House of Cards

Chapter 2

It was always the same, day-in and day-out. Jungkook was tired of the monotony and yet there was nothing he could do to break the endless cycle. He had tried a great many things, had discovered a desperate longing to find new hobbies to cause mild enjoyment. Never exciting, it never even got close to exciting for him. This wasn't his life or his choices, not at all. He was just living out the future that had already been decided for him from his birth. He hadn't been chosen as an apprentice, plucked and groomed into his position by nurturing and caring hands. It had not been something that he himself had wished for. No, he was very much a slave to his own future. And all because he had been born as the single son to the head of the largest organised gang in the country. It was a curse he supposed in some regards. Yet he had never went a single day wanting materially. He had always had a warm home and a full stomach, possessed more things and had had more attention catered to him than he had ever really needed. What he did have might not have been necessary things, but they were certainly the parts essential to living a lavish life. Though he was unneeding in most regards it didn't mean that he had everything however. There was something missing, that much he knew. Jungkook didn't really know what but it was missing.

Sometimes the missing thing felt rather small, a slight issue. Like that of a missing tooth. It was irritating and most certainly uncomfortable but it was bearable. He would poke around and feel at it with the tip of his tongue but most of the time he could ignore it. But sometimes it felt so much more than that. Sometimes Jungkook felt like there was a gaping hole in his side. A wound created by Longinus' spear itself. It would ache and he would almost feel the need to dig his fingers into his skin just to check if there really wasn't a wound. There was nothing there of course, no massive trench in his tender flesh. He was whole physically but seemingly not mentally. Jungkook didn't know what it was or how to get rid of it, only that eventually it would disappear and grant him peace for some time before returning. The usual medicine to kick it was alcohol, though he found that that could make it worst. Occasionally he alternated between a line of cocaine or a palmful of downers to try and chase it all away. Failing that there was always his penthouse suite a certain lithe and warm body waiting for him. But Jungkook knew that he could only ignore the matter at hand for so long. At least he had work to distract him right now, though it wasn't exactly the kind that he enjoyed doing.

Jungkook was sitting in the backseat of his Mercedes-Benz S-Class right now, on his way to Mapo-gu. Not for him exactly but more for his father. Or at least on his father's orders. His driver was in the front just like always, for Jungkook only used one man. The same chauffeur over and over meant that he could anticipate the routes that his driver would take, therefore helping him keep to a schedule. The man's name was Yang and only the back of his head was visible, the flat black cap he wore as part of his uniform. Sitting on the other end of the backseat and technically beside him was an associate named Woo. Jungkook supposed that he was a mentor of sorts, though it was hard to not see him as a babysitter most days. Where he went, Woo went. The man had no links to gang activity save for being a sort of bookkeeper. Woo seemed to know absolutely everything that was going on within each district before anyone else did. He used this wonderful skill in assisting in the creation or extermination of any possible transactions and contracts. That was why he had been chained to his side for the day. To ensure that he didn't fuck any of the important stuff up during the meeting. If he should possibly end up doing so Woo would be there, just like always giving him sudden and often unwanted advice.

Like a snake dangling down from the bowers of a tree to wrap around him and trap him in place.

Jungkook didn't have to answer to Woo or even take his advice. There was nothing stopping him from doing what he so wished but there was always one rather irritating consequence. His father would find out and he would be annoyed. That meant hour long lectures on why he should listen to others before making decisions; about how their empire had been founded upon the strength and wisdom of all, not just one. Jungkook thought that that was bullshit because if all had worked together why was only one currently on top? Yet his father would roll it all out to him like a well-rehearsed speech and he would nod along, and at the end he would hear that his father had blocked his decision anyway.