Masked men

Masked men hurrah

"Oh fuck" was the first thing Jungkook thought when the masked men came crashing through the otherwise quiet lobby, guns waving manically in the air, loud voices yelling orders to the throngs of people who – until a second ago – were just getting on with their lives.

All around him, people started to scream, panicked cries bouncing obnoxiously off the cold plaster walls, combining together to form a painful cacophony that pierced his eardrums. Obviously, the ringleader thought the same if the irritated gunshot was anything to go by.

After the thundering crack, the room fell silent, fear keeping anyone from making even a whimper. Despite himself, Jungkook couldn't help the relieved sigh that fell from his bruised lips. He hissed lightly at the slight pressure, the pain taking him back to the events of what had transpired the night before. The fact that his life was in danger did not seem to matter as he felt himself slipping into harsh memories, uncaring of the men wielding guns in the open space before him.

The night had started the same way as many before it had. He had gotten home a few hours later than his boyfriend and he had walked in expecting to see the familiar sight of Taemin asleep in bed, exhausted from his own job and too tired to stay up for his younger partner. However, this time, when Jungkook had gotten home, the first thing he noticed was an extra pair of shoes by the front door. He had shrugged it off, Taemin often brought colleagues home to discuss further business plans. In the end, he did find Taemin in bed...with someone else. The body writhing underneath him was Jungkook's best friend Kai. Of course, the screaming match that followed his discovery was not pleasant and when Jungkook began to pack his things, Taemin got violent. Pinning him against the wall, yelling in his face, spitting derogatory names at him, slapping him for good measure. It was safe to say that despite all of his belongings still being at their – Taemin's – apartment, he was not going back.

A deafening crash shook him out of his trance and he looked up to see a man, not much older than him, from what little of his face was shown, leaning over the counter, pounding against the glass divider, shouting profanities at him. Annoyance flared through him but he looked up, eyes wide in faux fear as he made eye contact with his antagoniser. The man's brown eyes flashed in recognition and then in terror. He backed up so fast he tripped, landing harshly on his ass, breaths coming out short and fearful.

Jungkook looked up in confusion only for the same reaction to take place in all of the would be thieves before they all stood, bowed at him and then ran out of the building, blue lights and sirens chasing them until they were out of sight. The curious and suspicious gazes of all others in the room began to burn the back of his neck and Jungkook shifted uncomfortably, unused to being the centre of so much attention.

When the police arrived to assess the damage, they were directed by the leering comments of witnesses. It wasn't long before he was cornered and questioned.

"Look kid," a middle aged officer said, talking to Jungkook as though he were half his actual age, "Everyone has described the same story and the security cameras caught it all. Just fess up already."

Jungkook frowned, exasperated with how thick this man seemed to be.

"Look sir". The man frowned at his disrespectful tone but didn't comment, "I've told you and all your fossil friends over there that I don't know those men and I don't know why they bowed. They obviously mistook me for somebody else. Now can I leave? I have to find somewhere to stay tonight.". Not waiting for a response, Jungkook pushed past the man and continued on his way. Nobody tried to stop him from leaving but the glares boring into his skull made him want to run and hide under a rock. Regardless, Jungkook left the bank head held high and pride mostly intact.

It was 9pm when he finally found a hotel that would take him at such short notice. The room was tiny, the walls paper thin, the toilet cracked and mysterious stains covered the walls but he found himself uncaring as he flopped down on the surprisingly comfortable bed, bones weary and head pounding.

Despite his exhaustion, Jungkook found himself unable to sleep, mind still reeling from the events of the day. Groaning in frustration, he turned on the TV that was hung precariously above a small set of draws. He was not at all shocked to see that the failed robbery was being reported on. He was however startled by the information the police had managed to salvage from the security tapes from the surrounding shops. According to Deputy Choi, the five men were members of the notorious gang Natae, a crime syndicate run by one man, said to be the most powerful Mafia boss in the world. He had connections all over the world, from Bangkok to London, Moscow to Washington, fingers in pies from nuclear development to drug circles. Jungkook shivered as he finally came to terms with how much danger he had been in when faced with those criminals. The reporter showed a picture of the tattoo that had helped to identify the men as members of the Natae and continued to ramble on about things that no longer interested Jungkook. Instead his eyes were glued to the image of the very familiar tattoo, one he had seen on an old boyfriend, before the Natae were even considered a threat.

Realisation dawned on Jungkook like a bag of bricks. He knew who the leader of Natae was. Sleep forgotten, he reached for his phone and dialled the number that he hadn't used in a long time, yet he still remembered it like his own birthday. It rang once, twice and just as Jungkook realised that this probably wasn't the best idea, the person on the other side picked up.

"Kook-ah?"