Tables Turned | JH

Chapter 36: Who's Side Are You On?

As we pull up to the warehouse Mr. Kim had mentioned, I suddenly begin to feel my heart beating in my throat. Swallowing hard, unsure of whether my heart will actually jump out of my throat and leave my body altogether, I force myself to play it calm. If I show my anxiety towards this appointment, it'll only raise suspicion for both Jimin and Choyeon. I can only hope that my absence for the last two months and new hair color will make me unrecognizable.

Stepping out of the car, I shut the door behind Cho when she gets out before reluctantly following her into the building. I already have a feeling of who the men inside could be, easily recalling the troublemakers and who they'd stir into the mix before their endings would hit them. It'd been one of the things I'd been watching my last year or two in the Company, watching the flow and pattern of who would be the pot stirrers and who'd end up influenced by side people.

When we reach the door, I hold it open for her before following her in. Biting my lip, I pull out my box and lighter, grabbing a stick from the box before shoving it back away. As we cross the floor, eyes turn and follow us. Lighting up the cigarette, I can see the disdain in their eyes at the fact she's actually here instead of being there for her brother to be buried. I try to ignore the feeling of eyes on us though, letting her lead us both into what would appear to be the basement of the building. The room is lit dimly, a contrast to the floor we'd walked across just moments before.

As I look around, I realize it's more of a torture room than a basement. A table to the left that's got knives, guns, and other weapons sprawled out across it. A chain hanging in the far right corner. Two men tied up to chairs in the center, a burly man stood behind them with his arms crossed.

"You can go now, Bohyun. We've got it from here." Choyeon says calmly as she waves a dismissive hand to the standing man across from us. Though, my thoughts are much more focused on the two men that are lightly beaten up and tied with chains to the chairs. I don't let my gaze rest on them though, not needing to feed into my anxiety of being caught as I keep a watchful eye instead on the beautiful girl that's half a step in front of my side.

"Yeah, we've got it from here alright, dick. Get outta here so we can handle this properly." The first man tied, Siwon, speaks up with a cold chuckle. Daewoo, who's tied up a short distance away from the other man, chuckles in agreement. Nobody says anything else though, letting Bohyun exit the room first before starting anything more.

"Well, ain't this priceless, Siwon. Would ya look at what we got here." Daewoo smirks. I don't have to look at him to know he's got his eyes directly on me, not even bothering to acknowledge the girl stood in front of me.

"You boys do realize you've been stirring up trouble just before the peace ball, correct? Is there even a brain inside the either of you to realize how dumb of a decision it is to be causing any trouble around the time of said ball?" Choyeon questions calmly, clearly getting to the fact that they're fucking idiots and that this shit doesn't get tolerated.

"Do you realize how fucked you are?" Siwon counters, smirking as well. I puff out a cloud of smoke, trying to keep my cool as I stand next to Cho.

"And why would that be? The two of you are the ones bound to chairs by chains. And after the trouble that you've been causing for my men? You think we'd let you off easy? I don't see where I'm at the disadvantage here." Choyeon points out as she struts around the two of them, ending up by Siwon's side. Pulling the cigarette away from my lips, I tap the ash off the end before slipping it back between my lips and taking another inhale of the toxic smoke. However, there's nothing I can do to keep the dreaded words from tumbling out of the men's mouth.

"That may be, but it just so happens that the heir to the Jung Company, Jung Hoseok, is in our presence. Convenient timing that happens to put you outnumbered, bitch." Daewoo informs her in a proud tone.

"Yeah, so you might as well just let us go now. Unless of course, you were looking to die today?" Siwon adds confidently.

Both men have their eyes contently on my figure, though my gaze is worriedly elsewhere. Eyes meeting her gentle gaze, I can see the sadness in both her eyes and the smile she gives me. I can see the sudden uncertainty and wavering mental stability in her eyes, now at a loss for how to respond as she clearly ponders and awaits to hear which side I'm truthfully on. It's now my turn to speak, prove to them all where my loyalty truly lies between the two gangs.

"Funny you boys should say that." I start, pausing to take a deep breath and puff out another cloud of smoke. Grabbing the stick between my first and middle finger to pull it away from my lips, I flick off more ash and keep it away from my lips to speak. Once again, I can feel my heart wanting to beat out of my chest as I take my first step in the direction of Choyeon. With our eyes locked, I can't lie and say I'm not surprised that she doesn't take a step back away from me. I can just faintly catch the flickering spark of hope in her eyes, and I can only hope she forgives me for my true identity.

"Last I recall, that so-called 'heir' to the Jung Company ran the fuck away from there two months ago. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain Jung's men don't risk their fucking necks for the Kim's. However, I seem to recall having taken two bullets for this wonderful woman in our presence, men. If my memory serves me right, and, Choyeon, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't believe that was the last time we were under fire together." I speak, eyes still locked with hope now found in my own eyes.

"That would be correct, Hoseok. You've done quite well with protecting me." Cho responds, eyes never leaving mine as more and more emotions continue to mix into them. Forcing a smirk on my lips as I reach just steps from the sweet girl, I turn on my heel to face the two men.

"My apologies, boys. But I'm afraid that the two of you would be the ones at the disadvantage."