Chapter Text
A high pitched scream filled the long alleyway, making the few pedestrians on the street turn their heads to the shrill noise. But the darkness of the alleyway repelled them, and they anxiously went on their way, trying to ignore the guilty feeling in their gut of not finding out whatever had caused that noise. A black haired man cursed to himself as he desperately tried to break the still shrieking alarm, rapidly hammering his fists into it, but to no avail. Suddenly a large hand smashed the alarm into bits, and Ten looked up to peer at a silver-headed man who grinned down at him.
“Thanks, Lucas,” Ten whispered, and the taller nodded and hoisted him up and into the recently-broken window., the black-haired man landing expertly on his feet on the other side. Soon, Lucas was next to him as well, dusting of his black jeans as the two men scanned their surroundings. They had climbed into a large bedchamber, that was decorated with exotic items as far as their eyes could see. Rich rugs, lavish tapestries, jewelled models of elephants, shelves filled with multi-coloured scents and oils. Ten smiled. This was the right room.
He slowly walked towards the bed table, gesturing Lucas to start searching near the shelves, which the younger obediently did. Ten frowned when he ran his fingers over the piece of furniture.The table was dusty, as if it hadn’t been used for sometime, which didn’t link up to the information they had been given. But it was dusty in a....perfect way. It was as if someone had applied a thin layer of dust neatly all around the table, not as random as a natural dust sheet would be. Ten glanced at Lucas, who had finished searching the shelves and now was going through the few cupboards,his height making it easy for him to reach right back.
The older turned back to the table he was still running his hands over, now the marks where his fingers were clearly shown through the dust. He absent-mindedly skimmed the underside of the table, and stopped. He quickly bent down to peer up at the area and grinned.
There was no dust.
Instead, there was a little compartment hidden in the inside corner, only noticeable if one had been searching for it, which Ten had been.
“Lucas!” Ten hissed, ushering the curious man to come over, “ I think I’ve found it.”
He pulled out a tool from his pocket, one that worked similar to a screwdriver, only faster and more practical. He quickly unscrewed the tiny golden screws sealing the compartment, handing them to Lucas, who clenched them tightly, eyes focused on Ten’s rapid hand movements. When the last screw was loose,Ten placed his hand on the square of wood, careful not to let it suddenly drop on the ground. He quietly removed it, and gingerly placed his hand into the little compartment, moving it around, until his fingers rested on a small item.
Jackpot.
He delicately pulled out the small, folded up piece of paper, handing it to Lucas who was grinning widely, and quickly screwed back the bottom of the compartment, leaving it just how it was when they first found it.
“That was easy,” Lucas murmered, as Ten got up and dusted his knees, “Kun made it seem as if it was guarded by a 100 guards in the president’s palace.”
“Kun worries too much,” Ten responded, placing the newly-gained document into his inside pocket, zipping it up, “ That’s why I’m the other boss; we balance out the duties. He worries for me.” Ten glanced back down at the table, grinning when he noticed that his finger marks were still visible on the table surface.
“Well,” he drawled out, facing the silver head who had an already eager grin on his face, “ since they’ll find out we were here anyway, “ he reached into the bag, pulling out a can of red spray paint, “ might as well have some fun, right Xuxi?”
Lucas clapped his hands together quietly, pulling out a blue can of spray paint.
“What’s the plan, boss?”
They walked towards the door, hearts pumping with adrenaline and mischief.
“I’ve seen our dear victims faces on the investigation documents and let me tell you, “ Ten snorted, “ they are in dire need of our makeover services.”
And Lucas was already out of the door, trying his best to walk across the landing quietly, towards the room that held their sleeping clients, Ten following amusedly behind.
Oh boy, was Kun going to be angry.
*****************
“Why’s Kun angry?”
Ten smiled to himself as he turned towards WinWin, who was leaning against the door frame of his office, arms crossed.
“How many times have I told you to knock?” Ten said, taking a bite of his chocolate.
“It was you and Lucas wasn’t it?” The brunette said, shaking his head and approaching the table Ten was sitting on.
“Well what did he expect, sending me and Lucas on one of the most important missions?” Ten weakly argued, offering WinWin some KitKat, which he gladly took.
“He kinda hoped you ,as a boss, would efficiently retrieve the file-“
“Which I did,” Ten interrupted
“-and not cause mayhem on the way.” WinWin finished, looking at Ten pointedly.“I mean, what were you thinking? Spraying the husband’s face blue and his mistress’s one bright red?”
“I bet you wish you were there.”
“Fuck yeah I do.”
“Glad to know you’d have willingly disobeyed my orders, Dong Sicheng,” came a new voice, and Ten looked at the blue haired man who was standing unamused by the door.
“What is it with people and not knocking?” Ten grumbled, causing Kun to roll his eyes as he came forward, slamming a handful of files down on the desk, causing tthe former to nearly topple off.
“What the fuck, Kun?” Ten yelled, holding onto the edge of the desk.
“Don’t sit on your working table then!” Kun shot back, unsurprised that Ten didn’t move his ass an inch.
“Anyway,” he muttered, pointing at piece of crumpled paper, that resembled a list,” This is the document you and Xuxi had taken yesterday, and as you can see the husband’s name is clearly written in his own handwriting in the ‘dealer’ blank-“
“So now that fucker has no way of denying his involvement in the excursion,” Ten said, and Kun nodded.
“I ran through this file with Hendery and he connected it with other documents found across the city that held the same information about the monthly shipments,”Kun continued, “And it turned out that asshole had been doing this for months behind our back, only paying a ¼ to us of what he actually gains from the process. “
Ten wrinkled his nose at the betrayal, but, to be honest, it was expected. It was not the first time desperate clients came to their organisation seeking for help in any way possible, only to amateurly backstab them a couple of months later, when they felt they were in a secure enough position and didn’t need their help anymore. But they were always found out, and the look on their faces when the members of the mob would show up unexpectedly, calling them out for their acts and cornering them, was admittedly very amusing to Ten. It was satisfying to see motherfuckers who thought they were so high and mighty just because they got help from one of the most wealthy organisations, fall to the ground and desperately try to hide there, or bring whoever they can down with them.
“Welp,” Ten yawned, stretching his arms, “ we know the drill,” He jumped off the table, throwing his chocolate wrapper into the bin, “ I’ll fetch Lucas to send some of his department to the guy’s house and then-“
“Wait, Ten” Kun said, holding up a hand, promptly shutting up the other, “there’s more to it.”
“More to it?” WinWin frowned, “ don’t we already have enough stable evidence?”
“Well,” Kun started, leaning back, “ This guy managed to get himself involved in other organisations as well, some not as elaborate as ours, but strong. They consider him a close ally, but a pawn that they can reveal all their activities too and be easily able to get rid of him when necessary. Now this guys knows a lot of info about them ,right, so he collected it all into a chip, a microchip, that is kind of like an encyclopaedia for all the organisation on the West Side, ie. NeoCity.”
Ten grit his teeth together.
NeoCity.
They place he had escaped 6 years ago, running from everyone and everything he had left behind, settling in Weishen and making a new organisation, but the memories never left. And now, Kun is hinting he has to go back, go back to the place where his heart still remained, even if it had been broken, torn, stomped on there, calling out for his body to return and pick up the fallen pieces.
“The microchip is currently in NeoCity then?” WinWin asked, glancing at Ten who tried to look indifferent as ever.
“Yes,” Kun answered, “ I’m not sure where, but we have some people there we’d like to question that could possibly give us a clue to its location.”
He turned to Ten, and Ten saw the apology in his eyes.
“Ten...”
“It’s a one-man job right?” Ten asked with a sigh.
“Yes, but for about the first three months,” Kun paused, “ Also...there is a meeting being hosted there.”
“A meeting for what?”
“Lee SooMan, the one who owns all those entertainment companies and is in regular contact with all the organisations on the West Side, has called a meeting in NeoCity for all the gangs, and WayV is expected to show up there- at least, the boss or representative is.”
Ten sighed again. It seemed as if he couldn’t even avoid the people there, and by his luck, he’ll meet every single figure from his past. But Ten was over it, he was indifferent about it. He can go back to the city with a nonchalant face, and leave first thing after finding the chip. He’s done it once before, so it should be easier to do it again. Yes, he won’t get attached, and even if he did, that shouldn’t stop him from boarding the first flight out of there as soon as Kun told him to.
“So I’ll go alone for the first two weeks,” Ten confirmed, “ and then you guys should send Lucas and Xiaojun and other key representatives gradually over time, so it doesn’t seem too suspicious if all of them board the same flight at the same time.”
Kun and WinWin nodded, and there was a pause. Kun opened his mouth, and Ten could tell he was going to apologise again, so he just shook his head and raised a hand to stop him.
“It’s fine, Kun,” Ten assured, “The past is behind me, and before you know it I’ll be back home, here to annoy you again.” Kun rolled his eyes as WinWin chuckled, picking up the files to head out along with him, leaving Ten in his office alone.
There was a slimy feeling in Ten’s stomach when he thought of the mission ahead, and he hit his forehead against his palm repetitively, desperately trying to knock sense into himself and to be headstrong when he has to go back. It shouldn’t matter the objects he’ll touch again, the places he’ll go too again, and it definitely shouldn’t matter the people he’ll see again. He’ll just attend the meeting, find the chip, and get the hell out of there.
Dammit it, he needed another KitKat.
*******************
“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”
Ten jolted, his glasses nearly falling of his nose and he peered at the figure standing in the doorway, stroking a cat in their hands.
“Jaemin-ah,” Ten sighed, putting a hand to his heart, “You almost gave me a heart-attack.”
Jaemin walked towards him and sat down on his bed, petting Louis who curved under his fingers.
“Aren’t your reactions supposed to be more unfazed, Ten hyung?” The blue-haired boy asked, looking at Ten as he yawned and stretched in his chair, “ You are trained for sudden entrances and shit.”
“You’re right, baby,” Ten murmured, chuckling when Jaemin scowled at the nickname, “ I’m supposed to be trained for 16-year old boys to suddenly appear in my bedroom holding a cat and demanding why I’m not getting my beauty sleep.”
“Sounds frightening.”
“Oh, it is.”
Ten put down his pen, and sat down in the bed next to Jaemin, allowing the boy to rest his head in his lap, Ten softly stroking his hair. Ten had found Jaemin on the streets 3 years ago, hiding in one of the alleyways from an angry shopkeeper he had shoplifted some JammyDodgers from.
Jaemin had looked at him with such determination in his eyes when Ten approached him, and he saw how the boy’s stance automatically went into a type of fighting mode, even though his hands were shaking. The chasing shopkeeper had appeared at that moment, and Ten apologised to the sceptical man and paid for the biscuits, and Jaemin had let the older take him to his house and wash him, giving him some food and water. In reality, Ten had actually been scouting for new members, and when he came across the somewhat healthy, strong boy, he knew he would be perfect for their next mission, that required deception and sneaking into small places. Jaemin had been so easily led on by Ten, feeling as if he was forever in debt to the older man, who took care of him and eventually grew too attached to him, that, by the time the mission that required Jaemin had arrived, Ten couldn’t find it in his heart to make the boy do it, and eventually admitted to him about his real intentions. But Jaemin had just hugged him and told Ten that he wasn’t a horrible person, because he had eventually refused to make Jaemin do the mission, so the boy didn’t hate him.
Ten had cried into his shoulder, and the young boy had stroked his hair until he was asleep, and had even cooked breakfast for him in the morning, leading to another sob session that had more happy tears than sad.Jaemin had stayed in the Ten’s apartment from then on, Ten treating him like a son. He would do anything for the boy, and it would instantly make his day better when he saw the boy’s toothy grin,
But Ten hates himself for being the Jaemin had to rely on, because Ten was one of the most wanted men in his dangerous world, and a beautiful target who had a huge price on his head. He was constantly plagued with the idea of Jaemin being in danger, all because of him, to be used as ransom and bait that Ten would no doubt run right into. Jaemin would always tell him that it was ok, and he was amazing, and that he was the best carer he could ever have, and that he was his family and he loved him.
And even though Jaemin knew he was in some kind of danger, and even though he knew that Ten has many secrets not yet revealed, and that he didn’t know everything about the man that softly sung him to sleep, he never, ever left Ten’s side- and Ten loved him for that.
“You seem off today,” Jaemin’s quiet voice pierced through Ten’s thoughts, and the man looked down to grin at the young boy.
“How do you know me so well?”
“I’ve tolerated you for 3 years- I know a heap load of shit right now.”
Ten pinched the boy’s cheek, laughing when he tried to swat his hands away.
“So,” Jaemin said looking up at the black haired man, “ what’s wrong?”
Jaemin knew very little about Ten’s past, and Ten was reluctant to share everything in one night. Heck, not even Kun knew past the main points, and even those Ten had confessed while really drunk. Ten traced the boy's forehead, tickling it slightly. He knew he had to tell Jaemin about the mission, but he couldn’t reveal too much ( and maybe he was scared that speaking of it might hit harder than he expected it to.)
“I’ve got a mission,” Ten started, booping Jaemin’s nose, “and it requires me to travel somewhere, and stay for more than 3 months.”
“Take me with you.”
“Hell no,“ Ten scoffed gently, waggling his finger in the boy’s frowning face, “ I’ve never let you come on my normal missions before, so what makes you think I’ll take you on a trip to one of the most dangerous areas you could go to?”
“But I’ll be all alooooneee,” Jaemin whined, sitting up, and placing Louis on the floor.
“I’m taking you to WinWin’s” Ten replied, sighing when the boy huffed, “ It won’t be that long. I’ll come back as soon as I can, I promise.”
Jaemin looked like he was going to argue for a minute, but then he said, “Where exactly are you going?”
“NeoCity,” Ten said casually, hoping Jaemin couldn’t sense the shakiness in his voice. But the boy seemed to be lost in thought and missed the falter in Ten’s tone, and Ten sighed in relief as he fell back against his bed, gesturing for the young boy to join him.
“Actually,hyung...” Jaemin said, getting off the bed and backing up to the door, “ I think i’ll go to bed now...” and he ran out of the room, leaving a surprised and confused Ten who sighed.
He needed sleep,
****************
“Welcome to NeoCity! Please proceed to the front of the airport to retrieve your bags.”
Ten obeyed the robotic voice echoing throughout the busy airport, and eventually had collected his two suitcases. He sat down on a nearby bench for a while, trying to collect his thoughts. He was dressed in a black suit with black shades, trying to give the appearance of arriving in NeoCity for a business trip. All his fake IDs were carefully stashed away, along with key documents and files hidden in unsuspectable places . He would still go by the name Ten Lee, but when he would meet the various people for information about the chip, he would use fake aliases and occupations.
The mission was one Ten had done many times, but the fact that he was back in the city he swore to forget was rattling him to the core. He would never show his fear, on the outside, but he couldn’t just let it eat him up on the inside.He shook his head firmly, the shades on his nose nearly slipping off.
Get your shit together Ten Lee, just get through the meeting, stay careful for the first two weeks, and then Lucas and Xiaojun would join you to help grab the chip, and you can get out of this hell hole.
Ten looked out of the big window behind him, where he could perfectly see the bustling city. He often thought the place was like him. Beautiful and attractive and pleasing on the outside, but if you delved deeper, as you got to know it more, you’d find out everything was not as it seemed, and you’d want to escape but it’s already too late.
Most of the population knew of the gangs that lived amongst them, even the government and the police knew, but they had very little power compared to the organisations, and after all, they were also humans, and would require their services too. There were 3 major organisations in the city, Ten remembered. The south was controlled by ShINee, the East was controlled by EXO, and the North and the West was controlled by 127. Ten knew of the gangs and their members, and there was no doubt they knew of the infamous Ten Lee as well. His name was whispered throughout regions, between higher ups and the common people. They talked about his looks, his brain, his skills, his words, his eyes, his smile, anything they could get their hands on. It didn’t really bother Ten of how he was talked about by thousands of people, and he was able to walk through the streets as freely as he could and not worry about a single finger touching him, even if he wore a neon name tag stuck to his forehead (and yes Kun had scolded him for that for about 3 hours, but Ten had slept through it so he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t do it again.)
His phone suddenly buzzed, notifying him that he had received a message from WayV asking him if he had arrived yet. He replied that he had, and he stood up reluctantly, knowing it was time for him to go settle in one of the apartments Kun had organised for him. As he walked through the automatic door, he noticed how vibrant hair some people had , multi-coloured heads bobbing up and down around him. A blue shade of hair caught his eyes and he smiled bitterly, thinking of the blue haired boy he had left at WinWin’s. Jaemin hadn’t been as reluctant as he thought he would be, and had just sat in silence for the entire car ride, looking deep in thought, and had only nodded when a Ten kissed his forehead goodbye.
Ten wished he could always be there for the boy, but his job didn’t allow that, and he sadly walked towards the taxi stop, until a loud noise caught his ears. He whipped his head around when he heard a boy shouting and men laughing, and his face contorted to one of horrification as he realised they were on the verge of assaulting the tearful boy. They were in the corner of a nearby lane, Ten being the only witness. The Thai had already put down his suitcase, ready to run up and stop the men, when he realised that boy was the blue-headed boy he had saw a while ago.
Blue hair.
Big eyes.
Toothy grin.
Except now his eyes were full of tears, and his mouth was letting out whimpers as he desperately backed up against the wall.
It was Jaemin.
Ten didn’t know much about what happened next, but all he recollected, was that he saw red.