Yoongi looked at the watch Misook had gifted him for his birthday, “It’s gonna be midnight” he said enthusiastically. Nayeon groaned, “Yoongi go to sleep you’re gonna get kidnapped.”
That was the one thing that sucked about having a big age gap between him and what he felt like was his cool older sister. By the time he was old enough to start doing dumb things, Nayeon was already twenty one and outgrew them all. She no longer cared about going out, drinking or meeting up with friends. She was too busy stressing about taxes and her personal issues.
“But Nay! You did it when you were a teenager, why can’t I?” Yoongi complained. Nayeon ruffled his hair, “You’re not even a teenager yet, you’re ten. At least I was thirteen when I started going out late at night. It’s too dangerous, Yoon.”
Yoongi groaned and slapped her hand away, walking towards the door. “Where are you going anyways? You don’t even have friends besides me” Nayeon teased.
Yoongi rolled his eyes, “Maybe if you’d stop using all your time to worry about stupid bills and money, then you’d know I’ve made some friends” Yoongi spat, a hint of jealousy in it.
He knew Nayeon meant well. She was an adult now, she didn’t have time for silly things like going out late at night. But it didn’t mean Yoongi didn’t miss her and wished she had time for him.
Nayeon stayed quiet.
“Just, be careful, okay? Don’t do anything stupid” she said worryingly.
Yoongi chuckled, “That’s gonna be hard considering I look up to you,” he said and closed the door.
Yoongi remembered meeting up with a bunch of older kids who taught him how to pick locks and steal white powder that they liked smelling.
He also remembered the high feeling of trying cocaine for the first time with them.
He never told Nayeon or anyone about it, but it had happened. He tried weed, heroin, and fentanyl. Not that same night, but over the span of four years and settled for some good old weed and on his harder days, a thin line of cocaine helped him clear his mind.
Yoongi walked down the market, seeing all the stands and commoners running around and yelling, trying to sell their food. He saw older thugs go around corners quietly as they stole wealthy ideas from the rich. It was loud, chaotic and messy. It was alive. It was everything Yoongi once feared but was now addicted to.
He walked by a shoe stand when he saw something from the corner of his eye.
An older man putting up a flyer for a child.
Yoongi walked up to it and read it;
“Missing person. Answers to the name Park Jimin. Twelve years old. Dark hair and brown eyes.”
Yoongi frowned as he looked at the picture of the boy. He has pretty eyes and a beautiful smile. His hair was long enough to softly decorate his forehead and dangle over his shining eyes.
He was pretty.
Another man got near the flyer and scoffed, “Who cares about some missing brat? Can’t people see we have bigger things to worry about?” he complained. Yoongi turned to the man, “Bigger things to worry about? Like what?” he asked, clearly upset.
“Taxes are rising, crops are dying. There’s so much going on right now, no one is gonna waste their time to look for some kid.” The man said annoyed.
Yoongi’s gaze darkened, “If it’s such a big issue, why hasn’t the King done anything about it?”
“King Agust D is busy with royal duties kid, it’s up to us common folk to keep the kingdom standing high and strong” the man said with a glare.
“Then what’s the point of having a King if we’re the ones who have to do all the work? Why give authority to someone who’s just sitting on a throne, when the Kingdom has to stand up for itself with no help?” he said angrily.
The man slightly shoved him, “Watch your mouth kid, that’s our King you’re speaking ill of.”
Yoongi shoved him back, “That man is anything but a King. He’s useless if he’s not-”
A hard punch landed on Yoongi’s cheek.
He fell to the floor as he felt his nose bleed, “Never call out King such names! He is the all mighty and powerful Agust D! He helps us-”
“Helps us?” Yoongi asks as he weakly stands from the ground. “Is this how he helps us? By asking for more money and making it harder for us to live? Is that what you call mercy?”
Wrong words, because the next thing Yoongi sees is a blade coming from the man’s pocket.
“Perhaps I should have told you this earlier but, I work for King Agust D, I’m his right hand man. And I, for one, will never let anyone speak badly about my King” he threatens.
Yoongi scoffs, “All I hear is that your his little bitch-”
It happened so fast that Yoongi almost didn’t feel it. All he felt was the blood dripping down his cheek as he covered his right eye.
“Guards! Secure this brat, I think he needs a lesson” the man yelled.
Yoongi suddenly felt an arm yank him to the side.
“Hey! Come back here! Guards!” the man yelled, but Yoongi only winced at the pain on his right eye as someone directed him to the alleyway.
“This way, they won’t find us here,” the voice said. Yoongi tried to look at the person taking him away from the trouble he just caused, but his eye would ache in pain just by blinking.
“Fuck, it hurts…” Yoongi complained.
“Just a little bit longer, we’re almost getting close to a nearby healer” the voice said. They sounded young, maybe Yoongi’s age.
They turned right and left a few times before entering a small space. It smelled like medicine and herbs. “Ma’am, this boy just got attacked and stabbed in his eye, could you help?” The boy asked worryingly.
The rest was a blur.
Yoongi remembers being laid down as multiple hands were over his face. He felt the burn of alcohol near his wound, probably to clean and disinfect. They suddenly stuffed a small piece of cloth in his mouth as they warned, “This is gonna hurt kid, so try not to move and be strong.”
He remembers the feel of needles and thread going through his skin.
He remembers his hands gripping his sides, in search of any sort of grounding or comfort.
He remembers a hand on top of his, with the words “It’s okay, it’ll be over soon” echoing in the room.
Yoongi eventually wakes up in the same room but darker. He looks around; it’s definitely past noon. Nayeon is gonna kill him.
He slowly sits up when a hand pulls him back down, “lay down, I’m here okay?” he heard a voice. A voice he knew all too well.
He turned and saw Mrs. Lee next to him on a chair.
“What happened…?” Yoongi asked.
Mrs. Lee chuckled, “I should be asking you that. I was told you got into a fight. Is that true?” she asked.
Yoongi was about to say he was attacked, when he remembered, “How did I end up here? I was at the market, how did-”
“A boy brought you here” Mrs. Lee interrupted.
Yoongi blinked.
“A boy? Who?”
“No idea. He was gone by the time I got here. The healer says he had brought you almost as soon as the injury happened and stayed with you throughout the entire procedure.” she said as he guided Yoongi back onto the bed to lay down.
“How did you find out where I was?” he asked.
“The healer said sometime during the process, you kept saying “I need to go, Nayeon is gonna get me in trouble and tell Mrs. Lee”. They ended up tracking me down with that.”
Yoongi frowned. “And the boy?”
Mrs. Lee smiled sadly, “They said he left a little before I got here. I’ve been here for the last two hours while you were asleep” she said softly.
Yoongi looked up at the ceiling in thought.
Who was that boy?
Why did he help him?
And why did he leave before Yoongi could properly speak to him?
“Ah, the healer did mention that she heard he had to leave because his guardians had called him to hurry on over to the underground territories. Perhaps he lives there,” she said as she reached for Yoongi’s cheek to make him look at her.
Yoongi took the information in as he stood up again and looked to his right, into a mirror.
It was an ugly scar.
Soon enough, the healer said he was free to go and he and Mrs. Lee went back to the shop.
“Yoongi you fucking idiot what did I tell you?!” Nayeon yelled at him as soon as she saw the ugly scar.
“Nayeon! What type of-” “I’m sorry Mrs. Lee but Yoongi just, ugh!” Nayeon says as she slightly shoved away Yoongi before yanking him back into a hug. “I told you to stop running your mouth or else it’d get you killed. Why can’t you just listen for once you imbecile?”
Yoongi chuckled, “Hey, I’m still alive though.”
“You got stabbed in the eye!”
“It’s a badass battle scar though, you have to admit that” he tried to play it off.
It’s not that he was inconsiderate of how Nayeon was feeling, but rather he didn’t want to worry her. He personally didn’t care much about the scar and instead of what that man said about Park Jimin.
“There was a flyer on a stand in the market,” he started. “A boy went missing, Park Jimin. I was reading it when a man stood next to me and started saying rude things about it; how it was pointless and no one cares because “there were bigger things to worry about.” I asked what and he went off on some rant. I said it was the King’s fault-”
“Min Yoongi-” Nayeon started, but Mrs. Lee cut her off to let him continue.
“Well apparently the man was King Agust D’s right hand man and didn’t like being told the truth. I may or may have not called him things that technically didn’t need to be said and one thing led to another before he pulled out a blade and did this,” he pointed at his scar, “Then someone, a boy, pulled me aside and took me all the way to the healer. My mind went blurry from there and I can’t remember anything after that” he finished.
Nayeon groaned before pulling him back into another hug as Mrs. Lee patted his head, “My sweet kitten, I know you have your beliefs and I know you believe in them strongly-”
“But Mrs. Lee, they aren’t beliefs if it’s the truth-”
“My point is Yoongi, not everyone is gonna be on your side. Especially when it’s going against our King. Your train of thought is both unique but dangerous. Like Nayeon said, it could get you killed and today was proof of that.”
Yoongi looked down at the floor with slight shame. He wrapped his arms around Nayeon and hugged her back, face hiding between her neck, “I didn’t mean to cause you guys all this trouble…I’m sorry.”
Nayeon shook her head, “We’re just worried for you Yoongi. We know you’ve been out and about with older people. Maybe not bad people, but people a fourteen year old shouldn’t be around with.”
She slightly pulled away to look at Yoongi, really look at him and his injury. Her hand slightly traced the side of the wound, eyes shining with threatening tears, “We just want you to be safe.”
Yoongi went to bed that night with a scrambled mind.
On one hand, he felt bad and ashamed for bringing so much trouble to Nayeon and Mrs. Lee. After everything they did for him, after all the time and effort they tried to put to raise him, he still failed them. His thoughts didn’t align with theirs. Nayeon seemed to be naive about the King’s doing and Mrs. Lee seemed to not fully understand where the kingdom currently stood at and what’s going on, only focusing on her restaurant.
He felt like he didn’t belong.
On the other hand, he couldn’t stop thinking about the boy who helped him get out of that situation.
‘This way, they won’t find us here.’ ‘Just a little bit longer, we’re almost close to a healer nearby.’ “Ma’am, this boy just got attacked and stabbed in his eye, could you help him?’
‘It’s okay, it’ll be over soon.’
His voice echoed through Yoongi’s mind for the rest of the night.
Who are you?
Morning came and Yoongi braced for Minsook and Jinwoo’s reactions.
“Oh heavens, what happened to you kitty?! Oh my sweet boy, look at you!” Minseook screamed as she held Yoongi’s face to look at his scar. “It’s nothing-”
“Nothing?! You have a scar on your right eye and you say it’s nothing?!”
Jinwoo leaned on the counter as he watched everything unfold, unamused.
Yoongi briefly told the couple the story, which ended up with tears from Minsook.
“Sookie, I’m fine, really. I didn’t even feel it,” he tried to reassure her as she sobbed into his chest.
“The street cat has been going around and touching things he shouldn't while being with people too old for him. He’s been going around, scratching places and leaving his mark and now that he’s finally been scratched back, you all pity him? The hypocrisy is unbelievable,” Jinwoo comments from the counter.
Minsook glares at him before Mrs. Lee smacks him, “He’s a child and is still learning Jinwoo. No matter how different your beliefs are compared to him, he still doesn't deserve such things.”
“Neither do all the people he steals from and makes their lives harder than they already are. He’s going around, yelling in the streets that the reason everyone is suffering is because the King isn’t doing anything to stop the problems. Yet he goes around and steals, mocks and pokes at people who are just trying to live one day at a time, adding to the problem and when the King finally bites back and he gets what he’s been asking for, you all gather round and baby him? Is this not what he wanted? For the king to stop the problems?” Jinwoo speaks up.
Mrs. Lee and Minsook are giving him an earful, but Yoongi isn’t listening.
In a way, Jinwoo is right.
Yoongi admits he's causing issues, stirring up problems and stealing from others. He’s not the only one, crime rates have been rising and he’s a part of it and must accept that. The difference is that while those other criminals steal to resell for themselves, Yoongi gives back what was stolen.
He doesn’t go up to someone and take their merchandise to resell for higher prices, he sees how others target defenseless commoners and take from them forcefully so he takes back and returns as much as he can.
But even with good intentions, he’s still participating in the problem.
He’s stumped and needs to clear his mind.
“Hey uh, is it okay if I go for a walk? All this yelling is stressing me out and I just need some air,” he says calmly.
The adults just nod and shake him off, back to arguing.
Yoongi chuckles at the bickering and goes outside the shop, though doesn’t make it far before he feels Nayeon’s hand on his arm.
“Please Yoon, don’t cause any issues. I…” Nayeon looks away flustered, “I care about you, okay? Ever since you came into my life when I was sixteen, I grew a deep love for you. You’re my baby brother and I… I can’t lose you, okay? When my parents got taken away, I was so alone before Mrs. Lee took me in and even then, being fifteen and working with elders, one who had no respect towards me? It still felt so lonely. And then a year later, Mrs. Lee brought you up to the room and my life changed…” she confessed.
Yoongi could only stare at her in surprise.
They hardly expressed such feelings, let alone this much.
It was his first time hearing all this.
“I lost my family and thought I would never feel that same type of love again, yet I was proved wrong the moment I met you. Yoongi, You brought back my spark, my youth. When my life felt black and white, you lit it up with your silly tricks and funny faces. When I wanted to do something stupid, you were always there with me. And suddenly, my life felt complete. I had Mrs. Lee as a mother figure even though she never really raised me but rather gave me a home and job that came with her wisdom, and I had you as a baby brother who sided with me no matter what and depended on me. You were right yesterday, everything you are is everything I am but unlike you who grew to accept and lean into it confidently, I grew afraid of rejection and fear of being abandoned again so I ignored it. I grew apart from you and I can’t help but feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn’t drifted away and just-”
“Nay, you’re twenty five, you’re an adult and have adult responsibilities. None of this is your fault, okay?” He turns and grabs both her hands with his and gives them a tight squeeze. “I was being reckless. You were also right yesterday, if I’m not careful with what I say or do, I could get hurt, more than I already did. Your life may be hectic right now and not be able to spend as much time with me as before but you still try by giving me advice, calling me names and teasing me when you can. This is all on me, okay?”
Nayeon’s eyes slightly watered, “I failed you.”
“You were a teenager. It wasn’t your responsibility to raise me. Mrs. Lee said it herself, she could only provide us a roof and job but the rest was up to us.”
“I found weed under your bed Yoongi.”
Yoongi’s heart dropped.
God, please no.
This.
This was the part of Yoongi’s life that he never wanted any of them to find out about.
“Nay, I know how to use it okay? It’s safe-”
"You're killing your body every time you smoke that Yoongi, you know that, right?” her voice trembled.
And Yoongi couldn’t have this conversation while looking at her looking at him with such pain and hurt.
He pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring all the people around them walking by. “I’m okay Nay, I know what I’m doing I promise.”
Nayeon hid her face in Yoongi’s neck, “My dad…he did drugs when I was a kid. He’d get high and beat my mom. It was worse when he’d smoke and drink at the same time. H-He…it was killing him Yoongi. He had breathing problems and would get strokes and I…I found him once, on the floor…his mouth was foaming and I-” she sobbed.
Yoongi quickly guided them back into the shop. Luckily, the elders had already started preparing to open up so he managed to take them both up to his room and close the door. He looked back at Naeyon who was sitting on Yoongi’s bed, eyes red and nose stuffy.
Yoongi walked back to her and sat next to her, opening his arms slightly as an invite. He was never one for hugs or physical affection. It made him uncomfortable and felt stuck. But none of that mattered when Nayeon leaned back in and cried into his chest, gripping his shirt as if he suddenly disappeared if she let go.
They never talked about their parents. It was a mystery to each other. All they knew was how they left and even that was brief because it didn’t matter. It had happened and that was the past, they were in the present and in the present, they had each other.
And that was all that mattered.
The cries slowed down as Yoongi ran his fingers through her hair, whispering ‘It’s okay’ and ‘I’m sorry’ in between. “I just don’t want to find you like thatYoongi…” she started. “Yoongi, if I ever find you like that, I don’t think I would be able to live on.”
Yoongi stiffened up, eyes starting to burn, “Don’t say that Nay.”
“I love you Yoongi, I can’t live in a world without you.”
“You won’t. I’m still here.”
“Stop seeing those older people.”
“Okay.”
“Stop putting yourself in dangerous situations.”
“I will.”
“And please…” she said, begging in her voice, “Stop smoking.”
“I-I…I’ll try.” It was the best he could say because he couldn’t promise her that.
Those guys he hangs out with? They aren’t true friends. Just random people he would join if he felt lonely.
Dangerous situation? He learned his lesson, he’ll be more careful with his words.
But weed?
He’s not entirely sure he can drop that in a heartbeat.
It wasn’t exactly a huge part of his life, he could go days without touching it. But on nights where he remembered things too vividly, he smoked. It was his anchor in a way, and he wasn’t sure he could let go of that just yet.
“Nayeon! Get your ass over here, we're about to open!”Jinwoo’s voice echoed from downstairs. Nayoen pulled away and wiped her face, slightly embarrassed.
She stood and walked to the door but stopped for a moment, “Be careful, okay?” she whispered.
Yoongi nodded, “I will.”
Nayeon nodded and opened the door, but before stepping out, Yoongi mustered the courage to speak up, “I love you too, by the way.”
She stilled at the door.
“It’s hard for me to express it but, you really were a huge part of my life. I don’t know where or who I’d be if I never met you. You’re like my big sister, I need you too.”
Nayeon never turned, but Yoongi could feel her smile from where he sat, “This was kinda corny huh?” she asked.
“Yeah, but I'll let it slide since I think we needed this talk,” Yoongi said simply.
Nayeon only nodded and finally closed the door behind her.
Yoongi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in as he threw himself back onto the bed.
It was a hard, emotional conversation they just had and he felt exhausted. He knew they’ve been needing it for a while, he could feel the tension when they’d have deep conversations late at night.
He laid on his bed for a few minutes before getting back up, going downstairs and finally leaving the shop.
The Kingdom was alive.
The streets were filled and loud. People were in a rush to open their stands or get to work. Children were running around barefoot and with slight rips in their clothes.
Yoongi walked down the streets, feeling right at home. He looked around at all the colorful walls and full streets. Everything felt right.
Until he remembered something.
Or more like, someone.
Yoongi lazily walked through the crowd, mind wandering off and thinking back to the biy who ultimately saved him. Who knows what would’ve happened to him if the biy hadn’t taken him away from the situation.
He found himself unconsciously walking to the emptier side of the kingdom.
“The healer did mention that she heard he had to leave because his guardians had called him to hurry on over to the underground territories. Perhaps he lives there.”
Mrs. Lee’s words ring inside Yoongi’s head as he wanders the emptier streets, hoping to find the boy who helped him. The problem was, there was a lot of underground territory and the people who live down there are good at hiding. Yoongi isn’t sure he’ll be able to find the boy.
He spent the next two hours roaming the empty grounds and had no luck. He eventually went back to the shop and thought it’d be left at that.
For some reason though, it didn’t.
During his breaks over the next few days, he found himself exploring every underground territory he knew of. He told himself he was just curious about this side of the Kingdom, but he knew deep down why he kept coming out here.
And it was a cycle that he kept doing for the next two weeks.
“And you still haven’t found him?” Nayeon asked one evening while she and Yoongi were cleaning up the shop after closing.
“No, it’s frustrating. Some guy jumps in while I’m clearly in a dangerous situation and he just pulls me away? Saves me and takes me to a healer to help my wound, stays by my side the entire time but by the time I can actually think, he’s gone? Why?”
Nayeon hums as he sweeps, “Maybe he’s shy? Or maybe he’s like you; some street thug up to no good and doesn’t wanna get too involved or it’ll risk his life.”
“But he already did by helping me so why not just show yourself?” Yoongi asked, frustrated.
Nayeon chuckled as she finished up, “Why are you so set on finding him anyways? I didn't take you as the type to search the entire Kingdom for some guy.”
“He’s not just ‘some guy’ Nay, he helped me. The least I could do is thank him,’ Yoongi sighs.
The next day, Yoongi thinks he needs to pray in order to thank whoever saw him struggling and finally helped him out.
It was in the afternoon, maybe five p.m. or so when Yoongi was walking on the farther side of the Kingdom. He had found nothing and decided to go back home when he suddenly heard something.
Music.
Farther down the hill.
And he didn’t think twice.
He followed the sound of unique instrumentals he had never heard before.
The sound took him down the hill, under a bridge and into some cave near the royal walls.
He walked in and was immediately met with people who definitely were not the same as Yoongi.
Their clothing seemed more loose and baggy with graphic images and darker themes.
Rebellious.
Yoongi took a look around the area; it was small and tight yet somehow managed to hold this many people. It was crowded and reeked of alcohol. People were screaming left and right, chanting something he couldn’t quite understand. He also noticed everyone was looking behind him, cheering at whatever it was. He turned and saw a few men on a tiny stage, nothing huge but enough to elevate them for everyone to see. There were four grown men and in the middle, a boy.
He was definitely Yoongi’s age. Maybe a year older or younger, but was definitely young.
Everyone around him seemed to be encouraged to speak into the microphone as music played in the background.
Maybe some sort of musician?
Yoongi was never really interested in music. Traditional music sounded the same and honestly wasn’t his vibe. Though he had to admit, what he was currently hearing was definitely different and more exciting than the usual songs being played out in the streets.
He got closer to the stage, not to the front, but close enough to properly see the men on stage. The four older men seemed basic. Tall, black hair and muscular. Everything a basic musician could look like.
But the boy?
He was tall, not quite the other men's height but taller than Yoongi for sure. He had bleached blonde hair and shades. He seemed more alive. More youthful and excited. It intrigued Yoongi.
The boy on stage laughed and brought the microphone closer to his lips.
‘Ah, they want him to sing.’ Yoongi thought.
When the boy opened his mouth, Yoongi expected the traditional sound that every song has.
He was terribly wrong.
What he heard from that boy was something he had never heard before.
Something different.
Unique.
Something that could get him in trouble if the commoners outside heard him. Maybe that’s why he’s down here, to avoid those issues.
The boy spoke fast, words spitting out in a steady pace where it seemed both rushed yet slow.
Something about his voice sounded familiar though. And the more he heard it, the more Yoongi’s eyes grew.
It was him.
The next thing that caught Yoongi’s attention was what the boy was singing;
“The world's goin' crazy
What do you think, how 'bout ya?
You think it is okay
I don't think it is
Even with ears, they won't listen
Even with eyes, they won't see
Everyone's got a fish swimming in their hearts
We get mad and turn into beasts
Yoongi felt frozen. As if his feet were suddenly glued onto the ground.
This is the boy who saved him two weeks ago.
This is the boy who stayed by his side until he knew he was okay before leaving.
And this boy is singing about how brainwashed and fucked up the Kingdom is.
Yoongi looked at the boy and suddenly felt the world stop when he made eye contact with him.
The boy stared at him in question before his own eyes went wide.
He recognized Yoongi.
And for some reason, that scared Yoongi.
So Yoongi shook himself out of whatever trance he was in and immediately left the place.
“So you’re telling me,” Nayeon starts after Yoongi explained what happened later that night once the shop closed. “That you’ve been searching for this guy for the past two weeks non-stop and then find him singing about the same beliefs you have and he recognized you. And instead of waiting for him to finish performing and thank him, which is the whole reason you’ve been searching for this guy to begin with, you ran away?” she asked in disbelief.
Yoongi groaned into his hands. He was sitting at an empty table that Nayeon had just finished cleaning. She was currently wiping down the other tables as it was a busy day and almost all the tables got filled. “I know! I don’t know what happened. I just, froze. We made eye contact and he stared at me before realization hit him and I just left? God, why am I so stupid?” he complained.
“I ask myself that question every time you speak,” Nayeon poked, which earned her a glare from Yoongi before she continued. “Okay, so you just found out your lord and savior is an underground musician and know where he performs. Now what? You're gonna pretend it never happened or are you actually gonna go talk to him?” she asked.
Yoongi thought for a moment.
He knew where this guy was now. He knew he seemed to have similar thoughts about the kingdom like him. He was singing in a way Yoongi had never heard before.
He was different.
Like Yoongi.
“I’ll go again tomorrow and talk to him.” Yoogi declared.
Tomorrow, he’s gonna go up to this guy and thank him.
Tomorrow came.
He didn’t do it.
“Be so serious right now Yoon,” Nayeon said flatly in the afternoon when Yoongi informed her of his failed attempt.
Yoongi had gone back to the underground cave and found him performing again. He stayed through the entire performance, listening to everything the boy had to say and fuck, Yoongi couldn’t have felt more seen than he did in that moment.
But the second the boy spotted him in the crowd again, Yoongi panicked and left.
“You don’t get it Nay, there’s something about him that just freaks me out!” Yoongi said before standing up and going on a rant Nayeon half listened to.
“Okay, I’ll do it tomorrow, I swear.”
He didn’t.
And that kept happening for another two weeks.
It had been a month since the boy had saved Yoongi from the King’s right hand man. It had taken him two weeks to find him and another two weeks to even get the courage to speak to him.
The difference now is that when the boy would look at him, Yoongi wouldn’t leave but instead avoid eye contact. Yoongi would stay for some of the other performances and grew to like their style of music. He connected to the lyrics and felt seen.
He could feel the boy's presence in the room, somewhere. But he never approached Yoongi.
And neither did he.
It was a semi busy day at the soup shop. People came and went and Yoongi would pick up plates and take food to the customers. Yoongi had stopped working at the shop for a while now and was usually out. He’d steal some of the food from the kitchen but Mrs. Lee never seemed to mind. He had gotten closer to Nayeon after their emotional conversation, feeling more connected to her than he ever had since he met her.
Every now and then he would help out though, not wanting to fully take advantage of his situation.
He was in the back organizing some of the dishes Jinwoo had finished drying when he heard Nayeon’s voice, “Hey Yoon, how did you say that underground musician looked like?” she asked.
Yoongi gave her a weird look, “Uhm, kinda tall, blonde hair, honey skin and deep voice. Why?”
Nayeon looked behind her for a second before turning back, “I think he’s here,” she said quietly.
Yoongi dropped a bowl.
“Min Yoongi! That was Lee’s favorite-” Jinwoo started, but was ignored.
“Don’t be fucking with me Nayeon,” Yoongi started, panicked.
Nayeon shook her head, “Come see for yourself, he ordered a pork soup. He’s sitting at the left corner table.”
Yoongi quickly left his chore and followed Nayeon to the front, hiding behind the wall before peeking his head out to search the tables.
And Nayeon was right.
That was him.
“What the hell is he doing here?!” Yoongi whispered to Nayeon, who rolled her eyes, “It’s a soup shop Yoongi, he’s a customer.”
“He’s never come before!”
“Maybe he just found it.”
“Nayeon, I can't go out there,” Yoongi declared.
Nayeon chuckled, “Yoongi you’re acting like a teenager.”
“I’m fourteen! I am a teenager!” he whispered.
Suddenly, Mrs. Lee came up behind Yoongi, “ah, there you are kitten! Can you do me a favor and take this pork soup to the young gentleman at the back left corner table?” she asked sweetly.
And god, Yoongi can’t say no to Mrs. Lee.
He turns to Nayeon, who’s grinning at him evilly.
Yoongi takes a deep breath and grabs the bowl and walks out, toward the boy.
His steps slowly got slower as he approached the boy before fully stopping at the table.
The boy looked up from the menu and stared at Yoongi. His eyes drifted to the scar on Yoongi’s eye, and Yoongi felt like he was under a spotlight.
Yoongi cleared his throat before speaking, “U-Uh…Pork Soup?” he asked.
Stupid question.
The boy nodded, “Yes, that’s what I ordered.”
That.
That was the voice Yoongi remembers.
Soft, yet deep. Sweet, get commanding in a way.
Yoongi gulped and set the bowl on the table carefully, “uhm, enjoy…” he said awkwardly.
“I will,” the boy responded.
Yoongi didn’t move though, and the boy didn’t look away.
Nayeon, who was watching from the counter, rolled her eyes before speaking out, “Yoongi, get over here! Jiwoo said you need to finish with the dishes!”
Yoongi snapped his head back and looked at Nayeon, who seemed both annoyed yet amused at his terrible social skills. “R-Right, going!” he said and ran back without looking back at the boy.
He ran behind the curtain and into the kitchen before letting out a deep breath, “God that was hard…”
“Taking a bowl of Pork Soup to a boy? Wow, I knew you were useless but this takes the cake Stray” Jinwoo says as he walks by.
Yoongi glares at him before Nayeon speaks, “It’s not just any boy, it’s the boy who saved Yoon the night he got in a fight and took him to the healer and who Yoongi has been stalking for the past two weeks!” she tased.
“I was not stalking! I was just, going to watch him perform. Plus the music down there is cooler so I go for them too, not just him!” Yoongi defends himself.
Mrs. Lee smiles brightly, “That’s him? I should go out and thank him for- ""No no no no please, Mrs. Lee, he can't know it’s me!” Yoongi cuts in desperately.
“But he already knows it's you Yoon,” Nayeon states. “Well yeah but if you guys go out here and say it, he’s gonna know I go to the underground territory for him and not the music!”
“I’m pretty sure he already knows that kitty,” Minsook says as she walks by with an order.
Yoongi groans, “Just, please guys? I wanna talk to him myself, I just need to build the courage to do so” he practically begs.
Nayeon sighs, “Fine, fine. We won’t say anything, but you need to do it fast, this is getting ridiculous Yoon!”
Yoongi says he will, but it never happens.
The boy has been coming into the shop every day for the last week and a half and every time, Yoongi takes him his usual Pork soup without saying anything other than ‘enjoy’. Eventually, Nayeon had enough.
“Why are you procrastinating so much Yoongi? This guy is basically your dream guy! He saved you, thinks the same as you, you think he’s cool and like his music. What’s holding you back?” Nayeon says one night after the shop closed and is in Yoongi’s room as he gets ready for bed.
Yoongi groans, “I don’t know, okay?! I wanna talk to him, I really fucking do but fuck, what do I even say? How do I start the conversation? It’d be weird doing it now after seeing him so often Nay. He comes in the mornings to eat here and then in the afternoons I go and watch him perform and every time, we either make eye contact or interact in some professional way. I can’t just go up to him and be like ‘hey remember when you saved my ass from probably getting killed and taking me to a healer for my eye like over a month ago? Yeah thank you for that! Also, I think you’re music is cool as hell and I think this kingdom is also fuckin stupid and blind!’”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Nayeon says casually.
The more he thinks about it though, the more Yoongi is starting to realize why he;s so nervous about talking to the boy.
He’s scared he was wrong.
His whole life, from the moment he realized how King Agust D really worked, he had been alone with his belief that he was a terrible king and that all the bad stuff happening was because of his lack of duties and responsibilities. No one ever believed Yoongi, so he was used to thinking about that by himself. So the thought of someone else agreeing with him? It excited him because then, that meant he wasn’t alone. That he wasn’t crazy or that something was wrong with him. But what if he’s wrong about the boy? What if the boy sings about a totally different topic and Yoongi is misunderstanding everything? The thought of it alone scared him. Maybe that’s why he’s scared. He’s scared he’ll truly be alone.
Yoongi groans and throws himself into his bed.
Speaking to Nayeon must be either a blessing or curse because the next day, the cycle finally breaks.
Like usual, the boy walks in as soon as the shop opens up and orders his usual soup at the front with Nayeon. And as usual, Yoongi goes to take it to him. “Enjoy,” Yoongi says casually and leaves it at that because that’s what’s been happening the last few days. Nothing changed.
At least that’s what he thought.
“Hey uh, can I ask you something?” the boy speaks up.
Yoongi turns around slowly and awkwardly.
This has never happened before. It’s always the same, why is the boy breaking the usual pattern?
“Uhm, sure. What is it?” Yoongi responds nervously.
The boy sighs, “So like, are we gonna pretend you haven't come see me perform everyday for the last three and a half weeks or?” he starts.
Yoongi, as usual with confrontation, asks him back, “I don’t know, are we gonna pretend you don’t come in everyday at the same time for the last week and a half?”
“This is a soup shop, I come to eat like anyone else.”
“And you happen to perform at the only place that plays good music in an open space for anyone to go watch. What's your point?”
“That I had never seen you there until after the market incident.”
“You’ve never come here until after the Market thing either.”
“You started it.”
“You’re playing along.”
“I wanted to see if you’d speak up about it.”
“Why?”
“You’re interesting.”
That, caught Yoongi off guard.
“What?” Yoongi asked.
The boy gestured at Yoongi to sit across from him. Yoongi looked back at Nayeon, who only smiled and went back into the kitchen to give them privacy.
Yoongi sat down across from the boy as the boy spoke, “I saw it all happen, that day,” he slowly started. “I was walking by, looking for some herbs when I heard some commotion. I turned and saw you arguing the King’s right hand man and wow, I’ve never seen anyone have the guts you do.”
“In all honesty, I had no idea who that man was,” Yoongi confessed.
“I don’t think you would’ve cared if that was King Agust D himself you were talking to. You were defending the missing kid, saying he was just as important. The man made his kidnapping seem like it was nothing, as if people going missing hasn’t been happening ever since King Agust D claimed the throne after his father passed away. You kept going, and even after he told you who he was, you called him a bitch. It was both incredible but outstandingly stupid of you.”
“That’s what I said!” Nayeon’s voice screeched behind. Yoongi groaned, “Nay! Mind your business!” They heard a laugh and the boy shook his head with a smile. Yoongi noticed he had dimples. “People with dimples were kissed by angels where the dimples are before they were born,” Mrs. Lee would say.
“Anyways, I thought he was bluffing, threatening you to scare you off but you stood tall after the punch and kept pushing, kept defending. You kept speaking your mind until he attacked you.”
Yoongi chuckled, “It’s funny, when others talk about it, they say it was a fight, meaning we were both at fault. Yet you say it as if I was the victim by saying I was attacked.”
“In a way, it was both. The man initiated the conversation and logically speaking, you did turn it into an argument before agitating the man which led to the fight. The difference is, they call it a fight because they think you were pissing the man off on purpose due to your public record. I’ve heard about you, you go by Suga in the streets. The boy who was raised in a soup shop but has been a street thug since he was ten. You’ve caused lots of issues around this area. But after looking into it, you’re not entirely in the wrong. Every problem you’ve caused here was in defense of those who can’t defend themselves. And In the argument with the right hand man, you were defending the boy who went missing. They see it as a fight because they turn a blind eye at what’s going on in fear of being punished by the King. You don’t give a fuck and speak your mind, speak the truth, which in an insiders view, was an attack because you were right but the rest of the world is against what you believe so in these times, it’s viewed as wrong when in reality, you were in the right. Maybe the approach wasn’t the smartest thing to do but in the end, you were both the victim and the guilty.”
Yoongi could only stare at the boy.
For the first time in his life, he was just told he was in the right. And that was both weird yet satisfying.
“How old are you?” Yoongi asked the boy.
“Im thirteen, and you?”
“Fourteen.”
The boy chuckled, “I’m a world run by adults, it seems like the young are more aware of what’s truly happening around us.”
Yoongi hummed in agreement, “It’s worse because they don’t take us seriously. At least in my personal experience. I get told it’s adult stuff, that I’ll understand it when I’m older but what is there to understand? The King isn’t paying any attention to the Kingdom, taxes are rising, people are going missing and yet they call him merciful and helpful. What a load of bullshit.”
The boy sipped on his soup before speaking, “I get told that too, so I express my thoughts with music, as you’ve probably heard by now,” he smiled. Yoongi nodded, “It was one of the first things that caught my eye, you were the first person I had ever heard speak about the same thing I believe in. And not only that, the music you sing along with the rest of the people down there is amazing, so much better than whatever jester music plays up here.”
“It’s called rap, and yeah, it’s way better than normal music. But it’s seen as a way to go against the King so it’s forbidden, which is why we do it underground.” the boy stated.
“I thought so. I got attacked on my eye for speaking up about it, god knows what would happen if i rapped about it,” Yoongi says as he rests his head on his palm.
The two boys talked for what felt like hours before Namjoon had to leave. “You gonna come by later tonight?” he asked.
Yoongi nodded, “I always do.”
The boy stood up and stretched his hand out to Yoongi, “My name is Namjoon by the way. Kim Namjoon,” he smiled.
Yoongi chuckled and shook Namjoon’s hand, “Min Yoongi, pleasure to speak to you after like, a month and a half,” he joked, which Namjoon laughed at.
And just like that, Yoongi’s world grew a little bigger.
Truth to be told, having Namjoon in Yoongi’s life truly changed him for the better.
Namjoon was a “good influence” on Yoongi as Nayeon, Misook and Mrs. Lee would say. In the mornings when Namjoon would come for his usual bowl of soup, he’d go in the back and help in the kitchen, giving Misook and Jinwoo more free time to go out and spend time together as a married couple. He was like the unofficial employee who never accepted money from Mrs. Lee white tried paying him for the labor.
“It’s just cleaning Mrs. Lee, it doesn't take up much time and I enjoy being here. Being allowed to help you is enough of a reward for me,” he’d say.
And soon enough, It was like he was adopted by them all.
He spent nights at Yoongi’s room up in the room above the soup shop. He’d help Nayeon take orders. He’d help Jinwoo with dishes. Hell, they even started a delivery service with all the extra help Namjoon gave.
At nights, he and Yoongi would go to the underground territories and he would rap and Yoongi watched in awe. Sometimes, Yoongi would vent to him about how stupid the king was and useless he truly was, inspiring Namjoon for new lyrics to rap.
Yoongi became Namjoon’s muse, and Namjoon became Yoongi’s best friend.
A brother.
Of course, he loved Nayeon. She was there from the moment he arrived at the soup shop and guided him through life as much as a teenager could. She was there all the nights he’d cry about missing his parents. All the achievements Yoongi achieved.
Everything.
Nayeon was everything to Yoongi.
A friend, and older sister, an inspiration.
But there was a different type of feeling he felt with Namjoon.
With Namjoon, he could openly talk about his annoyance toward the King without fearing of getting scolded because Namjoon understood him. He was on his side.
With Namjoon, he could talk about rap music.
With Namjoon, he would help him write lyrics for his next rap he wanted to perform.
With Namjoon, he finally had a friend to walk down the streets and act like a regular teenager.
He had learned Namjoon’s parents were also taken from him.
“They were officials before King Agust D got the throne. I was taught so much by them and the rest of the royal staff, it’s where my love for studying and books came from. I was meant to someday become an official too. As soon as Agust D became king though, I’d hear my parents speak worryingly about his actions. Something about a murder? I’m not quite sure if I’m being honest. Not long afterwards, my parents were blamed for murder and were taken away. They were supposed to take me too, but I managed to escape. The men from the underground rap cave? They found me and took me in, taught me everything I know about music. I grew up with that hatred towards the king and after telling them about it, they believed me and started seeing what I saw. We started making music to speak against the king before one of our men was murdered for speaking out against him. We were forced to stop but instead, we decided to relocate somewhere safer where we can express our anger. These guys, they’re my family. I know what it feels like to go through what you experienced hyung. Having your parents being taken away from you and being on your own? Having someone take you in and raise you? We’re more alike than you think, maybe that’s why I heard you speak against the second hand man. Maybe that’s why you searched so much for me as much as I searched for you. We have so much in common, how could we not be meant to know one another?”
And Yoongi’s world? It couldn’t be more perfect than this.
Until once again, King Agust D took it away from him.
Yoongi was seventeen and Namjoon sixteen. They had been friends for three years and felt like they couldn’t go anywhere without the other.
Nayeon would often tease them and call them twins, with the occasional, “You stole my Yoongi, sleep with one eye open Kim Namjoon,” threat.
Yoongi, of course, would laugh it off and make sure to spend equal amounts of time with Nayeon and Namjoon. It felt nice, having people fight for your time. It made Yoongi feel wanted and important. Afterall, it wasn’t serious. Nayeon knew how much Yoongi needed a friend his age and she couldn’t be happier for him.
Mrs. Lee smothered Namjoon in cheek pinches and coos about how smart he was and how good of a friend he was to Yoongi.
Minsook would poke his dimples and call him cute, giving him free soup every time he came.
Jinwoo tolerated him. He still glared at him and said unnecessary things to him like he would to Yoongi and Nayeon, but Namjoon would just laugh it off with a compliment, catching Jinwoo off guard.
It was a Saturday night, Yoongi and Namjoon were at the underground territory cave when they heard screams from above.
“Did you hear that?” Namjoon asked.
“Yeah…what’s going on?” Yoongi questioned.
One of Namjoon’s older friends came in, panicked and worried, “Hey Min Man, it’s your soup shop.”
Yoongi stood up, panic rising through his body without knowing what was going on, “What? What about it?”
“The guards. I-I don’t know why? But royal guards ambushed the shop as they were closing and set the building on fire before running off! We tried going to in see if anyone was inside but the fire got too high and-”
Yoongi was already outside before the man could finish whatever he was saying, Namjoon running behind him.
“Hyung, wait! Be careful please! You need-”
Yoongi couldn't hear a single thing Nmajoon was saying.
No. No. No. No.
Not again.
Please, to whoever is out there, don’t do it again.
Yoongi ran at a speed he didn’t know he could until he reached the shop.
Fire flamed from the sides. He could hear the fire alarms going off inside.
Yoongi looked around in panic before approaching someone, “Hey, do you know if anyone’s inside?!”
The man nodded, “They trapped the people inside! We tried going in but the fire is too high! We have people getting gallons of water but– hey where are you going?!” the man yelled, but Yoongi had already lifted a rock from the ground and was running towards the burnt building.
“Hyung! The fire it’s too high! It’s not safe!” he could faintly hear Namjoon’s screams behind him, but he didn't care.
‘Not again. Not again.’
Yoongi threw the rock at the window and watched it shatter down before jumping in.
“”HYUNG!!!!”
Yoongi searched the building, starting in the kitchen.
He was met by the most horrific thing he could’ve ever seen in his seventeen years of life.
Jinwoo’s body was on fire, flesh melted and body completely black in ashes.Yoongi could barely recognize him.
“J-Jinwoo!” Yoongi yelled and fell next to the burning body, eyes burning.
Maybe it was the smoke, maybe it was the tears welling up in Yoongi's eyes, but he could barely see Jinwoo’s face. Half of it was already melted off while the other hand had his eye open but completely lifeless.
“Jinwoo-” “HYUNG!” he heard behind him.
Yoongi turned and saw Namjoon with a mask covering his nose and down, a piece of fabric in his hand. “Wear this or else you won’t last in the fire!"
“Namjoon what the hell are you doing in here?! Leave! You’re gonna-”
“I’m not leaving without you Yoongi-”
“Namjoon GO-”
“We don’t have time for this hyung! We need to find the others!” Namjoon said before running to the front of the shop where all the tables were at. Yoongi put the mask on and turned around the last time to see Jinwoo’s already ashed up body.
His eyes watered, ‘Rest in peace, grump.’
Yoongi stepped out and found Namjoon wiping tears from his eyes as he was on the floor, “What is it Joon? Did you find- oh my god,” Yoongi cried.
There in Namjoon’s arms lay what seemed to be Minsook’s body. Yoongi couldn't tell because her head was cut off. Yoongi looked to the side and saw a sword on the floor near his foot. He picked it up and saw the royal print around the handle.
It was a royal guards sword.
Yoongi was cut from his thoughts when he heard Namjoon’s cries, “M-Miss Misook…no no no please I-” Yoongi forced Namjoon to leave the elders headless body, “Don’t look at her Joon, the more you do the more it’ll haunt you. Help me find Mrs. Lee and Nayeon,” he begged, tears streaming down his face and into the mask.
Namjoon nodded and they went to the stairs before stopping in shock.
On the stairs laid Mrs. Lee, still somehow breathing but leg twisted in an ugly way that he knee bone popped out of her skin.
“MRS. LEE!!!” Both boys yelled as they ran to her coughing body.
“B-Boys..? Please…you must escape. The fire will take you-”
“We’re here to save you Mrs. Lee, let us help-” Yoongi tried lifting her but as he did, the bone from her knee stuck out more, causing the elderly woman to scream in pain. “I-I’m sorry! It’s gonna hurt but-”
“Yoongi, kitten, you need to go my sweet child…” she spoke through pained groans and coughs.
“No, not without you Mrs. Lee, please,” he begged.
Mrs. Lee slowly raised her hand and caressed Yoongi’s cheek, fingers caressing Yoongi’s healed eye scar, “Listen to me kitten, it was the royal guard who did this. I-i don’t know why but, y-you must run…I d-don’t know if they’re after you t-too but…you need to leave…”
“No I can’t-”
“Min Yoongi is your name child. It means success, hero and prosperity. You must follow your name and leave…to escape and create a new home where you can live happily…”
Yoongi wiped his tears, “B-But I was happy here…with you and Nayeon and Misook. Hell, even Jinwoo but please… I-”
“You were the best decision I ever made Yoongi. Bringing you into our lives gave up light and youth. You made life worth living for. I Love you, my sweet kitten. I love you as a son as much as I love Nayeon as a daughter. Please…go…” she turned to Namjoon, who was standing by the side to give them a moment, “Take care of my kitten for me okay Joonie…? He can get over his head a-and act on impulse. P-please…keep him safe..” She begged. Namjoon could only nod as tears soaked his mask.
Mrs. Lee looked back at Yoongi one last time before her eyes drifted and her body felt heavier in Yoongi’s arms.
The sobs that came out of Yoongi were painful to hear.
But as much as Namjoon didn’t want to interrupt, they were in a burning building and still had to find Nayeon.
If there was even anything left to find.
“H-Hyung…Nayeon. We need to find Nayeon…” he said through the flames that started to rise from the bottom of the stairs. Yoongi nodded before laying Mrs. Lee back on the stairs, pulling his mask down slightly to kiss her forehead, “I love you too, mother…” he whispered before pulling his mask up and running up the stairs with Namjoon.
Namjoon stopped, “Wait, you guys used a gas stove, right?”
Yoongi nodded, “What about it? Namjoon the building is on fire we cant-”
“Exactly hyung! The building is on fire and we don’t know when the gas pipe will blow. You find Nayeon, I’m gonna check on that,” he said in panic.
Yoongi nodded before entering his room.
God, he wished he hadn’t.
His floorboards were all broken and pointed upwards, and in the middle of the room lay Nayeon with a thick piece of wood going straight through her body.
The cry Yoongi let out couldn’t have been human. It could never be recreated. It was too painful, too raw. Too animalistic in a way.
Yoongi ran towards Nayeon and fell to his knees next to her, “Nay! Nay, can you hear me?! NayNay please! Nayeon!?”
Nayeon slowly turned her head, eyes dripping out blood and tongue split open, “YoonYoon…? W-What are you doing here? Y-You need to leave…” she tried to speak, though was clearly in pain.
“Nayeon, listen to me, I will get you out of here. Just wait, I’m gonna call Namjoon and-”
“It’s not worth your life Yoon, please…go..”
“No, No Nayeon. It sounds fucked up but I can grief Jinwoo, Misook and even Mrs. Lee, but not you. No, never you Nay. Without you, I have no purpose. I have no reason to live on, I-”
“Yoongi, l-listen to me…” she fought through the pain. “You were right. Y-You were right all along about everything. The king, the officials, the Kingdom. Everything…y-you were right. And because of that, I need you to leave and never l-look back, okay? T-This Kingdom…it’s treated you too cruelly Yoon. I-It’s time for you to leave a-and start fresh…” she whispered.
Yoongi shook his head, “Not without you, I can’t live without you Nay please. I have no one else to live for-”
“Namjoon silly. Live for Namjoon. Make new friends Yoon, friends who will always believe you and be by your side like Namjoon. G-God…I thank whoever gave us life e-every day for giving youN-Namjoon Yoongi…you became so happy after finally t-talking to him. I need you to live on for him. How would you feel if he took his own life away right now Yoon?”
“D-Death…absolute death. I would cry a river of tears like I am for you and everyone else…” he admits.
“That’s how he’s g-gonna feel if you do s-such a thing Yoon. Live for him. Live for yourself. Prove to everyone you are right…” he words slowly fade.
“No…no no no no no Nayeon please I-”
“Hyung! The boiler is about to explode, we need to leave now!” Namjoon barged in with panic in his voice. He gasped in horror at the position Nayeon was in, “Oh Nay…” he walked up to her and kissed her forehead, “Forgive us…I wish we could’ve done more…” he whispered.
Nayeon shook her head, “You two have done more than enough. Yoongi brought me the happiness I thought I lost when my parents disappeared. And then you came along and passed that same joy to him. I thank you b-both… for everything…” he head slowly fell backwards, life leaving her body.
“Nayeon…?’ Yoongi whispered.
No response.
“No…no no no, NAYEON!! NO-”
“Hyung the boiler! We need to leave!”
“N-not without N-Nayeon…Joon help me pick her up from the board a-and-”
Yoongi desperately tried, but Namjoon pulled him away, “Hyung, the more you look at her, the more it'll haunt you," he released Yoongi’s words back to him.
“We need to leave or we will both die here. Hyung please…” Namjoon begged.
Yoongi looked at Nayeon’s lifeless body and back at Namjoon’s teary eyes.
Something in him snapped.
He bent down to kiss Nayeon’s forehead as he whispered, “I love you, my dear sister. May you rest happily…”
He grabbed Namjoon’s arm and ran towards the window, “This is gonna hurt, but we’ll live Joon” Yoongi yelled through the fire.
Namjoon panicked, “W-What? WHat are we doing–AHHH” he screamed as Yoongi jumped out the window, dragging Namjoon down with him. They landed on boxes of food and some old blankets Minsook was gonna throw out.
Before Namjoon could even stand, he felt Yoongi pull him away from the building.
They ran before the building behind them exploded, parts of the shop flying everywhere.
The two boys stood from a distance, watching the fire slowly go down after the common folk gathered with buckets of water.
They pulled down their masks, drenched in tears as they stared.
Yoongi stared at the last nine years of his life being turned into ash, along with the people inside of it.
‘Min Yoongi is your name child. It means success, hero and prosperity. You must follow your name and leave’
Yoongi thought back to Mrs. Lee’s words.
‘Live for Namjoon. Make new friends Yoon, friends who will always believe you and be by your side like Namjoon.’
Nayeon’s voice carried through the wind as he turned to look at Namjoon, who was staring at the building with tears.
“J-Joon…” Yoongi said, voice cracking.
Namjoon turned to look at Yoongi, whose eyes watered dangerously fast.
Namjoon pulled Yoongi into a hug, “I-I’m so sorry hyung…” he quietly cried before he felt Yoongi’s body go limp and he sobbed into his shoulder.
He gripped onto Namjoon as if he’d also disappear if he let go. He cried in a way Namjoon never wants to hear him cry ever again after this.
They head over to Namjoon’s place in the underground territory. “You can stay with me hyung, we have an extra room,” he said with a cracked voice.
Yoongi only nodded.
They entered the house and saw a few of Namjoon’s friends sitting worriedly after they heard the two had run into the house. They gasped and ran towards them, “Oh god Namjoon, thank god you’re okay.” “Min Man! I’m so sorry for your losses boy..”
After a few check ups, the two boys went to Yoongi’s new bedroom. “Well, this is it hyung…you’re room,” Namjoon said sadly. He had noticed Yoongi went quiet after crying. He assumed it was part of the grief and left him alone. “If you need me, I’m next door, okay? You don't need to cry alone, hyung” he said before leaving.
A few days went by. Yoongi hardly left his new room.
He didn’t eat.
Didn’t shower.
Didn’t change clothes.
After a few weeks, Namjoon knocked on Yoongi’s door worryingly.
“Hyung? I’m not here to tell you to eat or anything like that…I miss you…can we talk?” he said from one side of the door.
Usually, Yoongi would ignore him and walk away after a few minutes. Though this time, the door opened immediately.
Yoongi looked like a mess.
Messy hair, burnt clothes, droopy eyes and dark circles under them. He still smelled like smoke from that day.
Namjoon walked into the room; it was just as messy. Papers everywhere, empty water bottles scattered all over. As Namjoon walked to the bed, he noticed one of the papers.
‘Headline: What is King Agust D hiding?’
He turned to Yoongi, “What’s this hyung?” he asked carefully.
Yoongi took the paper and threw it in the trash, “I’m working” he said flatly.
“Working? On what?”
“On how to take down King Agust D” Yoongi said simply, as if it was the most casual thing one could say about their king.
Namjoon coughed, "Excuse me? Hyung, what do you-”
“My parents were taken away from me when I was five Joon. The King sent guards to barge into our house and take them away and most likely killed them, leaving me behind. They left me for the streets to die before Mrs. Lee took me in and up till a few weeks ago, I was happily living the life I wanted. Yet the moment I let my guard down, the King struck once again and burned my entire family down in one go. I can't take it anymore Namjoon. I am not gonna sit here and let that stupid, idiotic, useless, pathetic, sorry excuse of a so-called King destroy my life ever again nor anyone else's. This Kingdom fell the moment Agust D Sat on that throne. No one dares to go against him because they fear him, because they have something to lose. Me? I’m done Joon. I don't care what it takes, I’m going to dethrone that bastard. I don’t know how, but I will.”
Namjoon saw something in Yoongi that day that he knew he couldn’t contain. He’s known Yoongi long enough to realize that no matter what he says, he’ll do it, with or without Namjoon’s support.
Support.
His entire life, all Yoongi wanted was someone to believe him. To believe in him and what he stood for. He suffered for years before finding that in Namjoon.
And Namjoon?
He wasn’t about to take that away from Yoongi.
“Okay, where do we start?”
Yoongi turned to look at Namjoon, “‘We’? No, me Namjoon. I can’t have you involved.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so.”
“That’s not a proper response Yoongi.”
“It is for me, now go. And don't tell anyone about this-”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s the plan and how we’re gonna do this hyung.”
“For the love of-- you can’t join me Namjoon!”
“Why?!”
“Because I can’t lose you too!!” Yoongi yells.
Namjoon looks at Yoongi in shock.
Yoongi turns to look at him in frustration, “Okay?! I can’t lose you too Namjoon. I was gonna end it after Naeyon died. I was so ready to give up and end it all because I thought I had lost everything and everyone, but she made me realize I still have you. And because of that, I’m scared you’ll get hurt too. I’m gonna destroy Agust D, but I can’t have you be involved because if anything goes wrong, it’ll be me who takes the hit, not you. Never you Joon, okay?”
Namjoon stares for a moment before speaking, “You say you didn’t commit suicide because you still have me, yet you’re diving head first into a situation that can easily get you killed and youre aware of that. That’s another form of suicide hyung. You may not be doing it yourself, but you’re putting yourself in a situation with no proper plan or strategy and will most likely end terribly and die. And guess what? Then I’d be alone. And that’s not fair, is it hyung?” Namjoon’s voice cracks.
Yoongi looked away, “I can’t risk your life Joon…”
“I can’t have you risking yours hyung…”
It gets quiet between the two before Namjoon steps closer, “Hyung, we’re teenagers. And not regular teenagers; teenagers who have been hurt by the King. I know you’ve definitely had it worse than me, but I also lost my parents to King Aguts D because “they were murders” even though I know it’s not true. You wanna take down the king as justice for your losses? I want to do the same. I want to make sure No one has to suffer the way we have. I want to look the king in the eye and ask him why he did that to me. To you. To the entire Kingdom. Hyung, let me help. We have a higher chance at succeeding if we do it together…” Namjoon pleaded.
Yoongi thought for a moment.
“We may get caught a few times, how do we avoid–”
“Masks. Fake names. Secret identities that differentiate Namjoon and Yoongi from the teenagers who are about to become criminals. That’s how,” Namjoon says.
Yoongi sighs, “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“You know I never back down from an argument hyung.”
Yoongi runs his hands through his tangled black hair before groaning, “Fine. You can help,”
And that’s how criminals Gloss and RM were created.
In an underground territory with intentions of defeating King Agust D.
If the crown won’t fall on its own, they will tear it down themselves.
*
Somewhere, deep in the castle…
“Your highness, we managed to burn down the building,” a royal guard said.
The King looked away from the concubines that were playing with themselves in front of him. He had gotten bored of the same touching and fingering routine. They were never creative.
The King adjusted his blonde bun on his scalp, making sure it was nicely done.
“Jinwoo?”
“Died in the fire sir.”
“His head?”
“The boxes just arrived.”
“I heard he worked with others there…what about them?” The King asked in a curiously dangerous voice.
“He worked with his wife, sister in law, a twenty five and seventeen year old. Only three of them died along with him.”
The King hummed in amusement, “Who survived?”
“The teenager, your highness. The arsonists say he wasn’t there when they started the fire.”
“But he lives there, no?” he asked in a darker tone.
“Yes, the teenager had his own room above the shop. Documents show that he has a friend and was most likely with them”
The King nodded slowly. He turned back to the naked women in front of him, waiting for his next command. The King groaned in annoyance and snapped his fingers, guards coming in to take the women away and back into his sex dungeon, where far more better women were stored.
“Do you wish for us to track down the teenager and kill him too?” the guard asked.
Agust D rose from his throne, slowly walking to his beautiful new heads that he gets to display in front of the place. The names, ‘Jinwoo’, ‘Misook’, ‘Lee’, and ‘Nayeon’, on the boxes they were currently stored in. “No, he wasn't the target. Neither were these three women but, you lose some to gain some I suppose,” he said mockingly.
The King turned around to face a painting of a beautiful woman.
Queen Yun, his mother.
“Don’t worry mother,” August D spoke as he opened Jinwoo’s box and lifted the head from the hair, blood dripping into the box as he showed off the head as a trophy to the painting, “We got another one. I’ll make sure to scrape this filthy Kingdom clean and kill all those who were involved in your death,” he said as he dragged his finger under the head, blood spilling all over it before bringing it to his lips, tasting the iron blood.
“I promise.”