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In hindsight, Seokjin should have been more wary while taking a detour this late. He had spent too many hours at the office, and while walking to the subway, remembered that he should pick up something from the convenience store.
He could have gotten it some other day, but in his defense, his brain cells were too tired to think too much, and he had taken the detour.
And ended up being attacked in a dark alleyway by some gangsters, as one does when they make stupid decisions late in the night.
Unlike the movies, they didn't waste time monologuing and with some cliche dialogue that contained the phrase "pretty boy", and instead went directly to grabbing him by his hands and shoving him against a wall.
Seokjin screamed as loud as he could, a skill he was practically gifted with. All he got for his efforts was a rough hand shoved against his mouth, while other people grabbed at his bag.
"Shut your mouth, fucker!" One of his assailants growled, specifically the one that had his hand clamped over Seokjin's mouth.
Seokjin tried to struggle and get away, but their grips were strong, and he was outnumbered. He just hoped that they were only after his money, rather than the worse alternatives out there. He bit into the hand, the man letting him go with a loud curse.
"This bitc–"
Seokjin yelled again and fought against the hands that had him pinned, dread settling in his gut as he wondered if this was a bad idea. Should he have just been docile so that they'd take his money and go? But what if they wanted to stab him or something? Or what if–
His breath hitched when he saw more people emerge from the darkness, all of them jumping into action and grabbing the men that had assaulted Seokjin. It was a mess of limbs and bodies and general confusion, and the man had absolutely no idea what was going on. But somewhere in the chaos he had been released from the hold, so he took his chance and made a run for it, pure adrenaline powering him as he pushed through people and tried to go back to the main road.
Someone grabbed his wrist before he had run a few steps, and Seokjin paled when he saw a big, burly man looking down at him. He screamed again, frantically looking behind the man to see that the fight seemed to have settled down (way too fast), and all the remaining people were looking at him.
"Come with us," a man ordered, presumed leader of the little gang.
"No way in hell!" Seokjin yelled back, trying to wrestle free from the grip. He quickly shut up when the other men took a few steps closer, realizing the danger he was in.
Should he just comply? But what if things turned out worse if he went with them?
But considering he'd been yelling so long and no one had come in to help till now, what chances did Seokjin have of escaping in an area this deserted?
"There's no need to fear, we'll not harm you," the man continued, gesturing towards the fallen men in the background. "We even took care of these people that attacked you."
Seokjin narrowed his eyes. "If you care so much, why can't you just let me go so I can go home?"
That earned him an apologetic look, and at least the burly guy let go of his wrist. But a glance back told Seokjin that he had no chance of running away, because the gangsters stood there, blocking the alley.
"I'm sorry, but you have accidentally trespassed the area of a rival gang, and they'd be angry when news of this reaches their ears. We can handle it, but we'd prefer you to be safe in our area until someone comes to pick you up. We must make haste."
"I'm pretty sure I'll be safe in crowded public place too!" Seokjin argued. He was a civilian, the rival gang or whatever can just go after these people.
The man shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't do that, our boss will punish us if we let a VIP like you return without making sure you are okay, especially in a risky situation like this. And we apologise in advance for this."
"Wha–"
Two people came and grabbed him by the hands, not tight enough to hurt but enough that Seokjin couldn't get out of their hold. They marched him over to a non descript black car, forcing him to get in. If this was how they treated their VIPs, then someone needed to have words with them about proper hospitality.
He gulped nervously, trapped in the back seat with the burly man on one side and a woman on his other. The man who had been talking to him got in the passenger seat, and the last remaining seat was occupied by the driver. He assumed the other members had different vehicles, and he wondered exactly how many people were there. But they all shared a similar appearance, scarred and pierced and what one would imagine a stereotypical gangster to look like.
"W-what did you mean? When you called me a VIP?" He mustered up the courage to ask, hoping at least one of these people would answer him. So far they didn't seem like they intended to harm him, although Seokjin was aware how quickly that could change.
There was silence in the car, and just when Seokjin was about to give up on getting a reply, the man from before spoke up.
"If you're not aware…then I feel it's best to hear the explanation from the boss."
Seokjin frowned harder at that. Fuck, he'd had his share of stalkers, but was this boss a particular persistent one? Was he considered VIP because there was a gang leader who was obsessed over him? Jesus, was Namjoon safe?
He didn't ask anymore questions until they had arrived at their destination, the man having a feeling that he wouldn't get any answers. His eyes had been constantly scanning for a way out, but to his dismay, the car had tinted windows so he couldn't see the route they were taking, and he had absolutely no clue where the building that he was hastily ushered in was located. And his phone had been in the bag that his initial assailants had snatched, and Seokjin had absolutely no clue what happened to it.
One thing for sure, this place was swanky as hell, almost bordering on gaudy. People lined the corridor that Seokjin was marched through, bowing as the little group passed. Seokjin assumed that the people escorting him must be high up on the gang hierarchy, and that honestly made him even more scared. Was he ever going to get out? Namjoon would certainly call the police once he noticed Seokjin was extremely late in coming back home, and hopefully, they'd trace Seokjin's usual route and find some proof to his location in that alley.
He was escorted into an excessively opulent room, with chandeliers and leather sofas and what not.
Seokjin was asked to make himself comfortable, the leader-man (what should Seokjin even call him?) gesturing to another person to come in with some wine. Seokjin refused the drinks, although he did take a seat on one of the sofas.
Leader man bowed–because that was his nickname for eternity now in Seokjin's mind. "Boss will be here soon, please be patient."
He then gestured to yet another person, who came forward with Seokjin's bag. Leader man took it from her, handing it to Seokjin. "We made sure that we collected all belongings, but please check. Your phone is still with us for safety reasons since you still seem to distrust us, but you can use one of ours to call your husband to pick you up."
Seokjin jolted, almost getting back on his feet. "How the fuck do you know about my husband?"
Leader man paused, before saying something about inferring it from the golden ring on Seokjin's finger. He drew up to his full height and was about to call bullshit on that, but before he got the chance, a man swept into the room like a force of chaos.
Seokjin blinked at him, taking a minute to wrap his head around his get up. Bright blonde–more like yellow– hair that was gelled up, piercings adorning his ears and eyebrows, tattoos peeking up collar and sleeves, and a purple leather suit. If someone asked him what a stereotypical gangster would look like, Seokjin would have pointed at this man (except maybe his imagination would have changed the suit to something more casual, like a leopard print shirt?). He did look incredibly terrifying though, and Seokjin wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't intimidated.
Everyone around him scrambled to bow way too deeply, so Seokjin rightly assumed this was the boss he had been told about. He was wondering whether he was supposed to bow or not, but the boss directed a blinding smile at him, a complete opposite of the glare he had walked in with.
"Seokjin-ssi! It's such an honor to finally meet you, I'm so regretful that I couldn't attend your wedding! I'm Min Jungjae!"
Seokjin paled, the stalker theory sounding awfully probable right now. "How– how the fuck do you know my name!? And about my wedding!?"
Something changed in the boss's expression, and he seemed almost…awkward? "Ah, did your husband not tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Seokjin demanded, mind whirling.
"You'd have to ask him, it's not my place to tell," the boss replied seriously, shaking his head. "I can understand why he'd have reservations."
Seokjin opened his mouth, but closed it again, unsure what to say.
"I've taken the liberty to call him," Jungjae continued. "He'll be here in a while to pick you up, and I'll have some of my boys escort you. I've been briefed about the situation, and it may not seem to make much sense but we cannot let you go alone, even with the boys accompanying you. It's a… delicate situation."
"How do you guys know Namjoon?" Seokjin asked, frustrated at everyone being all mysterious and not telling him shit.
The boss made a patronizing shushing motion, which irked Seokjin even more. "As I said, best hear it from him. He'll be here in what, twenty minutes? I wouldn't trust him to not break the speeding limits when you're concerned. See you then, Seokjin-ssi."
And with that he gave an annoying smirk, striding out of the room. Leader man and bag lady bowed and followed him, leaving Seokjin alone in the room with three of the henchmen standing near the walls. Guards, although for him or to prevent him from escaping, he couldn't tell.
He sat down with a sigh, bored out of his mind but too strung up to relax. He was essentially trapped here, at the mercy of some kind of eccentric gang leader who may or may be a stalker. Wonderful.
At least there was a too-large (and too grand) clock in the room that let him know how long he had to wait, and Seokjin was dismayed to know that counting the tiles on the floor and then having a staring contest with one of the henchmen who looked rather like a bunny, only took up fifteen minutes.
There was hushed whispering around Seokjin about "sunbae-nim is here", but he didn't give it a second thought, assuming it was some high ranked member of the gang that had nothing to do with him. That is, until he could hear the formal greetings to this sunbae getting closer to his room, which meant that he was walking in that direction– did the boss send him?
That was until he saw his beautiful, gorgeous husband walk into the room, and everything in Seokjin relaxed for what felt like the first time that day.
"Namjoon!" He called out, scrambling to his feet. Namjoon was faster though, crossing the distance in two big strides and engulfing Seokjin in a warm, safe, hug.
"God, I was so worried," Namjoon breathed out, caressing the back of Seokjin's head and hiding the older's face in his shoulder. "When I got the call about you being here…I feared for the worst."
The younger then separated from the hug, holding Seokjin's at an arm's length and looking him over. Seokjin didn't know what kind of expression he might be making, but he knew that something in him settled now that Namjoon was with him. Even if they were stuck in this…gangster hideout with people that knew way too much of his personal information somehow.
"You're fine?" Namjoon murmured, eyes still roving over Seokjin's frame to see if he missed anything.
"I am," Seokjin nodded. "Just got a scare."
He trailed off, seeing that Namjoon had narrowed his eyes and was staring down at something, face carefully blank. Seokjin followed his gaze, landing on his bandaged wrist that had been hidden behind his sweater sleeve.
"You're hurt," his husband stated, voice measured and controlled.
"We took care of all the injuries!" One of the gangsters butted in before Seokjin could reassure him that it was barely a bruise. Namjoon turned towards the man with a raised eyebrow, the other person bowing in deference. "Sunbae-nim."
"Injuries? As in multiple?" Namjoon asked, and Seokjin would have marveled at how sexy he sounded with his deep, dangerous voice if he wasn't too stunned at the realization that his husband was being treated with respect by literal gangsters which was nothing if not suspicious.
Seokjin opened and closed his mouth, feeling slightly hysterical. Of course the leader of the whole crew had to turn up then, because why not? The man seemed delighted to see Namjoon there, and his smile grew even more when he saw Seokjin in Namjoon's arms. "Sunbae-nim! I'm glad to see you here!"
"I told you to call me hyung," Namjoon said with a resigned sigh, focusing on the completely wrong thing in Seokjin's opinion.
"You're involved with a gang!?" Seokjin screeched, finally finding his words. Everyone in the room turned to stare at him, and he'd have been embarrassed if he wasn't so high strung. Why was his husband part of a gang? Why wasn't Seokjin told? Wasn't this the kind of information you tell someone before marriage at least?
"Kim Namjoon! Why did you never bring this up!? I'm your husband, for God's sake!"
"Ah, no no, it's nothing like that," the leader interrupted, casually waving his hand. His henchmen seemed a little panicked, but Seokjin didn't budge from the glare he was giving Namjoon.
He crossed his arms, briefly turning to the leader. A part of him noticed that the man had sent away all the other members, and it was just them in the room. "And what is it like?"
Namjoon pointed lightly at the leader–Jungjae, because Seokjin really needed to remember his name already– a stupidly casual look on his face. It was cute, he looked like an innocent samoyed, especially with his large white hoodie and prescription glasses, and Seokjin had to remind himself to focus.
"This guy? It's nothing big, hyung, I just tutored this kid when he was in high school."
Seokjin blinked. "What?"
Namjoon cocked his head with a cute smile, the one that made his eyes all scrunched up. "They were such troublemakers, but they turned out to be good kids."
"Sunbae-nim!" Jungjae said, not looking the least bit embarrassed despite his tone. If anything, he actually seemed a little…proud?
Seokjin watched in horror as Namjoon went and ruffled the carefully slicked back hair of a gang leader. "I'll stop telling stories when you start calling me hyung."
"I– what?" Seokjin repeated, feeling very out of his depth. Namjoon gave him a sympathetic smile, gently taking him by the arm.
"Let me explain at home?"
"But sunbae-nim just got here! And this is my first time meeting your husband because you've been hiding him from us!" Jungjaw protested, but he didn't seem serious. "You're mean, sunbae. Either way, my boys would meet you at the gate."
Namjoon nodded in thanks, turning to Seokjin. "Shall we? The sooner you're home, the better you'd feel."
Seokjin let out a slow breath, briefly closing his eyes. "Home. Yeah, that sounds nice."
"The food's here!" Namjoon grinned, depositing all the bags on the coffee table. He had insisted on Seokjin not doing anything strenuous after the night he had, and honestly, Seokjin was inclined to agree. So he gave in with no arguments when Namjoon mentioned ordering dinner instead of Seokjin cooking anything ("I could make something basic, but hyung would feel better with something really delicious, right?").
"It smells heavenly," Seokjin sighed in satisfaction, accepting the chopsticks and bowl of noodles that Namjoon handed him. "Thanks, Joon-ah."
"Aish, I did nothing, hyung."
Those words were false, considering this caring man had also drawn Seokjin a nice, hot bath and massaged his shoulders, but Seokjin's mouth was too busy to retort.
(Oh well, he can always show his appreciation later. His big bear wasn't normally keen on hugs unless he was the one who initiated them, but he loved it when Seokjin gave him morning kisses.)
They were halfway through the meal before Seokjin found the energy in himself to bring up what happened that night. Namjoon seemed to be anticipating it the entire time, and it was kind of fun to see him get fidgety and nervous compared to his unflappable air back then.
"Sooo, that gang?"
Namjoon shyly rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, there's nothing much to say. They were my underclassmen in high school, and the teacher ended up assigning me to tutor them in the hopes that I'd help them pass– but between you and me, I think her actual goal was making me improve their behaviour more than their grades."
Seokjin frowned. "That feels like the teacher is just pushing her responsibility on you."
Namjoon shrugged. "It kind of was. And I won't lie, they were really big assholes at first but…I guess they mellowed out. I mean, most of them had backstories and stuff and once they learnt how to work it out in a healthier way than violence and delinquency, it was nicer. I know I know–" Namjoon added when he saw Seokjin's frown deepen. "–it's not my job to play therapist, but since I was assigned to tutoring them, I just gave it my best shot. Most of them turned out all right!"
Seokjin patted Namjoon's thigh, gently stroking it with his thumb. He was so proud of this man.
"Wait, it just hit me, they're younger than you?"
Namjoon nodded. "Mm. Jungjae just looks way older than he is because of his sense of style. It's cute though, doesn't he look like a super intimidating boss?"
"He sure does," Seokjin coughed, remembering his thoughts when he first saw the man. And they haven't changed either, despite seeing how he behaved with Namjoon. Knowing his husband, Seokjin won't be surprised if Jungjae is only that docile and polite in Namjoon's presence.
He sighed into his soju. Only Namjoon would manage to have half of Korea's crime syndicate wrapped around his finger while being completely innocent.
"Can you ar least tell them to stop and not kidnap me again!? I still call bullshit on their excuses, the best thing to do would have been to just let me go home."
Namjoon gave a wry smile. "I'll pass it on to them. But in their defense, they really couldn't have let you go home until I arrived. And…it's me that owes hyung an apology for that, since it's kind of my fault?"
Seokjin frowned, silently pressing a dumpling against Namjoon's mouth until the younger ate it. "What do you mean?"
Namjoon chewed silently, face set in an expression that Seokjin knew was his thinking one– knitted eyebrows and jaw clenched.
"Well, most of those kids, they went on to leave the whole delinquent behaviour behind and managed to settle into college or went to have normal jobs, like helping with their family business or opening a ramen store and all. Two of them though, they well…they became gang leaders? I don't really know the details of how it came about but they did have rather large crews even in school, I'm assuming it evolved from there."
Seokjin listened quietly, not knowing what to say despite the concern in his gut. Was it safe for Namjoon to still associate with these people? All of it sounded extremely dangerous.
"You don't have to worry hyung," Namjoon said with a small kiss to Seokjin's cheek, somehow understanding Seokjin's thoughts without the older one vocalizing them.
Seokjin wiped at the noodle sauce Namjoon's lips left on his cheek, eyes not leaving the younger one as he continued his explanation. His husband gave a sheepish smile, wiping his mouth with a napkin before speaking.
"They unfortunately ended up being rival gangs and two of the biggest organized crime groups in Seoul– it's a bit overwhelming to think about, I won't lie. But they have somewhat of a truce when it comes to me and all their members are instructed to keep away from harming me. While I'd have loved for it to extend to you too, I, ah, told them not to."
Namjoon licked his lips, seeming nervous. "I just…don't want any of them to know your face or details, you know? Jungjae and Minhee are okay, but I don't want their underlings to know about you. It's dangerous, being pulled into all this."
Seokjin reached out to gently hold Namjoon's hands, silently telling him that he was okay. After all, if Namjoon didn't have these connections, the night would have turned out far, far worse.
"Yeah um so, to continue, you were in Minhee's territory– and don't worry, I'm sure she'll give her men an appropriate talk down when she finds out what happened– and Jungjae's men thankfully intercepted at the right time. But they couldn't escort you themselves because then you'll seem to be associated with them and it'd just make the situation worse, and Minhee's men can be more vicious than most, so I'm glad they didn't risk just letting you off at a public street, especially so late into the night. It'd have been risky. The best decision was to keep you safe in their area until I came and took us home, since they'd get the hint that you are my guest."
Seokjin's hands shook as the happenings of that night gradually sunk in, and he hated even more how Namjoon could feel it. The man reversed their position, this time him being the one who held Seokjin's hands and pressed a kiss to their back.
"I'm so sorry that you had to get involved in that even when I tried my best to keep you out of it," Namjoon apologized regretfully. "Now that they know your faces and that you're someone close to me…"
The man sighed, a steely determination entering his eyes. "I should have told you all this before, but I hadn't expected that friendships I formed in school would end up playing such a part in our lives. But I'll keep you out of danger, I promise. This will not happen again."
Seokjin wanted to chastise Namjoon for keeping something so important from him, but the man already seemed to feel guilty enough. And it made sense, because did anyone even think about how or what their old classmates are doing outside of school reunions? Seokjin would have never even found out about this if he had stuck to his usual route instead of trying to take a shortcut.
And. Well.
A mischievous smile played on his lips, Namjoon looking surprised by that reaction. Clearly his husband had been expecting to be scolded, or worse.
"Namjoon-ah, not to sound like the most irresponsible person you know, but if I'm to be honest I'd have probably still married you even if you told me all this before. As you should have, mind you."
Namjoon's eyes widened, the younger looking even more surprised. "Wait. Um. Wait you'd have? I honestly thought you might ask for a divorce or something after today's traumatic incident–"
Seokjin cut him off before Namjoon could continue that ridiculous line of thought, because him? Divorcing this wonderful man? Not a chance.
"What bothers me more is the fact that you're the one who's clearly in a dangerous position, but I suppose it's not like you can do anything about it. But promise me that you won't actually get involved with all these…gangs or whatever?"
Namjoon squeezed his hands. "I promise, hyung. Strictly on the correct side of the law."
Seokjin nodded, but he still wasn't completely satisfied with the situation. He knew the things that Namjoon's juniors–and their gangs, by proxy– got up to were most likely awful and horrid, but Seokjin wasn't going to bring danger to their little family by asking Namjoon why he hadn't reported them to the law yet.
He was selfish that way, but as long as his husband stayed safe, he didn't want to think about it.
His thoughts went in another direction instead, and he found himself giggling.
Namjoon gave him a questioning glance, and Seokjin explained with an amused laugh. "It's just the idea of you managing to charm all these scary people just because you were a cool sunbae in high school, it seems like something out of a novel, doesn't it?"
The younger hummed, shy dimples on his cheeks as he leaned in for a kiss. Seokjin allowed him willingly, squealing when Namjoon moved from his lips to kiss his neck and ears, which were always ticklish spots for Seokjin.
"The fact that I managed to somehow bumble my way into charming you is even more novel worthy, if you ask me."
Seokjin blushed, fingers tangling in Namjoon's hair. "Aish, you flirt."
Namjoon laughed, giving him one last kiss. Seokjin would have whined at the loss of contact, but the truth was that he was exhausted, and undoubtedly Namjoon was too.
"To bed?"
His husband nodded, getting up. "You go first, I'll throw these and join you."
Seokjin agreed, stretching with a tired yawn. He was glad it was a weekend next morning and that'd let him sleep in.
"Joon-ah?"
"Mm?"
"Love you," he said softly, avoiding Namjoon's eyes. He was sure his husband had already zoned in on his red ears, but it was the principal of the matter! "Just so you know."
He couldn't see the way Namjoon's face softened or the way the warm smile stretched across his face, because Seokjin was already halfway to the bathroom and was resolutely not turning back, but he didn't need to see it to know. The gentleness in the "Love you too" that Namjoon replied back with was enough to tell him.
Seokjin smiled to himself, closing the door behind him.
( "Namjoon-ah?"
"Mm?" Came the sleepy response.
"Do you wanna have those kids you tutored over for dinner someday?"
There was silence for a while, and then Namjoon turned to face Seokjin with a soft, sleepy smile.
"Sounds nice. Thanks, hyung." )