FOOLS

Chapter 14

Hoseok noticed how the white board changed completely. The map that they had changed completely to an industrial area of the city. Hoseok recognized that right away as one owned by a certain CEO. He saw Namjoon's toned back from the windows, shoulders wide and filled with determination, something Hoseok missed and yet he couldn't help but feel that something was off. "What's going on?" Hoseok asked as he entered the room.

"Hyung, you're late." Namjoon scoffed jokingly, he had never been the type to get upset or even angry. Well, as far as Hoseok was concerned. Apparently he was the last one to arrive, even Yoongi was there on the couch, eyes half shut.

"We received an intel of some Black Pandora activities that might go down today, we're preparing to dispatch soon." Jimin answered.

"And where did this intel come from?"

"A worker at the factory. Don't worry, they're credible, I already checked them out." Namjoon answered without missing a beat. Hoseok thought it came out naturally, almost too naturally but that wasn't his biggest concern right now.

"Namjoon, do you realize what this place is?"

"I do." the younger one answered casually, simply nodding his head without any care in the world. That made Hoseok annoyed.

"What if this is just another one of his games?" he continued.

"And what if it's real, hyung?" Namjoon snapped back, he was growing impatient and was hoping this meeting would be brief.

"It has never been this easy before, think about it!" Hoseok argued. The rest of the team watched as the two of them grew horns and battle it out. Seokjin debated if he should get in between them. But he learned from watching Jimin and Taehyung bicker that it's good for them to let their emotions out without constraints. So he sat back and watch. Though he was ready to tackle them if need be.

"Hyung, just trust me. I know things haven't always worked out but this time, it will. I promise." Namjoon lowered his tone and pleaded. He knew it was no good to raise his voice at Hoseok, who becomes a monster in arguments. The best solution was to lay low and not cause any suspicions with his enthusiasm.

The elder tossed his head back and sighed, shoulders flopping down. "You're our leader, so I'll trust you." he replied.

"Thank you, hyung." Namjoon smiled fondly. "But I don't want you to just trust me because I'm your leader. I want you to trust me because you mean it."

Hoseok gave it some thoughts. His dongsaeng was relying on his approval on this as he does with many other things. Those moments remind Hoseok that Namjoon is still young and needs guidance. "Let's talk about that after this." Hoseok waved him off, doing his best to not hurt any feelings but he felt that the damage has been done.

Namjoon, used to rejections from his father but not his teammates, was taken aback. It did occur to him that keeping the secret of Jungkook will harm his relationship with the team, and it was something he had to accept. Just for a short period of time, he reminded himself, then things will go back to normal. He blinked a few times before clearing his throat and turning back to the rest of the team.

"I've obtained the warrant from the chief to search all the factories in the area. Let's bring a couple more guys in and split up into groups. If anyone tries to stop you, you know what to do. Any questions?"

"Will you be okay?" Yoongi asked. The others seemed to have wanted to ask the same thing but couldn't bring themselves to utter the words.

Namjoon nodded. "It's my job, I shouldn't be biased. We need to crack down on this case and I'll do whatever it takes." After going over some more details about entrances and who might be there at this hour, the team split up to go with their respective locations, though still in close proximity of each other. Namjoon was with Jimin, who sensed the elder's uneasiness and told him a few jokes he learned from Seokjin to try to cheer him up. He could never get the punchline right but Namjoon still laughed. It numbed his heart for a few seconds, enough for him to forget the dangers ahead. What he was doing right now was risky but he would do it for the sake of his family, his real family.

***

Dressed in white and covered from head to toe, the workers could only be described as an ant colony. Moving in sync with the same common goal of earning money and getting sucked into the cyclone of capitalism. Their heads in the clouds as their feet sinking further and further into despair, one of which no amount of money could save them from.

From above the railings, one man stood and watched his operations in glory. When one line of assembly was done with their tasks, it added to his ego and his pocket. He wouldn't give them a break, he would have them make double or even triple the amount of the day before. It was like a well-oiled machine, he thought, unbreakable by mere mortals. And he was God. No one could stop him, not the President, not any politicians, not even his foolish son.

And there would be no reason to stop him. He was manufacturing medicines that would save the country. He wasn't doing anything wrong, being vain isn't a crime, only a sin that he'll think about much later in life. But right now, he was more worried about the pace of his workers. He was then startled by the loud ruckus occuring at the entrance of the factory. One of his men radioed him to tell him the police wanted to look around. The police, he thought, but why? He assumed that the bribe he had given to some of them for overlooking his factory and workers conditions became futile and thought nothing more.

Before he reached the entrance, the voices grew louder and so did the footsteps. The lights outside was blinding and as he was regaining his vision, he saw flashes of movements. And the smile of a devil with dimples.