BLACK DAISIES ↠ NCT OT23

Clytemnestra

--
"What did he say?"
My eyes scanned over the words written over the piece of paper for the last time. There isn't much there, but I feel like there's something crucial I was missing. I looked up at Taeyong and shook my head.
"Nothing much. But he wanted me to meet up with him."
"Did he give you an address?"
"No. Which makes it all the more strange. Unless he is planning to send another letter?" I handed him the piece of paper which he quickly unfolded to read. A slight frown settled between his brows as he went over it.
There were only two lines there, none of which really makes sense.
I will be waiting.
22:00. Black Daisies.
"Do you have any idea what Black Daisies mean?"
I shook my head, mirroring the same look of confusion on his face. I've been racking my brains about it for the past few minutes but couldn't think of anything that might be related to it.
"I honestly have no idea. He wrote a time beside it... so I am assuming whatever Black Daisies is, it's a code for a place? I don't have any idea which location he is referring to though."
Taeyong simply looked at me silently before finally folding the paper away. We were back in my room after he temporarily managed to save me from the barrage of questions I was sure the others wanted to ask when they found out the letter was addressed for me.
Every day I feel like the line I'm toeing gets more and more dangerous. Like a high strung tight rope that's ready to give up under my footing.
"You're not going to him."
I looked up to meet his eyes.
"I wasn't planning to..."
Taeyong's gaze didn't waver.
"Promise me."
"Why?"
"Because I know you'll change your mind in a heartbeat once he involves anyone you care about. So I need you to promise, even if he uses me or any of our friends."
My lips pursed and I evaded his gaze. I heard a soft shuffling of feet and felt my mattress dip as he sat beside me. Taeyong didn't need to touch me to affect me with his presence. After that brief moment of vulnerability that we shared earlier, something has shifted. I thought I will be able to put my walls up again just as easily as I took them down, but it seems like I was wrong.
When he spoke again, his voice was lower. Softer.
"Promise me."
"Is that an order from my leader?"
"No, it is a request from a friend."
I turned to look at him and cocked my brow to diffuse the tension in the air.
"You're ordering your noona around?"
His lips quirked ever so slightly into a smile.
"You're only one year older..."
"Hey. Emergency meeting."
"And seven months. One year and seven months. Don't forget that," I said, looking away.
A sharp knock on my door got our attention at that moment and we both looked up to see Doyoung standing on the threshold. He looked grim as he moved his gaze from Taeyong to me.
--
Jaehyun sat at the very back of the room that had filled up with all the members after Doyoung sent his urgent message. Everyone was scattered in the expansive space which seemed a little bit smaller now that WayV has joined, some sitting on the leather stools while others made do with the floor. Jungwoo and Taeil were deep in conversation beside him while Johnny and Yuta stood next to the door, flanking the entrance with their overwhelming presence. Being the main fighters of 127, it comes natural for the pair to be on the watch regardless if it's just an internal family meeting that's happening.
...Except this is not just an ordinary meeting. Jaehyun hasn't heard the full story from Doyoung yet after he came back from his business, but he has a pretty good idea of what the issue might be. Despite being just one of the crime families under the current Don's network, NCT does follow the traditional mafia ranking within its system. Doyoung works as the Consigliere to Taeyong's Capocrimine, taking over the responsibility of being the advisor and overall gatekeeper of NCT to the outside world. His connections give him access to normal society, which means if he calls for a meeting, it is probably an issue involving the "above ground."
Taeyong walked in with an unreadable expression that made everyone fall silent in a heartbeat. He joined Doyoung in front of the room and looked over the crowd before finally speaking.
"Has anyone here given any orders to their crew about stepping up any of our activities?"
The members exchanged confused looks between each other. Mark answered in lieu of Dream, Jeno looking just as confused beside him.
"Not us. Why? What's up?"
Taeyong looked at Doyoung who grimly picked a folder on the table. The latter started reading the contents of it out loud into the room.
"Heist in Dongjak district. The biggest bank there was ransacked last week. Cops also busted an illegal racing event last night. The other day, there was an ambush on one of the strip clubs at Guro. News came around that a new drug was being sold there after a rise of reported overdose deaths from it three days ago. Businesses that should be under our protection in Seocho are being ransacked despite them settling their tariff fees with us," Doyoung looked up from the paper he was reading and swept his gaze over the room.
"That's just four of the 18 other cases that I got for the last week."
Everyone exchanged shocked looks with each other. Jeno decided to speak up, the expression on his eyes intense.
"Hyung, it's not us. We haven't done any heists since you came back from Tokyo."
Doyoung gave a tight nod and looked over to Johnny and Yuta.
"The drugs in Guro?"
"Not from us. The last ones we distributed are those we got from Japan and they're just psychedelic shots. They're clean."
"WayV...?"
"We didn't bring any with us when we landed. Our jet can only fit the crates of armory we had to transport for you guys," Kun said with a frown.
Taeyong ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath.
"Taeyong, what's happening?"
It was Doyoung who answered for him.
"There was a rise of undocumented cases that were being fed to the cops in the past weeks. According to the reports, they were done by us."
"What? That doesn't make any sense," Yuta said from his position by the door.
"It does make a lot of sense, actually. Obviously, we're hands off from all of these so they can only be done by the smaller gangs that we don't manage. And it all started after that announcement was made."
"But those rats wouldn't have any confidence to go against us. They're too small and disorganized to do this. And to even claim that they're NCT? That's just impossible."
"It is possible, if there is someone bigger asking them to act up," Taeyong answered grimly. Jaehyun watched as the man's gaze quickly flickered over to the pale female face sitting on the couch between Chenle and Renjun. That's when it clicked.
Of course, Jihoon wouldn't be too lax to actually lie low after the bombing of Anarchy. That was just the start.
"Are you sure this isn't Wonho's doing?" Ten asked with concern. "We just got word from our network in Beijing that he was peddling women from kidnappings."
Jaehyun's attention snapped to the boy then at Doyoung and Taeyong at the mention of the name. A heavy feeling quickly started to gather on the pit of his stomach as he waited for their answer.
"That's an entirely different case altogether. But you're right. The feds caught wind that he was trafficking kidnapped tourists and now they're after his ass."
"Did he claim his case to be connected to us, too?"
"No. But because of all these other things happening, the police are definitely pinning everything on us."
"Shit," Lucas whispered loud enough for the good half of the room to hear. Jaehyun mirrored the same internally, his hands clasped together tightly in front of him.
Shit indeed.
This was all supposed to be a no brainer. He only needed to help the asshole get out of the country and then he can brush him off like dirt from his hands after. Why didn't he do it before things hit the fan? Now everything has become so much more complicated.
"How bad is it?" Taeil asked from Jaehyun's left.
"Bad enough for us to be in the 8pm news. According to our moles, the Chief of Police is going to announce the manhunt for us tonight."
The room has gone so silent and still that the air felt suffocating. If there is one thing NCT is known for in the underworld, it is the group's efficiency and cleanliness when it comes to its operations. Every job done is spotless, every loophole covered. Until now.
"Can't we pay off-"
"We can't. We already tried reaching out to all our associates within the force but they can't do anything about it," Taeyong answered before Taeil could even finish the question. "The cases have reached the public and now there's an outcry from the community. Even the police are pressured to do something."
A round of murmurs swept over the room. Finally, one female voice broke through it to ask the question nobody wanted to say out loud.
"What are we going to do?"
Taeyong's jaw tightened and he unclasped his arms crossed over his chest.
"We need to track all those gangs doing these activities and put them in their place. It's going to be difficult to hunt each of them down with their size so we will need to use most of our resources here. Reach out to all the connections you could think of. We don't need more crimes being blamed on us."
Everyone's eyes were on Taeyong as the group waited for what he's going to say next. He stopped for a bit before finally speaking again.
"And we kill Jihoon. This isn't going to stop until he's gone."
Glances were exchanged within the room as his words sank in. Jaehyun didn't want to break the silence but he knew that he didn't have any other choice but to ask the next question.
"And Wonho? What are we going to do with him?"
It was Doyoung who answered this time.
"We'll kill him, too. We've given him way too many chances already. Once we get rid of him, we take the credit and let the cops know about it. Take them off our backs for a bit. We'll take care of him this week."
It was fortunate that Jaehyun has mastered the art of keeping an unreadable facade. In his head, the words of the woman he loves echoed once again as the consequences of the situation mocked him.
"No betrayal... or death of a brother shall be held against any of you."
--
Johnny threw his half finished cigarette on the gravelled road with a quick flick of his wrist. He scanned the length of the building from across the wall he is leaning on, gaze shadowed by the cap pulled low against his face. Of course, Jihoon would have the audacity and gall to choose a luxury apartment unit as his mistress' "hiding place" in Seoul. The motherfucker is one proud asshole, acting as if he owns any territory he steps on like the crazy psycho he is.
He's not here for him though, no. Johnny isn't the type to act out on his own, but things are slowly starting to get messy within the family. People may always credit Taeyong for being the first one to step in the line of fire when it comes to protecting the group, but Johnny is a close second when it comes to his sense of loyalty. Ever since that day he was picked up and saved from that hell of underground brawls at 17 by Taeyong himself, he made it his personal promise to do anything to protect his home.
That's exactly what he is doing now as he buried his hands in the pockets of his jeans, waiting for his prey. If his informant was correct, she should go out of the building doors any minute now.
30 seconds. 40. 56.
His eyes caught a familiar form slipping out of the main entrance of the complex. The woman was wearing more casual clothes now than when they last met at Anarchy, but Johnny knew it was her despite her hoodie shielding the good half of her face. His sharp eyes followed her, allowing her to put some distance between them before he finally pushed himself from the wall to trace her steps.
She had crossed three streets when he really started catching up with her. He waited until the traffic light turned red on the street she was about to cross before slinging his arm around her casually.
The woman stiffened instantly in his arms and looked up at him in shock. Johnny smiled casually down at her and pressed the cold nose of the gun hidden under his jacket closer to her ribcage.
"If you don't make a racket, there won't be a need for a murder scene by this road."
She pursed her lips as anger flashed in her eyes. She gave a tight nod before directing her gaze back into the street ahead.
"Good girl. Go straight then turn left. There's an abandoned building on the third alley."
The two of them immediately started walking, sides pressed closely together. She didn't speak, but Johnny could feel her anger just bubbling underneath.
He unceremoniously pushed her inside the abandoned shop when they finally reached it. She turned to him with a glare and he didn't hesitate to raise his gun to her face, cocking it slowly.
The move made her brows raise. Instead of looking threatened, she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What do you want?"
"Your boyfriend's head on a stick. When are you two going to leave us alone? Your lot is causing a lot of trouble for us already."
"Are you here to kill me then?"
"Oh no. You're here as payment. It'll be interesting to see how he reacts after we mess up one of his own."
The woman stared at him for a long moment. Johnny's gun didn't waiver during the stare down, his hand steady as their gazes clashed. Then, all of a sudden, she did something he wasn't expecting at all.
She laughed.
She laughed so hard her voice rang and bounced on the dusty corners of the room. Johnny reigned in the confusion that overtook him with a frown. Is she acting to throw him off track?
The girl straightened up and looked at him with pure amusement in her eyes. The smirk playing on her lips told him that there is more to this act than what he is seeing.
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. You stalked me thinking you'll budge Jihoon by threatening me? That's so, so, so amusing."
Johnny tightened his jaw but didn't say a word. He watched as she started moving towards where he is standing, her eyes never leaving his. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she stalked him, and for the first time, he actually took a good long look at her eyes. What Johnny saw there hit him like a firetruck.
Jihoon's madness, exactly reflected in her own gaze.
She stopped an inch away from his gun. If she moved a little, the cold metal of it would have kissed her forehead.
"You could kill me now or torture me to death and my brother wouldn't bat an eye... In fact, he might even thank you," she whispered softly, almost fondly. Johnny felt the hair at the back of his neck rise. His emotions must have briefly flashed on his face because her smile widened in amusement.
"Here's one thing you don't understand about Jihoon. He absolutely doesn't care about anyone else other than himself. All these things he is doing? They are all for his sick fun. He is mad. Inhuman. If you want to have any chance of winning this, you have no other choice but to play the game with him."
"You're his sister."
"Half sister. That doesn't change anything. I'm just a piece on his chessboard. I would honestly let you kill me now if you want to, but I can't. Not until I finish what I have to do."
Johnny didn't know what got to him but he found himself slowly lowering his gun. The two of them stared at each other, silent, for what felt like forever. Finally, she moved to walk past him.
"If that's all, then I'll go ahead. I suggest you find a better informant next time. Jihoon doesn't stay in my building at all. Even I don't know where he is," she said casually as she moved towards the door.
"I have no other choice. But believe me when I say that I want him dead just as much as you do."
"If he doesn't care about you, why are you sticking with him?" he asked just as she wrapped her hand on the door handle. She stilled, her shoulders stiff. Johnny is not an ace when it comes to psychological games but when she turned to look at him again, he knew for sure that her eyes were honest despite being devoid of emotions.
That made him stop. Before he knew it, he was speaking again to ask the one question that he's been trying to answer ever since they met at Anarchy.
"Why did you save me? Back in the club. I was standing directly above your bomb."
For a while, she didn't answer. Johnny thought he saw a flicker of emotion pass through her eyes, but it was gone before he could process it.
"I wonder why too."
The door closed behind her, leaving him alone in the shadowed room.
--