All night you tossed and turned, unable to shut your brain off from every possible scenario that could be waiting for you the next morning. You were too anxious, too worried about what could be happening to your adoptive parents that you didn’t know about. At point, Minah threw a pillow at you for all the noise you were making flipping from one side to the other.

The conclusion you settled on as the most likely was that you were going to be asked to move out in order help ease the expenses. And that was understandable. Taegun had always been able to provide well above the necessities, but if the company was suffering lately, then it could mean his paychecks were feeling the impact of it. You wouldn’t fight if they asked you to move out. There was plenty of money in your bank account and you had a steady job that kept you busy. Besides, maybe having your own place could be good for you.

You’d come to terms with it by the time you woke up the next morning. To make things easier, you wouldn’t get upset and would quickly agree to start searching for an apartment. There were plenty of places for you to go where you could still be near your family.  

The smell of bacon was the first thing you brain registered as your eyes slowly cracked open. Stumbling out of bed, you didn’t bother to freshen up before walking out into the hallway. Since you didn’t have a shift to prepare for, you stayed in your oversized t-shirt and sleeping shorts that you had slept in.

Hyunmin was in the kitchen by herself, listening to old trot songs while she kept an eye on the bacon and pancakes she was cooking. That within itself confirmed your suspicion. It must really be bad.

The delicious combination was your favorite breakfast. You loved it so much that Hyunmin would only cook it on special occasions such as birthdays and graduations in order not to spoil you. No rice and seaweed, no marinated meats or healthy kimchi; just pure fluffy batter and sweet, sticky syrup. After racking your brain just in case, you confirmed that there was nothing special about today’s date to explain away the meal.

You greeted Hyunmin with a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning.”

She stopped singing and patted you on the head. “Good morning, (y/n). Did you sleep well?”

“Yup,” you lied, giving her a smile so she could be reassured.

Hyunmin smiled back halfheartedly, turning back to the pancakes to sprinkle in a few chocolate chips. The twins soon shuffled into the kitchen, confused at the breakfast set out on the table.

“What’s this for?” Mingyu asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hyunmin snapped, causing her son to drop into his chair hastily. “Just eat so you can get to class.”

“I don’t feel like going today,” he whined.

Hyunmin slammed the pan down on the stove. “You are going to school! Do not argue with me!”

That shut him up. Usually Mingyu had two or three helpings of every meal, but today he scarfed down his two jacks and ran to his room to get ready and to get away from the fired up Hyunmin. Minah didn’t eat quite as fast, but she eyed you curiously, knowing the rarity of this. When she was finished, she too went back to the bedroom to get dressed.

You forced yourself to have a second helping to not offend Hyunmin even though your stomach was in too many knots to really want that amount of food. When you tried to help her clean up, she simply slapped your hands and shooed you out of the kitchen. By half past eight, the twins were practically running out the door. You had moved over to the couch to continue reading your book, careful not to let Hyunmin see that it was new.

Fifteen till nine, Taegun walked through the front door. From the look of his attire, he hadn’t gone into work this morning. Where had he gone to? The bank, maybe? You kept your eyes down, hoping to possibly put off the conversation just a little while longer by staying invisible.

“(Y/n)?”

Reluctantly, you looked up from the novel. Both of them were standing in front of you, their eyes giving off a glossy look. You started to stand up in order for them to have the couch, but Taegun gently pushed you back down as he sat on the edge of the coffee table. Hyunmin didn’t scold him - she hated anyone even putting their feet on it - instead simply sitting down beside you on the couch and taking your hands in hers.

“(Y/n),” Taegun started. He ran his hands through his salt and pepper hair, tapping his foot against the rug. “I’m sure you know what it is I do for a living?”

However you expected this conversation to start, a quiz on Taegun’s job was not it. “Of course. You’re a corporate lawyer.”

“Yes, I am.” He cleared his throat. “However, the company I work for– they aren’t exactly the most… golden of companies. Their CEO, Mr. Jung, has a gambling problem, causing him to rack up debts. Debts I can’t even begin to fathom. In order to pay off those debts, he tried to cut corners and sever contracts that would make him a hefty profit.” Taegun pulled at the collar of his shirt nervously as he paused in his confession. “Unfortunately, his clients found out and they sued. And I… I lost the case.”

Reaching out to him, you patted his knee. Perhaps this was leading up to the financial issues. “That’s not your fault. All you can do is state your case. It’s up to the judge to decide the outcome.”

“I lost on purpose.”

“Oh.” You withdrew my hand, unsure of what else to say. Hyunmin started to rub circles on your back. You could understand the morality issue and why he might have lost on purpose, but actions like that can have dangerous consequences. “Did they fire you?”

If he lost his job… maybe they weren’t going to ask you to move out. Maybe they were going to ask for your help. And of course you could help with the bills and other money issues. It was the least you could do after all they’ve done for you. They could have it all, if they needed it. You wouldn’t sacrifice your dreams for most people, but for them – absolutely.  

“No,” Taegun sighed. “But the CEO knows that I did it. He blames me for not securing him the win he thought he deserved and making him pay back the clients. The man he is in indebted to is powerful and doesn’t forgive easily. While his men were beating up Mr. Jung, he told them that I was the one who lost them their money but that I could pay back the debt.”

You scoffed. “How are you supposed to pay back his debt? Maybe he should sell one of his houses or a few of his cars. I’m sure he can live without them.”

Hyunmin started sniffling beside you. She covered to try and silence it, but you could still hear it clear as day.

“It’s not that simple,” Taegun corrected. “As far as the debtor is concerned, when I purposefully lost the case that would have settled the money, I took on the debt myself. After mentioning me during the beating, Mr. Jung also told them about you.”

“A-about me?” you stuttered. There was no way you heard that correctly. How could he even know anything about you? You’d met him once, at a Christmas party a few years ago. Why would a single mention of you ever leave his mouth? How could you be of any value?

A tear spilled over from Taegun’s eye. “Yes, you. (Y/n), your father was not the saint I led you to believe he was. The inheritance you set to gain in a few months was because of your father’s dealings with people like this. He profited by covering up their crimes and defending them.”

“What do you mean ‘people like this’?” you asked hesitantly, already having a feeling as to what the answer could be.

Neither of them could look at you when you tried to meet their eyes.

“People who deal in organized crime.”

You jumped up, not believing a word of it. “No! My father did not defend the mafia! Besides, he didn’t even live in this country! How could he defend them when he wasn’t even around?”

Hyunmin pulled down on your arm, forcing you to sit back down. “You won’t remember, but your father was gone most of the time, making several trips back and forth. And, he didn’t directly defend the members in court, but he consulted for them, found the loopholes and backstreets they needed to be acquitted.”

“Cover ups were your father’s specialty,” Taegun growled.

You threw your hands in the air. “So, what? They want to use my inheritance to pay for the debt? Fine! They can have it! I don’t want it anymore!”

“It’s not the money they want anymore. This man who’s owed the debt is the son of the man whose greatest enemy was the group your father worked for.” Taegun moved forward, cupping your face in his palms. “When I took you in, I hid you from your father’s group. The head had hoped to marry you off to his son, but I didn’t want that life for you. I wanted you to have a happy life, one that wasn’t surrounded in death and crime. It seems that my effort was pointless in the end.”

You wrapped your fingers around his wrists, unable to fully understand. “I don’t get it. What do you mean it was pointless? What else do they want if not the money?”

Taegun pulled you into his arms. He was crying now, heavy broken sobs vibrated his chest against your cheek. “If there was any other way, I would have taken it. But it was either this or they would kill us all and take you anyway.”

“What?” I whispered. “What are you talking about?”

“Soon, they will be here to take you,” Taegun sniffed back. “To marry their leader.”

Everything stopped. There was no way you heard that correctly. Marry? They wanted you to marry the leader of a mafia group?

No. No, you refused.

You tried to shove Taegun away but he held on tight, denying your escape.

A pounding knock came from the front door.

Finally releasing you, Taegun stood up to answer it. It was Hyunmin’s turn to wrap you up into her embrace as her sobs filled your ears. Three strangers in suits walked past Taegun and into the apartment without a word. All of their faces were void of any emotion, almost as if this tasked bored them.

“Is she ready?” the tallest one sniped. He had blood red hair and wore a long overcoat that stopped at his knees rather than the traditional suit jacket the others were clad in.

“We just told her,” Taegun replied quietly. “She didn’t even know until just now.”

The one with white blonde hair scowled. “Well, hurry up and pack something. We’ll have someone come tomorrow to pick up the rest of her stuff.”

You jumped up out Hyunmin’s arms. “No! I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“(Y/n), please!” Taegun stared at you with pleading eyes. In all your years, you’d never seen him cry - not at this magnitude - but right now it seemed like he would never stop.

Your jaw dropped, unable to believe that the two people who raised you were giving you away just like that. To marry not just someone you had never met, but a criminal who threatened and killed people for his own personal gain.

The shortest of the men stalked up and grabbed you by your upper arm, dragging you down the hallway.

“Which one’s yours?” he asked roughly. When you didn’t answer, he stared you down to let you know patience was not a virtue he possessed. “Which one?”

The fight slowly dying out of you, you pointed to the door that led to you room. Opening the door, he shoved you inside.

“Just pack what you can for now,” he ordered. “We can get the rest later.”

You may not have had a say in your life anymore, but you were determined to fight in any way you could. So, like the brat you never got to be, you followed his order, but slowly.

Taking your time, you heaved the suitcase down the shelf of the closet. You could feel his silent scowl burning holes in the back your head, but you refused to look at him. Laying the suitcase open on your bed, you packed away the things you could immediately think of. You shoved in your underwear and bras along with your small toiletry bag after you’d grabbed your favorite clothes. Wondering which books to take with you, you stared at your shelves. It was like trying to pick a favorite child.  

“Hurry up!” the man barked. His black hair was starting to fall onto his forehead from its previous, slicked back position. He leaned against Minah’s vanity, not caring if he knocked a few of her precious items over.

With your suitcase as full as you could get it, you zipped it up and placed it down on its wheels. Then you crossed your arms, glaring at the intruder.

“You done?”

“Packing? Yes.” You sat down on your bed, being as defiant as possible. “Do you mind leaving so I can get dressed?”

His eyes raked you up and down, making you sick to your stomach. “Nope. You’re fine as you are. Let’s go. The boss doesn’t have all day.”

Gripping your wrist in a suffocating vice, he hauled you out of the room, barely giving you enough time to grab your suitcase he’d forced you to pack in the first place. The wheels kept catching on the back of your heels, tripping you up. All that earned you was a few glares that didn’t resemble anything close to sympathetic.

Back in the living room, the two other men stood near the door as Taegun and Hyunmin sat on the couch. Hyunmin’s face was in her hands, her shoulders shaking from the sobs she couldn’t hold back.

“Ready?” the tall one asked.

Your handler nodded. The blonde opened the front door and started to head out.

“Wait,” you begged, looking desperately back over your shoulder at the people who’d raised you. Ignoring you, the short one kept going. “Wait! At least let me say goodbye!”

“We don’t have time for this,” he growled. With one last glance, your eyes met Taegun before the door closed on that part of your life forever.

The elevator ride was silent, not even music playing to break it. You refused to cry in these men’s presence, no matter how much you wanted to crumble and break down. The grip on your wrist never loosened and you were sure that there would soon be bruises.

Out in front of the building was a fourth man leaning against a black Cadillac and checking his watch. He was on the shorter side as well, a permanent smirk on his mouth. He, too, looked you up and down, his eyes lingering on your exposed legs.

“Not bad,” he commented.

“Keep your thoughts to yourself,” you growled.

All that did was make him laugh. “This is going to be fun.”

He popped open the trunk and took your suitcase, throwing it carelessly in the deep space. The back door was opened and they shoved you onto the seat when you didn’t enter quickly enough for them. Smart-Mouth slid into the driver’s seat. With the tall red-head climbing into the front passenger’s side, you forced to sit between the blonde and your handler.

You hugged your arms around yourself, trying to make your body as small as possible. No one spoke on the way to wherever it was that you were going. Too nervous to do otherwise, you kept your eyes down, wondering what you ever did to end up here.

It was all planned in your head. The day after your birthday, you were going to say a proper goodbye to your family and then hop on a plane to America. Once all the accounts were properly transferred in your name, you would go back to the airport and pick a random plane that would take you anywhere, a place that was new and foreign. You thought of your photo album that was hidden under your bed, filled with travel brochures and pictures you’d cut out of magazines, displaying the different places you wanted to experience. Now you never would and those pictures would remain as distant dreams.

Now, being forced into whatever this was, you could only see two possible ends. Either you ended up dead and your fiancé just pocketed the inheritance, or he kept you around for amusement, locked away forever. Whatever he decided to do, you would fight him the whole way. No matter what, you would not just lay down and be submissive. Even if it might seem ridiculous or insignificant, you would give yourself little victories.

“We’re here.”

You barely acknowledged any of your kidnappers as you were pulled from the car. The dimly lit parking garage was filled with six-figure cars that you would have never dared to even go near. Your bare feet slapped against the cold concrete as the group headed towards the elevator. The driver kept a tight grip on your suitcase while your handler kept a tight grip on you. The one time you dared to look over at the driver, he wiggled his eyebrows at you teasingly.

The elevator doors opened up into a small hallway with a large wooden door on the other side. The tall red head scanned his thumb on a pad next to the door before opening it and ushering everyone inside. The driver disappeared with your luggage down a hallway to the left while the tall one and the blonde drifted off to who knew where.

Glancing around as you were forced through the different rooms, you concluded that you were in a very expensive penthouse in the part of town that you’d always avoided. It was the kind of district reserved for multi-millionaires and celebrities. From abstract paintings to canvas photographs, large artwork covered the walls, but nothing personal. Nothing that gave a hint to what the owner – your future husband – looked like.

Finally arriving at the hellish destination, your handler knocked on a door at the end of a long hallway.

“Come in.”

Still not letting you go even though there was nowhere for you to run, he pushed open the door and led you inside.

The office was dark. Not due to lack of lighting – a large window that overlooked the surrounding skylight gave more than enough to fill the room - but because of the hues and shades of all the décor. The carpet was a deep gray, the walls a heavy navy blue. Even the wooden desk and chairs out in front of it were made of a dark wood. But the layout and furnishings of the room only held your attention for a few seconds. At the desk sat the real surprise.

You only ever saw him twice, but you knew that face. It seemed life was playing one last little joke on you. Behind the desk was no GQ model or fairy tale prince, but a mobster. Staring him down, you imagined jumping across the desk and landing a punch on his sharp cheek, but you were never that brave.

“Hello, (y/n),” he greeted with a smile. But this smile wasn’t friendly at all. It was calculating with a hint of victory. He motioned to the chair in front of him. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. My name is Junmyeon. Please sit.”

You didn’t move. A pair of hands on your shoulders that you were too weak to fight against made you take the seat. Your fighting spirit seemed to just amuse him.

“Do you know why you’re here?” he asked teasingly.

Through gritted teeth, you replied, “Someone - who has nothing to do with me - used me as a bargaining chip to clear away his debt.”

Junmyeon clicked his tongue. “Only partially true. Your adoptive father lost that case on purpose, which then led me to not get my money. But I hardly care about that.” He stood up and walked around the desk. Leaning against and leaving hardly any space between the two of you, he crossed his arms. “What I really want is the daughter of the Closer.”

You scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“Your father was famous among the families,” he explained. “He could close any case, get anyone off without stepping into a courtroom or a jail cell. Of course, that kind of quality work came at a hefty price.”

“What does that have to do with me?” you argued. “I didn’t know my father. My parents died when I was two. I didn’t know him as anything but a corporate lawyer until an hour ago.”

“As the daughter of the Closer, you were promised to Lee Junko once you were old enough.” He leaned down until you were nearly nose to nose. “While everything else that comes with you will be sweet indeed, the greatest prize will be to see Junko’s face when he learns he will never have you.”

How petty. You rolled my eyes. “There’s no point in having me. I know nothing of my father’s business. Sure, you’ll get your hands on a big inheritance. Big whoop.”

Junmyeon laughed. “You don’t even know, do you?” Taking his hands out of his pockets, he placed them on either arm rest, trapping you in. “When you turn twenty-three, you won’t just get a big check. Hidden in a bank somewhere in New York, there is a large safe deposit box with your father’s files on all his clients; their dirty secrets, their setups, who they have in their pockets. Whoever gets their hands on those files will have the entire underground world at their fingertips. You are the only one that bank will give the key to. You are the most valuable human being to any of the families right now.”

You wanted to join him in his laughter but for a different, more ironic reason. Being insignificant was your way of life. You didn’t want any of this. This wasn’t your life. This wasn’t your world. But maybe….

“If I get you those files,” you murmured, eyes trained down on your hands before looking up at him, “if you get what you want, will you let me go?”

For the first time, that smile faltered. Something soft flashed in his eyes, but it was gone before you could interpret it.

“No, I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” you screeched. There was no point in keeping you prisoner here after he got what he wanted.

Straightening up, Junmyeon walked back around his desk, opening a drawer and throwing down a stack of papers half an inch thick and held together with a clip. It landed with a hard thud, making you flinch.

“That,” he pointed to the papers, “is a contract. They might not have told you, but your adoptive parents were in debt to us, too. Nothing too big and they always made their payments on time, never any problems. But this contract they signed cleared it, along with his boss’s debt. The stipulation in it is that we get married and you stay with me. If for any reason those two things are not followed through, the contract is null and void and the debt is due in full immediately.”

With a shaky hand, you picked up the contract, flipping through its pages. The words were all legal jargon, nothing you could understand. What you could absorb, however, were the little water stains that dotted the pages. They were even more collected on the final page where the signatures were. Each little drop was a stab to you heart. You knew they didn’t want to give you away, but they did. You weren’t a human being anymore. You were property.

Angry, you threw the contract back at him. “Fine. You win. Whatever. I’ll be your little pawn in your stupid game so you can be the reigning king. But it’ll be in name only. I refuse to be your trophy.”

Junmyeon nodded. “Deal. I didn’t actually want to be tied down. It’s all just legal maneuvers. You don’t have to worry about that.”

You stood up, just wanting to be alone. “Are we done here?”

He nodded and motioned to the other man in the office. “Show her to her room.”

This time you were allowed to just follow the man out of the room and down the halls rather than being dragged like a disobedient dog on a leash. Stopping in front of the the last door on the right, you were relieved that it sat on the opposite side of the penthouse, far from that snake.

“You’ll stay here,” he informed you. “Better get used to it.” He opened the door, shoved you inside, and shut it again with a slam.

Your new resting place was the kind that people dreamed of. The walls were a dark blue, somehow making the room feel bigger than it was, although you were sure two of your old rooms could fit comfortably inside here.

The décor just added to the extravagance of the room. A queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the far wall, flanked by matching nightstands on either side. Corresponding to the color scheme perfectly, the comforter looked fluffy and soft, resting without a wrinkle on the silk sheets. The empty walk-in closet housed a round ottoman and built in drawers. Martha Stewart couldn’t have designed it better.

You hated it.

Without a second thought, you would trade it all just to go back home. How would you sleep without the soothing breaths of Minah five feet away? No longer would you be waking up to Hyunmin’s singing as she cooked breakfast. You would never again be interrupted in your reading by Taegun yelling at Mingyu to take his school work seriously. Little things that used to annoy you or drive you insane were suddenly things you wanted to be bombarded with again.

The weight of the situation finally baring down, you collapsed onto the floor. Pulling your knees in close to your chest, you cried harder than you ever had before, cursing the father who brought this upon you.