The Hidden Card || NCT MAFIA

Chapter thirty-seven: Mind games

Taeyong was sitting in his office, his fingers mindlessly playing with the phone in his hands. The incessant stomping of his foot on the floor was the only sign that betrayed the nervousness building inside of him, and he took a deep breath before typing the number he now knew by heart in his phone.

The person on the other side of the line didn't take long to pick up his call, and soon -too soon, maybe- the familiar voice of his brother was heard through the modern device.

"Hello, Yongie," Park taunted.

He knew Taeyong had always hated that nickname.

"I wasn't expecting you to call so soon," he added. "Missed me?"

Taeyong had to hold back a groan.

"Stop with your games for a second, will you? What happened?"

He couldn't see it, but in his own office, Park frowned. For once, he had no idea what his younger brother was talking about.

"Would you care to elaborate the question?" he asked. "I'm not sure I'm following."

"Oh, cut the crap, Min-Seok. Two days ago, you threatened to kill Iseul if I didn't kill her mother, and gave me forty-eight hours to choose."

"I still don't see the problem."

"I haven't heard anything from you ever since, so my question is easy. What the hell are you playing at?"

A mocking laugh echoed on the other side of the line, "Oh, I'm sorry," Park sneered, "Do you want me to come take care of it right now? You want me to come find you so I can kill her right in front of your eyes?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Quit playing games."

"I still don't know what you want me to say, brother. I guess you could say I got bored of that idea."

Taeyong frowned. He clearly did not like the turn this conversation was taking.

"What do you mean? What kind of sick plan do you have in mind?"

Park laughed again, as if he was finding this whole exchange particularly entertaining.

"Well you see, that's the thing. It wouldn't be fun if I told you."

"You're despicable."

"Thanks. I try my best."

Taeyong felt sick to his stomach just thinking about what Park could possibly have in mind. He knew his brother better than anyone, and more than he'd like to admit; and that's exactly what scared him.
He knew what he was capable of, he knew he had no limits and wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

Taeyong knew that whatever caught Park's attention must be bad, really bad. If he was ready to let go of Iseul's mother, that meant he had something else in mind, and Taeyong wasn't sure he wanted to find out what. But he had to.

"Be a nice little brother and say hi to Iseul for me, will you? We'll see each other soon enough anyways."

Before Taeyong had the time to ask what he meant by that, a beeping sound indicated that Park had hung up. He gripped the phone so hard that his knuckles turned white, frustration and anger making his blood boil.

He had to deal with a possible mole inside of his own family, while trying to find a way to put away his brother.
To top it all off, Taeyong couldn't even rely on his most devoted advisor. He still was trying to understand the meaning behind Kun's words earlier. He knew his friend too much to believe he didn't try to hide a second meaning behind each of his words.

Lost in the deep sea of his tormented thoughts, Taeyong let out a frustrated groan.

"Is everything alright?"

The small voice took him by surprise, and he raised his head to face the intruder. Taeyong had failed to hear Iseul coming in, and there she stood, at the door, a worried frown on her face.

"Yes," he lied. "We're just gonna have to reschedule your evaluation for later, alright? I have something to take care of first and I'm going to need the entire squad."

Iseul's smile slowly faded away, revealing her disappointment, "Oh," she softly said, "Anything I can help you with?"

Taeyong wasn't stupid, if he was going to suspect his own members, Iseul wasn't going to be an exception.

"No, I'll be fine."

Iseul inhaled deeply, nodding her head slowly. "Alright, then."

She tried to keep a steady voice, but her tone betrayed her and Taeyong couldn't ignore that she was upset about it.
As hurt as he was that he couldn't confide in her, Taeyong knew he didn't have a choice. What kind of leader would he be if he doubted his own brothers but not Iseul? She wanted to be a part of NCT, so Taeyong would treat her as such.

"Iseul."

The girl turned around when he called her name, stopping her from leaving the room.
A part of her naively thought he would maybe apologize for giving her mixed signals, once again, or that he would change his mind and tell her what was bothering him. Because even though he had said he was fine, Iseul knew him well enough now to see that he wasn't telling her the truth.

She could see right through his lies, and she hated the sight. But Taeyong crashed down her hopes of apologies in a second.

"If your mother tries to reach out to you, come to me first, alright?"

Iseul scoffed at her own stupidity. Of course it had something to be mafia-related, what was she expecting? Taeyong was still the leader of a gang, after all.

"Don't worry," she mocked, tired of his cryptic behavior, "if my mother, who seems to have forgotten she had a daughter, tries to call me, you'll be the first one to know. I'm the only one who knows what communicating means in this house, anyways."

—-
Alright place your bets, who do you think is a traitor and what do you think is gonna happen?