Why isn't he popping out of somewhere? Jin's anxiety was bungee jumping as Namjoon kept approaching him with hungry hyena eyes.

Fuck! Jin cursed under his breath.

"I like you!" Jin said with his eyes screwed tight.

And there goes his self-respect for the waters.

How the hell was that even a reason?

How could he be so dumb?

"Wha...what?" Namjoon asked with a surprised tone.

Jin quickly peeked through one eye and he saw the pink blush over Namjoon's cheeks. It was then that he concluded it was the right moment.

"I didn't want to make it too obvious so I acted all cocky. I like you and I just wanted your number but you asked first for other reasons. I didn't know how to approach-"

"Shh!" Namjoon placed his index finger over the male's lips and bent a little to meet his eyes, "Do you like me for real?" He asked in a serious tone.

Now, what would a sane person do when put in a pressurizing situation?

Beg for mercy and run away.

Well, Jin was born at the wrong time so justifies the wrong connection in his brain and takes the most absurd actions at the most crucial moments.

He grabbed Namjoon's neck with his hand and pulled the male forwards, crashing their lips together.

Namjoon froze at the sudden action with his hands still in the air. Jin was quick to guide Namjoon's hand over his waist that trailed down to squeeze his ass. Jin gasped at the sudden action and molded his lips along with Namjoon's.

Taehyung slid through the back and pricked Namjoon's skin with an injection, he pushed the plunger inwards the medication flowing into Namjoon's blood.

A few seconds and Namjoon was on the floor with his eyes wide open. Jin stood there with a flushed face, disheveled hair, and swollen lips.

"Damn, you were cool!" Taehyung smiled and patted Jin's arm.

"What...did you do to him?" Jin asked still in shock.

"Muscle relaxant. One of the drug groups illegally used in the factory where I used to work. It causes muscle paralysis making the person unable to move." Taehyung explained and squatted down.

"Is it permanent?" Jin asked as he sat down beside Taehyung.

"No! It will last for a few minutes. Now let's make him speak." Taehyung reminded.

"That's why you shouldn't fall for pretty faces. I should have known, Argh!" Namjoon groaned.

"Am I pretty?" Jin asked with a timid smile.

"Very," Namjoon fired back and smirked when the older flushed pink.

"Ahem! Ahem!" Taehyung coughed violently to bring their attention, "Can we talk business now?"

Namjoon rolled his eyes and lay on the floor with his face facing the ceiling.

"Where is the ledger?" Tae asked.

"I already gave all the details of the people in that ledger. Why do you need it now?" Namjoon asked.

"It's proof that speaks for itself. We need it at all costs. So, tell us where is it?" Taehyung reminded.

"I...can't. He will kill me if I did." Namjoon gulped with tears moistening his orbs.

"Then we won't hesitate to give all your illegal activities to the media!" Taehyung shrugged the male.

"That's better than being killed. Go ahead and do it!" Namjoon mumbled with tears trickling down his cheek.

Taehyung's anger shot and he grabbed the male before sitting over him to choke him.

"Don't you dare cry! You have no right to do so. With every second that we breathed, we suffered through pain and yet couldn't afford to do it. What bloody privileges do you get to wail? You joined hands with that demon to take our lives and yet dare to cry, bitch!" Taehyung growled with fat tears rolling down his cheeks, a few falling over Namjoon's face as he was so close to losing it.

Jin was quick to push Taehyung to the side. Namjoon gasped and breathed vigorously with a mild wheeze heard at every exhale.

"What the hell are you doing, Taehyung? Do you plan on killing him?" Jin questioned.

Taehyung rested his upper body over his arms and hair covering his face and masking all the rage he was building within him, "He is triggering me and for fuck sake, stop taking his side."

"He is the key and we can't afford to lose." Jin reminded.

"Why? Did you fall for him or something? Did he offer to sleep with you-" Taehyung's words were cut in mid-sentence with a hard slap over his face.

"Stop right there!" Jin warned, "You don't get to disrespect me for the shit you have gone through. You don't hold any lever over me so better watch your words," Jin's chest heaved up and down his breathing turning erratic.

Taehyung's ears rang due to the impact. He ignored it and pulled his knees closer to his chest with his arms tightly wrapped around them. He rocked himself back and forth to comfort himself but it wasn't working. The pain was just increasing around his torso, almost sucking all the air out of his lungs.

"I promise to stay by your side as I help you break those chains, Soobin."

"I promise to meet you again, Major."

"I promise to take you to the best restaurant which serves the finest crab, Jungkook."

"I promise to be by your side on every birthday, Jimin."

Taehyung bit his lip until he bled. He couldn't bring himself to accept the fact that he was a useless piece of shit.

A worthless animal that didn't deserve their trust.

A filth that wasn't supposed to taint their lives.

A piece of crap that defined his place in their hearts.

He couldn't fulfill their promises.

He couldn't be of any help.

Alas, he was never meant to be.

"Namjoon," he began with a deep hoarse voice, "The injection that I gave you wears off in another couple of minutes. It's either you give me the ledger or I kill you."

Namjoon scoffed at the man's confidence, "What if I kill you both before that?"

Taehyung slightly lifted his head with hollow lifeless eyes staring down at Namjoon who lay there with a faint smirk forming over his lips, "I don't have anything else to lose now, Namjoon. I wouldn't mind dying but I am taking you with me. And that ledger will reach its respective owner through Jin's hand by hook or crook." he demanded.

Consider this as a repayment for my incapability, Eglan. Even if I die today, I promise to keep it useful for you, Eglan. Taehyung thought.

"Jin, could you give us some moment alone?" Taehyung asked.

"On the condition that you wouldn't kill him." Jin crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you afraid of losing a hot daddy like me, baby?" Namjoon teased with his body still paralyzed.

"As much I wanted it to be the reason but no. Mr. Bang needs you alive and that will happen under my watch." Jin firmly stated.

"I won't kill him, now please?" Taehyung was this close to losing his patience but Jin nodded in agreement and left the room. 

Taehyung fell over his back with his eyes analyzing the bruises on his fingers that he received through the rough work in the prison, "What is it to be like you?"

"What do you mean?" Namjoon scoffed and tried his best to move at least his fingers. 

"To be a successful doctor like you with loads of cash and a home to head back to. With respect and praise showered over you at every step of your life. How does it feel like to be you?" Taehyung casually traced imaginary circles with his fingers in the air.

"Don't draw your conclusions whatever your name was-"

"Jebb! My name is Jebb," he said.

Namjoon felt his neck loosen up and sighed in relief to finally arch it as he wants, "You are asking the wrong question, Jebb."

"What do you mean?"

"What kind of a life are you living is wrong. What kind of life do you want to live would be the right one." Namjoon gulped holding back any emotions that might surface.

"I want my men to jump off the fence. I don't want any of us to sacrifice ourselves to push the other two off the fence. I want to pull them out of this shitty mess." Taehyung said.

"You are a metaphor guy, Jebb? Well, not that I am complaining but if that's how you wanna play it then answer this for me. Your answer will decide whether the ledger falls in your hands or your life in my hands." Namjoon warned.

"Deal."

"Let's say a hunter hits a bullet in the woods and it accidentally strikes a panther. He runs by its side to sigh in disappointment because it wasn't his target. He carefully picks it up and goes home to treat its wound. The panther unaware of his preparator renders its loyalty to the man. Once it is all healed and decides to return to the wounds, the hunter blocks its way. He demands the panther to serve him and stick with him till the end. At some point, the panther realizes the hunter's real work and feels betrayed but is bound by debt. So, my question is Jebb, will it be betrayal if the panther left its master? Will it be fair to leave him when he saved him after all?" Namjoon's eyes glistened with tears.

"Every life has its purpose on this earth. It reigns over its freedom to fulfill its purpose but when the freedom is ripped away then it's barely breathing. The hunter had a purpose that he defined by himself. The panther wasn't obliged to fulfill his purposes. It defies its purpose of living. A cutter can only create deeper wounds rather than heal old ones because that is its purpose. The hunter was responsible for the wound which would never occur if he wasn't there in the first place. He simply used the panther to fulfill his desires. The panther was never healed by a cutter like a hunter. Rather he dug deeper wounds into the panther's head to never leave him-"

"So, what is your conclusion?" Namjoon asked.

"I don't believe in forgiving and forgetting shit. It bit me in my ass multiple times now. I expect the panther to fulfill its purpose," Jebb calmly answered.

"And that is?"

"Pounce like a predator rather than be prey to the hunter's hands," Jebb growled in a low tone.

"What if it gets killed for the purpose?" Namjoon asked with fear lacing in his system.

"His pack isn't sitting there to entertain the woods. They will rampage the hunter's house and slice his throat till they bathe in blood. The panther needs to know where it stands." Jebb pulled out the scalpel he stole from the room and slid it towards Namjoon who was slowly sitting with the help of his hands. The effect of the medicine was diminishing he presumed.

"You have two options, Namjoon. Either stab me with that and I will fight you to death or hand over the ledger so that Jin can deliver it to the right man."

Namjoon fingers slowly picked up the scalpel and smirked as he felt the power in his body, "Naive of you hand this to me."

"Forget the oath you took in your profession and kill me, Namjoon." Jebb sat there cross-legged barely any emotions on his face.

Namjoon looked for a moment and jumped over Taehyung with the scalpel angled right over the latter's neck. Surprisingly, Taehyung didn't flinch for a second but rather stayed like a stone.

"You said you wanna fight me. Where is zeal now huh?" Namjoon smirked as he pressed the knife drawing a drop of blood from the corner of the knife.

"This is my way of fighting, Namjoon. Go ahead and do what you want." Taehyung's hollow eyes stared into his soul.

Namjoon's fingers slightly shook but firmed themselves as he angled his knife.

"I want you to remember how I looked when you killed me, Namjoon. I want you to remember every aspect of this day because today you didn't just kill me but a hundred others who were waiting there in the deep slums with the mere hope of jumping out of this shit. I want you to reminisce about every drop of blood that you draw today. So that when you touch your patients you know those hands are of a murderer and not a protector. Kill me, bitch!" Jebb spat.

Namjoon breathed heavily with drops of sweat sliding down the side of his face down to his chin. He shrugged his head to keep himself focussed but the more he tried, the dizzier he turned.

Tink!

The scalpel fell over the cold floor, reverberating a little before laying numb. Namjoon gasped and hit his chest to calm himself down but anxiety was shooting through his nerves.

"Thank you for not killing me," Jebb smiled softly.

"What kind of an idiot are you? I could have killed you, bitch!" Namjoon screamed at top of his lungs.

"But you didn't," Taehyung stood up patting the dust off his pants, and extended his arm to Namjoon.

"What were you even thinking?" Namjoon asked as he stood up.

"Everyone has a story to tell. I am sure you do too. I won't pry in your life neither will I interfere in your business. I just need the ledger and I will be out of here in no time."

"You will get the ledger but not today." Namjoon began.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Jeon will be visiting today and I need to keep his trust that the ledger is safe with me. Once I find the right time, I will give you the ledger-"

"I don't have time. If I don't escape now, I will be thrown back into prison."

"When will that man outside be of help? I am sure he wouldn't mind. Right?" Namjoon smirked.

"You mean Jin?" Taehyung asked.

"Yep!"

"Listen here, fucker! I don't care how many men you have fucked so far but I won't let you play with any of my people. Jin is like my brother the moment he saved me. If I see you touch even a strand of his hair without his consent. I will throttle you with my hands," Taehyung warned.

"Too much of a caretaker, huh? Fine, I won't do anything to him. Happy?" Namjoon chuckled.

"I won't get back on my words." Taehyung stepped back.

"Go through the exit door behind the last store room on this floor. There aren't any cameras so you can flee without being noticed." Namjoon suggested.

"Okay," Taehyung turned back and paced his way out.

__

"Woah! What happened to your neck? Are you okay?" Jin asked as he saw Taehyung come out of the room.

"Listen to me very carefully. You need to stick with Namjoon for a few days and when the moment is right pick the ledger from him. I will meet you in the Red Rolaz Hotel once you have received the ledger."

"But how do I contact you?" Jin asked as he saw Taehyung retreat.

"Through Mr. Bang!" Taehyung uttered before slipping through the last door.

A/n:-

How did Taehyung trust Namjoon to not kill him?

Will Mr. Jeon catch Namjoon for this deal he cut with Taehyung?

Will Jin be able to take the ledger and deliver it to the hotel?

Where is Taehyung headed to?

Where is Yoongi?

Who is up for some Jikook?

Hope you liked the chapter.

Love you, kids.

Maddie 🙂❤️