Suga

          “Yes,” Hoseok nods at the voice over the phone. “Thank you for the information. We’ll be in contact.”

         He slowly sets the phone down while Taehyung, Jin, and I raise our eyebrows at him. Hoseok’s eyes flicker, and he jumps to his feet, transforming into a fifteen-year old teenager dancing to a random song in his room.

         The roar of approval resounds from around the coffee table. Things were finally starting to fall into place.

         I grin at the dancing Hoseok, who so easily transformed from a serious businessman to a joyful kid. “Good work. That’s one clue down.”

         We had finally gotten the information about the warehouse in Busan that the shooting had occurred next to. The shooter still hadn’t been tracked down, but police supposedly had more details about the case being processed.

         It was a bit difficult convincing the police to talk about the case, especially because of the supposed ties to a large company. If we stepped out of line, there would be prosecutors running after us. But if we didn’t try saving ourselves and finding out the information first, we might be chased down by prosecutors regardless.

         Was it a bit much to try to solve an issue that we were not connected to? Most likely. Was it in our best interest if the other side would have nothing against framing us for it? Definitely.

         On the other hand, the funding group failure was a mess. It wasn’t an investment company like Jeon Jungkook’s, but it had enough money in order to get things done. It was less about having an impact than it was having people owe you favors.

         Favors were dangerous. In our world, owing someone could bring people to their knees.

         Hoseok collapses back on to the ground, grinning and folding his legs. “All the information about the warehouse and the property information will be e-mailed within a few hours.”

         We had tracked the possible information to the governmental properties office, who seemed reluctant to give the information. The police had not included information about the warehouse included in the shooting case, so that was a dead end. Hoseok had used a contact in the hospitality industry to pry the information from the owners of another warehouse a few kilometers away.

         Jin’s chopsticks click as he places a piece of meat in his mouth, chewing. His smile is small, but there’s a sense of satisfaction on his face. “Any updates on Lu Han?”

         The frown on my face was never gone for too long. “Still nothing. No news from him being in China.”

         “He can’t just disappear.” Jin’s eyebrows furrow. “That wouldn’t make sense.”

         He had vanished from the scenes of Korea’s business world two months ago. As far as anyone else knew, he was somewhere in China. The oddest part about it was that his family had no idea where he was, but they didn’t really seem to care either. And if Byun Hana was really at fault, it would be a bit harder to get a hold of his whereabouts.

         “Did he have any strong ties to anyone else in the business world? Any friends?” Taehyung has an expression that makes it seem that his head is running much faster than his mouth. To others, he would seem slightly confused. To people who knew him, it was his thinking face.

         Jin blinks, fidgeting and opening his wallet absent-mindedly, and a picture flutters to the floor. Hoseok’s hand stretches out for it, and Jin throws a pillow at him, to tell him to do otherwise, but the pillow misses and hits Taehyung in the face instead. A yelp of “It hurts!” makes everyone chuckle, especially since Jin was being more playful.

         “How old were you in this picture?” Hoseok turns the picture over to show a child version of Jin and another little kid who had arms curled around a plushie.

         “Nine.” His lips purse as he pushes the food away, as if he lost his appetite. He taps at the picture, “That person next to me? That was Byun Hana.”

         “No way.” Taehyung leans in closer to the picture, mouth half-open.

         “That was before she was corrupted. And before she gave me the first taste of the business world of Korea.” His tone turns acerbic, eyes narrowing.

         “She doesn’t even look like a girl!” Hoseok flicks the edge of the picture. “Do you think a little Jung Jungkook would look like more of a girl than her?”

         I snort at that, hand reaching out for the picture. Jin was laughing about something and she was staring coldly into the camera. She didn’t look particularly feminine, but those eyes were most definitely hers. Her mop of black hair and stained shirt was a sharp contrast to the image that she had so carefully put together for her profession.

         I raise an eyebrow at Jin and he shrugs. “It’s a reminder of where I started.”

         It made sense. Jin was thrown into the world of business due to a girl, and that would be one of the bitterest memories he ever had. She wasn’t his first love or anything like that, but she was a painful reminder of who he was.

         And now, if he was given a choice of whether to watch her burn or to give a single glass of water, I knew that he would tip the glass over, letting the drops spatter next to his feet.

         I quietly hand him the picture back, and he stuffs it back into a pocket of his wallet. As always, whenever her name comes up, he looks a little more shielded.

         Kim Seokjin could be split up into two different personalities. One was playful, somewhat mother-like and child-like at the same time. He made too many dad jokes and loved to eat. The second was the businessman that had no qualms with manipulating and hiding under a pretty face of deception to do it. His soft spots were carefully guarded.

         “The Christmas Gala is coming up,” I change the subject, and everyone else groans at the topic. The side of my mouth twitches up. “As much as we dislike it, it is pretty much required.”

         “I’m going to get Park Jimin back,” Hoseok growls, fist against the palm of his other hand. “I still can’t believe the nerve of him to kiss my date-”

         “How about no dates this year?” I offer. “It’s been a long time since Jin has been at this specific event, and if we’re going to be at this event anyway, we might as well make it worthwhile.”

         Taehyung’s eyes are bright as he props his arm against the back of his head while stretching out his body. “What do you have in mind?”

         “Why don’t we play a little game with the other side? Interact with the other side as much as possible while we pretend to be drunk and festive and whatever the so-called ‘Christmas spirit’ of the event dictates.”

         Hoseok’s predatory grin spreads across his face. “How about we let Jin get Byun Hana drunk? He was successful last time at getting information, and if she’s drunk, the results would be even better.”

         “Won’t work if she’s pregnant like her medical records suggest.” Jin’s eyes are dark with the prospect of blood. “I can always give it a shot, though.”

         “Who wants to try to get something about of Kim Namjoon?” Taehyung yawns. “As much as I like a verbal smackdown, he’s frustrating to deal with.”

         No one offers and I sigh. Taehyung was right. The last time any of us talked to him directly, we had been interrogated about the subway system in Seoul for half an hour. I wanted to say that was Kim Namjoon’s nature, but honestly I could never tell.

         I’m not sure how Byun Hana dealt with that. From our side, it seemed like she had a ragtag team with a lawyer that talked nonsensically, a computer genius who seemed a little too nice to be a businessman, and an investor who was still being trained by his parents. Somehow, she made it work and created a formidable team behind her.

         “We can switch off.” I confirm, not wanting to assign a single person to deal with Kim Namjoon for a night. “Park Jimin won’t stick as closely to Byun Hana now that she’s engaged to Jeon Jungkook, so I’m not exactly sure we would be able to separate the four.”

         “We can figur