$ t h r e e $
From the very moment that the words left Yifanś lips, Junmyeon was already shaking his head. He was suddenly enraged that his friend would even ask that of him, but he kept his emotions at bay for the sake of the organization. The clenched fist by his side gave him away though, and Yifan saw it.
"Not Hani." Junmyeon replied firmly to the request.
Yifan huffed out a small chuckle in amusement as he said. "That's cute. You act as though you have a choice."
Still trying to keep his anger in check, Junmyeon sucked in a deep breath. "I wouldn't even bet on the life of my closest men. What makes you think I'd bet on my wife?" His jaw was tense and his stare was unwavering as he looked Yifan in the eyes, words deadly. Hani was the one thing he was unwilling to negotiate about. He had thought about it times before. As much in debt as he might get himself, he preferred to die before putting her in danger's way. She was Junmyeon's entire world.
"Either you agree, or you all die. You, the pack, and her." The man sitting behind the desk gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
Junmyeon looked at the surveillance screens behind Yifan once more. Jongin and Sehun were sat in lounge chairs by the entrance with bored expressions on their faces. Two young men that were like younger brothers to him and had their whole lives ahead of them. On another screen were Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, both leaning against the wall of a dimly lit hallway, outside of public reach in the casino. Kyungsoo crossed his arms over his chest, keeping an alert eye on everything. The gun tucked away under their shirts was gone--had been taken away by Yifan's security team. On the third screen he saw Baekhyun, waiting in another hallway by himself. As Junmyeon's right hand and most trusted person, he was being kept in company with two of Yifan's people--Jongdae and Tao.
He didn't want to put them all in danger, but he didn't want to agree to anything that would put Hani at risk. Sensing his inner struggle, Yifan made yet another offer. "Since I am a fair man, and this is your wife's life that's on the line...why don't you go back home and talk to her about it? Come back tomorrow night. I'll be expecting good news."
Yifan gave a clap of his hands and the door opened. Lu Han reappeared in the room and gestured for Junmyeon to follow behind him. He led him out the same way they had entered, gathering the rest of The Pack along the way.
They were now on the outside of the casino, waiting for Junmyeon's car. The leader of the pack turned to Lu Han, his voice pleading. "Deer, talk to him. He wants Hani in exchange for clearing the debt. We can't let this happen." There was a flash of sadness and even guilt in Lu Han's eyes. But he willed it away. All twelve of them knew Hani, and the other ten of them who weren't in love with her loved her like a sister. She had always been good to them, and treated them right, despite the fact that they were part of organized crime.
"Sorry, Suho. I don't interfere with number one's decisions." He said with a shake of his head.
While Junmyeon and his people had titles to distinguish their ranks, Yifan gave his people numbers. He was number one, Lu Han was number two, Yixing was number three, Minseok number four, Jongdae number five, and Tao number six. They often went by their rank numbers of their nicknames.
Junmyeon sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get through to him. They were all loyal to Yifan. He was a good leader to them. Interfering would have been like stabbing him in the back.
The group climbed into the waiting car with the maknaes being last. Baekhyun was sitting next to the leader while he explained what had happened in that office. "Are you going to tell Hani about this?" Baekhyun asked.
Junmyeon shook his head. "No, Light. I'll solve this on my own. If I tell her anything, she'll want to help, and I can't risk losing her."
-
The Pack had been out all day, trying to come up with a plan and trying to gather the money to pay off the debt. Junmyeon left his house early that morning, after assuring his wife that everything was okay. She had sensed the uncertainty in him, but when she asked what was wrong, he told her there was nothing for them to worry about.
Outside of their house, en extravagant black car pulled up with two people in it. One of them was Wu Yifan, the other was Lu Han.
Lu Han waited out by the car while Yifan walked up to the front gates. Hitting the doorbell outside, he was greeted by a voice he hadn't heard in over five years.
"Yes?" Came the soft voice of Min Hani.
Yifan cleared his throat nervously before replying to her. "Hey Hani, its Yifan. Do you have time to talk to an old friend?" He asked a bit awkwardly. In front of his men, and the people who worked for him, he was so confident and full of authority. With her it was different. She disarmed him. The only soft side he ever had in his life was brought out in her presence. He stood outside, rolling on the balls of his feet as he waited for her to say something. Little did she know that he had rehearsed that greeting about a hundred times in his mind, on the way to her house.
"Yifan oppa!" She said with excitement in her words. "I always have time for you. I'll unlock the gates."
There was a loud beeping noise that came for a second and the front door of the gate popped open. He made his way up the concrete path and was met by the most breathtaking beauty he had ever seen. She was more beautiful to him than he remembered and her very presence made his heart race. But the jealousy rolled in because Junmyeon had everything that he wanted to have.
"Does Junie know you're here?" She asked him, pulling him in for a friendly hug. "I should call him so he can come say hello too."
Yifan quickly shook his head as the two pulled away from their embrace. He wished it could have lasted an eternity. "No, Hani. I've already seen him. I'm here to talk to you."
Hani eyed him with confusion, but invited him into her house.
He wondered if she would be the same after finding out the reason for his visit.
-
writing shorter chapters makes it easier for me to be able to update more often. but longer chapters are a bit more fun to write for me. anyway, thank you all for reading and supporting this story. it means so much to me.
i hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.
-clary xx
