"good," taeyong smirked, looking over his shoulder. "we're one short though. i think it would be better if we all presented the plan- don't you?"

jaehyun nodded, "a lot better."

mark took that as his cue and sneakily took the key out of his pocket and unlocked his handcuff, a slight click echoing through the dead silent room.

"who the fuck carried me and knocked me out? i feel like shit so it definitely wasn't ten or winwin," mark said, standing up and rubbing his wrist.

"mark?" jaemin whispered. "you're in nct?"

mark took his spot next to jaehyun and looked at all the boys who looked devastated. "maybe i should properly introduce myself. hey, my name is mark lee aka lee minhyung- the heir of nct. i'm nineteen and the one dealing with mission dream."

"mission dream? mark what the fuck? how dare you?" jeno spat.

"we trusted you!" renjun cried.

mark pursed his lips, ignoring the guilt rising in him. "yeah, you did. you should listen to taeyong now though."

"no mark, this is your mission, explain what it was first and then i'll tell them my proposition," taeyong motioned to dream while looking at his younger brother.

"me? okay then," mark sighed, turning back towards dream. "how long has it been now? four months? yeah, i think it's been about that. so four months ago, right when you started targeting nct, we got pissed off. doyoung found out who you guys were and i, since i was the youngest at the time, was sent to your school to cause dream to disband."

"you motherfucker," renjun cursed.

"wait-" jaemin tried to shut his other members up who were yelling at mark. "wait!"

after jaemin yelled, dream got quiet and looked at jaemin.

"mark, if you wanted us to disband, why did you suggest not disbanding?" jaemin asked softly, raw emotion clear in his voice.

mark looked at jaehyun and then at taeyong before turning back to dream. "i grew attached to you guys. mission dream changed around when donghyuck joined nct. the plan was no longer to disband you guys- but to get you away from nct and make sure you never came near us again."

"then why are we here?" chenle questioned.

"i think it's my turn now," taeyong said, taking a few steps forward. "we want you to join nct."

"i'm sorry- what?" jeno asked, baffled.

"no way in hell!" renjun scoffed.

"wait- guys-" jisung tried to gain their attention.

"can you all shut the fuck up so taeyong can continue?" jaehyun growled, taking a step forward himself.

dream all shut up quickly, scared of jaehyun.

"thanks jaehyun," taeyong sighed before putting his hands on his hips. "look, you should actually be thanking mark right about now because he's the one who suggested we think of another plan."

dream all looked at mark who nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"was it part of your plan to kidnap us mark?" jeno asked.

"no, that was all us," doyoung answered before mark could. "mark had no part in planning anything that happened or will happen tonight."

"mark really doesn't have much power," donghyuck mumbled, giggled quietly when yangyang slightly shoved him.

"what did you say?" taeyong asked, turning to donghyuck who was now sitting up straight and not laughing.

"i, uh, i said mark doesn't really have much power," donghyuck responded, glancing at mark. "it's what he told me when i first asked him to let me be in nct."

"i mean he's not wrong," doyoung mumbled.

"shut up," taeyong said, both doyoung and donghyuck being quiet quickly.

"man donghyuck's a pussy now," renjun snickered.

"what did you just say?" mark growled, turning towards renjun. "i suggest you shut up."

"bite me," renjun spat.

"hm?" ten hummed, confused as to why people were looking at him. "oh right."

ten walked over and smacked renjun across the face before squatting down in front of him.

"i really suggest you shut up. you're in a room full of mafiosos, all of which really don't care about you," ten said, tilting his head to the side. "watch your words- we're all very protective over each other. i'll do worse next time."

with that, ten stood back up and made his way over to johnny who was silently snickering and mocking ten.

"can i talk now?" taeyong asked, slightly annoyed.

everyone was quiet, so taeyong took that as a yes.

"good," taeyong sighed. "anyway, yes, we want you to join nct. you'd be put in mark's capo and go on missions, but not anything dangerous. you'll do stuff like mark was doing during mission dream- spy work basically. jaemin, you're good with computers, right?"

"i'm average," jaemin answered honestly. "i can help donghyuck if needed be... we've worked together before..."

"good, that's what i was planning on," taeyong nodded, happy his plan was in action.

"jaemin are you okay with this?" jeno asked, baffled.

"i mean yeah, i guess," jaemin shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "it's either death or joining nct and i'd much prefer not dying currently."

"told you he'd be the easiest, pay up," mark said quietly, turning to donghyuck and yangyang.

"no fair," yangyang whined. "i don't even know them that well."

"you guys placed bets?" taeyong asked in shock.

"yeah," mark replied nonchalantly. "johnny, yuta, and doyoung were in too. thanks jaem, i just won fifty bucks thanks to you."

"buy me food with it?" jaemin asked with puppy dog eyes.

"obviously," mark giggled.

"okay, anyway," taeyong turned towards the dream boys. "you're too young to officially go on missions, especially dangerous ones so you'll train with us, go to school, attend meetings if called upon, eccetera."

at taeyong's stop in breath jisung put his hand up to ask a question.

this made some of the mafiosos giggle.

"yes?" taeyong asked.

"why are mark, donghyuck, and yangyang officially in the mafia then? they're the same age as jaemin, jeno, and renjun," jisung asked.

"i'm nineteen," mark grumbled. "besides i'm also the heir so i've been in the mafia since i was born and working for it since i was a middle schooler."

"ha! i remember your first mission," johnny snickered.

"i'm the only hacker in the mafia and i don't go on missions," donghyuck shrugged. "i direct them."

"sharpshooter," yangyang grinned. "i haven't missed a shot in a year, which doesn't really sound that impressive, but i started shooting early last year. i'm not allowed near the action though."

"because you're a baby," ten giggled.

"i'm not a baby i'm eighteen!" yangyang whined.

"does that answer your question?" taeyong asked jisung who nodded.

"good," taeyong crossed his arms over his chest again. "any other questions?"

"yeah, why us?" jeno asked.

"because we've watched you and fought against you. you guys all have potential," the don answered. "mark took an interest in you and mark does not do that often."

"jaemin, you're really in right?" mark asked, walking over and looking at the male.

jaemin hesitated, his eyes darting around to look at everyone in the room.

"don't worry," mark kneeled in front of him. "i've been in nct for years and no one has ever really gotten majorly hurt. even if they have, we've never lost anyone-"

"i mean we were close when jungwoo almost killed me," johnny interrupted, glaring at jungwoo.

"woah, i never said i was good at medical stuff, only that i knew how," jungwoo put his hands up in surrender.

"can you guys shut up?" doyoung asked. "that was almost two years ago now."

"ignore them," mark said, turning everyone's attention back to him. "you don't have to worry about anyone here jaem. i promise you."

"how much of what you told us was a lie?" jaemin asked.

mark sighed, "honestly? not much. the part about my brothers is obviously fake- i only biologically have one and it's taeyong. i am a year older than you guys, but other than the year the date is the same. i graduated high school last year in homeschooling, that's why my grades were so high and i was good at school because i've taken it all before. johnny is not my uncle, but i did grow up in canada during elementary school."

dream was quiet.

"mark?" jaemin called.

"yeah? what's up?" mark asked, looking at the male again.

"i'm in," jaemin stated, meeting mark's eyes. "for real this time."

a bright smile made its way on mark's lips, "cool."

"can i?" mark asked, turning towards taeyong who nodded.

mark walked over to jaemin and took the key out of his pocket again, unlocking the handcuff on jaemin's wrist.

"try something and you're dead though," mark warned.

jaemin hugged mark, surprising the older who reluctantly hugged him back.

"you people are scary," jaemin mumbled, letting go.

mark giggled, "yeah, i know. you can go over to hyuck and yang."

"not yet," jaemin shook his head, turning towards the other boys of dream who were watching them. "guys i think this is our best option."

"well we can see that," renjun retorted, rolling his eyes.

"we'll stay together, right?" jisung asked, looking at taeyong.

"of course," taeyong answered immediately. "dream will stay together, you'll all be together under mark's leadership."

"mark's a pretty cool leader not going to lie," donghyuck chirped. "he treats us to food after training and stuff and tends to our wounds immediately even before his own."

"you're okay with all of this donghyuck?" jeno asked, confused. "you were just yelling at us the other day."

donghyuck sighed before getting off of the table, taking his glasses off and handing his laptop to yangyang. donghyuck walked over and stood besides mark, looking at jeno.

"yeah i guess," donghyuck replied. "even if i wasn't okay with it, it wouldn't matter. having the help would kind of be nice too..."

mark smiled at donghyuck and put his hand on the younger's shoulder.

"i'm in too then," jisung said.

"if jisung is in, i'm in," chenle stated.

mark went over and unlocked their handcuffs as well, allowing the boys to stand next to jaemin before taking his own place in between jaemin and donghyuck.

"do you guys want some time to think?" taeyong asked. "you have an hour. everyone regroup then."

the group broke out into whispers and laughter, all talking.

"besties!" yangyang cheered as he made his way over to the rest of the younger ones.

"i still can't believe you guys are all in nct," jaemin said in shock.

"i mean we kind of suspected mark at times, but yangyang? yangyang was a shock," chenle continued.

"mark's a shit actor," donghyuck snickered, dodging the hit coming from mark.

"so what exactly will we do? taeyong was vague," jaemin asked.

"for right now, training," mark answered. "you guys will be the only ones in my capo and i'll work with you all. yuta, ten, johnny, and sometimes kun will work with you depending on what you like and are good at."

"it's really cool. it's kind of like school," donghyuck chirped. "like i get some lessons from doyoung for certain forging stuff, normal training with mark, and then johnny tutors me with guns."

"it actually is like school woah," yangyang gasped. "kunhang and i spend most of our time with johnny. recently i've been trying to win against ten though, so i've been spending a lot of time with winwin and yuta."

"i heard my name," kunhang appeared next to yangyang, dejun behind him.

"we'll introduce you guys to everyone later once these guys decide what they're going to do," mark motioned to jeno and renjun who were listening to their conversation. "but this is kunhang and dejun. they're both in wayv- kun's capo."

"tell them what you 'study' guys," yangyang urged.

"robotics," dejun said quickly. "well, i'm one of the main spies, so i'm good at spying and specialize in close range, but recently i've been really into robotics."

"jungwoo kind of helps with that," mark informed.

"i do pretty much everything," kunhang laughed awkwardly. "mostly i spend my time perfecting my snipe and donghyuck's been teaching me some computer stuff."

"wait who do you study spying with?" chenle asked. "that sounds like so much fun!"

"that would be me," ten threw his arms around mark and donghyuck. "ten lee- nice to meet you. sorry for smacking your friend... actually no i'm not."

"really?" renjun deadpanned.

ten turned to him, "oh. yeah, really. if you join nct you are going to be in for a real shock buddy. we don't tolerate shit- especially the top six."

"top six?" jisung asked.

"the don taeyong, the underboss jaehyun, the consigliere doyoung, mark, top capo yuta, and second capo johnny," ten rattled off.

"hey mark?" chenle caught the group's attention. "what happens if they don't agree?"

mark sighed, looking at ten before looking back at chenle. "it depends on taeyong really. they might be forced in, exiled and watched, or uh-"

"disappear," ten interrupted. "they might disappear, be dealt with, you know mafia stuff."

all of the dream boys flinched at the words and looked at each other.

"you guys should talk," mark said to dream. "everyone else out!"

the room quieted.

"i said get out," mark growled.

"i said get out," donghyuck mocked, yangyang and ten next to him snickering.

"okay five more laps for you tomorrow," mark turned to donghyuck. "want more?"

"bet," donghyuck smirked.

"stop fighting children and let's go," johnny walked over to them with his hands in his pockets, yuta next to him.

"you have twenty minutes left so use it wisely," mark told dream, looking at each of them before ten pulled him towards the door to leave.

"man that kid is fucking annoying," ten groaned once they were in the hallway and walking towards the room everyone had moved to.

"who renjun?" donghyuck asked, ten nodding. "yeah he's kind of a dick."

"what's the point of taeyong even giving them time to think? they're obviously going to join," yangyang wondered.

"my dear yangyang, it's all a game," yuta said, putting his hand on yangyang's shoulder. "a big game where taeyong is the game master and we are all just pawns."

"it's just a power play really," johnny explained. "give them a false sense of hope and security then get them to talk it through together. he'll pretend they have a choice when we all know taeyong will not take no as an answer."

"mark how are you feeling about this whole thing? you're going to have children to watch and train- not grown men anymore or grown men and donghyuck," johnny asked.

"honestly? i don't know."