hostage // minsung

1

Chan clomped downstairs to the dingy kitchen in his townhouse, his muscular body strapped with guns. The lights above flickered as the rest of his gang, anticipating his arrival, silently gave him a once-over.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Minho asked as everyone else patted their own black-clothed bodies for their weapons. "We're only going after a kid."

Chan slid into a seat at the dining table, surveying his team. "It's not just any kid. We need to be prepared for whatever he throws our way."

Minho and Chan were the leaders of the gang and crime ring, Bloodlust. Their rival gang, the Sons of Lucifer, headed by Yeonjun and Sunwoo, had been infringing on their territory and stealing their profits. Normally, they would have confronted their previously loyal customers who had given into the Sons, but their opposing gang had a fierce hold on them, threatening them with daggers stabbed in their doors and the doors of their children to deter them from going back to Minchan's gang.

The Vamps, the name for Bloodlust members, besides being angered by the breaking the most basic gang code, were running low on money to keep their drug operation running and their members fed.

For a while, they had been plotting on how to reclaim their position as the most powerful and feared gang, when an opportunity fell into their hands.

Jeongin, the youngest and the group's most tech-savvy member, got wind that there was a new Son of Lucifer. The all rounder, supposedly impossible to defeat, Han Jisung, who'd been recruited for his knife throwing skills and ability to incapacitate any mugger or police officer that he came across.

Bloodlust decided that they would kidnap this newest gang member, hoping to bargain with the Sons for information about the workings of their gang and their money and customers back. Make no mistake. Whatever way the gang decided to phrase it, this was ransom. They hoped that the Sons of Lucifer would be attached to their youngest recruit and would do anything to protect him.

Not that they were known for being particularly loving.

The members waited for the sun to set before they could get to work, killing time before they would be killing their rival gang members, and the conversation devolved into bickering. It was well known that Chan was pining after Felix, who was pining after Changbin. Much to the trio's distaste, the other members had placed bets on when they would have a threesome.

"You're metaphorically all joined at the hips, you might as well make that literal," Hyunjin smirked.

"Shut the fuck up Hwang, you're one to talk," Felix shot back as Chan and Changbin looked away.

"The fuck does that mean?"

"What do you have going on with Jeongin?" Felix challenged, knowing he was starting a fight and not caring. "You two could fuck already."

Hyunjin's face reddened with anger and embarrassment. "There's nothing going on between us."

The others rolled their eyes, calling his bullshit, but let it slide. However, Hyunjin wasn't entirely lying. He and Jeongin did very much like each other. But after accidentally finding out about Jeongin's secret, he wasn't sure that his conscience could let them be together. But Jeongin had begged him to give them a chance, and Hyunjin, also wanting Jeongin, hesitantly decided to try things out. They hadn't gone beyond kissing, and yet the other members had already caught wind of their budding romance.

It was hard for anyone's fucking around to be kept secret in the dingy townhouse, especially when they were often in the next thin-walled room or even right next to each other. There wasn't much to do much else as they often couldn't leave until after dark. And even then, that was all gang-related issues, gathering intel, planning operations, and executing them.

The only time they got to go out was missions or for grocery shopping or occasionally hanging around the neighborhood and ordering food, getting to feel like kids for once. They used to see their friends at school, and even then the parents of their friends often whisked them away, not wanting their children to be around gang members. Now that they had all graduated, the only thing that was left education-wise was to sign up for online college. Not many of them opted for this route.

Changbin stretched his arms over his head and twisted his arms side to side, cracking his back. "What's Seungmin doing?"

"Probably busy being an innocent, studious, hardworking boy," Jeongin said mockingly, preferring to play video games.

"I'm level-headed!" Seungmin yelled from the next room.

"Nerd!"

Minho resisted the urge to defend Seungmin, knowing that if he said anything, the others would pounce on him. His and Seungmin's sexual relationship was an open secret, and he wanted to keep it that way. No discussions, no emotions.

Through the window, the sky faded from blue to black, the wind rustling through tree branches.  The conversation petered out as they nervously prepared themselves for another kidnapping.

Chan clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's get going."