Blinding Lights

Clever like the devil, but twice as pretty.

Some things never change.

The late-night meetings, the not-so-discreet stares, the whispers that followed every step he took. It didn’t matter if it was in Seoul or not. People always behaved the same. A natural response to power, of course. They always want to please him in hopes of somehow having the advantage against their rivals.

That’s the type of result that brings being one of the top heads in the organized crime world.  

One that Kai worked hard for.

He is, of course, not foolish enough to believe these people wouldn’t stab him in the back at the opportunity to please someone more powerful. ‘Trust no one’ were the words his father always said when he was preparing them to take over. And this is something he knew well. It has been a little over ten years since he took over his father’s organization and he still remembers vividly the moments people underestimated his courage or his skills. Looking at him over their shoulders, as if he was less than.

Everyone saw him as Mr. Kim’s troublemaking son and not as Kim Kai.

Including his own father.

And then what did he do? He got rid of every single person who used to work for his father. Brought in his own team, people he could trust. People who wouldn’t inform his father of his every move. He made some risky changes that paid off and made sure everyone understood a few things about him.

He doesn’t have their old mentality.

He isn’t afraid.

And then people soon realized who they were dealing with. Giving him the two things he wanted: Fear and respect.

The two emotions he’s seeing the most right now. There’s a bit of hatred too, but that’s a given when you can’t compete.

Kai chuckles as he walks around the opulent establishment, with Jongin, Minseok, and Chanyeol following. All he can hear is the muffled noise of the music playing in the club above them and the collective sound of people talking around him. From the red leather couches to the round glass tables, he can tell the person he’s here to see surely has some… peculiar taste. He used to own a place like this, a nightclub that served as an underground casino for others in the mafia. It was an excellent source of money. However, Kai grew tired of the drunken fights and people constantly trying to steal from him.

He walks with his team on his heel as they wait for the person they’re about to meet to be free to see them. Kai has to admit he’s a bit early, however, he just wants to get this over with. The sooner he’s done, the sooner he gets to go back home and see Kyungsoo.

The mere thought is enough to make him smile.

He wanders around the poker and blackjack tables. Some people are watching the games, gathering around the tables. He can feel their lingering stares and the whispers he knows are about them. More than one has approached to invite him to play. He’s not interested in that, however.

There’s one blackjack table that catches Kai’s interest. He smiles as he approaches. The players acknowledge him briefly, bouncing back to their game. There are four men playing. It soon becomes obvious which one of them is having a winning streak while the other three look confused, frustrated, and focused.

Money is on the line after all.

He’s watched a couple of games when someone finally comes out to get him.

“Mr. Yoo is ready for you.” The tall man says. Kai smiles at him, nodding for him to lead the way. He follows him to the other side of the basement. There’s a red door that could only lead to what he believes would be Yoo’s office. Another two men are standing in front of it, of course, opening the door for him.

The interior looks just like the rest of the place. Red leather everywhere, and a big wooden desk at the end of the room with none other than Mr. Yoo sitting on the other side. Returning his stare.

“Mr. Kim, it’s lovely to see you again.” Yoo Doyun doesn’t even attempt to smile as he greets them. He’s surrounded by bodyguards as always. His gray hair is styled back and he’s smoking his usual cigar. Everything is just as the last time Kai was here. Not even a thunderstorm could change Yoo Doyun.

“Always a pleasure, Mr. Yoo.” Kai sits across from the old man. Chanyeol stands a few steps near the door, while Jongin and Minseok stand behind him. He’s not worried about being outnumbered, honestly, he knows neither of them could take Minseok down on his worst day.

“I trust that you’ve been doing well. Last time I heard something about you, apparently you made a mess out of the city.” Yoo rests his cigar on the table, raising an eyebrow at him. Kai chuckles at his poorly disguised curiosity. Everyone wants to know the details of what happened, even people from out of town.

Kai shrugs. “Fun times.”

Yoo scoffs. “I’m sure.” He groans as he leans back in his chair. The man has been holding on to his organization for maybe longer than he should’ve. Having his sons in high positions but not really letting them take over. He’s sure the only way Yoo would let go at this point is if he’s dead, however, holding on is probably what’s kept him alive this far. “You brought the papers, I assume.”

Kai nods, as Minseok hands him the documents in question. He slides them over to the other man, waiting patiently for him to read them.

“All the terms we discussed.”

The old man takes his time, eventually signing both copies and handing one back to Kai. He gives the other copy to one of his men. “As always it’s a pleasure to do business with you.”

Kai smiles. They both know that’s not true, but he’ll go along with it. “Let’s have another profitable year together.”

Yoo is silent for a moment, analyzing him. “Make sure you don’t cause trouble until then.”

A chuckle escapes Kai’s lips. “I only cause trouble for two reasons. Things that matter to me or for fun.”

Yoo takes a puff of his cigar before putting it down again. “So, which one was Do Kyungsoo?”

Ah, the never-ending curiosity.

“I’ll let you guess,” Kai smirks as he stands up. The old man does the same.

“Things could easily turn on you if you go down that path.”

“I embrace the challenge.”

“Be careful Kim, people seem to think you have no weaknesses. Don’t let them find one now.”

“Oh, but he’s the opposite. He’s a strength.” Kai says.

Yoo says nothing as he walks Kai out of the office. He pats Kai’s back as soon as they’re back in the noisy basement. “How about a few games before you leave?”

Kai could almost laugh.

“What? Are you inviting me to sit at one of your tables and annoy your clients?” Kai smiles, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass.”

The other man nods, somewhat relieved Kai declined. This amuses Kai even more as they make their way through the poker tables. Kai glances at the blackjack table he had been watching earlier, and he takes a detour under Jongin and Minseok’s confused stares. Almost the same people are playing. Only one new man joined as the other four remained the same.

The winner from the other games seems to be on a good streak still.

Kai watches attentively. His first impulse is to taunt the losing players, but he keeps his mouth shut for the time being. A few more games go by before Yoo realizes Kai is still standing there.

“Mr. Kim… I thought you weren’t interested in playing.” He says, approaching with two big men following his every move.

“I didn’t say anything about watching.” Kai grins. “You have something quite interesting down here.”

Behind him, Jongin sighs. “Kai.”

Yoo gazes at him with tired eyes. “Out with it, Kim.” He crosses his arms over his chest.

“It’s not a big deal, really.” Kai shrugs. “I just couldn’t help but notice how your dealer here is stealing from you.”

The man in question raises his head with widened eyes. Kai winks at him.

“Excuse me? That’s not possible.” Yoo gets closer, a frown now gracing his features.

Kai giggles in anticipation. “It’s pretty easy, actually. He’s flashing his hidden card to our winner here. Keeping it on the top and giving everyone else cards from underneath, saving those for him.” Kai tilts his head, his smile widening when the dealer clears his throat. Clearly uncomfortable. “I’m guessing they have a deal. Maybe they split the money.” He turns to the nervous winner at the end of the table. “Are you a regular here?”

Yoo faces the man in question, suspicion growing in his eyes. “One of my best clients.”

Kai hums, satisfied. “He probably always picks the same table, because it makes him feel… lucky.”

Before anyone can say anything else, one of the other players charges toward the man. He yells, punching him several times before anyone can get him off of him. Chips are flying and other tables are now staring at the chaos happening. Yoo quickly gets his men to control the situation. However, Kai doesn’t get to see the end as Jongin pulls him out of the establishment before he can cause any more trouble.

Kai laughs once he’s outside. The night air hits his senses.

“You’re a menace,” Minseok complains.

“Thank you.” Kai winks at him.

Jongin shakes his head. “I swear you don’t know when to shut up.”

“Why should I? I’m doing him a favor.” Kai shrugs. “Besides, it was a good time to incite some chaos.”

Minseok sighs. “Alright then, you have your own issues to worry about.” He says, pulling out his phone. “I got a few emails when we were in there. Apparently, SC group is asking for those documents back today.”

Jongin frowns. “Mr. Han said we had the rest of the week.”

“Well, they changed their mind.” Minseok takes a deep breath as he replies to some messages. “I don’t like this at all.”

Kai chuckles. He walks over to where Chanyeol is standing, linking arms with the man. “It’ll be fine. Should we call Soo and ask him to send them? It’s not like we can teleport back.”

Jongin nods, reaching for his phone as well. “I’ll let him know then.”

Kai smiles. “Tell him I can’t wait to see him.”

“All I can do is tell him how you’re behaving.” Jongin halfheartedly glares at his brother.

Kai purses his lips, sighing dramatically. “Mean.”

“Right.” Jongin presses his phone against his ear, and he steps to the side.

Dealing with Kai in Seoul is already hard enough. Dealing with Kai out of the city is what will probably end with his patience.

Whatever he has left at least.

Kyungsoo scans the empty hallway as he makes his way toward the last door. It’s late, which explains why there’s no one around, however, he luckily has access to the building. As always Sehun is tailing him as they advance. There’s no need to have his entire team with him as he’s just picking up some documents to deliver later.

Kyungsoo sighs as they finally reach Kai’s office. “Wait here. It’ll be quick.”

Sehun nods, standing by the door.

Kyungsoo turns on the light for the office, taking a deep breath before he walks towards the file cabinet. He grabs the key from his pocket, quickly opening it and looking for the folder Jongin mentioned. He gets through some of the files before finding the one he was looking for. Kyungsoo grabs the yellow folder and closes the cabinet once again. Meeting with Sehun soon after.

“Ready?” Sehun asks.

Kyungsoo nods, turning off the lights. “Let’s go.”

They head back towards the car where Baekhyun is waiting. Sehun opens the back door for his boss and closes it after him. Baekhyun looks back at him.

“Got what you needed?”

“Yeah, now we just need to send it over.” Kyungsoo runs his fingers through his hair. “Looks like these people are giving them a hard time.”

Baekhyun chuckles. “Well, if there’s a lot of money involved.”

“That’s my guess.” Kyungsoo sighs. He rests the folder on his lap as they navigate through Seoul’s streets.

“Aren’t they lucky their boyfriend is here to help them?” Baekhyun chuckles in the front seat, making Kyungsoo roll his eyes.

“Shut up.” He pulls the documents out of the folder, double-checking that he has the right ones. He scans over them, confirming the company’s name and that Kai and Jongin’s signatures are there. However, there are a couple of things that catch his attention.

Kyungsoo goes back on it, a frown deepening the more he reads. His heart sinks.

“Change of plans. We’re going back home.”

Baekhyun glances over his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

“No.”

Kai sits behind his desk with a groan the next day. They arrived not too long ago and even when the first thing he wanted to do is to see Kyungsoo, he still had some emails and other stuff to get sorted before he can properly rest for the day.

Jongin sits across from him, face glued to his phone as he always is lately. He spends more time texting Kyungsoo than anything else. Kai chuckles because had someone told him this was going to be his brother a year ago, he would’ve laughed. Kai turns on his computer screen, waiting for it to load before he checks his emails and other things he has pending.

Jongin sighs. “Is Soo busy?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Kai chuckles. “We’re going to meet later.”

“He’s not answering my texts.” Jongin pouts slightly. He surely doesn’t know he does that when he talks about Kyungsoo sometimes, but Kai finds it hilarious. The man his brother has become.

And Minseok dares to say he’s the whipped one.

“Maybe he is doing something. We’ll go visit once I’m done.” Kai smiles. “I had Chanyeol order flowers for him this morning.”

Jongin hums, still scrolling through his phone.

A few minutes go by before their secretary is knocking on the door. She steps in, looking slightly unsure. “Mr. Kim? Mr. Do is here to see you.”

Kai grins. Maybe they didn’t have to go visit after all then.

“See? He was on his way.” Kai nods. “Let him in.”

However, the sight they receive once the door is fully open is not the one they expected. Instead of Kyungsoo’s smiley face, they see Youngmin walking into the office like a storm. He doesn’t look happy, however, he never has when he’s in their presence. Although it doesn’t go unnoticed how he’s holding a bouquet.

The exact flowers Kai had ordered for Kyungsoo.

Youngmin doesn’t say a word as he throws the bouquet over the desk. Both Kai and Jongin just stare with confusion written all over their faces.

“You two have some nerve!” Youngmin spits out. “You ing bastards even have the balls to order flowers for him after what you two did? ing outrageous.”

Kai’s face falls as he gazes at the flowers. “Well, hello to you too.”

“I knew you two were bad news, I always knew. I’m just sad Hyung never listened to me. If this isn’t clear enough, our business is concluded and Hyung doesn’t want to see any of you again.” He huffs. “So don’t dare try to contact him.” His words are coming out so fast that Kai is having a hard time understanding.

“Youngmin slow down. What are you even saying?”

“That you and Hyung are over. It’s done. I don’t want to see either of you look at him again. If it were up to me I’d be ing shooting you both straight in the face, but you get a warning out of the little kindness Hyung has for you.”

“Be careful with your words Youngmin.” Jongin growls. He stands from his chair, but Kai reaches out to pull him back.

He frowns. He doesn’t like where this is going. “What happened? I don’t understand.”

Youngmin scoffs. “Sure you don’t. Maybe next time don’t have your victims pick up your documents. Those were very telling.”

“There was nothing on those documents.”

“I disagree. Looks like you’re even more stupid than I thought you were.”

Kai’s stare darkens. “Watch your tone.”

“You don’t give me orders Kim.”

Jongin shakes his brother’s hand off. Grabbing his phone, he dials Kyungsoo, turning to his brother after a while. “He’s not answering.”

“Of course, he’s not. Like I said. His deals with you are over.” Youngmin turns to the door. “Lose his number, I mean it.”

“Youngmin-” Kai stands up but the door is slammed shut before he can say anything else.

Kai and Jongin exchange a worried look. What the hell could’ve happened for him to be this upset? Kai has no idea what he’s talking about and the more he thinks about it, the less sense it makes. He stares at the flower mess on his desk. His heart sinks to his stomach at the thought of Kyungsoo really being done with them.

He can’t accept that.

Not when he doesn’t even know what he did wrong.

“Call Minseok, we’re going to Soo’s place… this is not right,” Kai says.

“What will we do if he refuses to talk to us?” Jongin frowns. His eyes are looking down at the call log, several rejected calls to Kyungsoo’s number. “What are we going to do if Youngmin is telling the truth, and he’s done?”

Kai sighs. “Call Minseok! This can be fixed. We did nothing wrong.”

Jongin takes a deep breath. “Why is he so angry?”

“I… I don’t know.”

And for the first time, Kim Kai has no clue about what just happened.

But he’s going to fix it. He knows it can be fixed.

No matter what it takes.

 

 

Twitter: VanillaNini1

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coincidences
#1
Chapter 9: What the fish, how does this have so few votes??! This is A MasterPiecE!
Feels like I’ve read from a professional writer’s book, such well written. Story was not that long but still a great plot between these chapters.
BehnazYB
#2
Chapter 8: Awwwww why did it end so sooooooon T_T I was waiting for kisses and much more . Hope to see more of them .
trixile
#3
Chapter 9: Aww my guess was right from the first book~
I just love the character dynamics in this~ Seeing Kai breaking out of his business facade and become a little unhinged is just just fun to read! Their interactions are just so sweet when they are together~

Ngl tho, I did kinda hoping for more Chanbaek moment but it's okay hehe

Thank you so much for the wonderful read~ ❤️
Diraunnie #4
Chapter 9: At last they confessed thier feelings,such a cute moment at the end,loved it. Thank you for such a beautiful story.❤.
Nicole121314 #5
Chapter 9: Haha the twins are so cheesy. They do love Kyungsoo so much... and thanks dear for the wonderful story... love it so much. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Nicole121314 #6
Chapter 8: They're back together again. Cute chapter at the end hehe
Diraunnie #7
Chapter 8: Finally!! They are back together again,I was waiting for their interaction.Can't wait to see what happens to choi. Loved the chapter a lot♡⁠♡.
Nicole121314 #8
Chapter 7: I love the action. And Kyungsoo now believes the twins.
Nicole121314 #9
Chapter 6: Ohmygash. Kai and Kyungsoo are scary hehe
Nicole121314 #10
Chapter 5: The twins are definitely pissed.... good that they're about to solve the issue only we don't know how it will end hehe.