The Hidden Card || NCT MAFIA

Chapter sixty-three: Minus one eye

Standing in the middle of the room, arms and legs covered in small cuts, was Taeyong.

Iseul had rarely seen him with such an angry look on his face. Her eyes locked with his for a second, and a sweet feeling of relief spread in her chest. His expression was far from heartwarming, but his simple presence in the same room as her made Iseul relax a little.

She was not alone anymore.

Her thin bubble of relief soon burst as her attention was drawn back to the man still holding onto her.

His grip on Iseul was already firm and she winced in pain when his hand on her tightened even more. She did not let herself be dragged away again and used Taeyong's entrance to elbow Kim in the ribs. He groaned in pain and loosened his grip on her for a second. That was enough for Iseul to twist his arm behind his back as she kicked him behind the knee to make him hit the ground.

Taeyong, whom she hadn't noticed was now next to her, pointed a gun to Kim's head.

His face was cold, but his eyes expressed all his anger. Without looking at her, he asked, "Are you alright?"

He was still focused on the man kneeling in front of him, the metal of his weapon cold against his skin.

When Iseul didn't respond, Taeyong looked up to meet her eyes. She was holding Kim down, standing behind him.

"I'm fine," she breathed.

Something in Taeyong's eyes flickered, but he quickly brought his attention back to the man between them.

"Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now," he groaned, pressing his gun harder against Kim's forehead.

For a man at gunpoint, he seemed rather calm. His jaw was clenched, and he didn't blink.
A single drop of sweat running down the side of his face was the only sign that gave away his silent agitation.

"I'm simply obeying orders," Kim spoke, his voice coming out a bit shaky.

"Leave the man alone, Yongie," another voice spoke from behind, taking the three of them by surprise.

Park stood in the doorframe; arms crossed against his chest, blood stains on his shirt.
But what caught Iseul's attention was his face. There were trails of blood running down his cheeks, and his eyes were swollen.

From where she was standing, Iseul couldn't really make out much, but what she saw was enough to know that her improvised weapons had done a lot of damage.

His scarred face and bloody clothes were giving him an overall dreadful appearance, and Iseul tightened her grip on Kim.

Taeyong was now turning his back to her, facing his brother. She couldn't see his face, and she wasn't so sure she wanted to.

There was a heavy atmosphere in the air. For a second, no one spoke and Iseul could only hear her heart beating loudly in her chest.

Suddenly Park let out a laugh, taking a step closer. Out of instinct, Taeyong took a step to the side, so he could hide Iseul from his brother.

Park seemed to notice the discreet move and smirked.

"Now, now, Taeyong. Don't give me that look."

Tension was building in the small room, and Iseul looked around, trying to find a way to help.

Why is Taeyong alone? She wondered, frowning. Where are the others? Surely he wouldn't be stupid enough to come here without backup.

"What happened to your face?" Taeyong asked. His tone was cold, he wasn't asking out of worry. He seemed genuinely curious.

Who would be reckless enough to even try to attack him? He thought. But most importantly, who would be skilled enough to succeed?

Park's smirk almost instantly vanished from his face. He took another step closer, and a ray of sunshine lit up his upper body.

Iseul took a step back out of disgust, still keeping a strong grip on Kim, who couldn't help but make a sound of repulsion at the sight of his boss' face.

Taeyong didn't say a word, and Iseul still couldn't see his face, but the muscles of his back tensed as he clenched his fists.

"Not really pretty, is it?" Park grimaced.

His left eye was hidden behind a compress soaked in blood. Now that she could see him closer, Iseul noticed that she had missed his right eye. It wasn't much better that the left, however, as a large open wound went from his brow to his cheekbone, but it still wasn't as damaged as the other one.

Taeyong still didn't move, his eyes scanning his brother's scarred face.

"I can thank your little girlfriend here for what you see," Park spat, his eye trying to meet Iseul's.

The girl was still mostly hidden by Taeyong's frame, though she had moved a little to be able to see Park's face better.

A sudden feeling of fear crept up in her chest. What would Taeyong think now that Park had told him what she had done?

Iseul didn't regret her actions in the slightest -if anything, she regretted missing his right eye to blind him for good- but she was afraid of Taeyong's reaction.

She didn't want his opinion on her to change.

Park might be an awful person, but he still is Taeyong's brother, she thought.

After Park admitted that his wounds were Iseul's work, Taeyong slowly turned around to look at her. He didn't utter a word, and the girl struggled to read the expression on his face. When his eyes finally met hers, however, they were filled with surprise.

It took a second before a spark flickered in them, and his whole face changed. He was now looking at Iseul like he was seeing her for the very first time. The girl wasn't sure, but she thought she saw what seemed to be pride in his eyes.

"You did this?" he asked.

His voice was calm, as if he wasn't asking her if she had just scarred his brother's face.

Iseul found herself unable to speak as she was faced with the unsettling intensity of his gaze on her, so she simply nodded.

Then, slowly, a large smile grew on Taeyong's face and he laughed. He genuinely laughed, as if he had just been told the funniest joke he had ever heard. Except he was well aware that this was very serious and that Iseul had, in fact, stabbed his brother's eyes.

"You think this is funny?" Park spat, anger deforming his monstrous face even more.

Taeyong turned to face him, slowly calming himself down. He was done laughing, but a smile was still plastered on his face.

"I think this is hilarious, yes."