Chapter 13

Once their course of action had been decided upon, the penthouse apartment was quickly transformed into a makeshift command center.

By early evening dozens of cardboard file boxes had arrived from Namjoon's office containing legal files, property details and Kim family history regarding the Geumga Tower project.

All the hustle and bustle eventually woke Hoseok who was promptly brought up to speed on what was happening. Soon the Beta was sitting on the floor next to Namjoon and Jimin, helping the pair sift through the mountain of data.

Yoongi  gathered all his old case notes from his time on the police force and finally agreed to allow an eager Jungkook help him determine if anything there might be relevant to their current situation.

Jin and Tae began reaching out to the network of confidential informants they'd built up over the years to see what the word on the street was regarding anyone who might be responsible for the bounty on Jimin or who seemed to be showing an inordinate amount of interest regarding the property in question.

Anything that showed even the slightest hint of significance was placed onto a series of whiteboards staged around the living area in an attempt to spot potential patterns or connections which could point them in right direction.

The group worked through dinner, sitting on the floor eating ramyeon, pausing only for Yoongi to carry an exhausted Hoseok - who had fallen asleep with his head resting against a file box - back to the guest room before resuming their quest for a lead into the identity of their targets.

Sometime after midnight, Yoongi finally admitted to himself that he needed a break and before long he found himself out on the balcony, leaning against the cold metal railing, staring into the night sky, getting lost in his thoughts.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there when he heard the sliding glass door open and close behind him.

"Penny for your thoughts, Yoongi-ah?"

Yoongi didn't bother to turn around.  "I think you'd be overpaying at that price, Jin-hyung."

"Well...you know me.  I always have been a generous tipper."

The older man smiled as he took his place next to the Alpha at the railing.  The pair stood staring at the lights of the city in companionable silence until Yoongi asked "So...are the lovebirds still being insufferable?"

"Which ones?" chuckled Jin.  "Namjoon-ah and Jimin-ah or Tae and the baby Alpha?"

Yoongi rolled his eyes.  "Either, I suppose"

The Beta laughed at the expression on his friend's face.

"You know, Yoongi-ah... I honestly I don't know what makes me feel more single - the old married couple routine, the youngsters shameless flirting or that..."

He gestured inside towards the scene of TaeHyung and Jungkook sound asleep in each other's arms as Jimin softly draped a  blanket over them.

"Aish..." sighed Yoongi.   "My life was complicated enough when it was just TaeHyung.  Now it looks like I've got a whole litter of maknae pups to worry about."

The Alpha shook his head as he turned back around.

"Maybe I shouldn't have dragged any of you into this.  The closer we get to these bastards the more dangerous things are going to get."

"Hey," said Jin, bumping Yoongi's arm with his elbow.  "We took an oath remember?  We swore after..."

The Beta hesitated and glanced at his friend who tilted his head to gaze at the stars before speaking in a soft voice.

"Hyeon Jae," said Yoongi.  "It's okay, hyung.  You can say the name. It won't break me."

Jin studied the man's profile briefly then nodded.

"Okay.  The three of us swore an oath after Hyeon Jae.  We vowed to do anything and everything in our power to make sure that something like that never happened to someone we cared about ever again.  We promised that we'd do whatever it took to be there for each other and we meant it."

Yoongi gripped the guardrail and shook his head.

"That was the three of us.  Not them."

"Yes but I can tell the guys in there feel the same way. I've seen the way those four look at each other."

Jin turned to face Yoongi head on.

"And I've seen the way you look at them...one of them in particular.  And I've seen the way he looks at you."

Yoongi started to protest but Jin raised a hand to stop him.

"Please.  Don't insult my intelligence.  Even if you're too dense to figure it out, the rest of us can see it just fine.  You aren't the kind of person who calls in the cavalry to rush in guns blazing for someone that doesn't mean something to you, Yoongi-ah.  And any idiot could tell that your Beta friend was far more concerned for your safety than he was for his own today."

Jin leaned his back against the railing and crossed his arms.

"And I'm pretty sure that's what Tae really wanted to talk with you about in the hallway earlier - after he busted your balls about letting someone else drive one of your precious vehicles."

Yoongi groaned at the reminder.

"Aish, Jin-hyung....do you think he's ever gonna let me hear the end of me allowing the pup to drive my car?"

"Kim TaeHyung?  Our Kim TaeHyung?  Forgive and forget?  Let bygones be bygones?  Hell no.  Not in a million lifetimes. But that's beside the point."

"Then what is the point, hyung?"

"The point is that all these guys  - even your baby Alpha - are fully functioning adults.  They're going into this with their eyes open and of their own free will.  You aren't forcing any of them to participate in something they don't want to do.  Honestly, even if you backed out now, they wouldn't because they know this is the best chance to protect the people they love and they're willing to put their all on the line to ensure that happens."

Jin stepped towards Yoongi and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"So quit trying to carry the weight of the world all by yourself, Yoongi-ah.  You've got six other people who are ready, willing and able to share the load.  Let us, okay?"

As he spoke the Beta began guiding his friend back into the apartment.

"Now let's go back inside and get some rest.  Things will look clearer in the morning, okay?"

Yoongi drug his feet for a moment before reluctantly allowing himself to follow along.

"Okay, hyung.  You're probably right."

"Probably?" snorted a clearly affronted Jin.  "All these years of being your hyung and all I get is probably?  Aish! I've half a mind to tell the new guys all the salacious details about that weekend in Busan if you keep this kind of disrespect."

The Alpha's eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't..."

The older man ruffled the younger's hair as he slid open the door.

"Try me, pup.  Just try me..."

xxx

The following day there was yet another 'spirited discussion' amongst the group, this time regarding how to best deal with the subject of the dance studio.  Citing potential safety concerns for the students, Yoongi was able to convince Hoseok and Jimin to put off their classes for the next few days but he was unable to get the Beta to budge on the issue of the maintenance schedule for the studio flooring.

At one point Yoongi made the crucial mistake of saying, "It's only a floor..." causing Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook to launch into a passionate, detailed lecture on the differences in flooring types, bringing up topics like the proper coefficients of friction to provide optimal, consistent performance and safety for the dancers.

By the time the trio had moved on to the myriad of environmental factors like heat, humidity and even the color of the stain which could cause the flooring to contract, warp or swell, resulting in excess wear and splintering all the non-dancers in the room thought their heads were going to explode.

"Fine!  You win!" cried Yoongi, throwing his hands up in defeat.  "Hell, if it's that important then I'll clean the damn floors myself."

"Oh...bless your heart," tutted Hoseok as he gave the Alpha an indulgent pat on the head.  "As if I'd let you near my floors unsupervised.  You may, however, tag along as mine and Jimin's assistant if you like."

After a bit more back and forth, the bodyguard grudgingly agreed to allow Hoseok and Jimin to go to the studio for a few hours to attend to the floors as long as he was there to provide security.

Jin was already scheduled to work that day so he decided to take the opportunity to dig through the archives at the police station while TaeHyung and Jungkook volunteered to stay and help Namjoon as he continued working his way through the stacks of files still remaining at the apartment.

Before long, Yoongi was in the studio with Jimin and Hoseok, rolling up his sleeves as he tried to absorb the detailed tutorial they were giving him on the proper sequence of sweeping, mopping and waxing the Beta's precious floors.

Seeing the Alpha's eyes begin to glaze over with the sheer amount of information, Hoseok finally sighed and said, "Just do exactly what Jimin and I are doing, okay?"

Jimin put on some upbeat pop music in the background and soon everyone - even Yoongi - was cleaning in time to the beat. When a song with a hot Latin tempo came up on the playlist the dancers were shocked to see the Alpha begin swiveling his hips, moving his feet and the broom in the distinctive quick-quick-slow pattern of Salsa dancing.

"Whoa! Hyung!" exclaimed Hoseok as Jimin let out a wolf whistle.  "You've been holding out on us!  When did you learn to do that?"

Yoongi ducked his head and blushed slightly at being caught out.  "Umm...One night, after indulging in far too many shots of Soju, I, uh... lost a bet to TaeHyung which required me to attend a salsa dance class with him.  I guess I remember more than I thought I did."

"Well, they say that 'hips don't lie'.  It looks like yours don't forget either," teased the Beta.

Inspired by Yoongi's moves, Jimin decided to attempt a complicated bit of choreography involving a chair but he miscalculated ever so slightly, catching his foot on the chair leg which caused him to slip and twist his ankle.  He grimaced and let out a sharp yelp of pain before collapsing to the floor.

"Shit!  Minnie!  Are you okay?" cried Hoseok as  he rushed to his friend's side.

"Yeah..." the Omega grunted in an entirely unconvincing manner.  "I think I just twisted it.  I'll be fine."

Hoseok pulled up Jimin's pants leg to reveal an ankle that was already becoming discolored and swollen.

"I think it's more than that.  At the very least you've sprained it but we'll need a doctor to look at it to make sure."

Jimin started to protest but Hoseok wasn't having it.

"No arguments, Jimin.  If this is something serious we need to treat it sooner rather than later to make sure there aren't any lasting complications.  Yoongi needs to take you over to the urgent care clinic right away."

The bodyguard's gaze snapped up when he heard that.  "You mean we need to take him to the urgent care clinic."

The Beta shook his head firmly.  "I can't leave the floors half way through waxing.  It'll wreck the finish."

"And I can't leave you here by yourself, Hoseok-ah," insisted Yoongi.

"You can and you will," retorted Hoseok.  "Thanks to you, the morons who grabbed me are all either dead or in jail so I'll be perfectly fine.  So take my little buddy to the doctor...or do you want me to call Kim Namjoon and tell him that you're considering leaving his precious mate writhing in pain on a cold, wet floor?"

"That's not fair and you know it, Hob-ah!"  snarled Yoongi.

"I hate to be the one to break this to you, sweetheart, but if anyone ever told you life was fair then they're a bigger liar than my ex.  Now go," said Hoseok as he pointed an accusatory finger towards the door.

Yoongi growled as he ran his hands roughly through his hair in frustration.  He then grabbed his duffle bag and rooted around inside before pulling out a bulky, black jacket that he ****** towards Hoseok.

"Only if you agree to keep this with you at all times."

Hoseok scrunched his nose at the garment.

"I don't know...It’s not exactly what I would call ‘haute couture.’ “

“I'm sorry it doesn't meet your exacting style standards but I’m sure you can find a way to make it work,” deadpanned Yoongi.

“Aww…look at you quoting Project Runway,” cooed Hobi.  “There may be hope in your fashion future yet, hyung.”

“Whatever.  Just use the damn thing, okay?”

Seeing the look on Yoongi's face the Beta gave in and reluctantly slipped on the jacket

"Is it bulletproof?" he asked as he helped Jimin to his feet.

"It's not ******* vibranium, if that's what you're asking," snapped Yoongi.  "It won't perform miracles and it certainly doesn't give you carte blanche to think you're Captain Korea or some such nonsense.  It's just an added layer of precaution.  Got it?"

"Got it." The Beta made sure that the bodyguard was fully supporting Jimin's weight before stepping back and giving the man a mock salute.  "Thank you, hyung."

"You're welcome."  Yoongi kept rattling off instructions as he helped the injured Omega towards the exit.  "Now pull the curtains, lock up tight and don't open this door for anyone you don't know until we get back, understand?"

"I understand now get out of here, you Wee Little Worrywart!" The Beta fussed.  "And take Jimin-ah home before coming back for me.  Namjoon-ah will be beside himself until he can see for himself that the little guy is okay."

Hoseok shoved the pair outside then did as he'd been told -  closing all the curtains and securing the building before returning to his task.

He hadn't been alone for five minutes when the first text came in from Jimin saying that Yoongi was insisting he check in to see if Hoseok was okay.  This pattern repeated itself over and over for the next half hour, with either Jimin or Yoongi texting every couple of minutes to see how everything was going.

Eventually an exasperated Hoseok grabbed his phone and shot a text back to both of them.

So help me if either of you sends me even ONE MORE message before Jimin is safely tucked in on his sofa at home, I SWEAR I will turn off my phone entirely and spend the night sleeping here in my office, GOT IT?!

He stared at the screen for a full minute until he was satisfied that he'd gotten his point across.  He managed to finish up the floors uninterrupted and was just putting away the last of his supplies when he heard a soft knock at the front door.

"Aish!  Saint Aguilera preserve us!" fumed Hoseok as he stomped over to the door.   "So help me, Min Yoongi if you've brought Jimin back here instead of taking him home..."

The Beta flung open the door to reveal not Yoongi but his ex's new mate.  A terrified, stuttering Yooshuk stood wide-eyed and trembling on the sidewalk, wringing his hands and bowing profusely.

"I-I...I'm s-so s-sorry t-to b-bother y-you, H-Hoseok-ssi b-but m-may....m-may I p-please c-come in?"

Notes:

Huh...What do you think of the character development so far? And what might this timid little Omega want to talk to Hobi about?

Be sure to tune back in for the next chapter where we will finally learn who the mysterious Hyeon Jae is and what happened that caused Yoongi so much pain....

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