Tip: listen to traditional Chinese music while reading this chapter. It adds to the mood.

><

Yoongi focus

Yoongi was happy that he brought a suit because right now Jin and he were heading through the colorful night towards a club that Jin had describes as very exclusive. Taehyung and Namjoon had stayed at the hotel to check out the bar and the restaurant because bringing three new faces at once into a club where everyone knew everyone was nothing Jin was willing to do. So, given that Yoongi was the man behind the game who would not be seen close to their target again, they had decided that he would accompany Jin.

After passing several small restaurants and motels with their neon-light ad, a slim golden door came into sight, guarded by a bumper in a black suit, but no matter how fierce the look on the man's face, he seemed to know Jin because he let them pass with nothing more than a nod into the beauty's direction.

"Nĭ hăo, Su Chen," the personal shopper greeted the young man at the counter in the entrance hall and held the display of his smartphone against some scanner.

"Nĭ hăo, Mr. Kim," the boy greeted back and smiled politely.

"This is my guest for the evening," the personal shopper said in English while gesturing at Yoongi.

"Nĭ hăo," Yoongi greeted the counter boy and bowed politely, receiving a warm smile.

"Have a nice evening, gentlemen." They were dismissed.

Easier than expected, Yoongi thought and lifted an eyebrow at Jin when they stepped through a glass sliding door into the club.

"This is a place where no questions are asked," the beauty explained. "People are here to be free from societies judging eyes for some hours. It's not a place for business, it's a place for personal privacy."

Yoongi hummed understandingly before he scanned the room. It was breathtaking. Dark polished wood and Bordeaux carpeting shimmered in the warm dim light of red paper lampions, and black leather-couch booths separated by paper screens filled the lower level of the club. Everything was centered around a golden stature of a man riding a black tiger above a wide basin filled with water that lied as still as a lake during a windless evening.

"This is the god Caishen," Jin murmured quietly as though not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere with traditional Chinese music and occasional soft laughter. "He's the god of prosperity."

"How modest for a club full of rich people," Yoongi said, voice dripping with sarcasm, but he could not deny that he would enjoy a place like this as well. It seemed out of this world, detached in a calming way. This was a place to breath away time and to think, maybe spend some time with friends after a done job.

Jin smiled knowingly but said nothing. The beauty just walked past the basin, which of the bottom was sparkling with golden coins, Yoongi noticed, and guided him towards the wide wooden stairs that led up to a gallery that was build along the walls of the high room and held smaller tables for a maximum of two guests. The couple lounge, Yoongi guessed.

"Those railings definitely don't meet the regulation conform height," he stated amused when he saw that they barely reached the middle of his thighs.

Jin snorted. "This is not about regulations but about comfort. Would you like to sit behind a railing that blocks your view into the room?"

True, the low railing allowed the people upstairs to look down at the stature and across the room without feeling like peeking through holes. It gave the room an open and secure atmosphere. "No, I like this very much," Yoongi replied honestly and sat down in the modern leather armchair across from the personal shopper. When he saw two other people smoking, he pulled out his cigarettes as well and lit one up. "So, how does our man look like?" he asked after breathing out the first puff.

"The last time I saw him he had pitch-black hair with an undercut. Apart from that, he's young and tall, has a slim figure and is undeniably attractive. Oh, and of course he's Korean," the beauty summarized.

That reduced the options drastically, because as far as Yoongi could see, they were just surrounded by Chinese businessmen and their dates.

"Do you know anything apart from his appearance?" he asked, focusing back on his handsome friend.

"I know the tower he lives in, but that's all. I never had personal contact with him as a customer or anything along those lines," the personal shopper explained with a shrug.

"Okay," Yoongi said with a sigh and relaxed back into the soft upholstery, "So, what are we going to do while we wait?"

"We drink and enjoy," his friend said and as if this was the cue for the service team, a waiter in an all-black outfit put down two exceptionally high champagne flutes on their table. The liquid shimmered peachy in the warm light. Taehyung would love this place for its beauty and devotion to details.

"Mr. Kim, you bring a date?" the young man asked in broken Korean.

"Xi Fang, you're too curious for this place," Jin replied with a gentle smile, "And no, this is not a date, just an evening with a friend."

The young man looked embarrassed but smiled nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kim. What can I bring you?"

The personal shopper looked at Yoongi expectantly, who leaned forwards to use the black glossy ashtray. Well, normally he would order a red wine, but given he was on vacation in another country he should probably try something from the list of local specialties. "Do you serve traditional Chinese rice wine?" he asked the waiter.

"Of course, Sir. Cold or warm?"

He liked that Xi Fang guy. A little curious, of course, but with an inviting and endearing attitude that made it impossible not to like him. The man even made the effort to speak in his broken Korean to make it easier for them. Yoongi would tip him generously.

"Warm, please," he ordered and Jin joined him on his choice. The waiter walked off and left them alone once again.

"Did we get those for free?" he asked curiously and lifted one of the filigree champagne glasses.

"Yes, the first serve is always on the house," Jin said, but his eyebrows furrowed when he looked at something behind Yoongi. In the next moment a tall figure in a pitch-black suit passed them, accompanied by a woman with long, perfectly straight blond hair in a short black dress and high heels. Yoongi could just watch their backs while they walked towards a free table.

"This is Choi Seunghyun," Jin whispered, leaning forward so only Yoongi would hear him.

Interested, Yoongi glanced into the direction of the couple that had sat down. Choi really was attractive. Attentive black eyes under the strong dark eyebrows scanned the room underneath and a playful smile settled on the hard lips. The black undercut, Jin had spoken of, and the scar above the left eye gave the man a wild but at the same time elegant look. He was fetching without trying.

"Who's the woman with him?" Yoongi asked quietly.

"This is a gentlemen's club, Suga," the personal shopper said with an amused half-smile, "There are no women in here."

Yoongi was stunned into silence. All the people in dresses where men? This was a gay crossdressing high society club? Now, everything Jin had told him made way more sense. The personal privacy thing, the discretion. Tae would love this, was the first clear though he could form after the beauty's words had thrown him off track completely. So, this was the reason for the exclusive label on the name.

"Holy shit," he whispered while his gaze wandered over all the long-haired, dolled-up guests whom he could now identify as men. Amazing how the mind could be tricked by expectations, but to his defense, some of them looked extremely female. Especially Choi's date. How could a man have such soft curves?

"Are you repelled?" the personal shopper asked warily.

Yoongi tuned back to his friend. How could the beauty think that after knowing him and Taehyung for so long? "Not at all," he confessed with a smile, and an interesting thought crossed in his mind. "I think we need Jimin."

Jin grinned widely and toasted at him with the champagne flute. "To attractive men and money," he said happily and sipped on the peachy liquid. Yoongi joined him. The next step of their plan was slowly forming in his head.

><

"You want Jimin to cross-dress?" Taehyung asked astounded after Yoongi had told him about the club and their target's preferences. The three currently were sprawled over their beds with drinks from the minibar and talked about the little information the personal shopper and he had been able to gather.

"Yes, because this could get us one step closer to the information we need in order to pull this off. Like how often and how long does he frequent the club in the evenings? We could even use Jimin as a distraction during the job to keep him away," Yoongi explained his intentions.

"You're five steps ahead again," Tae popped his bubble of excitement, and Namjoon chuckled in the back. "We don't even know what security system he has, nor what safe. Not to speak of the apartment number. So, thinking about a distraction is way too early."

Taehyung was right. They lacked basic input for the job, and they had no idea how to get this information, thus they needed to take it slow. So, what would be a clever next step?

"I could use his phone number to keep track of him and maybe follow him when he goes home," he suggested.

Taehyung looked like he thought about it.

"That sounds like a solid plan," Namjoon spoke up for the first time this evening, "But how do we get his number? Wouldn't that still be a job for Jimin?" Questioningly the hazel-haired looked at Taehyung, while Yoongi was startled that the ex-cop supported his idea.

"Does he even know how to cross-dress?" Taehyung asked, looking from one to the other and back again.

>><<