Chapter 1: Second Thoughts
"Of course! Why do you even ask? There'd be no point in bringing all of this shit." The second man scoffed while zipping up a bag full of weapons and ammo. He hoisted them up on his shoulder and gave the nervous boy a mischievous grin. But not before slapping him on the back. Subin sighed deeply and fidgeted with his hands.
"I dunno, Sejun. I feel like we shouldn't. I have a bad feeling about this job."
The raven haired male, Subin, was the youngest in this rag-tag team of street thieves. He had been recently added into the lineup as the newest recruit after he was seen and caught stealing food from a convenient store. The other men thought he could be useful for their plans and could see raw potential in him. So, they put their heads together and managed to persuade the owner not to press charges, and keep him from being jailed.
How you ask? With a little white lie. It was a win-win situation. Seeing as how Subin's Sister was sick and needed food and medicine, and Sejun and Co had a spot to fill for small dirty deeds, they seized the opportunity.
Subin, however, didn't know what he was getting himself dragged into until Sejun and their leader decided to up the anti and begin raising the stakes for their dangerous missions. But Subin was in way too deep to back out now. He couldn't quit, even if he wanted to. Sejun and his friends had their claws dug deep into Subin. They promised him enough money to pay for his Sister's operation if he rolled with them a while and did some things for them. But of course, nothing could have properly prepared him for this particularly dasterdly job. This is how it all went full circle and got up to this point. They planned to go after this gem that was worth one billion won and held at a high security, well guarded, and privately owned prestigious museum. However, Subin thinks it's way too risky.
Sejun rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the young one.
"Oh? What's wrong with you, Subin? You chickening out?" He nudged the boy in the ribs with his elbow. Subin flinched and looked up into Sejun's cold eyes.
"Well, n-not exactly. I just don't think it's a smart idea. What if-"
"What if, what? Seriously, Subin, what has gotten into you? You haven't been this vocal about our jobs. Why start now?" Sejun narrowed his eyes. His piercing gaze ripping a cold hole through Subin's body which sent a shiver down his spine. There wasn't much to do about Sejun when he was upset.
"You can't back out. You are a part of this team, which means no pussying out!"
Sejun grabbed Subin by the collar and yanked him close. Subin was caught by surprise and couldn't do much before he was man-handled by his teammate. Before either Subin or Sejun could say another word, Seungwoo, followed by another sleek black haired male who appeared to be a little shorter in height, entered the room single file.
"What's this I hear about chickening out and saying no? Huh? What's going on?"
A man with a commanding presence walked up to Sejun and Subin. He saw them in an obvious scuffle. This man had teal blue hair. One side was shaved with an intricate pattern. He roughly set his black duffle bag down onto the top of the table near the other bags were. He set it down so hard, it made the table wobble and a few pieces of paper flew off onto the floor. Subin gulped as he saw their leader appear. Sejun may be intimidating, but he wasn't scary. Actually, he was quite tame compared to the man with teal hair. Even Sejun was afraid of him from time to time. Subin's eyes grew big upon seeing the leader dart his vicious eyes between two of his subordinates. Sejun laughed and without hesitation, yanked Subin by the collar of his jacket and shoved him close to the men who were watching the scene unfold.
"Seungwoo, you better take care of little Subin and his bullshit. He doesn't want to do the job. He wants us to back out!" Sejun laughed, showing off his prominent dimple. Subin stumbled as he was thrown around like a ragdoll. He knew he would regret the moment he opened his mouth.
Seungwoo's deep breath could be heard echoing through the nearly vacant room as he was controlling his anger.
"You what?" Seungwoo raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Subin's bottom lip trembled as he was at a loss of words on what to tell the boss.
"N-no, that's not what I-"
Without warning, Seungwoo grabbed Subin by the arm and squeezed. The young male could feel the power behind the leader's grip. It was tight, rough, and aggressive.
"What makes you think you can skip this job? What are you so afraid of, Subin?" He leaned into Subin's face. His dark eyes looking straight into Subin's own. The color drained from the boy's face as he was faced with a dilemma. He forced himself to speak.
"I j-just think you guys shouldn't go through with it. I have a bad feeling about it. You g-guys might get hurt, or worse! You could-"
Subin screamed mid sentence as Seungwoo increased the pressure on Subin's arm. He coiled his large hand around the width of his forearm and pressed the tips of his fingers into it to let the young one know whose boss.
"Need I remind you that you have a Sister dying in the hospital without a way to receive the operation she requires?" Seungwoo lowered his voice and whispered into Subin's ear who immediately averted the leader's eyes.
"I know this, but I still worry that-"
"Need I also remind you who is in charge of dishing out the money that will fund said operation, in which will save your Sister from a painful death. Hm?" Seungwoo continued harshly. Subin nodded his head, not wanting to anger the leader anymore.
"Y-yes," He stuttered. "I understand that."
Just then, Seungwoo's grip loosened, but not enough to let Subin go.
"So, you are also aware that if you do not attend this mission with us, that you are automatically signing a death wish to your poor Sister, which will cancel out your contract with us. Which also means, we no longer need you?"
Someone cleared their throat to cut into the conversation. The other man who had come in with Seungwoo earlier walked up and tapped the leader on the shoulder. He grew tired of this little quarrel and wanted it over with.
"Hey, Seungwoo. Just let him stay behind. No need to draw this out any longer. If he wants to stay home and miss the action and miss out on the heist of a century, that's his prerogative. Let the boy go." He spoke with a low tone. He was more laid back and chill. He of all the other members understood Subin. Of course, he could be just as strict as Sejun and just as deadly as Seungwoo, however, this man knew how to respect boundaries and lay them down. The others also knew not to overstep those boundaries with him. Even the cold hearted leader.
Seungwoo looked back at the shorter male and scoffed.
"Hanse, how nice of you to work your magic on a conversation and interupt the fun." Seungwoo released Subin, then pushed him out of his way.
Hanse walked closer and folded his arms. He poked his tongue at his lip ring and glared into the leader's eyes. Not giving a damn whose toes he was stepping on.
"I just know when enough is enough. Time is ticking. We shouldn't spend it knocking around the youngest. Don't you think- Sejun?" He whipped his head over to throw a devilish glare in the silver haired man's direction. That was to indicate Hanse's later comment was directed at Sejun, the cruel jester with the slick backed hair. Sejun chuckled and repositioned the bag onto his shoulder.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever man! Let's go." Sejun ignored Hanse and left the room to head for the door. Seungwoo followed suit by picking up his own bag and sailed by Subin. But not without shooting a silent look that said: 'you are dead fucking meat when we get home' before leaving through the door. As soon as Subin saw Seungwoo and Sejun disappear through the front door and out of the nearby area, he let out a held breath. It was a deep, pent-up, sigh of relief. He felt like he could breathe again. Hanse stepped back to grab his bag that was sitting on a bar stool near the table then walked back up to Subin.
"When am I going to stop standing up for you?" He raised an eyebrow at the youngest who just bowed his head and crossed his hands in shame. He felt bad that he was always putting up with being pushed around and Hanse was the one to chase the other members off like a wolf pack after a lost and injured lamb.
"I-I'm sorry, Hanse. Thank you for doing that. But I just really don't think you should go. You'll get hurt." He mumbled while keeping his head down. Hanse laughed and pat Subin on the back.
"You worry too much. I have to agree with Sejun and Seungwoo, though. This isn't like you to decline a job."
Subin shook his head and met eyes with the older man.
"Because I don't have a choice. Besides, this job? It's a death wish. That place is well guarded. You guy's aren't going to come back a-"
Hanse slapped Subin's back again, but a little harder.
"You worry too much. Next gig, you are coming with, hm? Try not to get on Sejun and Seungwoo's bad sides. Okay? I have to go."
Hanse moved to leave the hideout, but Subin lunged over and grabbed Hanse's hand. It caught the tatted, and pierced up male by complete surprise. He blinked a few times and stared at Subin as if to ask: ...what?
"Just... promise me you'll come back safely,"
Subin couldn't fight the tears in his eyes. He held onto the dark haired male for a long period of time.
At the youngest male's confession, Hanse's harder exterior cracked. His facial expression gave way and softened. Normally, he would always wear a neutral face and keep his emotions buried. But this time, it made him think about Subin's heartfelt words. He only laughed.
"Subin, boy, you worry too much," Hanse pulled his hand out of the other man's hand and pat him on the shoulder once more.
"Something about this just doesn't feel right." He said to himself.
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