abide

chapter 1

jihoon shot a listless glance at his desk, slightly disgusted as one of the sachets got ripped on the side and the chalk powder sprinkled on the paper he had been working on before.

"they said they got a better offer and won't be purchasing from us anymore." hyunsuk's head was directed downwards, one hand cupping the other.

jihoon smirked, swiveling his head. the silver hair-clippers fastened to his hair strands waved graciously, just to halt after the motion ended.

"these lunatics will come back sooner or later. we are their daily dose of cocaine, and marijuana, it's just us who can provide them with designer drugs. do they think they are saints if they once in a while lie to themselves?" the boy glided his finger on the polished wood, white powder now on his pad. "they are addicts, we are the only ones who can feed their addiction."

the boy licked his lips, but didn't put the substance in his mouth, he wiped it off on his leather jacket instead, leaving a suggestive, whiteish mark.

"boss I am afraid they won't come back begging this time."

jihoon cast him an indolent look, not maintaining the eye-contact for a long time. he continued painting doodles in the powder, sometimes piling the sprinkles like a child he couldn't find in himself any longer.

"they offered them more kilos for less money."

jihoon wasn't surprised or taken aback. he has been dug in this dirt for quite a while now, other dealers used to come here, threatened, barked, and never bit, then left – jihoon made sure hyunsuk and junghwan taught them a lesson to never reappear in this area.

"who do you mean they?"

"didn't mention any names, but... the guy is said to have red hair, distinctive features."

jihoon's corners of the lips twitched lightly.

another prince to deal with.

he thought to himself, his eyes once again looking at his subordinate. hyunsuk usually didn't care about the competitors they had to defeat in order to remain the best thriving suppliers in the district. what was so special about it this time that he decided to enduringly bother him?

"we lost two clients because of him today boss, not one. as for tomorrow, already one man has called off our meeting. it's better to take precautions."

jihoon didn't like to be told what to do. he was the one to give orders, the one to pull strings in every operation.

"take this rubbish with you and leave. throw it into the lake and don't give it to the boys. they have had enough of their share already."

hyunsuk didn't dare to add anything, and after cleaning the mess he had made, the boy left silently. what he said wasn't to condescend to the other, it was to warn him. after all, long ago he had saved his life, so hyunsuk to this day owes him one.

the boy who remained in the room managed to keep his expression unfazed even if inwardly something was weighing on his chest. he quit smoking two years ago so it couldn't be the pollution, what was it then?

"kim junkyu."

the boy whose name he has just called has been here this whole time. they shared one room for a particular reason – kim junkyu was a witty bastard, jihoon liked it about him as much as it made him stay vigilant. the boy was his age, skillful and knowledgeable. what's more, he didn't work for drugs, he worked for money, which made him grow in jihoon's eyes. nevertheless, such an independent individual was harder to control. elegant glasses securely placed on the bridge of his nose, hair unkempt, the boy wore the same shirt and pants almost every day. he spent several hours a day sitting in front of his desktop, eyes glued to the screen.

he was addicted, but to something else than drugs, and jihoon decided to take advantage of him.

"find someone for me."

the other complied to the order tacitly, the way his fingers started typing on the keyboard more vigorously was the "yes boss" jihoon was eager to hear.

with kim junkyu murmuring some blabbering under his nose, jihoon got back to circling the specific areas on the map in front of him, after he glanced at his phone screen one last time, the message rendering him assured.

"at home, safe. don't worry boss."

// ✧ //