Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone knew the criminal known as Heli to be a selfless, cold-hearted, old bastard. Could you blame them.

Heli had a reputation of making the police and governments life a living hell, not to mention he would always leave his mark behind everytime he got away. 

Leaving the streets in mishap and destruction. Innocent people killed, buildings destroyed and the words 'DARK MOON' Spray printed on every building in sight.

How it managed to get there without anyone noticing would remain a mystery.

But despite his reputation and the image he had built for himself, Heeseung was a lonely fucking bastard, no amount of money or power could fill the empty feeling he gained everytime he came home to an empty bed.

 Might sound ridicules since he's a criminal but hell, Heeseung needed someone in his damn life before he gave up and turned himself in, his stupid gang members were starting to make him lose patients.

"No! Do it again!" He snapped, pushing the blue prints away as he stood up.

He was in the middle of a meeting, discussing the plan for robbing a newly opened bank ways away from the center of the city. Usually he wouldn't pay attention to small banks but this one was special.

 The Haven safe bank, small yet had a shipment of over three and a half billion won being brought in early tomorrow morning.

And he wasn't gonna miss the opportunity to run that little bank to the ground for that money.

He huffed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair, Idiots, stressing me the fuck out. he grumbled.

"B-Boss we can't do it again. The mission's tomorrow, we won't have enough time." Soojung fumbled nervously, rushing to fix the folded blue prints as his eyes darted around. 

Heeseung bristled as he turned around, his eyes sinister as he rounded the table in long strands,

tugging Soojung by his collar and throwing him against the table in a rage. "Excuse me? Did i hire you to talk back!" He hissed, shaking the poor man harshly.

"I gave you an order and i expect it done by tomorrow morning." He spat, storming out the room angrily.

"I swear I have the most idiotic people working here, you would think with all the money I pay them they can finish their work properly." Heeseung muttered walking back to his office.

He was in a bad mood most days, but what he hated the most was having to deal with the incompetence of everyone around him.

He pushed through the heavy doors and walked to his desk, taking a seat in the soft leather chair. As he leaned back he let out a tired sigh, his eyes closing in frustration.

"Dude. You need to take a chill pill." A voice came followed by the gentle thud of his office door.

Heeseung opened his eyes to see who had entered and was not surprised to find his right hand man, Jay,

"Don't you have your own department to run?" He asked, not in the mood for small talk.

Jay let out a hearty laugh as he walked over to sit on the corner of the large desk, "Don't be so uptight." He teased,

raising an eyebrow at the latter as Heeseung glared at him. "What? Trying to be a good friend here." he added.

"Right," he replied with sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Cause you're so good at being friendly." 

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together. "What do you want?"

"You've been in a pissy mood all week," Jay noted, leaning forward to invade Heeseung's space, "And It's affecting everyone in the damn building. So imma aneed you to chill the fuck out." 

“What exactly do you expect me to do?” Heeseung asked. “Hold hands and sing kumbaya?” 

He pushed back his chair and stood up, circling his desk to stand in front of Jay. “I’m a busy man and the people under me are incompetent. Of course I’m going to be pissed off.” 

Jay rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh as he leaned back on his hands. "Dude. We're about to make a fortune, you should be fucking smiling. Not moping about like an old cranky bastard, you're not scrooge."

“I’ll smile when the deal is closed.” he replied dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. “And stop getting comfortable on my desk. I don’t pay you to lounge around” 

Jay pushed himself off the desk, a smirk on his face. "Oh lighten up, boss" he said, slapping Heeseung on the shoulder as he turned to leave. "Maybe once the deal is closed you'll find yourself someone to have a little fun with." 

"Sweetie, you're gonna be late for school!"

"Coming!"

Yang Jungwon, your basic teenage boy trying to navigate his way through high school. Seriously, there's nothing special about him. At all. Lives in a pretty decent house with pretty decent parents, an older sister and a fluffy white dog. See. Nothing special.

Although one could wish their life would be filled with some sort of excitement instead of the same boring shit five days a week, laying in bed for two days before the cycle restarts. Honestly, pretty surprised he hasn't hopped on a no-return flight yet.

Jungwon fumbled about with his tie before grabbing his bag and rushing out the door, his socked feet padding softly against the wood floors as he rushed about, blowing the hanging bangs from his eyes as he hopped downstairs.

Jungwon reached the bottom of the stairs and saw his mom already waiting by the door, purse and car keys in hand. "Took you long enough," she scolded lightly, "Let's go, you're going to be late."

He quickly finished tying his shoe and grabbed his backpack off the floor, pulling it over his shoulders. "I know, I know."

His mom ushered him out the door and soon they were on their way to school. The car was silent for a few minutes before his mom spoke up. "Im gonna go to that new bank opening up tomorrow morning, i've got the day off, so we could go watch a movie afterwards or do something you like." She smiled.

He perked up at that, the thought of a day at the mall with his mom sounded way better than spending another day at school. "That sounds great," he replied, "Thanks, mom." She hummed softly, turning to him as they came to a red light.

"Maybe, you could tell me what you've been up too, over a few scoops of ice cream at your favourite parlor." Wriggling her brows. 

He gave her a bashful smile, already knowing what she was referring to. "Mom..."

He could feel his cheeks flush as she continued to poke and prod at him while they waited for the light to turn green.

"You need to get a boyfriend," she teased, ruffling his hair affectionately. He quickly batted her hand away, trying to look annoyed but a small laugh escaped his lips. "No, I don't." he retorted, shifting in his seat.

The light turned green and his mom continued to drive, a small smug smile on her face. "I'm just saying, it would be nice if my son brought a nice boy home some day."

Jungwon let out a huff of annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew his mom meant well, but he wasn't in any rush to find a boyfriend. "Can we please change the topic?"

His mom chuckled at his reaction, her good mood was now rubbing off on him and he found himself smiling as well.

He's always had a playful relationship with his Mother, she was mostly the reason why he always went to school with a smile on his face. Their playfulness made it easy to talk to her even during hard times, and he always made sure to be a good son and always help her out.

She was a sweet lady, Jia was her name, she had long dark brown wavy hair that she maintained just as much as her children. Always making sure said children were doing their absolute best at every and anything they wanted.

Despite his mother's constant need to pry and meddle in his love life, Jungwon knew she only wanted what was best for him. She had been there for him through everything, from his first broken heart to his first kiss.

So even if she did annoy the crap out of him most of the time, he couldn't help but love her with all his heart. As they pulled up to the school, she gave him a stern look. "Straight home after club, no detours okay?"

He rolled his eyes, already getting out the car. "I won't, I promise." She waved him off before driving away.

The halls were bustling with students chatting amongst themselves, some rushing to get to class in time and others taking their time, knowing they would be late anyway.

Jungwon manoeuvred his way through the crowd, weaving around groups of people, until he finally made it to his locker.

Jungwon manoeuvred his way through the crowd, weaving around groups of people, until he finally made it to his locker. He punched in the combination and swung open the door, his books tumbling from the top shelf as he reached for the notes he needed for class.

"Whoa, talk about a disorganised mess." A voice came from beside him, followed by a light laugh. He turned to the side to find his best friend, Niki, leaning against the locker next to his. "Haha, very funny," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"You should see my locker, it's even worse," Niki added, grinning as he watched Jungwon shove his books back into his locker. Jungwon closed the locker, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he did so. "I can't imagine anything being messier than that," he said, motioning to his locker.

Niki laughed, pushing off the lockers and falling into step beside Jungwon as they made their way to their first period class. "I'm telling you, I have a lot of stuff in there," Niki continued, "And it's not just school stuff, a lot of it is just random shit I've collected over the years."

Jungwon couldn't help but laugh at his friend's antics. "Random shit? What kind of random shit?" 

"Oh you know, just little things I've found." Niki replied with a shrug. "Like old coins, buttons, rocks, anything that catches my eye, really."

Jungwon raised an eyebrow, "You sound like a magpie, just hoarding random shiny objects." Niki shrugged again, a crooked smile on his face. "What can I say? I like collecting things. It's like my own little treasure trove."

They finally pushed through the doors to their classroom, taking their seats as the teacher began to take attendance.

The rest of the day went by in a blur of classes and lectures. Lunchtime rolled around and the duo found themselves sitting at their usual table, eating their packed lunches. A soft hum was students and the cafeteria television playing the news faded into the background of their chatter.

"Have you heard about that new bank opening?" Niki spoke up, his mouth full of food.

Jungwon looked up from his sandwich. "The one downtown? Yeah, I heard my mom talking about it. We're going there tomorrow." 

"Oh yeah? She planning to open an account?" Niki asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Jungwon nodded, setting down the half-eaten sandwich. "Yeah, she wants to move her money from the old one. Something about better interest rates or whatever."

"Smart move," Niki commented, "My parents are thinking about doing the same."

They both turned their attention back to the tv, the news report now discussing a political function disturbance in town.

"In other news, a popular political function was disturbed by an unknown assailant, leaving seven casualties and one hostage." the report switching to footage of the disturbance. Cars and people were scattered everywhere and it looked like a chaotic scene. 

"The hostage is speculated to be the son of a powerful corporate CEO. The police are currently investigating the incident, however, there hasn't been any progress in finding the perpetrator."

"The police have yet to make an official statement about the perpetrator's identity, but a leading suspect is an enemy of the government and powerful crime overlord known as 'Heli'. Reports have shown that Heli is a mastermind behind several crimes, including robberies and corporate espionage." 

"Heli is known to be ruthless and cunning, always one step ahead of the law authorities. They are feared by both criminals and civilians alike, and their influence seems to be growing daily." 

"Although there is currently no solid evidence pointing to Heli's involvement in the incident, the police are taking the speculation seriously, and are working around the clock to find any leads. We'll keep you updated on any development in the case." The news report ended and the channel switched to a random drama. Niki and Jungwon turned back to their food, their conversation now forgotten.

"Damn, imagine being held hostage by a criminal mastermind like that." Niki said, shaking his head.

Jungwon's expression remained serious, mulling over the news. "That's messed up," he said, pushing his half-eaten lunch away.

"You'd most likely end up kidnapped." Niki teased. "Yeah, not exactly my ideal way to spice up my life," Jungwon replied, finally breaking into a small smile.

Niki chuckled, leaning back against his chair. "You're too good for that anyway. You don't have a 'bad boy' bone in your body." 

"Hey, I can be edgy when I want to!" Jungwon protested, trying to look indignant.

"Uh-huh," Niki replied, rolling his eyes. "You're about as edgy as a balloon." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jungwon asked, feigning offense.

Niki laughed, shaking his head. "It means you're soft. Like a marshmallow. Or a cute little bunny."

Jungwon let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not soft! I can be tough if I want to."

Niki raised his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. "Oh yeah? Let's see then. Show me your best tough face."

Jungwon immediately tried to make an intense, scary face, but all he managed to do was scrunch up his nose and look like a confused puppy.

Niki burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer. "Okay, that's enough tough guy, you're just making yourself look silly." Jungwon finally dropped his act and started laughing too. "Shut up, you're such an ass." swatting at the latter lightly, "You're more likely to get kidnapped than me. You never go home."

Niki stuck out his tongue, grinning. "I'm too smart to get kidnapped. Plus, I keep a close eye out for any suspicious characters. They wouldn't dare mess with me."

Jungwon rolled his eyes again, "Right, you and your hawk eye. You wouldn't know danger if it slapped you in the face."

Niki feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart. "Excuse me, I'll have you know I'm the most observant person in this school. I notice everything."

“Everything but your homework deadline.” Jungwon added. Niki waved a dismissive hand. "Homework is overrated anyway. Besides, I have other things to do besides sit at a desk all day."

Jungwon shook his head, "Like what? Going to abandoned buildings and doing god knows what? That's literally how people get kidnapped." Niki's eyes widened, "Hey, I only go exploring in abandoned buildings sometimes, it's not that bad."

Jungwon raised an eyebrow, "Exactly my point. You're always getting yourself into strange situations."

Niki rolled his eyes, "It's called having a life outside of school. You should try it sometime." Jungwon chuckled, "Oh, I have a life, I'm just not as reckless as you."

"I prefer the word 'adventurous'" Niki retorted, a smirk on his face. "Shut up." Jungwon laughed.

As the day drew to a close, the pair found themselves standing by their lockers, getting ready to go home. Jungwon was putting his books into his backpack, while Niki was busy searching for something in his own locker.

"Hey, you doing anything after school?" Niki asked, sorting through the various trinkets in his locker.

Jungwon glanced over at him and paused, "Please tell me you didn't forget about dance practice," He groaned softly. Niki's head popped out from behind his locker door, a sheepish grin on his face. "Yeah, about that..."

Jungwon let out a long sigh, fully expecting this response. "What is it this time? You double booked yourself or something?" 

Niki shut his locker door and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Kind of? I might have agreed to hang out with some friends from the soccer team. But it's only for a couple of hours, I promise I'll be there for practice." 

Jungwon raised an eyebrow. "And you're just telling me this now? You know we have a performance coming up."

Niki let out an exhale of air, "I know, I know. I should have mentioned it earlier, but you know how forgetful I am. But I'll be there, I swear."

Jungwon huffed, still annoyed. "You're useless sometimes, you know that?"

Niki chuckled, slinging an arm around Jungwon's shoulders. "Maybe, but you love me anyway." Jungwon rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face. "Don't get too cocky, I can find a replacement dance partner."

Niki clutched his chest in mock offence. "You wouldn't dare. We make the perfect team, and you know it."

"Yeah, perfect team when you actually show up," Jungwon teased, playfully pushing Niki away.

Niki feigned offense, "I always show up! Like...ninety percent of the time." 

"More like sixty percent of the time." Jungwon corrected, zipping up his backpack.

Niki shrugged, a cheeky grin still on his face. "Details, details. The point is, I always come through in the end."

"You better," Jungwon replied, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Or I'll hunt you down and drag you to practice myself."

Niki laughed, raising his arms in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll be there. Cross my heart and hope to die." Jungwon rolled his eyes again, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before."

Niki gave him a final pat on the shoulder. "You worry way too much. Relax, I'll be there." he said, before sauntering off towards the school exit.

Jungwon watched him go for a moment, sighing to himself. Niki always had a way of getting himself out of trouble, and as much as Jungwon could never stay mad at his friend for long, he knew Niki's tendency to flake at the last minute was going to give him grey hair one day.

Pushing those thoughts away, Jungwon adjusted his backpack and turned to make his way to the dance studio for practice.

The dance studio was located at the backside of the school grounds, away from the hustle and bustle of the main building. The room was fairly large, with mirrors covering one of the walls, and a row of windows that provided ample natural light.

As Jungwon approached the door, he could hear the faint sound of music coming from inside. Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of several students already there, stretching and warming up.

"Hey, Jungwon!" someone called out, and he turned to find Yeji one of the other dancers, waving at him.

"Your boyfriend still bunking?" she joked, stretching her arms above her head. Jungwon rolled his eyes, making his way over to her. "He's not my boyfriend, and he's just running late. He'll be here soon."

Yeji raised an eyebrow, a knowing look on her face. "Sure, As always" she teased. Jungwon ignored her comment, setting his backpack down in a corner. "Where's the coach?" he asked, glancing around the room. 

"She had to run off for a few minutes to take care of something," Yeji replied, "She said to start warming up until she gets back." Jungwon nodded, stretching his arms and legs to warm up his muscles. The rest of the dancers were doing the same, some chattering amongst themselves, while others focused on their own warm-up routine.

After a few minutes, the coach reappeared, a slight look of annoyance on her face. "Sorry for the wait, everyone," she said, "Let's get started."

The dance practice soon got underway, and the room was filled with music and the sounds of the dancers. 

The two hour practice went by quickly, the coach calling out corrections and praise as needed. Despite Niki's absence, Jungwon managed to get through the practice, making a mental note to tear into his friend later.

As the coach dismissed them, Jungwon began packing up his belongings, still feeling annoyed at Niki's lack of reliability. As he was shoving his things into his backpack, he heard the sound of the door opening. Looking over, he saw Niki standing in the doorway, panting slightly.

"Finally decided to show up?" Jungwon said, not even trying to hide his annoyance as he zipped up his bag. Niki grimaced, "Yeah, sorry, I lost track of time."

Yeji, who was standing nearby, snorted. "More like you were drinking booze with the idiots from the soccer team." she teased, stretching her legs. 

Niki shot a glare at her before turning back to Jungwon. "Look, I know I'm late, but I'm here now. Can we just get on with it?" Jungwon rolled his eyes, "You know we've been at it for hours. Everyone's tired." the rest of the dancers nodded in agreement, some of them massaging their sore muscles. 

"Please, just a quick run-through," Niki pleaded, looking around the room at all the tired faces.

Chaeyoung huffed, "And here we go with his puppy dog eyes again." But Jungwon relented, a reluctant sigh escaping his lips. "Fine, fine. But one run-through, okay? And you better know the steps this time, no messing around."

Niki's face lit up, "Of course, I know the steps now. I practised at home, I swear."

Yeji and a couple of the other dancers just rolled their eyes, used to Niki's last-minute antics by now. The coach clapped her hands together, getting the dancers' attention. "Alright, everyone back into position. One final run-through before we call it a day."

The dancers groaned but began to get back into formation, their tiredness clear on their faces. Jungwon shot Niki a warning look as they got into position. "You better not mess up again," he said under his breath, "Or I'll personally see to it that you're replaced." Niki nodded, a mixture of determination and guilt on his face. "I won't mess up, I promise."

The music started up again, the dancers began their routine, their movements practiced and synchronized. Niki, on the other hand, seemed to be extra focused, not wanting to mess up again.

The group of dancers slowly made their way out of the dance studio and into the main corridor, chatting amongst themselves as they walked.

As they walked, Niki fell into step beside Jungwon, a sheepish look on his face. "I really am sorry, you know," Niki said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to be late again. Time just got away from me."

Jungwon sighed, still annoyed but trying to keep his anger in check. "You always say that. You're lucky the coach didn't kick you off the team after the last incident." Niki winced, remembering the time he had failed to show up for a performance, leaving his teammates to scramble and readjust the choreo at the last minute. "Yeah, I know. Believe me, I never want to repeat that kind of screw-up again."

Jungwon looked at him, "Then why do you keep doing it? You know how important this performance is. If you can't take it seriously, we joined this team together and yet im the only one taking it seriously. Maybe you shouldn't be in the team at all if you keep taking it as a joke."

Niki felt a pang of guilt at Jungwon's words, knowing he was right. "I...I don't take it as a joke," he protested weakly. "I know it's important, I just...get distracted, I guess."

 "That's not an excuse," Jungwon replied, his expression serious. "This is our chance to showcase our talents and you're risking it by goofing off. The rest of the team relies on us, and they shouldn't have to babysit you to make sure you show up."

Niki looked away, feeling properly chastised. "I know, I know," he mumbled. "I'll do better, I swear. I'll practice harder, I'll be there on time. Just...don't give up on me yet, okay?" Jungwon softened slightly, seeing the genuine remorse on his friend's face. "I won't give up on you," he said, with a sigh. "But you gotta start proving to me that you're taking this seriously. No more lateness, no more flaking out."

Niki nodded vigorously, "I'll prove it to you, I promise. I'll be the most dedicated, on-time member of the team from now on, you'll see!" Jungwon rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I'm gonna hold you to that." he said, giving Niki a playful punch on the shoulder.