Tangeled in shadows | Min Yoongi

Chapter 11: The King's Gambit

Yoongi stood by the window of his penthouse, the city sprawled out beneath him like a kingdom under his control. The lights flickered like stars, illuminating the night with a deceptive sense of calm. But Yoongi knew better. Beneath the surface, chaos brewed—power plays, betrayals, deals made in the shadows. It was the world he had mastered, the world he ruled.

Yet, in the quiet moments like this, when the weight of his empire pressed down on him, he found his thoughts drifting to a different kind of chaos.

Smoke. No—Yoona.

Her name felt foreign in his mind, like something he wasn't supposed to hold onto. But he couldn't shake her. No matter how much he tried to stay focused on the bigger picture, she was always there, lingering in the back of his mind, a distraction he couldn't afford.

His fingers drummed against the glass, a steady rhythm that mirrored the calculations running through his head. He had always been able to compartmentalize, to keep emotion out of the equation. It was how he had survived, how he had risen to the top.

But Yoona was different.

Their last conversation haunted him—the way she had looked at him, the vulnerability in her eyes, the tremble in her voice when she asked why everything had to be so hard. For a moment, he had seen past the façade she wore so carefully. He had seen the broken pieces underneath, the same ones that reflected in himself when he looked in the mirror.

Yoongi clenched his jaw, pushing those thoughts aside. He couldn't afford to get soft, not now. Not when he was this close.

The plan had always been clear: eliminate threats, secure power, survive. And Yoona had been a threat from the beginning, a wild card that could unravel everything if he wasn't careful.

But letting her go... it wasn't part of the plan. He could have killed her when she held that knife to his throat, but something had stopped him. He had seen something in her eyes that mirrored his own struggle, and for the first time in years, Yoongi had hesitated.

And now here he was, standing in the aftermath of that decision, knowing it had shifted everything.

"You're slipping, Yoon" he muttered to himself, his voice low, the edge of frustration seeping in. "You let her get too close."

His phone buzzed on the table, pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen—an incoming message from one of his trusted men.

Jin: "They're watching her closely. Her team is getting suspicious."

Yoongi's eyes narrowed as he read the message. Of course, they were. Yoona wasn't the only one struggling to maintain her mask. Her people weren't fools—they'd notice the hesitation, the cracks forming in her resolve. Jungkook, Jisoo, Seulgi—they would see the shift, and it wouldn't be long before they made their own move if Yoona didn't act soon.

And that was a problem.

Yoongi knew the danger her team posed. They were loyal to Yoona, fiercely so, but loyalty had its limits. If they thought she was compromised, they wouldn't hesitate to strike—maybe even against her. He needed to keep control of the situation, but how?

A part of him wanted to step in, to drag Yoona out of whatever internal conflict was holding her back. But another part—the colder, more calculating side knew that might only make things worse. Yoona wasn't someone he could simply control. She was fire—wild, unpredictable, and dangerous.

But she was also a key player in his game, whether she knew it or not. And right now, she was teetering on the edge of something that could either destroy them both or bind their fates together in ways neither of them had anticipated.

Yoongi turned back to the window, the city's lights reflecting in his dark eyes. He needed to make his next move carefully. If her team decided to act without her, it could force Yoona's hand in a way that would bring her closer to him—or push her completely out of his reach.

He wasn't willing to let the latter happen.

With a deep breath, he picked up his phone and dialed Jin's number. His right-hand man answered on the second ring.

"Boss."

"Keep an eye on Jungkook and his group," Yoongi said, his voice sharp, the edge of command clear. "If they make a move without Yoona, I want to know immediately."

"And if they do?"

Yoongi's eyes narrowed. "We intervene. But discreetly. I don't want this blowing up into something we can't control."

Jin hesitated for a moment, sensing the underlying tension in Yoongi's words. "Understood. And what about Yoona?"

Yoongi's grip on the phone tightened. "Leave her to me."

There was a pause on the other end before Jin responded. "Got it."

As the call ended, Yoongi let out a slow breath, his mind racing through the possibilities. He had always been a step ahead, always anticipating his enemies' moves before they even made them. But with Yoona, it was different. He couldn't predict her anymore, couldn't see her endgame.

And that made her dangerous.

But it also made her someone worth keeping alive.

Yoongi leaned against the windowsill, his fingers brushing the edge of his jacket, where his gun was holstered. He was used to fighting with weapons, with calculated moves and decisive strikes. But this... this was a different kind of battle.

A battle of wills.

Yoona's face flashed in his mind—her sharp eyes, her fierce determination, the way her defenses crumbled in front of him just days ago. She was starting to see the truth about her father, about the world they both lived in. And if he could guide her to that realization, if he could make her see that they weren't so different...

Then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be his enemy anymore.

But Yoongi wasn't naive. He knew the line between allies and enemies was thin, and trust was a luxury neither of them could afford. Yet, despite that, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was bigger than just power and revenge.

There was something else between them—something deeper, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

And that was dangerous.

Yoongi straightened, his eyes hardening once more. No matter what was happening between them, he couldn't let it cloud his judgment. He had enemies on all sides, and even if Yoona wasn't actively working against him at the moment, she could still turn on him at any second.

He wouldn't be caught off guard again.

His phone buzzed with another message—this time from one of his spies embedded within Yoona's ranks.

Spy: "Seulgi is planning to confront Yoona. They know she's hiding something."

Yoongi's lips pressed into a thin line. Things were moving faster than he expected. If Seulgi pushed Yoona too hard, it could break whatever fragile understanding they had, and Yoona might be forced to choose a side sooner than she was ready.

He needed to act before that happened.

Yoongi made a decision. He would draw Yoona out, force her to face him again, away from her team, away from the chaos that was brewing around them. He needed to get to the truth, to understand what was really going on in her head.

Because if she couldn't decide where she stood soon, then he would have no choice but to make the decision for her.

And if that meant taking her out of the game entirely... so be it.