*This chapter contains violence, just giving you a heads up ^-^*

~Tao~

"I think you made the right decision." Lu Han said, grinning big. "I think you'll like working for me, there's benefits, I pay double. And you can even keep Min-hee."

Tao looked up, still kneeling on the ground. Lu Han seemed to like looking down at him, he'd rather not piss off his new boss right away. Though at the mention of Min-hee, he wanted to punch Lu Han and knock his teeth out.

"Huang Zitao. Zitao." Lu Han closed his eyes, seeming to savor it. "I own Huang Zitao, body and soul." He put his hand under Tao's chin, making sure he looked at him. "I thought for sure you'd say no, I was so ready for you to say no, you've made my day." Lu Han giggled. "Know that beautiful beast of a car you left? You can have it back, as a little welcome to the club present."

Tao stared back blankly. Fantastic. At least he'd have the car, at the very least, before the other gang found out about this. He figured he had a day, at the very most he had a day. It would take that long to confirm it, wouldn't it? All the years he'd worked for them, he had no idea how they worked. Dammit.

"It's still where you left it, haven't towed it yet." Lu Han said, sighing. "Damn, you surprised me. I have to get everything sorted, I'll have a job for you tomorrow." Then Lu Han held his hands behind his back casually, as if he wasn't standing over a kneeling Tao. "I'll have Xiumin contact you. Au revoir."

Tao watched Lu Han stroll into the front gates of his mansion, whistling of all things. He didn't have time to contemplate what he'd gotten himself into before Xiumin walked up and put a knife to Tao's neck, pricking him with the razor sharp tip.

Tao didn't move, staring Xiumin in the eyes. Xiumin stared right back, rage apparent in his almond-shaped eyes. He grabbed Tao by the collar, still pointing the blade at his neck.

"I hate you." Xiumin started. "Why the hell does Min-hee like you? You're a jack-ass, you look like you want to kill someone 75% of the time. I'm so much cuter, so much sexier, what's so special about you?"

Tao stared for another second. "I'm not a kidnapper, I don't torture people, I don't hurt people she cares about. I don't goddamn force myself on her."

Xiumin rolled his eyes. "Blah, blah, blah. I don't make out with some other girl after cuddling with her. By the way, ew. You are so lucky, if you did anything outside of that, I would have skinned you alive already."

Tao smirked. He hadn't wanted to piss Lu Han off, but his little henchmen was an exception, even with a knife at his neck. "Sounds like an empty threat." Then he stopped smiling and grabbed Xiumin's wrist, pulling the knife away from his neck, he was getting sick of the feeling of the sharp, cold steel against his neck. "You were going to 'defile' her. Don't talk about her ever again." Tao said slowly.

Xiumin frowned. Then took the knife and threw it. Hard. It grazed Tao's ear, landing somewhere off behind him on the sidewalk with a clang. The cut oozed warm blood into his ear.

"Damn it! I can't believe Lulu wants your smart-ass alive!" Xiumin said, running both hands through his hair in frustration. "Damn you..!"

Tao smirked, He'd at least upset him enough to shut him up and make him back off. When he was sure Xiumin was too upset to care, he got up and walked the opposite direction, where he'd remembered he'd parked the Bugatti. He dug the keys out of his pocket, swinging the keyring around on his fingers. He'd missed that car, even if it wasn't his, it was the only vehicle he'd ever driven.

When he got in the car, he realized how nice it felt to get back in a drivers seat, cab drivers were driving him crazy, and he was only just throwing money away that he couldn't afford to give away. He wondered how he was going to eat next week.

He started the Bugatti, and it purred to life. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the headrest. The worst of it had yet to start. But at least Min-hee was alright, at least she was out of harm's way.

Tao opened his eyes when his phone rang. He took it out and answered it immediately, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey, Panda."

Tao sighed. It was just Chanyeol. Which was kind of a relief. "Chanyeol, I don't have time."

"Make time. Like right now, make time, because you are screwed."

Tao frowned. "Screwed?"

"I thought you knew. I guess you weren't trained in this field like I was..."

"Damn it, Chanyeol, stop beating around the bush!"

"You gave me your phone for the entirety of three days, Tao, it doesn't take that long to put a phone number on it. The boss wanted to see it, he was curious, he bugged it."

Tao closed his eyes and leaned back on the headrest again. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that? After all that talk of bugs, he'd casually forgotten who Chanyeol really worked for, who Chanyeol sold himself to.

"Make time, because you have a lot of explaining to do, Panda." Chanyeol said, his voice flat.

"Explaining. Yeah..." Tao said, almost laughing despite how much he dreaded meeting with the boss. "Like explaining how he's going to kill me?"

Chanyeol sighed over the phone. "Tao, I tried to get you off the hook, I gave him so many explanations, he said he wanted to hear it from your mouth. I'm sorry."

The call disconnected.

He knew this would happen, it was only a matter of time, he just didn't expect it so soon, he expected maybe he'd wait a day. This must mean he was pissed off. Of course he was.

He didn't have a choice, if he didn't go, they'd just come find him, they must know where he is, and no amount of running would fix this. Tao swore. Then he put the Bugatti in drive and pulled away from the curb.

~~~

He hated the moment when he pulled up. The boss was standing there, in the parking lot, hands behind his back and skull mask adorning his face. He tilted his head when he saw Tao pull up, walking over to stand in front of the car, three or four thugs following him. If he looked a bit behind them, he could see Chanyeol standing back. Eyes downcast.

Sh*t.

Tao took the keys out of the ignition, then got out of the car, slowly, defensively. They looked like they meant business.

"Explain, Huang, I'm waiting." The boss growled. "You've got thirty seconds."

Tao looked the boss over, now seeing the gun behind his back. He wondered if he could get away with a lie, even a little one, even just an exaggeration of the truth. "I didn't have a choice, someone I--."

"Stop." The boss said, then laughed. The laugh sounded terrible, like something the Joker would cackle. "What makes you think I care about someone else? If it wasn't to my benefit, If I'm not making money, then I don't give a damn about anyone in your life." The boss gestured to the thugs each of them wearing a black face mask over their mouth and nose. "Thirty seconds are up."

When the thugs came at him, he wasn't ready, not at all, but he managed to punch the first one in the face as he came closer. Then he dodged what was a blow probably meant for his own face, the momentum from the missed punch made him trip, and Tao took that opportunity to knee him hard in the solar plexus, leaving him knocked breathless.

One snuck up behind Tao, putting a thick chain around his neck. Tao choked, pulling at the chain as the thug behind him pulled him backwards with it. Another one of the boss's henchmen punched Tao hard in the face.

The impact coupled with the fact that he couldn't breathe left his ears ringing. He kept pulling at the chain around his neck, trying to get his fingers under the metal, even as the chain pinched his fingers.

Air, Air, Air. Was the only thing that crossed his mind as the thug in front of him punched him again, blood starting to pool in Tao's mouth already. He pulled at the chain as hard as he could, the other thugs already starting to collect themselves. Dammit.

A third thug, the one Tao had kneed in the solar plexus, came up and pushed the other guy out of the way before grabbing Tao's shoulders and kneeing him right in the solar plexus. Hard.

Tao gasped as if he had the air to do so, it sounded like he was drowning when the sound came out of his mouth, and the pain was like nothing he'd ever felt before, like something exploded inside, sending shrapnel to his organs, and then he couldn't help when he reflexively doubled over, only tightening the chain around his neck.

He could see his vision start to get spotty, black filling in bits and pieces and colors swirling from the lack of oxygen to his brain. Since he had half doubled over anyway, and he felt the thugs grip on the chain slip a little. He gripped the chain hard with both hands and flipped the thug over his shoulder.

The chain slipped from his grasp, making the chain loosen around his neck. He immediately pulled the chain away, gasping and sputtering, then falling to his hands and knees, heaving.

"Looks like someone regrets their decision to waste my time." The boss said, "Traitors are the worst people. After all those years of loyalty, too, I've almost watched you grow up Huang. Now, I'll watch you die."

Tao looked up, The Boss was pulling out the gun, but Tao was only looking at Chanyeol, who was watching from a distance away. After all those years of knowing Chanyeol, he'd think he would interfere, do something, but Chanyeol didn't move from his spot in the slightest.

The only sound in the parking lot was a steady drip. And That was his blood hitting the pavement. He hadn't realized how badly they had beat him, his nose was bleeding, blood poured from his mouth, he was a mess.

He looked up at The Boss, trying to see those eyes hidden behind that mask. There wasn't anything to see but a soulless set of dark brown eyes, looking at him with such an amount of fury that Tao was sure only pain could come next.

It did, he was right, The Boss kicked him hard, knocking Tao off his hands and knees and onto his back. Tao moaned and clenched his teeth to keep himself from yelling.

The Boss leaned close, sticking the gun under Tao's chin. "Anything you would like to say before you meet your maker?"

Tao was still trying to catch his breath, he couldn't even think about speaking, the pain was too much, his brain was begging him for oxygen.

"Fine, then." The Boss said.

Tao closed his eyes. He'd rather not witness the look in those soulless eyes when it happened. At the very least, it would be quick. I'm sorry, Min-hee.

He heard a gunshot, the sound echoed off the walls of the underground parking lot.

But he wasn't dead. He knew this for a fact when he could still feel pain. Pain was supposed to go away when you died, right? Or at least, he wouldn't be able to register it if the Boss had blown his brains out.

He opened his eyes. Chanyeol had tackled the Boss, holding the hand with the gun up toward the ceiling. "Tao, go! Just go!" Chanyeol yelled when he saw him still laying on the ground.

He was dumbstruck. He didn't think for one second that Chanyeol--the loyal dog that did whatever the boss said, the messenger, the Boss's right hand man, would save him. Hadn't he thought of the consequences of this? Chanyeol would be in the same situation Tao was in. Already, the thugs were trying to pry him away from the Boss.

Tao didn't waste time, getting up. He could try to help Chanyeol, but with the numbers as they were, as skilled as those thugs were, it wouldn't help. So he stumbled back over to the Bugatti, climbing in the drivers seat and starting it.

Right around then, Tao heard another gunshot, and he didn't like the silence that followed it. He looked up.

The Boss's henchmen had managed to pull Chanyeol off the Boss. But that was only the result of Chanyeol crumpling to the ground, clutching his middle as blood poured through his fingers. He'd shot him, right in the stomach. And already the Boss was aiming at him again, this time at his head.

Tao didn't wait any longer, he floored the gas, charging the car right toward the Boss.

Seeing the car coming, he got out of the way, his thugs scattering too. Tao stopped the car right next to Chanyeol, then reached over and opened the passenger door.

"Get in, Chanyeol!"

Chanyeol looked up at him, he seemed strangely calm for someone who had just gotten shot. Right around then, the Boss started firing at the car, breaking windows, the glass shattering all over the seats. When he counted out 7 more bullets, Tao reached over and grabbed Chanyeol by the middle, pulling him into the car, to which he moaned loudly.

As soon as he had him in the seat, Tao took the time that The Boss would take to reload to step on the gas again, the passenger door closing from the momentum as he turned around and raced out of the parking lot.

"Panda..." Chanyeol mumbled.

"Shut up, I'm getting you to a hospital."

"Panda... you're so stupid. You know...nothing about guns...do you?" Chanyeol said, taking shaky pained breaths in between his words. "The amount...of force that...gun puts out... I don't have...long."

Tao raced down the streets. "I do know a thing or two about guns, you've got enough time, now shut the hell up." He glanced over at Chanyeol, who was leaning back, still clutching his bleeding abdomen, bright red staining his white button-up shirt. He didn't give a damn about the car anymore, might as well, the windows were all broken anyway, what would blood on the seat matter?

Chanyeol looked up at him and chuckled. "...You happy? I saved your...life...You know?"

The idiot, making jokes while he was practically dying. "Thank you, Happy Virus." Tao replied, running a red light and going at least 30 miles over the speed limit. "Thank you..."

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A/N: Ohmygosh, I almost cried O_O.... Actually never mind, I cried ;_;

Oh, author-nim is so evil sometimes, I'm sorry ;_;

The next couple of chapters might be Tao's POV, and they might be just as long~ Which is why it's taking me a while to write them, because they're intense, and long at the same time so :3

~Neri needs to recover from writing this. Legit.