Don't Mess With the Boss: Rozdział VI [ENG]

THE SEARCH

Oh, how he hated this woman. His father died 4 years ago and since that time, she was like a leech; silent when fed, but when the time of her hunger was coming, loud and irritating like a spoiled child who wants a very expensive and ugly looking doll. The repulsive woman was his stepmother. Around six years ago he found out that his father got married once more. It didn’t really move him, as he wasn’t thinking of the man as his father anymore. But after his death, this irritating woman magically found him all the way here in Italy. She started to come to him and rant about how he owed her for taking care of his disabled mentally father and that he should compensate it to her, best in cash. He couldn’t think of any ways to get rid of her unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life in jail, even with Yongguk’s protection, and so he ended up stuck with meeting her at least once a month.

His mother died when he was fourteen. Day after day he watched as his father rolls down at the very bottom. Not being able to overcome the loss of his beloved wife, he started to gamble, and drink in the process. One by one, they lost everything. His father lost in cards everything they had, and one night, when he was unconscious from the unimaginable amount of alcohol he drank, he lost also his son. When Youngjae learned about this, as quickly as he could he fled from the empty walls that before he called his home. His father wasn’t himself anymore and it was clear that he stopped caring about his son. He too much resembled his mother. For a couple of days he hid under the wings of a few people he still could consider his friends, but as one of them noticed rightly, he couldn’t keep it up for long. After some men from yakuza he was sold to by his father almost caught him in some dark alley, he decided to leave Korea, his homeland. Of course he was totally broke and no one around him was willing to give him a suitable amount of money to leave the country and start a new life somewhere else; ironically, the same day he decided to leave, in one of the shabby bars he was sometimes wandering to, he spotted a wealthy looking man, totally screwed. He didn’t know what exactly told him to do it and from where his new found courage came from, but he approached the man and stole his wallet. When he was at a secure distance from the place, he stopped in some empty alley and opened it. He couldn’t believe his luck when he found two tickets to Italy, a good amount of money and a few credit cards, along with a few passwords. The next day he was seated comfortably in a plane, enjoying the conveniences of first class. At first he thought, that finally he had everything he needed to have. He had money, a luxurious suite in the centre of Rome, he studied medicine on the local university and women and men tried at every chance they got to get to his bed. But after a year of this life, he started to feel some kind of emptiness not only in his heart, but also mind. He had no one to take care of, as he was very cautious around other people and didn’t let himself get emotionally attached to anyone. Most of his free time he was spending alone in his apartment reading or watching television, not really interested in anything. When the hot summer vacation was coming filled with tourists from all around the world, he sometimes wandered through the crowded streets of Rome, visiting the historical and cultural monuments. Seeing unaware of anything around them tourists, he just couldn’t suppress his old habits. In times he really was bored out of his mind, he tried himself in pick pocketing like in old days. It gave him this shot of adrenaline in his veins he so longed for, and he was also feeling pure satisfaction that he hadn’t became too rusty for this kind of actions. At some point he was so confident of his abilities, that he didn’t even think that he could be caught in the act. So when the time came, at first he couldn’t believe it.

Youngjae never really picked out his victims from the crowd. They were always humans without clear faces, so he wouldn’t feel too much guilt after the act. It was the same this time. He inadvertently choose some man in blue jeans, not really looking at his face. He approached him slowly and pretended to accidentally bump into him, carefully putting his hand in the pocket of his pants. After he pulled out his wallet, he smiled to him apologetically, not looking him in the eyes. He started to walk away, but then someone’s big, strong hand caught his. He felt a rush of adrenaline in his veins and tried to think of something quickly.  He raised his head to say something to the man, but the penetrating stare of black orbs stopped him with his mouth open wide. It was like the man was staring into the depths of his soul, contemplating whether he did this because of a need or rather because he just wanted to do this. They stared at each other for a while and only then Youngjae noticed the slanted eyes. An Asian, like himself.  Finally, the man’s eyes left his, and looked at his pocket, where the stolen wallet was. He pulled it out quickly and hid it once more in his jeans. His grip on Youngjae’s arm tightened, and without even one word he started to drag him in some unknown direction. Now he really was frightened. He wasn’t going to report him to police or something like that, right? Or maybe even worse, he wanted to have his way with him in some abandoned alley...

He tried to free himself, but his efforts were futile, as the grip on his hand was like an iron handcuff. After a minute or two of his struggling, the man stopped abruptly and Youngjae bumped into his broad back. The man pointed in some direction, and the smaller male let his eyes wander after his hand. In one of the cafe’s, there was sitting, sprawled on his chair, fat sweaty guy in a suit. An unimaginable amount of gold and silver was hanging from his fat neck and wrists. Also his short, fat fingers were decorated with at least fifteen rings of various types. He was stuffing himself with some spaghetti, accompanied by two stocky, bald men. Youngjae felt himself pulling a face at this sight. Mafioso. Not a very pleasant one taking from his appearance.

“I dare you to take his wallet. If you do this, I will buy you dinner” he jumped a little, startled from hearing the low voice right beside him. He looked at the man questionably, not really knowing what to say to it. He wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were on the Mafioso, a look of disgust in his dark eyes. Youngjae gulped loudly and took a step forward.

“I hope it will be something big and expensive.” he said, before he approached the fat guy and his bodyguards.

Five minutes later they were running through the narrow streets of Rome trying to save their lives, chased by two outraged henchmen and their boss in a black sports car.

This was how he met Yongguk.

He let a silent curse past his lips when he typed his code on the panel opening the gate to their mansion, and the device stayed annoyingly black and unresponsive. There must have been a blackout. He wondered whether Yongguk knew already about this; he wouldn’t be very pleased if their home wasn’t thoroughly guarded not only by men, but also all kinds of machines. With a heavy sigh he got out of the car, parking it just under the street lamp across to the entry to the property. He looked at it with sad eyes, thinking for a moment whether not to go and sleep in his empty apartment. He turned around though and started to search for the key in his pockets. He still had his own apartment even if Yongguk insisted on him to live with everyone else, which he did. He hasn’t slept in his own home for at least two years now and he really wasn’t missing it at all, but from time to time, when he was tired for real, he thought about going there and sleep for a few days straight. 

So, instead of going back, he put the key in the lock and the wicket clicked silently, well-oiled thanks to the gardener. He started to walk quickly on the gravelled path, feeling shivers down his spine. He wasn’t a fan of night and the darkness generally, so it wasn’t really a nice walk under the light of the moon. It was much colder than during the day since it was September already and Youngjae felt an unpleasant feeling of humidity on his clothes. He crinkled his nose a little and almost ran up to the front door, with relief visible on his face.

In the next moment however, he stopped and looked cautiously around himself. The door were slightly repealed, and from inside there was only silence. There was no way something like this could happen normally. The guards were supposed to stay at door and keep an eye on everything and everyone who wanted to go inside the house. The blonde gulped loudly, feeling how his saliva stopped in his throat and didn’t want to go any further because of the lump that formed in there. Now he felt regret that he refused to wear on himself any weapon when Yongguk and Marzia insisted that it would be a lot safer for him now, that he’s a part of mafia family. He always thought that Yongguk was way too strong for other famiglia to question him, and yet the older male always tried to sensitize him, that not everyone was from mafia or agreed with their point of view. There were people who were completely sure that they could take him down. So everyone in their right minds should take the gun silently and just forget about it, but no. He had to refuse once more and walk unarmed and happy like a stupid puppy completely believing in his owner.

And now he was standing here, completely beaten with baffled. He knew that he should do something quickly – if something bad was really happening, his friends may have been in danger right now – but a call to police wasn’t going to solve anything. He stared at the door with furrowed brows, feeling panic slowly taking over his body, making his legs tremble and heart beat hard and irregularly in his chest.

A muffled yell on his right made him jump in shock and if it wasn’t for the wall, he would have surely fell down so hard that everyone around would hear him. He looked nervously in the direction, squinting his eyes so he could see more clearly in the dim light of the moon. Suddenly his eyes widened in disbelief and he rushed to the side, muttering nervously under his breath.

“There’s no fucking way...”

*~*~*~*~*~*

When Zelo could finally open his eyes, the pain radiating throughout his body almost immediately made him close them once more. Everything around him was absorbed in darkness, he wasn’t even able to see his own hand, not that it was free at the moment. When he tried to move a little bit, a strong rope cut harder into his wrists bound behind his back and he hissed loudly, his breath uneven. Once more he felt a rush of adrenaline in his veins when he noticed that he was blindfolded. A sudden strong grip on his shoulder yanked him up harshly and Junhong yelped in surprise and fear, not really knowing what was going on around him.

“W-who are you? What are you doing here? You won’t get away with this” he tried so his voice sounded threatening, but it was hard when you don’t know who are you talking to, all tied up and with a blindfold on your eyes. His kidnapper (if we can call him that) apparently felt the same way, and the only response he heard was a malicious, dark laugh.

Someone pushed him forward and he stumbled a little, still in pain, trying to find his balance. Without any further words, with tears gathering in his covered eyes and anger slowly bubbling in his chest, he took a few steps, trying very hard so his stance was straight and his steps full of certainty.

“Well, it’s really rude to hear something like that from you, kiddo” a harsh voice right beside his ear made him flinch uncontrollably, and Zelo cursed himself silently when he heard the amused laugh of the criminal.

“You should remember the voice of the one you was supposed to kill, so when he finds you, you can tell who is going to be your executioner” his voice became a low growl filled with threat and Zelo felt something hard pressing against his temple. He bit the bullet hard, trying not to make any sound. Now he remembered the thing which was wandering around his head all this time.

It was the guy they were supposed to kill along with Marzia. And because of Himchannie Hyung’s appearance, he escaped.

And now, it seemed like he was seeking revenge.   

*~*~*~*~*~*

“She isn’t here, and her guns are also gone” he exited the room with worry visible on his face, and looked at the three men in front of him. The two that came in search of Himchan stood there with their guns in the air, unsure what to do next and just trying to keep them safe. Himchan was standing a little to the side, leaning against the wall, holding the torch and directing its light into the interior of the room. He also was worried, and now his brows knitted and a loud puff left his lips when he stood straight. He still wasn’t in a good condition but it was too dangerous to just live him in his room all alone. Also, the raven haired man was really nervous about what could happen to Zelo and he wanted to make sure he was safe.

Before they left for a search they agreed that someone else must have also entered the house. Hearing about all the security from Yongguk, Daehyun and Jongup only shook their heads, claiming that they hadn’t seen anything like that when they entered the property. Even if the cameras and sensors were inactive, it was impossible to immobilize in such a way all of the guards. Although Daehyun didn’t care about this kid he hasn’t even seen, and the only thing he wanted to do was to take Himchan Hyung somewhere safer, he tried to help in some way. His Hyung looked pretty worried, and the big guy, Yongguk, was pacing nervously around the room, trying to think of something.

Finally it was decided that they should start in the room of a girl called Marzia and then they will think of what to do next.

“I’ll check the next corridor. Maybe they’re somewhere near, hiding or something like that.” Everyone looked at Himchan, who handed the torch to Yongguk. The said man frowned.

“You’re not going alone. I’m going with you.” He took a step in his direction, not wanting to leave the man alone even for a second, but the raven shook his head and looked him in the eyes, a small, almost invisible smile on his lips.

“No, you can’t. Remember that no one here knows Jongup and Daehyun. You must be with them so no one will see them as villains. Marzia and most people here know how I look like, and even if not, they will see I’m no harm to them with my arm.”

“That’s why we shouldn’t let you walk alone, Himchannie Hyung” said Jongup, turning in his direction. All three of them were looking worried and scared about him and Himchan felt his insides turn, not wanting to make them worry out of their minds. But on the other hand, if they were really hiding, they will faster go out seeing only him; with Jongup and Daehyun they could think that it was a trap.

Once more he shook his head, sending them a small, reassuring smile telling them silently, that he had to do this alone. Yongguk looked him deep in his eyes, making raven a little nervous that he won’t let him do it anyway, but after two more seconds he hesitantly nodded his head with a heavy sigh.

“Okay. But in 15 minutes get back to your room. We will meet there and talk about next steps” Himchan nodded in understanding and blushed madly, when a big hand landed on his head, patting him and ruffling his hair a little. With a slight pout he combed them briefly with his hand and smiled back seeing a faint smile on the other’s features.

In the next second he was sucked in by darkness, trying really hard to calm his madly beating heart, telling himself that he was just nervous... just nervous...

When Yongguk finally turned around he was met with Daehyun’s wide smirk and his snicker.

“Soo... when’s the wedding Mr. BANG? You know, your name sure sounds perverted. Do you like doggy style? ”

*~*~*~*~*~*

A loud smack echoed through the halls and Youngjae flinched nervously; Marzia stopped on her tracks and listened, along with a few guards.

Apparently someone took down the guards at the main entrance to the house, and Marzia heard the struggling from her room.  She took gun with her, but before she could even see what was going on, someone knocked her out, took her gun away and put her along with other unconscious guards into the janitor’s room.

She was lucky to hear someone enter the property and walk down the gravel path. She started calling for help and was relieved, seeing Youngjae’s scared face. Now, along with some others, they were infiltrating the mansion, trying to find the perpetrator of all of this. They were without any guns, but they were familiar with some martial arts, so they weren’t that much nervous.

They were passing another dark crossing of corridors, trying to see something with the help of the moon from outside, when suddenly one of the men bumped into something – the black object let out a high-pitched shriek and moaned in pain.

Youngjae blinked for a moment, before running up to the person, grabbing him at his waist for better support.

“Himchan Hyung, what are you doing here all alone? Where is everyone else? Where’s Yongguk Hyung?” he asked questions one after the other and the others breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the somewhat familiar name.

“It’ s a long story, Youngjae... To cut it short, Zelo’s missing and me, Yongguk and my two friends are searching for him. We split up after we didn’t find Marzia, to look for him more effectively.” He then spotted the woman, which was standing now beside Youngjae, biting her lip in worry for the boy. Youngaje frowned on the other hand. Friends? Here? And at this hour? Something was not right.

“I will explain everything to you later. But now please, let’s search for Junhongie” the blonde starred at the raven, before nodding and directing him in the new direction.

“Okay. For now, let’s start from the main hall.” Then he remembered something “Could you possibly know, what was that sound just now?” Himchan only shrugged his arms a little in response, his mind wandering to the three man and possibly very frightened Zelo.

When a loud bang from the gun echoed through the mansion, everyone jumped in surprise and Marzia squeaked uncontrollably, making others stare at her for  a second. She turned her gaze, embarrassed, and everyone turned in the direction of the sound.

Oh God, what was going on there?

*~*~*~*~*~*

“You didn’t have to do that so hard” Daehyun pouted, massaging his head with his free hand, the other with the gun still pointed into the air, ready to shoot. Yongguk’s eye twitched a little hearing the other male’s whimpering, trying at the same time to adjust the gun to his hand. It was so long from the last time he held one... two, maybe three years?

After they parted with Himchan, Daehyun’s clever comment and his punishment, they decided that it would be better if Yongguk was holding Jongup’s gun, as the youngest male hadn’t had really any experience with shooting and guns.

Now they were slowly approaching the entrance to the kitchen, Daehyun and Yongguk in the front and Jongup right after them, checking if no one was following them.

A sound of something shattering to pieces and a loud bang from the gun following right after it made them jump in shock, their eardrums throbbing in pain.

They looked at each other, and, without much thinking, burst the door open and rushed inside.