2 months later

“Jiyong I don’t see why you have to go” Seunghyun back hugged Jiyong as he was getting ready by the mirror.

Jiyong laughed. “Hyunnie, it’s my last day. I should go” he turned into Seunghyun’s arms. “I can’t believe this is the last day Taeyang and I will ever work at the coffee shop”. He kissed back when Seunghyun kissed him, “I wonder what college will be like” Seunghyun had somehow found a way to get he and Taeyang into Seoul university; both their grades were good, but they never took the college entrance exam. “Did I ever thank you”?

“Yes” Seunghyun answered with a smirk, “In so many ways”.

“You and your dirty mind” Jiyong pushed him off. “I invited Taeyang for dinner”, Jiyong wanted his best friend and his boyfriend to be close but it seemed like it was going to never happen no matter how hard he tried.

“You try too hard baby, he’ll come around someday” Seunghyun kissed Jiyong on his forehead, picked up his keys and headed toward the door, “I’ll drop you off by the shop on my way to the station” He smiled before making his way downstairs. He and Jiyong had come a long way since Vick returned him; for the first week, it was all Jiyong wanted to talk about. Apparently Jiyong had met some kid too, Hanbin.

Seunghyun wasn’t surprised that Vick didn’t physically hurt Jiyong. Vick was ruthless, not heartless. What surprised him was how much Jiyong seemed to be taken by Vick, and for a while it seemed like Jiyoung over again until Jiyong finally stopped talking about Vick and the island. He still had a hard time believing Vick seriously bought an island; it was something they’d talked about when they were in high school.

Although their parents were rich and at being parents, they left them a trust fund that went into the millions. Technically, it was passed down from their paternal grandfather, so when their parents whom they barely knew died in a car accident and they got all the money. Vick vowed to make more money and buy an Island, while he, well he wanted to buy every new amazing car that ever came out, which he never did. So he felt a little down when he heard Vick had fulfilled his wish, a little part of him thought Vick would have blown it away since he’d always a big spender.

“Ready” Jiyong’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, “Baby are you okay”? Jiyong asked and he nodded. “Should I make you something to eat”? Jiyong asked and he shook his head.

“I don’t want to be late” He smiled.

**

“Pick you up later” Seunghyun asked when Jiyong got out of the car. He kissed Jiyong before driving off.

Ever since Jiyong returned, he’d been looking for Vick’s island, all to no avail. It was either that it didn’t exist or Vick had used an alias, a very good one. He needed to see Vick, at least have a conversation with him but it didn’t seem like it was ever going to work. He always wondered why Vick did the things he did when he was the one always all for throwing the bad guys in jail and throwing away the keys. Vick used to think that death was an easy way out.

“Slow day” A detective sighed from his desk, “It’s noon and nothing, Seoul cannot be this crime free”

“Hyung you should be glad” Seunghyun laughed from where he was seated, but deep down he also wished there was more work to be done. Seunghyun picked up his phone when it vibrated and was about to answer when the Chief stormed in, “SHOOT OUT IN A COFFEE SHOP IN HONGDAE.... And we’re here sticking our asses to the chair”!!!!

Two words called out to Seunghyun, coffee shop and Hongdae. There were billions of cafes in Hongdae, and Jiyong just happened to be working in one of them. The team suited up and made their way out, and got updates on the situation; it appeared to be an armed robbery but there were no on lookers and the workers had fled the vicinity. The only problem was that no money was taken. “Why is there no update about the cafe itself”? Seunghyun asked the detective who rode with him.

“Relax Choi, no need to get impatient. It’s just a little job”

His phone had been ringing nonstop with the same unknown number since earlier. They got to the site and Seunghyun let out a sigh of relief, it wasn’t Jiyong’s coffee shop, his was a few blocks away .

“Hello” He finally answered the phone.

“Seunghyun, where’s Jiyong”? It was Vick and he sounded hasty.

“Vick, what’s wrong? Why are you asking about Jiyong”.

“Seunghyun, listen calmly. I need you to hang up and call Jiyong. Seunghyun please it is important that you do that immediately and call me back”

“Vick...” the line went dead. He quickly called Jiyong, “Ji....”

“I don’t care about the hostages. Bring me Vick or they’re dead. Will call in 8 hours with an address” A voice on the phone said.

“Wait....” the line went dead immediately. He tried to relax, but it was a bit impossible, “Vick”

“Seunghyun relax, can you make it to your house”?

“Vick I need to know what the is going on. Did you do this”? He wished it was Vick, Vick would be easier, “Vick...”

“First of all, the shoot out at the coffee shop you’re at was a distraction. Jiyong and Taeyang were abducted from theirs. I need you to find an excuse to get to your house, we’ll be waiting outside”

Seunghyun didn’t need to find an excuse. He took off.

***

The last hour and a half seemed like a huge dream. There he was sitting right in front of his brother and his old chief from LA. It took a few minutes after hearing the whole story for him to lash out at Vick, who actually let him. “So.... Vick has been working undercover for you all these years” he faced his former chief. “All those killings... you did it to impress them, to make them trust you”? He faced Vick now.

“Sorry I couldn’t tell you” Chief Wes spoke, “When Vick came back to us broken... this was the only way I thought would keep him afloat. A way for him to lash out”

“Vick we swore to never go undercover, and not for this long.... and an international drug cartel at that… are you trying to get yourself killed?” He scolded Vick, and sighed when he knew the answer to the question. “So what are we going to do about Jiyong, we need to come up with a plan to....”

“We don’t need to do anything, it’s me they want. I just need to surrender myself”

Vick had not so much as mad eye contact with him since they met, even when he was being punched. Vick just looked away and let it happen

“I don’t understand why they would take Jiyong, shouldn’t they take someone you cared about like that Hanbin boy or even me... why Jiyong”?

“I wondered why also, he personally came to see me in LA, saying his cover was blown and he had the kid and his maid” Chief Wes was looking at Vick now.

“I got a tip, and the names of those I should protect were given”

“You got a tip and you didn’t think to tell me about Jiyong being in danger”? Seunghyun finally lost it, “I can’t believe this, I know you wanted to get revenge, but I thought we had passed that when you kidnapped him and then brought him home”

“YOU REALLY THINK I’D DO ANYTHING TO PUT JIYONG IN DANGER”?!! Vick finally allowed his emotions get the best of him. “Look, it was Chaerin who told me that my pilot was captured and tortured to give up names of people I was close to... when she told me, I quickly let off all my workers and got them as far away as possible, and then I took Hanbin and Ara with me to LA... it wasn’t until today when I arrived with the chief that she called to apologize for not telling me about Jiyong’s name being on the list”

“You still talk to Chaerin?.... and why wouldn’t she tell you about Jiyongs name being on the list”? Seunghyun was still trying to wrap his head around the whole information. Vick still keeping in touch with the old guys, and he knew Chaerin. He’d dated Chaerin in the past when Vick and Jiyoung were an item. Chaerin had to be jealous for her to think she needed to keep Jiyong’s name off the list, a gesture that could get him killed. “So you keep in touch with everyone except me.... and the moment you come into town the one person I have going on for me is kidnapped by an international drug cartel. Thank you brother”

“We should come up with a plan to rescue the boy and put this guy and his crew behind bars, and you two can grill your beef later”

The three men went to work; Seunghyun spoke to his new chief, who got on board with the rest of the team. The agreement was that Vick be arrested for his past vigilante behaviors. One person had to be a scapegoat, especially one that killed a government figure. “So guys we’re going to run surveillance from here so get ready for when they call with an address” Seunghyun’s current chief announced, “We need to go over the plan again”

“Wait, how are we sure this boy still alive” An officer addressed the bunch of men working, “I mean this boy could be dead already. It may be a ruse to get Vick”

“The boy is alive, it’s me they want and they know me well enough not to hurt him”, Vick snapped at the officer. He looked around the room again, and everyone appeared busy, it was his time to sneak out. He’d been stalling and waiting for everyone to get set up because he was going to need backup to get Jiyong out safely. It was hard refraining himself from running there to save Jiyong as soon as he heard. If Chaerin had been with him when she said Jiyong was in danger, he probably would have killed her; if she’d told him earlier, he wouldn’t have been taken.

“Vick I know what you’re thinking. You can’t go in by yourself, not the way you’re thinking” His old chief whispered to him, “I know you obviously care about this boy.... I’ve never seen you like this before. You’re not thinking straight so don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to lose you, you’re my best guy and like a son to me and the way I see this going is, either you die tonight, or you get arrested and I don’t want any of that to happen so we need to come up with an escape plan once the boy is saved.  I have no jurisdiction here, but I am not letting you spend even a night in jail”

“Thanks chief” Vick smiled, “I think I’ll going to go use the bathroom”

He did not go to the bathroom. Vick was standing in front of the warehouse, the warehouse where Jiyong was being held and for the first time in a while, it felt like he was doing the right thing. He pulled out his phone, “Seunghyun”

“Vick where the hell are you, this is your fault and you should be here with us trying to come up with a plan” Seunghyun sounded angry, and he couldn’t blame him, “Seunghyun, when I hang up I’ll make my cell phone traceable. I need to run a new plan by you which you will run by the rest of the guys….” and he did, telling Seunghyun how he wanted the mission to go, “Again, you have to wait till you have eyes on the friend before you come storming in. I know these guys; they will open fire as soon as they suspect anything. Keep using the infrared binoculars, so you’ll see when give you a signal to enter. You’ll know when you see it”

“Vick why are you doing this, you know you might never make it out alive”

“It doesn’t matter, I will return Jiyong to you unharmed”

“Vick why are you doing this”?

“Because no one knows these guys like I do. Goodbye Seunghyun” He finished, hung up and made his way in.

***

“Where is my friend? What did you do to him”? Jiyong spoke through the throbbing pain on his cheek. He’d already been struck twice for being defiant. This was no Vick, two hours after he was tied to the chair, a man in a black trench coat walked in and shot one of the men on the foot for some mistake he’d made earlier and walked out like nothing happened. He couldn’t get the image out of his head. “Where is Youngbae”? He asked again. This was the fourth man attending to him since he’d been tied and he hadn’t seen the man in the trench coat since he’d shot the other man and left.

“Maybe I should just kill your friend and bring his head here for you to shut up” The trench coat man walked in again and chills ran up Jiyongs spine. “Now I have your attention”, the man sat opposite the long table. The table was metal and long, but not long enough not to hear the person on the other side.

“I don’t have money I swear, I don’t know why you would want me. I....”

“I want Vick”

“Vick”? Jiyong was confused, “Why do you want him, and why do you need me”? The man smirked, which scared Jiyong even more, “Vick is my boyfriend’s brother, I don’t see why you would need me”

“Oh I know all about Vick”

“If you know, then you’d know... that I mean... nothing to Vick”

“See, I thought that first. I thought my man made a mistake, which cost him a foot, but guess who’s joining us for dinner”?

“Boss” One of the man that kept watch of him ran in, “He’s here. Alone”

“Good. Bring him in”.

Jiyong’s heart raced. “What are you going to do to him”?

“I am going to kill him of course, but first I will make him watch me dismember you..” Vick was dragged into the room, blood trickling down both his mouth and the corner of his eyes, “There you are, I’ve been waiting for you brother. Here.” The man in the trench coat rose up, “Have a seat”

“Vick..” Jiyong couldn’t help himself, “Vick...”

“It’s okay kid” Vick smiled at Jiyong.

“Awww, I want to be rescued too” Trench coat man mimicked, “It’s been a while Vick” He returned to his evil tone of voice.

“Not long enough” Vick said which landed him a back handed slap, causing him to spit out blood.

“I trusted you Vick, I even called you my brother and this is how you repay me? By being a ing lowlife spy”?

Vick laughed again, “You should have spoken to my brother before deciding to call me your brother. It’d have saved you the heartache. I’m not exactly the best brother in the world”

“Oh yes, you’re right. Now I know, you took your brothers first love and then killed her. Now you’re in love with his boyfriend,  I looked into your brothers record, he’s quite the golden boy. When I found out, I wondered why they sent you and not him... then I realized that it was because you are useless, no one would miss you”

“Vick don’t listen to him” Jiyong cried out, “He’s trying to torture you”, he hated the fact that he was tied to the chair, but what he hated more was that if he weren’t tied, he’d still not be able to do a thing.

“Oh I haven’t started” The man pulled out a knife and walked toward Jiyong, and put the blade by his neck, so tight that blood dripped. “There it is” the knife was retracted, “What I’ve been looking for. Fear. I always knew you to be scared of nothing; you’ve taken several bullets without even flinching, hell you even walked in here alone and looked confident. I thought you were untouchable…. until now. Which could only mean that you really care about the kid” the man laughed, “Do you deny it”? The knife was back on Jiyongs neck, “DO YOU”?

Vick’s eyes locked with Jiyong’s. “No, but it doesn’t matter, does it? He belongs to my brother”