Empire | ATEEZ

042

It was much too early to be throwing things around and yet Seonghwa didn't even flinch as another vase flew by his face, nor did he react as the sound of breaking glass cut sharply through the air after it impacted with the wall behind him.

A low sound of mixed anger and frustration escaped Hongjoong's throat as he clenched his fists and took a shaky breath before turning around and reaching for more things to throw.

Yunho stood wide-eyed by his side, trying his best to keep his stance straight as his eyes flickered back and forth between the leader and his right-hand man, a look of regret in his eyes after having told Hongjoong about the news from the meeting last night.

"Vernon specifically mentioned Positano," Seonghwa said, keeping his hands behind his back and his tone level as he studied the blue-haired man.

"But narrowing it down to one location might not be ideal considering we don't know the area. I'm guessing they've been around the entire coast. With the Camorra in the game as well, they probably haven't stayed the same place for long."

"I'm going to kill them," Hongjoong breathed, running a hand through his hair which had turned messy and unruly by now as he turned his attention back to Yunho who seemed to shrink underneath his glare, "How dare they?"

"I- I guess I see the appeal?" the advisor mumbled, flinching as the leader frowned before raising his hand at the man, "That was a rhetorical question, you moron."

Yunho quickly lowered his eyes as he added, "They could drag us into an international conflict, and you're telling me that you quite agree with their decision?"

"A slip of the tongue," the blond mumbled which seemed to calm the leader a little as he focused his attention on Seonghwa again.

"I'm not claiming it'll be easy to handle, to fix, but I'm willing to do it. You're making him nervous," he mumbled, glancing at Yunho who had now fallen silent, "There'll be no reason to go after us if we get those people out of Europe-"

"Excuse me, what?" Hongjoong  growled, interrupting his second without as much as a single sliver of regret in his dark eyes as he took a step closer, now face-to-face with the man, "Tell me, Seonghwa, do I look like a charitable person to you?"

He was not as tall as the blond but the look in his eyes, the power emanating from him, was enough to make him look dangerous, feral, as he grabbed him by the collar and forced him down to his own eye level, "Do I?"

Yunho swallowed thickly, yet he stayed silent as Seonghwa simply sighed as he pushed the leader's hand off before straightening his shirt with a mildly offended look on his face.

"Was this Nari's idea?" Hongjoong demanded.

"No," Seonghwa answered courtly, remembering his promise to you as he straightened himself a little and added, "But she's coming."

"Absolutely not," the blue-haired of the two snapped, once again moving closer to the other as if daring him to challenge him, but Seonghwa, unlike Yunho, wasn't afraid of him, "Yes," he growled, "She is."

He was determined to stay calm, to keep the upper hand as Hongjoong was visibly growing angrier by the second, "You dare go against my orders? You dare stand there, totally indifferent, and tell me no?"

"I'm not telling you no," Seonghwa drawled, "I'm telling you yes."

"You're pissing me off," he snarled.

"I'm trying to balance the anger in here, but I can stop at any time if you actually want to fight me."

"He's right, Hongjoong," Yunho mumbled, finally mustering up the courage to speak up, "It doesn't matter whether or not we're affiliated with Nocturne if Camorra or any of the others find them first. The fact that we're in charge of Seoul, of Korea, and they're from here as well-"