Claimed by the Gangster! - J.JK × K.SJ

Chapter two

"Haha~ H-Hi,"

Jin stammered, his awkward laugh echoing in the tense silence of the alley. His smile wobbled as he waved, the gesture weak and uncertain.

Jungkook's eyes narrowed slightly, his cold gaze scrutinizing Jin from head to toe. For a moment, he didn’t respond, his cigarette smoke swirling lazily between them. Ren and Ken exchanged confused glances, unsure whether to laugh at the absurdity of the situation or to act on Jungkook’s earlier command.

"You lost, kid?" Jungkook’s voice cut through the silence, low and intimidating, though his expression remained as unreadable as ever.

Jin, still on his knees, felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. Why am I like this? he thought miserably, trying to force his body to cooperate. He quickly scrambled to his feet, brushing off his clothes with exaggerated nonchalance.

"Lost? Me? No, no, definitely not. Just, uh, out for a stroll, you know? Fresh air, and... haha, stumbled upon this... intense gathering." Jin nervously chuckled again, glancing around at the group of dangerous men who were now staring at him like he was the weirdest thing they’d ever seen.

Ken snorted, leaning toward Ren. "This guy's either stupid or has a death wish."

Ren grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Maybe both."

Jin swallowed, hearing their whispers, but his eyes remained locked on Jungkook’s, trying to gauge if he was about to be in even deeper trouble. His heart pounded in his chest, though he did his best to play it cool. Well, as cool as someone who had just tripped over his own feet could be.

"Look, no need to get all stabby or whatever it is you guys do," Jin said, raising his hands in a half-surrender, half-plea. "I can just... quietly leave, yeah? Pretend I didn’t see anything." He flashed another awkward smile, trying to mask the nervous energy coursing through him.

Jungkook took one more drag of his cigarette, blowing out a cloud of smoke before finally speaking.

"Not so fast." His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it that made Jin freeze in place.

"Why not so fast? What am I supposed to do?" Jin exclaimed, his voice slightly higher-pitched from the panic bubbling up inside him. He raised his hands in surrender again, eyes wide as he stared at Jungkook, who still hadn't moved. "I swear I won’t say anything to anyone. I-I’m mute! Yeah, mute!" he blurted out, clearly flustered.

Jungkook's lips barely twitched, but it wasn't quite a smile—more like he was amused by Jin's desperate attempt at lying. Ren and Ken, however, weren’t as composed and burst out laughing, unable to contain themselves.

"Mute, huh? You’ve been talking nonstop since you showed up," Ren chuckled, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

Ken shook his head. "Boss, this one’s special. You sure we need to deal with him? He’s not exactly a threat," he said, still grinning.

Jungkook finally flicked his cigarette to the ground, crushing it under his boot. He stepped closer to Jin, who instinctively backed up, though there wasn’t much room to escape. Jungkook towered over him, his cold gaze unyielding, but there was a flicker of something—curiosity? amusement?—in his eyes.

"You’re not mute," Jungkook said quietly, his voice almost teasing but still holding that dangerous undertone. "And if you’re going to lie, you might want to come up with something better next time."

Jin swallowed hard, feeling the heat of embarrassment flush through his face. "Okay, yeah, maybe not mute," he mumbled, then quickly added, "But I’m definitely harmless! Just a regular guy trying to avoid getting into trouble, which, uh... clearly didn’t work out so well."

Jungkook tilted his head slightly, as if considering Jin's words, before glancing at Ren and Ken. "Take him."

"Wait, what?! Take me w-where?!" Jin panicked, his feet shuffling backward as the two men approached him with smirks on their faces.

"Relax," Jungkook said, his voice chillingly calm. "We’ll just have a little chat."

"Chat? Why? I’m not a... chatty thing or anything!" Jin protested, waving his hands around wildly, his words jumbled in panic. "I swear I’m innocent! I don’t even like drama!"

Jungkook remained silent, his expression as unreadable as ever. He didn’t need to say anything; a single glance at Ken and Ren was enough. They immediately understood the order. Ren moved swiftly, coming up behind Jin and applying just enough pressure to his neck, cutting off his consciousness in seconds.

Jin's body went limp, collapsing forward. His head fell right against Jungkook's chest. Ren and Ken froze for a moment, their eyes wide in shock. They exchanged panicked glances, worried that this sudden contact would set off their boss. Normally, anyone daring to touch Jungkook without permission would meet an unpleasant fate.

But Jungkook stayed unnervingly calm. He glanced down at Jin's unconscious form pressed against him, a flicker of something indescribable passing through his eyes. Instead of pushing him away with force, Jungkook carefully nudged Jin off his chest, his gaze lingering on Jin's peaceful face.

For a split second, his cold exterior seemed to soften, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. His usual icy demeanor returned, and he turned to Ren and Ken, his voice cold and detached. "Take this sleeping beauty to the car," he ordered. Then, casting a final glance at the wounded man still groaning on the ground, he added without emotion, "As for that guy... kill him. He’s of no use anymore."

Ren and Ken scrambled to follow his orders, dragging Jin toward the car.

Meanwhile, Jungkook took one last puff from his cigarette, flicked it to the ground, and walked away without a second glance.