Yukwon's eyes darted to the location of the noise, neck jarring painfully, but he saw nothing other than black. Apart from the small pool of light around himself, the source of which was still unknown, the rest of the room was shrouded in an almost suffocating darkness.

 

Yukwon could hear his pulse pounding in his head as the killer held his breath, anticipating the voice to speak again. He didn't have to wait long.

 

"A gallant effort, however."

 

The tone was light, playful, and Yukwon decided it was the worst possible thing to hear in this sort of situation. He could have handled barely-bridled anger, even a monotonous, threatening drone. Not this, though. The way the man's voice dipped and curled and rose and fell, sounding so teasing and melodic, hinted to a further knowledge. This man knew more than Yukwon, and he was damn well enjoying that fact.

 

Something about the man's voice set a sort of 'deja-vu' going in Yukwon's brain, as well. In the brief second before his kidnapper decided to continue, the killer took a moment to ponder where he'd heard it before.

 

"I just wish you'd tried harder." At this, a shadow shifted somewhere to Yukwon's right, and suddenly a shoe stepped into the pool of light surrounding him. There was a loud click of expensive shoes on concrete as the kidnapper took another step forward, and Yukwon followed the shoe to the leg, to the torso, and finally to the face of the man.

 

Now, Yukwon had seen many threatening faces during his career. He'd seen it all; from simply a firmly-set frown, to a web of thin white scars marring the surface of the skin. This man, however, had to have the most aggressive countenance Yukwon had ever come across.

 

His lips were thin and pale, drawn into a half-smirk, half-snarl that gave his entire head an ugly, ridged quality. One large, puffy scar that slashed down the left side of his face pulled at his eye, disfiguring it awfully until it could barely be held open. He looked positively murderous, psychopathic even, and for the briefest of moments Yukwon was terrified.

 

Until he reminded himself that he'd trained for situations like this, and that death, no matter how finite, was nothing to be afraid of.

 

The man stepped closer and Yukwon gritted his teeth, tensing his muscles, ready for whatever was to come. He kept the corner of his eye on the video camera pointed at his face, attempting to work out just what it was for.

 

"I know who you are, kitty cat. Y' couldn't fool me that easily, you know." The man drawled, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Not when you've been the main character in our little... pantomime for a while now."

 

Gulping silently, Yukwon attempted to keep his confusion from showing on his features. Instead, he merely held eye contact steadily, letting this man know that he was anything but afraid.

 

"You're good at keeping quiet, you know. I'm surprised our interrogator didn't break any bones earlier, but, then again, I did ask for you in one piece." A laugh rang out that sounded so ing smug Yukwon wanted to punch him until it stopped.

 

There was a pause as the man wandered over to the camera, "We've got a nice little video to show your pathetic Organisation, anyway."

 

Ignoring the fact that he had no recollection of the interrogation that had apparently happened earlier, Yukwon chose this time to speak out.

 

"What do you want from me?" He croaked through a wrecked throat, sore and unsteady. The man quirked an eyebrow up.

 

"You haven't figured it out yet? Blackmail, my little murderer. We're not completely stupid, we know about your little relationship. B-Bomb's been... not performing up to par. All we want to do is lure him back here and set his priorities straight."

 

"Couldn't you just call him back?" None of this was making sense in Yukwon's pain-clouded brain, his discomfort not allowing him to think clear.

 

"Hmm, I would if I could, but he seems to have developed a rather potent dislike for my little group. All I need to do is remind him just where his loyalties lie."

 

But Yukwon knew it wasn't that easy-It wasn't just a case of Minhyuk getting a scolding then both of them being let free. In companies like this, if you weren't behaving properly you were seen as a threat and eliminated, no questions asked. And there was very rarely a case of an interrogation victim being let out alive, too. Most likely, they'd get what they wanted from Yukwon before killing him off too, because even victims knew too much.

 

The camera began rolling again, the red light flashing in the gloom. Yukwon shut his eyes.

 

"I'm not playing games, B-Bomb." The old man spoke, walking around to Yukwon's left and addressing the camera.

 

Suddenly a hand was at Yukwon's neck, squeezing hard and almost crushing the Hitman's windpipe. Yukwon cried out as his airways were cut off, mouthing uselessly at the air as he struggled for oxygen.

 

"Return to us, or you know what'll happen to your little boyfriend here."

 

The man let go, and Yukwon gasped for air, stopping the spinning in his brain. Then a hand fisted in his hair, tugging his head back, and Yukwon barely had enough time to clench his jaw before a powerful right-hook was landed on his cheek. The killer hissed as the pain subsided slightly, hands straining at the bonds as pure instinct told him to defend himself.

 

"Surely that's incentive enough, huh?" The man chuckled to the camera, nursing his knuckles. "Besides, I miss you terribly, my son."

 

Yukwon's mouth dropped open.

 

That's why the voice had sounded familiar. That's why he was down here interrogating Yukwon himself.

 

This man, this awful, horrid, fearful man, was Minhyuk's father. 

 

 

------

 

Zico and Kyung's plan was simple: Lure Yukwon, or even better, B-Bomb, out into the open through rumours and false information. Then, they could either talk to Kwon, or make the hit with B-Bomb.

 

But on the day of the plan, something was off.

 

As they reached their desired part of the city, they found a man (it had to be B-Bomb, it HAD to be. The description fit perfectly) wandering like a madman out in the streets. This man, who knew people were out to kill him, and had been hiding for weeks, was out in the open. Without protection, and, as far as Zico could see, without a weapon.

 

It would be the perfect time to make the hit, but everything was just wrong. B-Bomb seemed like he was searching for something, wide-eyed and panicked, but looking for all the world like he wouldn't care if someone shot him dead right there. His searching turned into aimless wandering-

 

So Zico decided to follow him for a while.

 

It was simple- he wasn't even trying to make it difficult. He walked in circles around a large apartment complex, constantly retracing his steps as if he was trying to make it obvious.

 

Something was obviously very, very wrong here. So, after agreeing it with Kyung, Zico decided to move in.

 

"Wait!" The Underboss made himself known as he hurried to keep up with B-Bomb, causing the man to whirl around with wide eyes. Zico stopped in front of him, and B-Bombs eyes narrowed.

 

"Zico."

 

The Underboss was pleasantly surprised. "I didn't expect you to know who I was."

 

B-Bomb shrugged, "Yukwon told me about you. Are you here to kill me?"

 

Startled by his straightforwardness, Zico shook his head. "I'm just here to talk. What's wrong?" Because there was really no use in pretending that B-Bomb was fine.

 

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." B-Bomb nodded solemnly, and Zico realised that the boy really /had/ been trying to attract his attention by his wandering.

 

The two made their way down a side street, somewhere slightly less public that the middle of a sidewalk, and that's when Zico really noticed the fear in B-Bombs eyes.

 

"I need help." B-Bomb stated, and Zico arched an eyebrow.

 

"With what?"

 

"It's Kwon, he.... he's been taken. Black Dragon have taken him." The man forced the words out around the way his throat constricted at the mere thought, and Zico's brain went into panic mode.

 

"Where is he? Does he have any weapons with him? What do they want with him?"

 

B-Bomb backed away from the barrage of questions, hands up in defence. "I have no idea where they're holding him, his knife and gun are still in the apartment, and I wish I knew."

 

Zico stopped for a second to study the boy before him. B-Bomb looked an absolute mess. His hair was unruly, skin pale and hands trembling. His shirt looked like it had been stretched by anxious fingers, and he had this general demeanour of panic about him. Zico knew when he was getting tricked, he knew when he was being lied to, and this definitely, definitely wasn't one of those times.

 

Zico raised his eyebrows in surprise.

 

"You love Yukwon, don't you?"

 

B-Bomb scratched the back of his head, nodding sheepishly, "I know that makes me bad because I was just a mark, and I know you have every single right to murder me where I stand, but please, please, please can you help me. For Kwon, at least. I can't save him on my own."

 

Stunned at his sincerity, Zico called Kyung. He was seriously considering actually aiding the boy, half because he was genuinely concerned for Yukwon, and half because B-Bomb looked so damn wrecked.

 

After relaying the man's plea to Kyung, Zico was told abruptly to 'stop being an indecisive and save Kwon already'.  

 

Shrugging as he slid his phone back in his pocket, Zico turned back to B-Bomb.

 

"I'll help you, but this must be kept quiet. I'd be slaughtered if the Org knew I was assisting a mark."

 

He saw the relief flood over B-Bomb's face, and knew instantly that he'd made the right decision.

 

"Thank you. Thank you so much." The boy bowed, and Zico smirked.

 

"Welcome to the team, B-Bomb."