“Last time I checked, there was no King of Busan,” Taehyung spoke up, ever so slightly shifting his position to stand protectively in front of Chaeyoung.

For a split second Jungkook and Taehyung just stared at each other with tense, stiff postures, as if they were sizing each other up. Chaeyoung glanced between the two of them in confusion, not understanding why a sudden pang of pain had suddenly hit her chest – like her heart knew something her mind was unaware of.

“It’s more of a self-proclaimed title,” Jungkook shrugged, finally stepping away to give them some breathing room, “and the last time you checked, we probably had a competent King of Goryeo to rule across all the lands and I would not need to take up such a role. A lot has changed since then.”

His tone was laced with sarcasm and bitterness as he gestured towards the shabby state of the town and poor living conditions. Chaeyoung followed his gaze to observe the broken-down appearance of their ships, the torn and dirty clothing of the children that ran around the dock, and the number of beggars that sat idly by the town gates.

“That is why we have come here,” Chaeyoung said sincerely, “over the past few months, we have been building a resistance group to overthrow the King. In our four ships, we carry some of the Goryeo’s best weaponry and armours. The only thing we are lacking are soldiers, which we know is your speciality.”

Jungkook raised a perfectly arched brow, walking closer again and causing Taehyung to stiffen beside her in the process, “an alliance? Are you proposing to me, your highness?”

Taehyung was about to say something, most likely not anything respectful, so Chaeyoung spoke up before he could, “no, I am not.”

“Shall I propose to you then?” He smirked again, his eyes flashing between Chaeyoung’s exasperated and Taehyung’s infuriated expressions in complete amusement, like he knew exactly the kind of drama he was unnecessarily creating and was enjoying it too, “after all, that is the best way to secure an alliance and I think you would make a lovely fourth wife.”

Chaeyoung inhaled deeply, fighting to maintain her patience. How was it that she had only known this man for all of 3 seconds and he had already pushed all her buttons to annoy her beyond reason. If she was feeling this frustrated, she could only imagine how Taehyung felt. Quickly, she peeked up at him and almost recoiled at the intense glare he was directing at Jungkook. It looked like he was only a few seconds away from knocking him out – and then they really would have no chance of entering the city, let alone forging an alliance.

“We were hoping to form a more cordial alliance,” Chaeyoung stated, quickly trying to dissipate the tension in the air before Taehyung could act on his aggressive impulses, “one that will benefit both parties.”

Jungkook chuckled, finally tearing his gaze away from Chaeyoung to walk back towards his little army, “well, why didn’t you say so from the beginning? And here I thought you were after my good looks and charming personality. Luckily, you have come at a good time. Follow me.”

He led them through the pack of warriors as they all watched them with defensive stances and distrusting eyes before immediately following behind them. The sound of bristling metal armours and heavy footsteps filled the otherwise quiet air as they approached the metal town gates. With one nod, Jungkook signalled for the gates to slide up immediately.

When the gates opened completely to reveal the inside of the city, Chaeyoung could not prevent a gasp from escaping .

There, in the middle of the town stood a steel, circular cage the size of a large house with rows of barbed wire along the sides that dripped with blood. Inside, stood two men actively engaged in a deathly battle that had caused the entire interior of the cage to fill with the same dark burgundy fluid splattered along the sides of it. And all around the outside perimeter stood eager spectators, cheering and yelling as if they were having the best time of their lives.

“Here in Busan, we do things a bit differently,” Jungkook explained over his shoulder, grinning at the group’s stunned expressions as they stepped inside the bloody town, “as you can see, the current King of Goryeo pays no attention to our southern land. In fact, he has raised taxes by such an unattainable amount that we have been forced to find other means to pay for the town’s expenses. Every week, we host these battles for which thousands of rich spectators gather from all across the country to watch.”

“So, this is your solution?” Chaeyoung asked, unable to keep the disgust from her voice as she averted her gaze from the gory scene before her, “forcing men to participate in these gruesome fights to earn a few gold pieces?”

Jungkook stopped and turned around to face her again, his eyes filling with anger, “we are a town of warriors, so yes this is our preferred method of entertainment. Most often, the participants are criminals we have gathered from all regions of Goryeo. Rapists, psychopaths, killers, es. The worst of the worst come together in these cages to punish each other and produce funds that will benefit our city. If it were not for your brother, we would not be forced to do any of this.”

“My brother and I may share the same blood, but we certainly do not share the same ideals,” she met his gaze unwaveringly, ignoring the sense of familiarity that washed over her again as they looked at one another, “perhaps if we join forces, we can not only better your city but the country as a whole. And the need to host such events would be eliminated entirely.”

Jungkook considered this for a long second, scanning each of them with a calculative expression, “by my estimates, the King has anywhere from 25-30 thousand warriors. What do you have?”

“Around 5 thousand soldiers,” Jimin answered and everyone glanced away and shifted their feet uncomfortably at how impossible the situation sounded to their own ears, “10 ships, and thousands of Donggyeong’s best weaponry.”

“You are out of your minds,” Jungkook scoffed, “this is no resistance formation, this is a suicide mission. Even if I give you 10 thousand of my best soldiers, you will still only possess half of the King’s resources.”

“An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lion led by a sheep,” Chaeyoung responded, infusing as much confidence as possible into her voice, “and something tells me you like a challenge.”

Jungkook grinned, his previous astonishment quickly being replaced with amusement, “you are a clever woman. No wonder your brother was threatened by you.”

He began to pace slowly in front of the cage as the two men continued to fight and the crowd continued to cheer. It seemed the entire group had collectively held their breath as they awaited his verdict.

“Here are my conditions,” after a few tense moments, he faced them again, “one of you must compete in a one-on-one battle with one of my best soldiers. In Busan, loyalty is not an inherent right, it is earned. And many people have gathered here today to watch an eventful match. If you prove yourselves worthy of an alliance, I will allow you accommodations in the town, my soldiers will trust you enough to pledge their loyalty and I will help you overthrow the King. But if you lose the battle, you must immediately remove yourselves from Busan, give us your weapons and all 10 of your sh