Hilde | Kim Taehyung fanfiction ✓

taehyung

4

Taehyung left Thorne's office, fatigue weighing heavy in his steps as he clutched the file tightly. Home and sleep tempted him, the only thoughts consuming his mind. Everhart had not set a deadline, giving him the luxury of delaying the hit as long as he pleased.

Stepping out into the open air, he paused to inhale deeply before making his way to his car. People instinctively parted for him, his confident demeanor getting rid of any unwanted attention.

Slipping into the driver's seat, he stashed the file in the glove compartment, and started the engine. Chuckling to himself at Everhart's request to take down Novikov, Taehyung pondered the absurdity of it all: Everhart, one of the worst anonymous criminals still roaming the streets, wanted to become the Batman of New Haven? That liar could have just said that he wanted Novikov dead for kicks and giggles.

Lost in thought about his employer, his new client, and the task at hand, Taehyung almost failed to notice the girl darting onto the road from a driveway. Jamming on the brakes and honking loudly, he narrowly avoided a collision, the car halting just inches from her body. She stood there, in the middle of the road, staring at him like a deer in headlights, her eyebags darker than her irises. Taehyung could feel the irritation alter his features as he looked at her up and down only to notice something, his gaze drawn to the object clutched tightly in her hand.

It looked like a severed finger. Could he be wrong?

Taehyung's gaze lingered on the object causing the girl to finally stir as she swiftly hid it in her back pocket before retreating to the safety of the driveway. Her eyes bore into his until he drove off, leaving her in the rearview mirror, still watching him.

Back home, Taehyung tossed the file onto the living room table and retrieved his laptop from the bedroom. Settling onto the couch, he dove into the file's details. He decided not to think too much about the girl he had almost run over and he knew it was best not to ponder on what she might have had in her hand; it was not important, his job was. Where could he find Novikov?

If Taehyung had to pick a place, he would probably pick a strip club like the Sapphire. He did not expect Novikov to be anywhere else on a random Friday. 

Glancing at his watch, he realized it was still early. With time to spare, he distracted himself with reading while his ramen cooked. After eating, restlessness crept in, so he decided to start sharpening his knives and meticulously inspecting his pistol; something that became his routine, a familiar prelude to every hit. It was his way of battling anxiety, keeping himself sharp until his fingers ached and exhaustion set in.

Same routine, different day.

As the time finally arrived, Taehyung carefully tucked his knives and gun into his blazer and straightened his button-up shirt before the mirror. With his car keys in hand, he headed out towards the Sapphire.

Driving there, the voices in Taehyung's head repeated the same mantra—it was all for the money. And your life. Yet, the weight of each kill still gnawed at his conscience like the stench of smoke, often leaving him choking and coughing at the memories.

But Taehyung could not let his dread and disgust paralyze him. The contract was signed, and besides, he valued his life more than anything else.

His mind raced, thoughts of his mother swelling behind his eyes, masked as tears. What would she think of him? Anger surged through him, his grip on the steering wheel tightening until his knuckles turned white. Lost in his memories, he hardly noticed arriving at the Sapphire, its vibrant pink neon lights shimmered through his watery gaze, making his stubborn tears look like lavender gems.

After a deep breath, Taehyung geared up to leave his car and get on with the hit, his mind on the pistol's silencer. With it fixed, he tucked the gun back into his blazer and finally stepped out, heading into the building.

Entering the Sapphire, he was hit with the foul smell of alcohol and the cacophony of distasteful music and rowdy voices of men yelling at the workers. His first thought after seeing that place being that the Sapphire had to be destroyed, for the sake of humanity, or at least for the sake of his sanity. His second thought being that maybe he did not need the silencer, after all. 

Staying put near the entrance, he took in the blinding lights, deafening noise, and sickening mix of alcohol, sweat and sidestream smoke without straying further. If he did not act swiftly, he'd have to rush to the hospital in the next five minutes.

Taehyung started seeing double, the overwhelming environment blurring his vision. He contemplated wandering through the strip club and get this over with before spotting a man with a glass raised high, ready to give a speech—an uncanny resemblance to the image from Thorne's file.

Novikov.

With a jolt, Taehyung knew it was time to act, to draw his gun and end this.

But before he could make a move, a wiry figure crept up to Novikov, whispering something in his ear and gesturing towards Taehyung. Novikov turned and stared, though Taehyung was sure he was not what had grabbed his attention. Novikov was was staring in his direction, just not at him.

But that did not faze him in the slightest. What had truly caught Taehyung's eye, however, was a repetitive movement in his peripheral vision. 

Turning his head to his left, hands tucked in his pockets, he spotted someone- she looked like the girl from that same morning, waving to Novikov. With a mischievous grin, she withdrew the severed finger from her back pocket and flashed it to the man beside Novikov before throwing it in the middle of the room, causing the scrawny man to gasp and jolt away.

Taehyung read her lips as a smile slowly crept on her face.

"Hello, Novikov."