"Did you get everything I asked for?"

"Yes. This is a risky lot though, are you sure it's going to be ok?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Hongjoong snapped, crossing his arms. He narrowed his eyes and felt a smirk tug at his lips when the man in front of him flinched. "I know exactly what I'm doing. No one can stop me. You should know this."

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir." The taller man bowed and hurried away without saying anything else.

Hongjoong just rolled his eyes and looked down at the clipboard in his hands. A wicked smile crossed his face the further down he list he got. "Perfect."

After a moment, all he saw was dollar signs.

He was going to make so much money tonight. Which meant more money for him to use, and less money going into the Wolf Pack's greedy pockets.

That was his main goal.

The Pack had taken everything from him. They were the scum of the earth and he was determined to defy them for a long as possible without getting himself killed.

And if he were to die, he would make sure to take as many of their members as possible with him.

Now that the packages were delivered, Hongjoong could relax until later that evening. He leaned back in his chair and surveyed the store.

There were only a couple of people milling around and all of them kept their heads down. He couldn't blame them though. These were dangerous times.

One young couple came and bought a couple of magazines, some snacks, and drinks. They kept their heads down and only said a few things to Hongjoong before getting out of the store.

He just smirked and shook his head.

They had every right to be afraid right now. This was not a safe place for anyone to stay for long periods of time.

And the next person to walk in confirmed it.

Hongjoong stood up and reached under the counter to grip the gun he had hidden there. "What are you doing here?" He asked, trying to keep his tone as close to pleasant as he could manage.

The taller man opened his mouth and poked his tongue out the side of it while bitting it with his teeth. That look of sheer joy that crossed his face made Hongjoong shake with anger. "Is that anyway to greet your benefactor?" His dark hair rippled as he walked forward.

The man was attractive, Hongjoong couldn't deny that. And the way he walked was with a smooth precision, showing his training in the field. It also showed that he wasn't afraid to fight if needed.

But even so, Hongjoong scoffed at the question and cocked the gun in his hand. "As if. You only wish you were my benefactor."

"Easy there, Hongjoong. I'd watch what tone you use with me. You know that I can crush you like 'that'." He said while snapping his finger.

It took everything in him to not pull the gun out and shoot the man between his eyes, but Hongjoong knew he had guns aimed at him right now from somewhere outside.

If he made one wrong move then they would put him down in an instant.

"How can I help you today, Sir?" Hongjoong said, making his voice sickeningly sweet and plastering a large, fake smile on his face.

The man narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You're a pain in my ass, you know that?"

"You wish I could be a pain in your ass."

"In your dreams." The man scoffed and turned around when the door opened.

Hongjoong's demeanor changed entirely when he saw who it was. The newcomer was slimmer than the first. He looked delicate, especially a round his waist and legs. But he's eyes always reflected the level of deadly skill he possessed.

Through stories, and actually seeing it happen once, Hongjoong knew he was not afraid to kill in a moments notice.

"Ok, now you need to tell me what's going on." Hongjoong said, watching the two of them closely. "I'm not playing around anymore, Seonghwa."

The taller looked around the store. "At least I know you are being serious now." He smirked and jerked his head.

The newcomer started to walk around the store while holding his hands behind his back.

"Word on the street is that there are a lot of people who will come and visit this place but not leave until several hours later, or even late into the night. This doesn't seem like an area where people would want to spend a lot of there time... No offense."

"Yeah, adding that at the end? That basically makes it turn into the exact opposite. So thanks, jackass. It's nice of you to visit." Hongjoong growled. "And for your information, people are allowed to come and go as they please. If they want to stay and talk, they can! Get to what you really want to ask so I can get to my job."

Seonghwa's lips pressed together in a thin line, showing how annoyed he was at the moment. "What's in your back room? I am here to investigate claims of gatherings that could cause potential harm to the Wolf Pack."

There it was. Hongjoong knew that's why he was here. Several men had come before him asking for the same thing. The fact that Seonghwa was now coming to ask the questions meant they were getting fed up with him dodging their answers or not giving them any proof of what they've seen.

"You're welcome to take a look. Just like everyone else before you. And just like them, you're not going to find anything." Hongjoong lifted the barrier and motioned for Seonghwa to walk through after letting go of the gun to keep it hidden.

"Thank you. San, watch him." Seonghwa said, and the other man was there in the blink of an eye. He tilted his head forward and locked onto Hongjoong. And he never blinked.

Seonghwa disappeared into the back room and Hongjoong cringed. "Do you have to look at me like that?"

San didn't answer. He looked... Off. Like his focus wasn't all there, or like he only had the ability to focus on Hongjoong and nothing else.

"Fucking psycho." Hongjoong grumbled. He had seen San work before during one of the Pack raids on the market. On man had tried to escape with the money from his booth without paying the tax the Pack was demanding. San was given the order to take him down, which his did in a matter of minutes with an axe to the back of the head.

He was deadly. A human weapon.

And Hongjoong did not want to get on his bad side.

Seonghwa stayed in the back for several long minutes. Hongjoong knew he was checking every nook, cranny, corner, shelf, and ceiling tile for anything out of place.

But he would never find anything. And even if he was able to find where the hidden door was, he would never be able to open it.

It would only ever open for Hongjoong.

When Seonghwa came back, his nose was slightly scrunched in disappointment. "Everything seems to be in order." He grumbled.

"As it always is."

Seonghwa glared at him, then advanced forward to press Hongjoong against the counter. "You better watch yourself. That filthy mouth of yours is going to get yourself killed one day. And I can't wait  to feed you to the dogs when that happens."

The threat was no joke.

Hongjoong could see the loathing in his grey eyes.

"Watch yourself. Your days are numbered." Seonghwa growled before shoved Hongjoong into the counter and storming out.

San followed behind him without being told and without saying a word.

The perfect shadow.

When the door closed, Hongjoong sagged against the counter and placed a hand over his heart. It was beating so fast and hard. He really hated his mind sometimes. He knew that Seonghwa was someone he should not cross, but he just couldn't help himself.

He wanted that man to suffer. Him and the rest of the Pack. They all needed to perish.

When he was sure that Seonghwa was gone, he pulled out the clipboard again and knew exactly why the the other had visited.

There were several high end weapons that were going to be auctioned off or bought tonight, and a few of them had to have been stolen from Pack trucks. There were a few crates of medicine too.

That was the biggest shock out of everything he had.

Medicine was a rarity these days. And doctors? Good luck getting in to see one. Especially because they were all paid by the Pack, which meant that they could turn away anyone. Or could be forced to turn away anyone...

Just another reason why Hongjoong was on a mission to bring them down.

Now that everything was set, he ducked into the back and walked over to the radio system he used to play music in the store. He used the nail on his pinky, which he purposefully kept a little longer, to flip open a panel on the side of it to flip the switch hidden there.

While there was no change in the store itself, he knew that a signal would start broadcasting throughout the city.

It was something he had spend years perfecting using an old radio channel that no one listened to anymore. And even if someone tuned in, they would have no idea what was playing because he set it up so that it was just four different tones that played on repeat.

The perfect secret signal to summon those who he trusted enough to come.

It was thrilling for him to do this right after Seonghwa had come to have him investigated, mostly because he knew someone would be watching the store tonight.

He had a plan for that too.

With the flip of a second switch, the four tone broadcast he was sending out changed to a higher octave.

Now the others would know to use the tunnels beneath the city to come tonight.

It wasn't their favorite way to come, and they needed to remember their keycards he had made for them, but none of them complained. They knew the risk of what they had signed up for.

And for any new people that may come tonight, he would still accept them using the password.

Members would invite people they knew to join and give them the pass phrase needed to get in. It was obscure enough that no one could simply guess what it was, so Hongjoong always trusted it.

But he would monitor anyone new closely and he reserved the right to kick them out.

He was good with faces too, so they could never try to get back in again. They would be forever blacklisted.

The front door dinged and Hongjoong stepped back behind the counter.

A taller man walked in wearing a long trench coat with the collar popped up so it covered his neck. He wore a large rimmed hat to cover his face in shadows as well.

Like that wasn't a dead giveaway that he was trying to hide who he was.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes and sat down on the stool he kept nearby and pulled out a book.

One of his guilty pleasures was reading. Especially adventure books. He never quite knew where his love for them came from. Sometimes it felt like someone else had convinced him to start reading them, but he could never quite remember who it would have been.

"What are you reading?" The customer asked. His voice was low and had an almost silky feel to it that Hongjoong latched onto immediately.

"Peter Pan. Have you heard of it?" He looked up and was surprised to see the customer standing just a short distance away looking at him.

The man's face was still hidden, but it almost looked like he was holding himself back. "I have." His voice cracked a little. "It's one of my favorites."

Hongjoong just hummed in response and started to read again.

But then the other kept talking. "I... I had someone special to me that I used to read it to."

A chill ran down Hongjoong's spine. The tone of this man's voice... Was it regret? Pain? It was so hard to tell. "That's nice. It sounds like they meant a lot you."

There was a very long pause. "You have no idea..." The man said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sorry to disturb you." He added before turning around and leaving the store.

Hongjoong leaned over to stare out the front door.

The man was crouched over out front, doubled over and clutching his head. Like he was in pain.

He watched until the man stood up and walked away. "Odd." Hongjoong muttered to himself before returning to his book.

As he read through the words, though, he couldn't help but think that they felt familiar.