In Retrospect - Jikook

Chapter One: Viper

Park Jimin wasn't a huge fan of the smell of coffee. It was bitter more often than sweet and the nutty scent clung to his soft sweaters no matter how hard he tried to scrub it out of them.

His thumb brushed the base of his mug where a latte packed with more vanilla than espresso was sitting untouched. Jimin watched a handsome barista work across the coffee shop counter and stirred his drink mindlessly, the spoon clinking with each pass around the mug.

While he might not appreciate coffee, he did appreciate a cute guy who knew how to brew it. There wasn't much else to do while he waited for Angel - a man who was already an hour late to the cafe. So, Jimin 'appreciated' how the forest green apron the barista wore brought out the brown notes of his dark fluffy hair and how the woodwork of the coffee bar highlighted the gorgeous tan on his skin. He nearly lost it when the man rolled up his sleeves to reveal large forearms covered in tattoos. It made the itch spread to get another tattoo of his own.

He sighed, stretching his arms above his head and an adorable yawn left his plump lips. He wasn't exactly a patient guy. If Angel didn't walk through the cafe doors in ten minutes, Jimin might actually ditch the meeting and get that moon phases tattoo he'd been saving up for done on his back.

Just as Jimin pushed his mug away to get up, the cafe's front door swung open. He'd never met Angel personally, but still Jimin immediately knew this was his guy. There was a general wrongness about the man, like he was stumbling through a bright room after staying in darkness too long. He looked around sheepishly, a brutal scar drawn down his right cheek half hidden behind long black curls of hair that clipped right above his massive shoulders. Jimin cocked his head at his leather jacket sporting a crudely sewn red dragon on its sleeve. There was a peak of tattoos dancing right where that sleeve ended, teasing more ink crawling up the arm.

Jimin smirked, nodding at the newcomer who immediately relaxed when he saw him. He walked over and hesitated by Jimin's seat, waiting for Jimin to stand up to greet him. When Jimin made no sort of movement, the man paled, sitting down awkwardly instead.

The barista with the fluffy hair furrowed his brows at the entrance of the stranger, the leather and scars a complete contrast to the soft cushions and plants hanging around the cafe. He blinked at Jimin next, a flash of worry in his eyes as he took in the softness of Jimin's sweater and his small frame, before going back to work.

It was cute: the barista was concerned.

Angel eyed Jimin, clearly surprised to see him representing The Kims of Busan. Jimin bit back the impulse to roll his eyes. Everyone was the same. Always shocked to find Jimin on his own, away from Kim Taehyung, the son of the Kim Gang's leader, or Jung Hoseok, Taehyung's right hand. Jimin learned to lean into it - the underestimating - and threw the man a dashing little smile.

"I'm surprised you chose a coffee shop to meet in." Angel said, leaning back in his seat causing more of his tattoos to show.

From the notes Taehyung handed Jimin that morning, he knew Angel was the only person holding The Kim's rival gang, The Dragons, together. Though "rival" was a strong choice of wording. The Kims had dismantled nearly every gang left in Busan, The Dragons were simply the last to go. Angel here was their runner - the person who communicated deals between gangs and followed through with information, weapon, or money drop offs. A low rank, really, but it didn't take a lot of digging to find that The Dragon members worshiped him.

"You had a different place in mind for a drop off?" Jimin asked, cocking a brow as he took a sip of his still-bitter coffee and licked the foam off his bottom lip. Jimin felt nothing at the gleam that appeared in the man's eyes or the excited flush in his cheeks as Jimin crossed his legs. He had a job to do - one he knew how to do well. Deflect. Distract. Taehyung always called him the Kims' secret weapon for it.