✓ My Name is Vendetta (Taekook; Discontinued)

Chapter 9: Kill Me If You Dare

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Taehyung actually didn't have many remembrances from his childhood. Most of them before the age of ten were made of hazy images. But even so, he remembered his first visit to Paris when he was nine.

At that time, the city seemed magical to him: the well-known places, such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Notre Dame, the stores, the river... he even recalled telling his father that he wanted to inherit a magnificent mansion similar to the Palace of Versailles.

After all, as a pampered child who sort of knew about the ruthless but luxurious gangster world he was born into, he desired to be awash with shining gold, crystal chandeliers, and expensive paintings and statues.

Back then, his father had just laughed, patted his head, and stated that in the future when he'll be head of the Kim clan, he'd inherit not only his prestigious business and esteemed power but also an immense amount of wealth with which he'll be able to buy chateaus like that one in Paris. 

For a child, the words were like out of a fairytale.

Though, when Taehyung became head of the clan, he understood that the criminal world isn't like a fucking fairytale that parents tell their kids before sleep. Sure, money buys many things. However, enormous wealth had always awoken the other clans' envy and the interest of the police smelling suspicious businesses and networks.

And it was often too troublesome to get rid of them all.

Taehyung followed Jooheon out of the bustling airport, not really paying attention to the surroundings until the older nudged his arm. "There they are," Jooheon pointed in the distance.

Taehyung glanced at the crowded parking lot in front of the building, noticing Jimin and Hyungwon leaning against the side of a crimson Ferrari. The differences between them were practically impossible to spot: aside from their height difference, Jimin kept a calm façade, while Hyungwon's expression was unreadable. Yet even so, he drew every woman's attention due to his unbuttoned shirt that revealed his bare chest. 

"Hey!" Jimin called out once they strolled toward them.

"Hey, Jiminie, Hyungwonie-hyung," Taehyung replied, his voice calm and a little raised to cut through the noise of the surroundings.

"Fancy seeing the great boss of bosses in Paris." Hyungwon grinned, his voice dripping with playfulness, and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "How are you doing, Taehyung-ah?"

Taehyung shrugged, his eyes filled with a daring glint. "I'm alive as you can see, hyung."

"Right." Hyungwon chuckled, shaking his head. "I see you still have that fucked-up attitude."

"Whatever. Did you get the exact address from that Soobin guy?"

"Yeah, he sent it to us this morning." Jimin pulled his phone from his jeans jacket and showed him Soobin's text messages. "Hyungwon-hyung's people thoroughly checked the entire area around the villa to guarantee there wouldn't be any witnesses. It seems that nothing but trees and some unoccupied vacation houses are nearby, though."

"Other than that, Soobin warned that Kim Namjoon would be protected not only by his bodyguards but also by other men," Hyungwon added as he straightened up. "For that reason, we brought some people with us." He motioned toward a black SUV behind the car, where four European-looking men were waiting patiently, two of them smoking cigarettes. "My best hitmen. You can count on them."

Taehyung nodded and asked, impatience roiling in each syllable, "Is that place far from here?"

"Approximately ten minutes."