Crescent // ATEEZ ✔

52 [darkness]

*First of all, I decided to put this note at the start of this chapter as I want to thank you for 3k votes ;-; and this is my present to all of you, but I don't think you'll like this present because... I'll leave you to read until the end of this chapter. What I want to say is; don't panic because this is not the end 😌 Happy reading (or not...)!*

"Give me her estimated location."

"She's suspected to be locked in the room on the second floor, possibly tied up, gagged and blindfolded. Nothing to be sure of unless we see for ourselves, and considering that we take the words of our lovely enemy."

"If you give me the cue, I'll gladly shoot the frontliners now. Frankly, my finger is feeling a bit eager to pull the trigger." Seonghwa closes one eye as he trains the telescopic sight on one of the targets lined up around the warehouse. They seem to be making a fort with their bodies, circling the warehouse and making sure no entrance nor exit will be left unattended.

"Toothless, on hold. We're still planning our way around the warehouse, looks like this Ravn guy is still expecting Lee Minhyuk to show up with the promised money," Hongjoong instructs through the earpiece as he sits beside Mingi and observes the faces of the guards one by one. He turns to Minhyuk who is standing behind them, looking anxious as he looks over their shoulders. "Do you recognize any of them? Are they really Ravn's gang?"

The mob boss looks at the screen and scans them one by one, taking a while before he slowly nods and points to a few of them. "I know them; they went against my boys some time back."

"Estimation of strength?" Hongjoong enquires as Minhyuk gives it a thought.

"Would say they're a bit tough to take down, although my boys conquered them in the end. Wasn't easy opponents."

"So Ravn has a strong gang."

"He does, and they are loyal ones. Stuck to him like glue, obey him like he's the king. The only person he can't make to bow at his feet was me."

"I was made to understand that both of you were friends," Mingi includes as his hands hover over the onscreen keyboard. "But something made it crack and now you're on opposing sides."

"That's correct." He doesn't look surprised at how they managed to find out about that, but he shouldn't be when he knows how ATEEZ deals with their clients. They know everything. "We used to be on the same line but we had our differences in views. Started going our separate ways right then, where most, if not all, of those under us decided to follow him instead. I was left to start again on my own."

"Ever since then, you and him became arch-enemies, and now he's taking a step ahead by kidnapping your sister. Is the motive really money?"

"I wouldn't say it's the only motive; there's power, gratification in knowing that my weakness is Mikyung. He's trying to use that against me to make me bow at his feet. Not to mention that he must have felt challenged because I stole the tender from him. Ravn is the guy to keep grudges for a very long time."

"Do you think he has possibly revealed to your sister what your identity is? To scrape the faith she has in you while keeping her hostage."

"I can't tell, but maybe not. He finds joy when he knows that he holds something that others don't, so maybe he's still keeping it from her."

"A complex enemy," Mingi concludes. "And a smart one. It's no wonder that both of you stand on the same ground."

"Our plan? Outsmarting him, or overpowering him? Outnumbering him is not an option it seems," Minhyuk asks as he paces back and forth. "I really do hope that all of you have a good plan, because Ravn is not an easy one to take down." He mentions the last word as his phone rings and a hidden number comes on, but the situation they're in allows him to know who it is even before he picks the call up. Glancing at the two in the same room as him, he nods once before sliding the green button, immediately placing the call on speaker.