Taehyung focus

"A tie as belt, okay, but as a headband? Seriously, Tae?" Taehyung heard a well-known voice from his right. "And with the red hair... I don't know."

When he turned his head, a handsome face under a mop of silky mahogany hair greeted him. "Jin, why is it that I always meet you in my café?" he asked the beauty but smiled knowingly. Something great was coming at him.

"It's the only place you definitely visit every day at the same time and that serves this perfect Triple Chocolate Frappuccino with sprinkles," the personal shopper answered and smiled at him provocatively. "Let's have a little ride after ordering."

Ten minutes later, they sat in Jin's Mercedes and Taehyung was melting into the heated seat. November was unpleasantly cold and humid in Seoul, but Yoongi had turned his pleads for a vacation down every time he brought it up. They did not know how to handle Namjoon during that time, and his best friend was not willing to be lax when it was about their safety. Had Taehyung known that having Namjoon would be like having a pet, he would have left the ex-cop in jail, no hard feelings though.

"What's the new job about?" he asked Jin, curious on what their next big thing would be.

"Jewelry," the beauty answered, "Ancient Korean jewelry in Hongkong."

Taehyung sat up straight. Jin had never offered them a job that was about something else than a painting, so this was highly refreshing to hear. And Hongkong at that!

"I'll tell you the rest when we're with Suga, given that you'll tell him anyway before you make your decision," the brunette said, suffocating every other question that was burning on Taehyung's tongue. Too bad, because his brain was running through every kind of ancient jewelry by now and how to copy them.

><

"Hongkong?" Yoongi asked skeptically.

"Yes, the current owner is Korean, but the jewelry is located in his private apartment in Hongkong," Jin explained.

Taehyung, Namjoon and Jin watched Yoongi patiently while he paced through the apartment, seemingly in deep thought. "We have nothing in Hongkong, not even a small manual on how to make criminal friends in Hongkong. Our English is shitty, and we can't speak Chinese, and how do we get our illegal shit out of Korea?" the small black-haired asked, looking back at them, anything but pleased.

"We had nothing in Monaco either," Taehyung added with a shrug. And it had worked well. Okay, maybe not that well given that he had to wait naked in an arrest cell for several hours, but good enough that they had finished the job.

"I speak English and a little Chinese," Namjoon offered helpfully and Taehyung's heart cheered. They would have a vacation.

"See," he said happily and grinned over both ears.

"But I had connections in Monaco," Yoongi growled. "I don't have connections in Hongkong. At least none I know of, so we still have to get the most important stuff out of the country somehow."

"What about diplomatic immunity?" Jin offered as a solution for the luggage.

"Please, Yoon, please," Taehyung begged his best friend. He so wanted to leave rainy Seoul behind for some weeks. Their last vacation had been in February, and they had only been in Tokyo back then, but the south of China was something they never had explored in all their time together.

Yoongi sighed defeated. "How much?"

"Three million dollars, plus lodging in Hongkong," the personal shopper replied instantly, and with a nod Yoongi floated back into his headspace of calculating and planning. For Taehyung this was as good as settled. Payed vacation with a bonus on top- this could not become any better.

"I need a picture of that piece of jewelry and the employer's name and phone number," his best friend finally gave in and sat down with them at the table.

Jin pulled a photocopy of their object of interest and a business card out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the table like he had never expected them not to agree. "This is a hair needle of queen Seondok of Silla, the first female ruler of Korea. It's a national treasure and has been stolen from the National Museum in Seoul five years ago."

Yoongi began to grin his iconic mission mood smile. "So, the current owner most likely will not report it as stolen if we rid him of his treasure."

"I don't think so," Jin agreed with a satisfied expression on his handsome features.

"Too bad," Taehyung sighed while he studied the picture. He would have loved to copy that piece. A flowery golden frame with several polished rubies and pearls. It would have been a fabulous challenge. Tin for the frame, hidden under some gold leaf, some hand-polished synthetic stones, and hand-crafted plastic pearls with a lead core. Too bad they would not need it.

Yoongi looked at him with one eyebrow risen. "I'm sure you'll still have fun."

"I'll spend my time shopping," Taehyung deadpanned and received an eye-roll of his best friend, an eye-roll with a smile though because Yoongi knew how much he loved spending money on clothes.

"What about me?" Namjoon suddenly asked, making all heads turn towards him.

Yoongi looked like he did not understand the question. "You're working for us, so of course you'll come with us. See it as a chance to enlarge your cell," the black-haired said lightly and even smiled at the ex-cop. Much to Taehyung's relieve, the two had come to terms over the last two months. Their relationship was not exactly friendly, but a warm kind of polite, what was more than Taehyung had ever dared hoping for. Yoongi was not the type of person to give second chances, so this was a big deal.

"So, I take it you want the job?" Jin asked and looked like he was about to leave again. The man never could sit still for more than some seconds, he always was half on his way to another appointment.

"We need time," Yoongi said, "Much time because we never worked in China, so I'd much appreciate a generous deadline."

Jin nodded understandingly. "I'll tell my customer. Now, if that's all I'll leave you to your mission planning." With that the personal shopper stood up, pulled the black suit jacket over the slim-fit gray turtleneck and headed towards the door.

"Jin," Taehyung spoke up on a whim, "Could you take care of getting a place for us to work in Hongkong. It's your city, you know. I guess Yoongi would much appreciate help for the less important problems of this job."

"Consider it done," the beauty said with a smirk and closed the door behind him.

>><<