Jimin had no direction in life. He was raised by parents who were in a mafia. He wasn't sure which one exactly, but he suspected his current rival, Unmei. The day he met Charlotte was the day his home was burned down because his parents hid information on his property without his knowledge. Blackmail, riches, documents. He didn't know the extent of it, but he knew it was buried around his home. And that led to him losing everything.

What he assumed happened was Unmei stormed his property and searched for the information hidden there. They had no respect for Jimin and what was his. He lost everything that day, and it was all because of his parents. Charlotte showed up since she was the leader of Hakai back then. She was so young. Only 19, yet she still had such a fiery spirit to her. She was the only thing he had left, and he knew that was dangerous, but it was true. He'd die for her. Not even because he wanted to. It was because he didn't know what else he could do.

Back then, before his house fell with the remainder of his determination, he thought he was safe. And now safety was a privilege. No one should live like that. Jimin wished there was another way. But now, standing across from the man whom made his stomach burn with rage? Jimin saw nothing but a sheet of carmine cloaking the edges of his vision. It lingered there until his lips curled up, his hands forming fists so tight his knuckles were three shades lighter than the rest of his skin.

Byun June was a dumb ass name. Jimin admitted Seong wasn't the best pairing for his name either, but Byun June sounded like something out of the comics Jimin read. Cheesy and foolish. Jimin would do anything to be back home now, reading another one of those comics. Those superhero ones where they saved the day. Jimin was a superhero once. To someone else. To the only person who ever gave him hope.

The nightclub was focused on June and Jimin. Jericho and Charlotte left out the back door, allowing the stares of others to fall on them. A circle formed, music beating in the background, but even that seemed distant now. Jimin was sure this only ended one way: a fight. A bad one at that. Jimin and June had different fighting styles. Jimin didn't know June too well despite their past friendship, but he knew they had varying fight styles.

June was calculating and preferred distance. His weapon of choice would be a sniper. Jimin was aggressive and preferred close quarters. In a hand-to-hand fight, both June and Jimin knew who the victor would be. But if June had a chance to calculate and plan his attack? The fight would become much harder for Jimin. Despite knowing those odds, and despite knowing June was calculating the fight in his head right now, Jimin still took the time to speak instead of act.

"Leave us alone. You have no home with Hakai anymore. This is your last warning, Mr. Byun. Leave Miss Evermore and I alone, or I'll be forced to act."

"You speak so professionally. As if you aren't doing this because of your love for a woman who prefers the company of her rival," June said, stepping down from the little lip that separated the bar side of the nightclub from the section with all the booths. His combat boots trembled against the floor, and his utility belt seemed to have a knife in it.

The nightclub was neutral grounds. Therefore, June couldn't attack him here even if a kill order was signed for Jimin's head. And kill orders were dangerous contracts that couldn't be broken, otherwise the assassin who agreed would be severely punished.

Kill orders were exactly what they sounded like. A higher-up in a specific mafia, typically the right hand, generated an order to eliminate a person or people. Once created, they'd get an assassin to sign it. The rewards for the assassin were plentiful, often times showering them with new weapons and gold coins. Jimin always had trouble making kill orders. It was more Kayden's job than his, but in the rare cases he had to craft them, he hesitated. The idea that he would cause someone's death because he stamped a piece of paper was terrifying to him. Beating people to death, torturing them, stealing from them; Jimin could do that. But a kill order shook him to the core. Probably because he knew his life changed from a kill order. One that was created 5 years ago. Also one he was yet to see. Even in his position of power, he never found out who was responsible for the kill order behind... Actually, he didn't want to think about it.

"Excuse me?" Jimin said, June coming too close for comfort.

"Charlotte will cast you aside like all the others. Why do you bother, Mr. Seong?"

Jimin dropped out of high school when he was barely 16, but he still knew this felt like 11th grade. A fight was happening, and there was a giggling crowd surrounding him. Instead of any help or suggestions being thrown around, instead it was the authoritative figures rushing to stop it. Only they were always too late.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're one of the most intelligent and dangerous men in the Underworld, yet you're too blind to see what's right in front of you," June said.

Before Jimin could ask what he meant, Ivan came over, pulling on Jimin's sleeve. His face was a refreshing sight that had Jimin sighing. The little scar near his eyebrow was raised due to his expression, his dark eyes meeting Jimin's.

"Jimin," Ivan said, his grip tightening on the fabric of his shirt. "Come on man, leave it."

"Oh, here we go," June said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The totally unbiased best friends. Ivan Belmour, a neutral party. Yet here he is, protecting one mafia in particular. Maybe Ivan's your best bet at moving on from Charlotte, Mr. Seong."

"Charlotte and I's relationship has nothing to do with you," Jimin said, moving away from Ivan much to his dismay. Ivan was a good friend. Jimin's best one, maybe. But June pissed Jimin off too much for his senses to come to him and tell him engaging June was a mistake.

"It wouldn't if you weren't so fucking annoying about it. 'Charlotte, you can't go. I need to be next to you like a little puppy. I can't go 10 seconds without your attention'. Does that sound familiar, Mr. Seong?"

"That's enough!" the bartender said, coming out from behind the counter and pointing to the door. "Either get out, or sit down and have a drink. This bickering will get you no where. Grow up!"

Jimin kept his feet planted. As did June. In the blink of an eye, June clapped his hands together and gave Jimin a head tilt. "Care to walk with me, Mr. Seong?"

"It'd be my absolute delight."

Jimin went to leave as the crowd dispersed, the music gaining in volume. All of a sudden, Jimin felt his body become cloaked with flashing lights. The aroma of alcohol and sweat floated in the air until Jimin choked on it, his nostrils and eyes burning from the intensity of it all.

Ivan came after Jimin, grabbing his elbow as he pushed through the crowd all mushed together. Jimin ignored it as best he could, but eventually, Ivan slowed him down to the point where he could barely move.

"Jimin, please don't do this."

The little cracks littering his voice almost convinced him to stay. Jimin set his jaw and glanced at his friend only to see shattered eyes staring back. It was like a warning, but Jimin heeded it anyway.

"I have to, Ivan."

"No, you don't understand. June will kill you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

And without another word, Jimin slipped away. Ivan called after him, but the crowd masked his words. Jimin bit back his tears and shoved his way through the rest of the space. He was bumped into until his stomach was nauseous, his face a sickly color he prayed would leave him when he got to fresh air.

June didn't wait for him, but that wasn't a surprise. Jimin coughed a few times, attempting to clear the stench from his skin. He'd have to take multiple showers to get rid of the smell.

The battle to get through the people was harder than many actual fights Jimin had been in. He got to the other side a minute later, and the main door just clicked shut. Jimin assumed June went through that way. His gaze fell on the back door, but Charlotte never came back.

Jimin was very aware of how many people saw him as a lapdog who was helplessly in love with his superior. Part of that was true. He wasn't head over heels for her, but he did love her and wished he could hold her like he used to. However, he wasn't desperate. Contrary to what people loved to think, he didn't want to disrespect her in any way. He knew he fucked that up sometimes. He was trying his best though. After all, she didn't want him. He accepted that and moved on. It wasn't that hard to comprehend.

As for the lapdog part, he didn't think he was as bad as people made him out to be. Jimin would admit he was overprotective. It was his instinct. Ivan was his best friend, and Kayden was someone he cared for, but neither of them compared to Charlotte. And not because he loved her, but because she was the one who knew. Maybe Ivan did because of his connections with others, but Jimin never told him directly. Charlotte was the only one who knew his past, and by extension, she was the one who found him while he was at his lowest. Who wouldn't want to protect their rock? The one thing they had left.

Jimin didn't have anything. One night was all it took for him to lose the most important person to him in his life. She died in his arms, and all he could do was scream. Every night he had nightmares. Every night he woke up in a cold sweat. Charlotte was the one who came to him. The one who reminded him he had someone by his side. The one who brushed his tears away. So yeah, he loved her. He was overprotective of her. But that was only because without her, he would be dead. He'd have no reason to keep going. Jimin wasn't scared enough that fateful night 5 years ago. He was now.

The nightclub continued its business as Jimin went to the door and pushed past it, seeing the hallway waiting for him. It was narrow, and it had an industrial feel to it. It wasn't quite metal walls, but they appeared rusted as if they were. There was yet another door at the end of the corridor, so Jimin went to it.

This one took strength to open. It was hefty, squeaking as he shoved it. Two bouncers were there, staring straight ahead. A guest was waiting to be let in, and she got the password right, so Jimin held the door for her as she went in.

The nightclub was a hidden passage in a giant hotel meant for assassins and other mafia members who needed a place to stay. Neutral grounds, and a neutral place for anyone seeking sanctuary. They used gold coins to operate. Some of the common public came in, but the lobbyists would always say they were fully booked. Considering the hotel was high-end, everyone believed it.

Jimin was in the hotel section of the neutral grounds now. June was waiting in the lobby, lamps with curved shades and dim lighting scattered around the marble floor. The ceiling was high, more lights hanging down from them and covered in elegant shades with intricate patterns Jimin couldn't identify. He was on the shorter side, sure, but the lights were so high up that even with a stepladder he couldn't see the shades properly.

There was a man seated behind the front desk. The marble of the floor matched the marble making up the counter. There was a computer in front of the man, his suit illuminated by the screen light. Jimin paid him no mind. He didn't recognize him anyway.

As for people, there was no one around except for Jimin and June. Some guests came stumbling down from the other hallway that led to the elevators and stairwells. They went in the nightclub's direction, so Jimin didn't pay them any attention. There were dark couches laid out across the layout, but no one was seated. It was strange to see this place so abandoned.

"This way," June said, and Jimin followed.

Right as Jimin went to the double doors June was waiting by, he grabbed Jimin and pulled him out.

"Woah, still neutral grounds-"

"Shut up for once."

Jimin didn't want to obey, but he did. June dragged him out and into the streets of New York City. The night air hit his face. Jimin gagged on it. It felt polluted, but that was nothing new. It was New York.

The streets were as empty as the hotel, skyscrapers surrounding him and towering over him. He pretended he wasn't shivering as June pulled him away from neutral grounds. Jimin wasn't sure the exact distance they needed to be away from the hotel, but he doubted anyone would care as long as they were outside.

June kept going down the sidewalks, streetlights flickering and benches void of people. Cars passed, slicking on the ground from the rain that came earlier in the day. There were many apartment complexes on his left side, and that was where June brought him.

Jimin found himself in an alleyway between two brick apartment complexes. There were dumpsters overflown with garbage, light lacking in the space. It was so dark, Jimin could barely see June's eyes as he threw him to the wall.

There was a grunt that left his throat, but otherwise, he didn't retaliate. June didn't go to hit him, but he did come closer. Jimin assessed the situation as fast as he could and found June had a knife, but he didn't have it drawn. Jimin made a mental note of that and shook June off.

"June, you're not my type."

"Enough," June said, glaring. "You have to move on from Charlotte for your own good. I may hate you and your whole operation, but seeing you dead is not my intention."

"Why?"

"You're still so blind. Does love really do that to you?" At Jimin's silence, June stepped back and poked his tongue against his cheek. "Charlotte and Jericho are friends. I think they might team up."

"What? No, that's impossible. Jericho would betray her. They've been rivals for years, that doesn't just go away."

"Exactly why you need to move on. You'll die protecting her, and if this team up happens, New York City will turn into a warzone of smaller mafias rising up to protest. No one likes it when a powerful clan becomes even more powerful. They'll go right for the heads of the operation, and Charlotte will be next. When the time comes, you need to persuade her away from Jericho."

Jimin attempted not to hyperventilate, but it was impossible. The idea of Char getting hurt from Jericho, or anyone for that matter, struck his heart in a way he couldn't describe. One friendship could end her life. And why Jericho? Of all people she could befriend, why did it have to be her rival?

Regardless, June set his jaw and leaned back. "Please, try and discourage her from it."

Jimin's lower lip quivered. "I love her," he said, his voice hitching in his throat.

"I know. That's exactly why you need to push her in the right direction. She'll listen to you above anyone else. Please, this whole area will fall apart if she and him become friends, or God forbid something more. It can't happen. For all of our sakes."

That made Jimin freeze. Something more? The words clicked in his brain, and he wished he could tear his mind out of his body at the revelation. His eyes crept up until he met June's gaze. Jimin grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists.

"Okay... I'll push her in the right direction."

~~~

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