In The Heart of Darkness

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Yoongi stuck a steaming piece of meat into his mouth and stared down the young man sitting across from him. As he chewed, he pondered what this kid could possibly have in his past to land him into this type of work. He was nice looking and besides his occasional childish behavior, he seemed to be rather quiet. Yoongi watched JK chowing down on his food and his head cocked to one side slightly.

"JK?"

JK kept chewing and looked up. "Mm?"

"Enjoying your food?"

JK chewed a few more times and swallowed hard. "Yes, sir!" he said energetically. "Best meal I've had in a long time."

Yoongi took note of JK's thin wrists and sharp jawline. His eyes narrowed and he sighed softly. "Don't you eat in that dungeon of yours?"

JK paused a moment and then smiled. He shook his head slightly. "Can't have food and drink near my babies! Can't risk a short out, ya know? I eat. Don't worry." He grinned and plopped another chunk of meat into his mouth.

"He didn't say he was worried," said Hoseok flatly.

JK cast a nervous glance towards Hoseok but quickly resumed eating.

Yoongi laid his chopsticks down and leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. He eyed JK curiously but simply let the boy finish what food was in front of him before he began to speak. "Did you get enough?"

JK looked around at the empty bowls littering the table around him and shrugged slightly. Truthfully speaking, he hadn't eaten much in days because he had been so swamped with tasks. He could probably eat another entire setting of food but he didn't want to look desperate.

"I'm stuffed!" He smiled at his boss and hoped he sounded convincing. He needed this job. He couldn't risk losing it. His life was the most stable it had been in years. He could care less about the dark nature of his work. All JK cared about was that it put a roof over his head and fed him sometimes.

Yoongi took note of his gaze and hesitation. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I'm going to ask some questions and you're going to answer. The more answers you give, the more meat I order. I'm pretty sure you ate my share anyway," he finished softly.

JK's eyes widened and he quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Sure, Boss." He didn't care what Yoongi asked. His stomach was still grumbling and it needed satisfaction. He figured he would regret selling his soul to the devil later, but for now he just needed more food.

"What is JK short for?"

JK blinked and looked around. "That's your first question?"

"You want food or not?" Yoongi felt guilty that one of his own employees was apparently living without proper meals. But he wasn't in the business of offering charity. He was a firm believer that one must work for what they want. This was JK's chance to earn his meal.

"Ah, yes. JK stands for Jungkook." JK's mouth twitched a moment but he smoothed his expression quickly.

"When did you start hacking?"

JK's eyes dulled a moment before he began to speak. "Ah, well, see, it's kind of a long story." He fidgeted in his chair, not realizing how uncomfortable it would be to reveal such personal things about himself.

"I'm not busy today. Right, Hoseok?" Yoongi grinned at his sulky bodyguard.

"Mm," hummed Hoseok with a knowing look at his boss. Yoongi had plenty of things to do today and with that blasted clandestine meeting on the horizon, Hoseok was more antsy than ever to just get back to business. Instead, he found himself pulling out his phone and silently rearranging Yoongi's schedule as the two men continued talking.