What May Change [Min Yoongi FF]

Chapter 16

[A/N: *Coughs*...it's been a while, huh? Well...I'm back? Someday I will finish what I started dammit!]

That night, Eunji's mom said she was going to have dinner with another friend, and didn't say who, nor did she offer to bring my mom along and introduce her. We knew it was weird, but nobody said anything, especially after we ate that night and the news was overshadowed by a harrowing text from Jin.

Eunji had been talking to him about coming over to hang out with the guys, maybe play some cards or go-stop or something. He was all about it, then suddenly he sent the message.

Jin: You can't come over tonight, I'm sorry. We might not be at school the next couple days. I'll talk to you when I can.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Eunji breathed, her voice shaky and uneven. "This...sounds completely unlike him to begin with, but 'We might not be at school for a while'? What the hell happened?" Unnerved, I pulled out my own phone and dialed Yoongi. He didn't answer the first time. The second call, after several rings, he picked up.

"...Hello?"

"Yoongi, what's going on over at the house? Jin was texting Eunji and suddenly...he got weird, he said you guys might all drop off the map for a while or something, are you okay?"

Yoongi chuckled softly, half-heartedly. "It's sweet that you're worried about me. None of us are hurt, okay? So don't worry. Hey, remember what you made me promise about being a better person? Well...sometimes, things are complicated. Can...can we postpone that to tomorrow? Starting from then, I swear I'll be a model student. I just...there's something I have to do tonight."

"Yoongi, what the hell is going on? Are you guys in trouble? Yoongi, tell me what the hell is wrong so I can help you!" I pleaded, suddenly terrified.

"Whimsy, i'm sorry, but I have to go now, I'll talk to you later." He mumbled, seemingly aiming to end the call before too much was said.

"Min Yoongi, if you don't tell me what's happening I'm going to assume you're all in danger and call the cops to your house-"

"NO! You absolutely cannot call the police, do you understand Whimsy? Please, that would make all of this worse." He exploded. There was a good few seconds of silence as I stood there in shock.

"...Yoongi-ah, are you about to do something illegal?" I whimpered, unable to keep the disappointment from my tone. There was deep, shaky breath on the other end of the line.

"Whimsy," he whispered, suddenly urgent, "Namjoon's dad called, okay? Maybe he thinks Namjoon's getting too content here and we don't know our place yet, I don't know...but he owns the house, Whim. His oversight is the only reason any of this is possible, and he's Namjoon's dad. We can't say no. Please...you have to forgive me and not ask any more questions this time. I don't want to get you in trouble." He sounded tired and afraid, and I wanted nothing more than to take him away from all of that right then, to hold him close and tell him he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do.

But that was a lie. A mob lord had called in a favor, in exchange for giving him food, shelter,...his life. He couldn't say no. How long was Yoongi going to be in debt to that man? Were they all going to be under thumb for the rest of their lives, doing his bidding whenever they heard the call, like attack dogs on a leash?

It was then I began to understand why they thought themselves so dangerous, kept to themselves, and didn't rejoice in their situation. It was better than the Hells they'd been born into, but they had simply sold their souls for that guarantee. This wasn't mafia-lite, some sort of fun rom-com where the mob leader actually has some Robin Hood complex and engages in philanthropy as a pastime, punishing people who deserved it. He was a cunning, manipulative, monster who did nothing that wasn't in his own interest. He collected loans, disseminated drugs, ordered deaths, ran prostitution rings, and all the inglorious wretched things involved in organized crime. What exactly would he have my friends doing? I couldn't bear to guess, and instead I shivered.

"Whimsy?" Yoongi called, bringing me back to reality.

"Just...be safe. Please...don't get hurt." I murmured.

"You're talking about the guy who knocks people out with one punch," He joked, a shadow of his normal cockiness. "I'll be fine, I promise." He vowed.

When I hung up, Eunji pounced for the information.

"I don't know what they're doing, but...it's something bad. Paying dues to Namjoon's dad or something." I mumbled, sinking into the couch. Eunji plopped down beside me with watery eyes.

"I can't decide if I'm more worried about what they're going to do, or terrified of something happening to them," She croaked. I nodded numbly.

Later that night, I tried to call my dad to talk about plans for the weekend. He didn't pick up until two hours later.

Eunji received a text from her mom that she and her friend had lost track of time and she was now on her way home. When she got home, Eunji made her aware that her lipstick had smeared.

"Oh, must have been something I ate." She tugged at her skirt. "I can't believe I was walking around like that, how embarrassing." She then scuttled away to her room for the night.

Eunji and I stayed awake tossing and turning, hoping at least the morning would bring some news of the boys. It did, but it wasn't what we wanted to hear.