Paint It Black - Jeongcheol

chapter 12

Seojoon sat in his dimly lit office, his fingers drummed rhythmically on the mahogany desk, a subtle display of his simmering impatience. One of his men stood nervously before him, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"What's the latest on the Black Lotus?" Seojoon's voice was cold and authoritative.

"They've been hitting our supply lines, boss. It's like they know our every move," the man replied, his voice trembling slightly.

Seojoon's lips curled into a sneer. "Jeonghan," he spat the name like a curse. "Pretty boy thinks he can disrupt our operations and get away with it."

The man nodded. "What should we do, sir?"

Seojoon slammed his fist on the desk, the sudden motion causing the man to flinch. "Bring in Silos. Bring him in now. We need to send a message."

The man scurried out of the room, leaving Seojoon alone with his thoughts. He knew Silos was ruthless, a perfect weapon against the Black Lotus. It was time to show Jeonghan that he wasn't the only one who could play dirty.

★★★

Jeonghan and Seungcheol walked into the warehouse, their footsteps echoing in the spacious, dimly lit interior. The rest of the team was already there, gathered around a large table cluttered with maps, laptops, and various documents. Joshua looked up as they approached.

"How was the trip?" Joshua asked, a knowing smirk on his face.

Jeonghan exchanged a glance with Seungcheol before replying. "Eventful."

Joshua nodded, his expression turning serious. "While you were gone, I gathered some intel. The Serpents are planning a major shipment of a new drug in three days. It's a prime opportunity for us to hit one of their warehouses."

Seungcheol leaned over the table, examining the map Joshua had laid out. "What's the plan?"

"We create a diversion at their main warehouse," Joshua explained, pointing to a location on the map. "While they're distracted, we hit the secondary warehouse where the actual shipment will be."

Seokmin looked up, adding, "And once we hit the secondary warehouse, our goal is to get samples of the drug. We'll test it out in a lab to confirm what we're dealing with. If everything checks out, we'll get a police warrant to take it down."

Woozi, who had been quietly working on his laptop, chimed in. "I can handle the tech side—fake IDs, access codes, the whole nine yards. But we need to be precise. Any mistake, and they'll be on to us."

Jeonghan nodded thoughtfully, his eyes tracing the routes on the map. "We should divide our team into two groups. They need to believe our focus is on the main warehouse. That's our best shot at slipping into the real target unnoticed."

The team discussed the finer details, each member contributing their expertise. They knew the risks, but the potential payoff was too significant to ignore.

Later, as they were going over the final details, Jun noticed Jeonghan and Seungcheol standing close together, their heads bent over a map. They were poking each other and exchanging playful remarks, a rare sight given their usual serious behaviour.

Seungcheol eventually left the room, leaving Jun the perfect opportunity to approach Jeonghan. "You and Seungcheol seem to be getting along well,....are you perhaps falling in love?"

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. "No, and what makes you say that?"

Jun shrugged, his tone turning more serious. "The extent you go to protect him is...intense. I get it, though. It's something I'd do for the person I love." He glanced across the room at The8, who was busy with his own preparations, then looked back at Jeonghan. "But you say you don't love him, so I'll take your word for it. Still, he's a cop. How far do you think he'll go for you?"