Now

The elevator stops on the last floor, opening its doors to reveal the hallway that leads to the penthouse. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath as he approaches the door, with Jongdae and Baekhyun following at each side of him. He doesn’t like that he’s there, but he was running out of resources and even when the twins have been friendly in the past, that doesn’t mean they’re friends.

“Hopefully they’re home,” Baekhyun says, taking a step forward to ring the doorbell before going back to his spot. His job is to keep Kyungsoo safe at all costs.

“They are,” Kyungsoo replies, adjusting his black vest slightly. He had been working until now, and despite the time, he decided a personal visit was the way to go. “I only need one of them to be home.”

“It’s kind of late for a meeting.” Jongdae mentions. Of course, he should be supervising the merchandise that was supposed to be shipped, however, when they got to the warehouse, they found it to be empty. 

There was nothing left.

This was the fourth time it happened in barely two weeks and even when Kyungsoo’s team had been on the case, and they had doubled the security, it kept happening. Right under their noses. He has been doing business with the twins for a while now, but maybe they thought Kyungsoo had something to do with their clubs being ransacked and retaliated.

It wouldn’t be the first time they pulled something like this.

Back when they weren’t as friendly, Kyungsoo learned they were not to be messed with. As inexperienced as they were, Kai’s thirst and ambition got him to do things many people could only ever dream of doing.

Like stealing from Do Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo respected that, but he didn’t like it when others messed with his business.

The door finally opens, and the stoic face of Kai’s assistant greets them. Despite the time, he’s still wearing a three-piece suit and his white hair is perfectly styled. He raises an eyebrow in a silent question.

“I need to talk to Kai or Jongin… whichever is home.” Kyungsoo stares right into the guy’s eyes. “It’s urgent.”

The guy sighs, glancing at the other two, his eyes lingering on Jongdae for half a second more before he steps to the side. Letting them in. “Leave all weapons at the door.”

Soon another guy appears out of nowhere, this one taller than the others, taller than the twins even. Face smoothed into an unimpressed look as he checks all of them and takes their weapons away. Kyungsoo isn’t worried. Baekhyun can do more with his bare hands than a gun will ever do. 

They’re led into the living room and told to sit and wait. Kyungsoo sits down, however Jongdae and Baekhyun simply stand behind him. They don’t have to wait for long before Kai walks into the living room with a smirk curving his lips. He’s wearing nothing but a burgundy robe and his hair is unusually messy. He glides across the room, taking his sweet time, and sits across from Kyungsoo.

He’s pleased to see him, that’s for sure.

“To what do I owe this lovely visit?” He doesn’t seem surprised by their presence. On the contrary, he appears to be enjoying it.

“Sorry to have come by so late, but there is an urgent matter that I need to discuss,” Kyungsoo leans back in his chair and crosses a leg over the other.

“Discuss? And here I was getting excited over nothing,” Kai tilts his head, his bottom lip with intention. 

Kyungsoo can only sigh. 

“Would you like something to drink?” He raises a hand.

“I’m afraid I’m short on time, so we’ll pass…” Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Because of the same reason, I’ll go straight to the point. Did you do it?”

“Uh, you lost me there. I’ve done a lot of things, what are we talking about exactly?” he’s not the least phased by the question.

“My warehouses Kai, it’s been four in two weeks… are you messing with them?” Kyungsoo’s brows furrow. He’s not in the mood for games, especially not the kind Kai likes to play.

“No. Minseok?” Kai raises a hand once again and the man in question hands him a drink. “I haven’t messed with your business ever since we started doing business together.”

Kyungsoo analyzes him for a moment. He doesn’t have any reason to not believe him. Kai has never lied to him before, although, in this world, he can’t really trust people.

Kai sees the doubts in his eyes and smiles as he takes a sip. “I may be a lot of things, but a liar is not one of them.” He leans back on the couch. The robe gives in slightly, revealing a portion of his tanned chest. It distracts Kyungsoo for at least a second or two. “May I remind you that my clubs have also been raided, so I guess that whoever is after me is also after you.”

“Do you have any leads?” Kyungsoo sighs, relaxing a bit. He had a lot of respect for their father and since they pulled a white flag and started doing business together, everything had gone smoothly for him. He didn’t want to break that yet. 

“No, but I will do some digging tomorrow. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” Kai smiles at him. “I had a few suspicions, but now I have a new theory. I’ll let you know if I confirm it. And if I do, we may have to work together.”

Kyungsoo nods, processing his words. “Alright.” He stands up. “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Kai stands up as well, his eyes doing a quick scan of the other man’s figure. “Are you sure you can’t stay?”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “Maybe next time.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Back in the car, Kyungsoo relaxes against the leather seat and lets out a sigh. He’s back at square one, however, he’s somewhat relieved he can discard that suspicion. Not that he can’t deal with them, but having the Kims as enemies could be a pain in the .

“So, do we believe what he said, boss?” Baekhyun asks. He’s sitting next to him, while Jongdae is sitting in the passenger seat as Sehun drives them through the streets of Seoul. Nightlife at its peak.

“Sadly, we do… he wouldn’t deny it nor confirm it if he had anything to do with it.” Kyungsoo sighs. “Part of me thinks he’s kind of sad he didn’t think about it first.”

“So, what now? Do we just wait?” Jongdae turns a bit to look at them.

“We’ll do our own research as we wait… and we’ll cease activities until this is resolved. I can’t lose any more merchandise.”

“Got it.”

Kyungsoo has a feeling this might take longer than he really expects.

.*.*.*.

When Jongin walks into their penthouse, he finds Kai drinking in the living room and looking out their windows at the city. He drops his keys and takes off his jacket, making his way into the apartment. He notices Kai is drinking the good whiskey.

“Was someone here?” He frowns and stands behind his brother.

“Yes, your favorite person was here,” Kai chuckles, and he turns around just in time to see Jongin’s face go from concerned to disgusted.

“Leave it,” Jongin warns. “What did he want? Why didn’t you call me?”

“You were busy handling business and Minseok and Chanyeol were here so there was no need.” Kai shrugs. He refills his glass and takes a quick sip. “Hmm, we should get more of this.”

“What did he want?” Jongin insists, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“He wanted to know if we were stealing from him. Apparently, his warehouses took a hit,” Kai swirls the liquid in his glass. “I think we’re being targeted by the same people. I’ll visit Junmyeon tomorrow and if I can confirm it, then we’ll probably have to work with him to catch them.”

Jongin groans. “I couldn’t care less about his problems.” 

“We might need him Jongin, you’ll have to put aside your differences and maybe also ignore your need for him.” Kai chuckles before he takes a sip.

Jongin frowns. “I haven’t punched you since we were eighteen. That could easily change now.”

“Of course, of course… let’s pretend I’m not right.” Kai walks away. “There’s leftover food in the microwave if you’re hungry. I’m going to bed.” He waves at Jongin, leaving the room.

Upsetting his brother before bed was always fun.

.*.*.*.

“My dear Kim Junmyeon!” Kai smiles as he makes his way through the office, turning every eye in his direction. Chanyeol is following close behind. It’s been a while since he paid Junmyeon any visits. The office looks just as he remembers. Closed windows, old furniture, and the same flower wallpaper that kept all the secrets in the underworld.

The man in question looks up from the papers scattered around his desk. He raises an eyebrow, taking off his glasses, and leans back with a deep sigh. The chair creaks under him.

“What do you want now?” He asks, and Kai chuckles as he takes a seat in front of him. There aren’t many people inside the office, just a few assistants and Junmyeon. Although few people would willingly work with the people Junmyeon got involved with. 

When they met, Junmyeon was already deep in the underworld, doing work for dangerous people, using his knowledge as a lawyer. Kai and Jongin pulled him out of some dark corners. 

“Relax, I have a job for you,” Kai shrugs. “It’s very simple.”

“When you say that it always ends up being something stressful,” Junmyeon shakes his head, running a hand through his black hair. He sits in silence for a moment. “What do you need?”

“That’s the spirit!” Kai claps, leaning over the desk. “First things first. Do you know anything about my clubs being attacked?”

“I heard it happened,” Junmyeon confirmed. News travels fast in the underworld. If Junmyeon knows, that meant some big and smaller fishes know. “A few people seem happy about it.”

“I’m sure a lot of people are… I need you to keep an open ear and tell me if you find anything suspicious.”

“You’re after them?” He honestly could not say he was surprised. Kim Kai has never left business unfinished.

“Of course, I am… did you hear about Do’s warehouses?” Kai asks and once again the other man nods. “I’m thinking it’s the same people.”

“Could be… but that reduces the suspects to pretty much everybody.” Junmyeon shrugs. “Everybody wants to take down the two biggest organizations in Seoul.”

Kai hums. “And I wonder how one achieves that?” he reaches out, grabbing one of the lawyer’s pens, and starts drawing a flower on a piece of paper. “Especially when those two organizations are working together.”

Junmyeon says nothing and just waits for the other man to express whatever he has in mind. 

“Divide and you shall conquer,” Kai finishes the drawing, folding the paper as he stands up. He puts it inside one of Chanyeol’s pockets. “For you.”

“I see… I’ll keep an ear out, and I will call you if I hear anything.” Junmyeon nods.

“Good. Also, Minseok will be in contact with you about some contracts.” Kai smiles, turning around to leave. He can only hear the other man groaning behind him.

He’s still grinning when Chanyeol opens the door to the car for him. Visiting Junmyeon often felt like visiting a friend, so he was always in a good mood afterward. “Oh! I almost forgot. Was the delivery made?”

“Yes sir.” Chanyeol waits until his boss is inside to close the door.

“Excellent.”

Chanyeol pulls off their parking spot, swiftly incorporating into the busy street. It isn’t long until Kai’s phone starts to ring. He grins as he picks up.

“How can I help you?” He answers. There’s a sigh at the other end of the line.

“What are these flowers for Kim?” Kyungsoo sounds tired, but very deep in there, Kai can tell he’s amused.

“No reason just felt like it.” He’s trying very hard to stop smiling.

There’s a pause. “Are you trying to get me to invite you for dinner again?”  

“Maybe,” he leans against the window, looking at the Seoul life passing by. “The food was really good, to be honest.”

Another sigh and then. “If you thought I would have a dinner invitation for you, then you’re wrong.”

“How about a breakfast invitation… I’ve been dying to know how Do Kyungsoo likes his eggs in the morning,” he chuckles.

Somehow this makes Kyungsoo laugh. “Talk to you later Kim.”

“Talk to you later.”

If there’s something Kai lives for, it’s definitely his banter with Do Kyungsoo.

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Twitter: @VanillaNini1