Chapter Text
Kim Namjoon got out of his car, buttoning up his jacket and adjusting his cuffs. His advisor and close friend, Min Yoongi, joined him and watched him close the car door. "Are you sure you're going to do this? It's a big deal..."
Namjoon smiled calmly and headed towards the entrance of the restaurant. "We need them to get access to Japan, Yoongi. No one trades narcotics across the East Sea without their permission. It's this or another war in the streets."
"Why we even want to trade with the fucking Japanese is beyond me," Yoongi mumbled as he followed Namjoon into the restaurant.
Namjoon rolled his eyes, before turning to the host who greeted him with a slight bow. "I've reserved a private table for four!"
"Of course, mister Kim. Follow me, please," The omega said as he turned around, guiding the two towards a shielded away space, where a table was laid out for four persons. He waited for Namjoon and Yoongi to take place. "Can I get you anything to drink while you're waiting for your company? Our sommelier's recommendation, perhaps?"
"Please," Namjoon affirmed, and when the host left them alone he took a look around. The restaurant looked exactly the same as last week. His last couple of meetings had all been in the restaurant, an upcoming habit that had not gone unnoticed by his friend.
Yoongi observed Namjoon in silence, waiting for his friend to get back to earth. When Namjoon didn't return to him, he broke the silence. "So, is there a reason why we have been going to the exact same restaurant on the same exact day for 8 weeks already? Is the food you're ordering that good?"
"Hm?" Namjoon turned to him with a confused frown. "You said something?"
With a sigh, Yoongi shook his head. "No, never mind. Just wondering what you like so much about this place."
After a small pause, Namjoon shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a nice place."
Yoongi didn't believe it one bit. He knew Namjoon, better than anyone else. Something about this place was on the alpha's mind. Something that had been taking his focus for the last couple of weeks. "Whatever you say, Hyung-nim."
Namjoon shot him a glare but looked away when an omega waiter approached the table, carrying an ice bucket with wine. Both alphas recognized the omega, as the boy had been in charge of serving their tables multiple times.
"Good afternoon, sirs," The omega greeted them, with a charming smile, as he reached out the bottle of wine towards Namjoon's wineglass. "This is a pinot noir from Domaine Leroy, from the year 2009. I hope it satisfies your taste."
After looking at the bottle in the boy's hands for a second, observing the label, Namjoon picked up his glass and quickly tasted the wine. He nodded curtly and watched the boy smile and pour the red liquid into Yoongi's glass. His eyes did not leave the omega's smile, which, even in the dim lighting of the restaurant, seemed to shine.
Eventually, when the boy had left the secluded space, the host walked in followed by an alpha and beta; the man in control of the East sea and his mate. The two Namjoon and Yoongi had been waiting for.
Namjoon greeted them welcoming, shaking their hands and gesturing them to take a seat. "Lee Hyunmin, it's an honor to finally meet you in real life. And it's nice to meet you too, Son Nari." He nodded towards Yoongi, who had stood up when the two had walked in. "This is Min Yoongi, my right hand."
Where Hyunmin had taken the warm welcome with a smile, Nari seemed to be two steps away from glaring at the two alphas that were to be the business partners of her mate. Namjoon had heard of her, Hyunmin's ice queen. She would be the real one he had to convince, Namjoon was told.
"I hope this meeting isn't an inconvenience, I heard that you are very busy at the moment," Namjoon started when everyone had sat down.
Hyunmin laughed and shook his head. "Oh, of course, it's not. The Kim Namjoon calls, saying he wants to discuss a deal, I'm not turning that opportunity down, even if it means having to clear my agenda."
"You're stroking my ego," Namjoon grinned. "But let's delay the business talk for a while, I heard your pup got into Yonsei University, how marvelous. What was her name again… Lee Seongmin?"
And so a nice conversation came into existence. Mostly in between Namjoon and Hyunmin, Yoongi and Nari stayed rather silent. Be it because both of them just were not as social as their partner, or because they had reasons to be wary of the other side.
One thing that Yoongi always admired about Namjoon was the alpha's ability to present himself in particular manners. The kind host. The serious businessman. The calculating owner. Whichever situation they were in, whatever thoughts were going through the alpha's mind, Namjoon could get into a specific role and stay in that role for as long as needed, even when he wanted to kill the alpha in front of him just as badly as Yoongi. Business is business.
The afternoon slowly got darker, the moon being the only light source to see the outside from their point of view. The hours rolled by, and the small talk had finally transitioned into business, and Yoongi finally joined the conversation. Nari stayed silent, watching the discussion from the sideline like a hawk waiting for a rodent to leave its hole.
"I understand that Japan has a big market, I do. But I have to be finicky with who I let through. The tax is just a small price compared to the worth of access!" Hyunmin contended.
Yoongi interrupted him. "With all due respect, the worth will depend on what a person does with it. Are you really letting a lousy gang with no stable fundament cross because they pay you monthly? Do you not see you can get more than just money out of this? This can be a partnership!"
Hyunmin's claim on transport between Korea and Japan was widely known. He tried to control every little occurrence, but every now and then, a group does not recognize his claim because, frankly, outside the transport business he just isn't a big fish.
Hyunmin frowned and shifted his glance between the two alphas in front of him. Besides him, Nari finally showed a different emotion than distrust. Curiosity. "What is he talking about?"
Because where Hyunmin might not be that much of a big shot, Namjoon was everything that the words 'big shot' represented, and more.
"If I'm going to pay a small fortune for access then I want to be sure that some lousy criminal is not going to be crossing the sea for free. Accept the deal and I'll help you enforce your policy. Make sure no one gets to Japan without your permission, without asking for anything except free passage."
Nari and Hyunmin shared a look, realizing what the alpha's words meant. Hyunmin turned back to Namjoon. "And why would you just help me? Someone with your power can easily just do whatever he wants."
"Your system eliminates competition from small parties. It's easier to manipulate prices in an oligarchy. Heavily monitored narcotic transport makes me a lot more money than a free market. It's simple economics," Namjoon stated. "Helping you will be helpful for me."
The cogs in Hyunmin's brain were rotating over time, not knowing how to react in the face of such an opportunity. "...And how will you help enforce the policy?"
Namjoon shrugged. "First, let the word get out I'm backing your claim on the East Sea. Then, I'll finance your briberies of port security. Get my men into their security. The first couple guys who get through, I'll make an example of them, and-"
Out of nowhere, Namjoon fell silent. Yoongi frowned but realized soon enough that the waiter had entered their dining space. It was not out of the ordinary for people in their line of business to choose not to talk about work in front of outsiders, but still, Namjoon had noticed the waiter very quickly. Yoongi wondered if Namjoon thought something was off about the omega, that that is why he was so cautious around him.
"I hope you're doing great!" The waiter beamed as he put down a couple of plates filled with delicious meals. "Is there anything I can do for any of you?"
"Oh, if you could," Hyunmin started as he pointed towards the ice bucket, hinting towards the bottle in it.
With a smile, the waiter nodded. He picked up the bottle from the bucket "Of course."
And then it happened, faster than a lightning bolt. With the open bottle in his hand, the omega tripped on something. The sudden and shocking movement caused the red liquid to spill out of its container, unfortunately landing on the dress of the beta woman.
Nari let out a high-pitched yelp, and the three alphas stood up, alarmed by the sudden incidence. Hyunmin instantly went to help his mate.
The omega, who had managed to avoid his fall by searching the sturdy surface of the table to lean on, froze when he realized what had happened. He immediately got into action, grabbing a napkin from the table. "Oh lord, I am so sorry, madame."
Nari shoved away his helping hand and glared at him, furiously. She stood up, as the dark liquid dripped down her dress and drained the fabric. "You- You absolute idiot! Look what you've done!"
"I-" The omega stammered as he visibly cowered away from the woman.
Namjoon had left his seat. "Hey, now. Let's keep this peacef-"
"Don't!" Hyunmin snapped, which surprised Namjoon. Hyunmin took his supporting hands off his mate's shoulder, who was furiously trying to get the wine off her dress, and stepped closer to the waiter, who with every step backward seemed to crouch even more. "You listen here, you little shit. That dress cost more than you're fucking paycheck. You're going to apologize and hand over compensation!"
Namjoon watched the man yell at the waiter with a hidden fury hiding behind his eyes.
"I'm- I'm so sorry," the omega stuttered. "But I- I- can't pay for the dress- I don't have the money for it."
That seemed to piss off Hyunmin even more. "Oh, you useless fucking bitch!"
Smack!
The handprint of Hyunmin turned red on the waiter's cheek and something in Namjoon snapped when he watched the omega stumble back, hand against his cheek and tears in his eyes.
In a matter of seconds, Namjoon had Hyunmin by his collar. "Apologize and get. out."
Hyunmin looked him in the eyes like a dear looked into the headlights of a car. "Huh?"
Namjoon felt a hand of Yoongi on his shoulder, and his friend's voice pleading him to let go of the man, but he ignored him. He held Hyunmin very close and whispered with a threatening voice: "Get. Out!"
The incident must have made lots of noise, because a couple of restaurant staff, including the host and security, had entered the space. Noticing the hurt waiter, the host helped the omega away, while the security hesitated if they should interrupt the two men. One of them was one of the most important men in the country, after all.
Hyunmin kept silent, his mind completely frozen. But his mate, Nari, pleadingly tried to pry her mate out of Namjoon's hands. "We'll leave!" She stressed, begging the alpha to let go. "We'll leave, Hyung-nim immediately!"
Finally, Namjoon let go. He threw the alpha in the beta's arms, venom in his words. "I better never see you again!"
The two didn't know how fast they could leave, and after Namjoon growled at the staff to leave too, he was finally alone. Except for Yoongi, of course.
"What the fuck was that about?" Yoongi spat as he watched Namjoon sit back down and take a sip of his wine. "Don't you realize that we just lost the deal with him? We were so close!!"
Namjoon didn't respond, almost as if his mind wasn't present at that moment. He just drank, until he had finished his glass. "We'll just have to bring him down, we can just as easily take over his claim and policy. As he said, someone with my power can easily just do whatever I want."
Yoongi looked at him in disbelief. Just a couple of hours ago, Namjoon told him that it was the deal or war, and he choose the deal. "And suddenly you are ok with war just because he hit a waiter? Since when do you care about some random restaurant waiter?"
Namjoon smashed his glass on the table, and Yoongi froze. He had never seen Namjoon lose his cool like that. Namjoon took a deep breath. "Please, Yoongi, leave me alone for a while. Go sit in the car and get some work done, or call a cab and go home already. I need to think."
It felt wrong to leave his friend when it was obvious that he wasn't feeling good, but in the end, Namjoon is also his boss, so Yoongi quietly retreated and left the man. "I'll be in the car, Hyung-nim. Please don't take too long."
Now completely alone, Namjoon exhaled and grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine that the waiter had managed to not break, and brought the tip of the thing to his lip. This was not how he wanted the night to go. He just wanted to have a peaceful business conversation, get access to Japan, and get a glance at the omega waiter. Instead, the deal was off the table, he had a conflict in his hands, and the waiter got hurt. What a fucking disappointment of a night.
And his peace and silence did not last long too. When he was almost done with the bottle, the host of the restaurant approached him with an anxious look on his face. "I'm so sorry for that… unlucky occurrence, sir. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Namjoon sighed and put the bottle back down. "Clean up the table and get me the bill, I'm leaving soon."
The host lowered his head and nodded. "Of course, sir."
Watching the host pick up the plates and glasses, Namjoon reached for the pack of cigarettes that he had in his pocket. Taking a cigarette and a lighter, he lit the stick up and inhaled softly. He frowned as he watched the host look at him uncomfortably. "What?"
"I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I'm afraid we don't allow smoking inside the restaurant," The host replied with his head lowered, fiddling his hands.
For a second, Namjoon wanted to ignore the omega, but he groaned and stood up. "Whatever. I'm leaving."
Without giving the host another look or mentioning anything about paying, Namjoon walked away, through the public dining hall towards the exit, cigarette still burning. What a fucking shithole of a restaurant.
He approached his car, and leaned against it. It was cold and dark outside, but the icy wind did wonders for the brain. He slowly exhaled and watched a cloud of grey smoke slowly spiral into the sky.
Maybe five minutes went by, and Namjoon almost didn't move. He just didn't feel like getting into the car yet and having to face Yoongi who had dozen of questions by now. His cigarette was so small it started to burn his fingers, so he threw it on the ground and put the point of his shoe on the small cigarette butt, stamping out the fire.
When he looked back up, he saw a figure moving through the dark night, from the restaurant. Taking a better look, he realized it was the waiter, and immediately perked up. "Hey! You!"
The omega, upon hearing the deep voice call out to him, tensed up and turned towards him. When he realized it was the man from the restaurant, he paled and hastily lowered his head. "Sir! I apologize for ruining your business dinner. I am so so sorr-"
"Don't be," Namjoon inclined, with a soft smile appearing. "You tripped over her handbag, I saw it. She shouldn't have placed her stuff in the walking area. I am sorry for what happened!"
The omega frowned and looked up. Did he see what really happened? "You don't have to apologize, sir. It was not you who caused the incident."
"But my guest were the ones who did, and as I was the one who invited them here, I am partly responsible for their behavior. Don't worry, it won't happen again."
"I know, because I won't be here again," The boy muttered bitterly. "They got me fired."
Namjoon froze. Fired? So he won't be able to see the omega again here? "Fired? But you did nothing wrong. It wasn't your fault that there was a handbag on the floor, it shouldn't have been there!"
With a sad smile, the boy shrugged. "Doesn't matter to them. I failed to do my job correctly, so I got fired. It's more than logical."
No, no, no. Namjoon didn't like that. He couldn't just let this boy leave the restaurant, god knows where he goes. "Listen, …"
"Jeongguk."
"Jeongguk, I am so sorry for this whole incident. If I can do anything for you, I…"
"Don't worry sir, I'll get over it. I'll just go look for a job elsewhere. It's the hospitality industry, there always are people needed somewhere."
Something came to mind and Namjoon nodded softly. "Yes, there are always people needed!" He paused, trying to formulate his question. "I happen to own a couple of restaurants, I could take a look if they have some open positions if you want to."
Jeongguk's eyes light up. "Really? That would be really kind, sir."
"Yeah, sure, I…" Namjoon searched his pockets for his phone. "If I could get your number I could contact you about any vacancy."
With a smile, Jeongguk took Namjoon's phone and started to type out his information. "I really don't know how to possibly thank you, sir. This is really generous of you."
Namjoon's heart warmed up at Jeongguk's happiness. He took back his phone and looked at the contact Jeongguk had added. jeon jeongguk (from the restaurant). He put the phone back in his pocket. "Get home safely, Jeongguk. I will contact you soon."
Jeongguk murmured a thank you for the last time, before taking off, walking through the dark city. Namjoon watched him disappear into the shadows and finally got in his car.
Inside sat Yoongi, tablet in his hands and frown on his face. "What the fuck was that about?"
"The waiter, Jeongguk. He got fired. I need you to find out if any of the restaurants under my name have a vacancy for a waiter or something similair," Namjoon inquired as he turned to the driver. "Home, please."
And now Yoongi was even more confused. With narrowed eyes, he turned on his tablet. "And why would I do that? Are you just going to help a random stranger only because he got fired?"
'Just fucking do it."