Chapter Text
December 21, 1992
Song: Pandora’s Box by J-Hope
The sound of the water dripping off of Jung Hoseok’s black wool coat was louder than the bell of the convenience store door.
The cashier gave a sleepy greeting, having been awoken by the customer’s entrance. The clock on the wall pointed its black hands towards midnight, yet Hoseok looked as if he was wide awake.
His almost black hair was stuck onto his forehead in a soggy mess. Rainwater and blood was dripping down his chin and onto his neck. His brown eyes were a deep blue underneath and his skin was almost as white as the walls of the store. Despite his sickly pallor, his face looked strong and handsome. The scars on his face did nothing to take away his appeal, not even the thick red stitched incision that ran from the corner of his mouth to the lobe of his right ear.
The cashier made a surprised noise when she noticed his appearance but he paid her no attention. Small pools of light pink water spawned as Hoseok walked across the store. The cashier’s shocked glance quickly turned into an appalled look, likely dreading to clean the mess he was making across the entire store. Hoseok, on the other hand, looked unperturbed. His eyes went directly to the section of instant noodles before he quickly selected one. The cashier complained loudly about the mess he was making while he paid for his noodles but he ignored her. She gasped when he opened his coat to reach for a bill in the large stack of money he held in the inner pocket.
It was undeniable that his once white shirt was soiled with blood. He did not look injured nor did he look like he cared, or knew, that there was blood on his clothes.
Her breathing quickened while he placed a bloodied bill on the countertop. She reached for the phone shakily and began making a call.
He walked over to the hot water machine and began preparing his meal. He only watched as the hot water from the machine splashed off the dry noodles and onto his hand. His face maintained its composure as his hand turned red from the hot water droplets that boiled his hand.
He picked up his bowl and placed it on the small seating area inside the convenience store which was serving as his shelter from the storm. He watched as the raindrops cast a thick blurry veil over the old window of the convenience store. There was nothing to look at outside other than a street lap nearby and a red neon sign flashing on and off intermittently. It would have lit up the entire store if the lights inside weren’t so white and overpowering. Hoseok watched the time on his cracked golden watch as he patiently waited for four minutes to pass so he could begin eating his ramen. He never showed a glint of impatience despite the low grumble resonating from his lower abdomen. He placed a bloodied hand there absentmindedly and rubbed. The contact left small streaks of red on his shirt which only added to the existing stains of blood.
He maintained his composure and waited patiently, even when the cashier announced the police were on their way.
The only thing that was able to break him out of his calm demeanor was the arrival of two men. They were both drenched from the frigid rain, seeking shelter under the small overhang in front of the convenience store.
“We’re only a few blocks away, do we really need an umbrella?” The first male complained.
The skin on Hoseok’s arms raised under his wet coat. His head twitched as if he was going to turn his head to look at the man yet he did not, choosing to watch from his peripheral vision instead.
“A few blocks? It’s a twenty minute walk. We’re going to get pneumonia at this rate. This is why I told you we should have taken the car.” The silver haired man next to him plucked an umbrella from a tub outside and opened it over his head.
“I don’t mind.” A large puddle of water fell off the brown leather bag the first male carried in his bruised hands when he shrugged.
The silver haired man looked at the leather bag and gave him a glare. The taller male returned his glare for the smallest moment before huffing and grabbing his own umbrella. He didn’t bother paying for it. He walked away with it as if he knew the silver haired man would pay for it which he did. He complained as he threw a bill into the bin holding the umbrellas before following after the other man.
They were gone so quickly the cashier didn’t have enough time to run outside and warn them of the danger sitting at the counter.
Hoseok began his pursuit as soon as they were out of sight. He abandoned his food and followed the men out onto the street without hesitation. He was skilled enough to not be spotted but he kept his distance in case they were too observant for their own good. He followed them through multiple streets and alleyways until the two men disappeared into a large two story building with a bright fire colored neon sign spelling out the words THE SOLAR LAIR .
He climbed multiple stories to stand on the roof of the taller building in front of the club and watched them enter.
Hoseok could see the entire club from where he stood. The night club was built as two round circles stacked on top of each other, the larger one at the bottom and a smaller one at the top. The roof of the ground floor was lit with bright red neon lights which were shaped as spokes of the sun. If one were to get a bird's eye view of the place it would look like one neon red sun.
There was a lot of commotion outside the club. On one end, there was a line of young adults outside waiting in the arctic air for their turn to enter. Not a single person was wearing clothes appropriate for the weather. On the other end of the club was the exit which was spitting out drunk people of all ages. They stumbled around noisily into each other, the ground, and the street lamps.
The taller male of the two he had followed barely managed to avoid the vomit that spilled out of a young girl and onto the floor. He cursed before glaring at the girl. It looked like he wanted to say something but the silver haired male stopped him. The taller male followed the silver haired male inside the building before glaring at the girl one last time.
Hoseok waited on the roof for hours despite the rainstorm, never moving his eyes from the doors. He looked determined to wait for them to come out, regardless of how long they took. There was still a deep grumble coming from his stomach but it may as well have been silent for Hoseok didn’t give any indication he heard or felt it.
As closing time approached, the storm settled and people began spilling out of the building quicker than they had been earlier. They held onto each other and the street poles for support as they stumbled their way to the sidewalk where they flagged down the few taxis on the wet road. Some men and women were dragged out of the building, demanding that their money be returned to them, while others left voluntarily as closing time approached. Once the customers were gone the bouncers left the club first followed by those who seemed to be bar and kitchen staff. An interesting group of men and women left next. They wore casual clothes yet their eyes were rimmed with poorly removed eyeliner and colored shadow. The final wave of people were all bruised and bloodied. Some were bandaged and others were limping. Most had a few missing teeth that had been replaced with gold or veneers. They were followed by the man who seemed to be the boss. He was flanked by three other men, all who looked to be taking part in his reign.
Hoseok had looked unimpressed by the people he had seen so far, that was until the last six men stepped out of the doors.
Song: A Love International by Krhuangbin
The first of the six was the tallest. He appeared broad, strong, and capable. It was clear that there was nothing but hard rock muscle beneath his clothing. He looked as if he could take Hoseok’s skull into his hands and crush it with a single twitch of his fingers. He wore a full black suit and an expensive gold watch on his left wrist. He looked at the time with his gray eyes before running a large hand through his bright yellow hair which was shaved on the sides. He had an intimidating look, but kind eyes. He looked back when another male called out to him.
“RM hyung!”
RM smiled at the younger male, flashing a set of perfect white teeth and deep dimples that made Hoseok’s eyes narrow.
The boy ran up to him and smiled brightly, watching RM with bright brown doe eyes. There were many silver earrings adorning his face and his ears and even more ink decorating his skin. He was not as tall yet almost as broad as the yellow haired male. Unlike RM, he did not look like a man made for fighting. He looked younger and more innocent than he likely was. The only thing that made him intimidating was his build, choice of jewelry, and wardrobe. He wore black leather clothes and held a motorcycle helmet in his tattooed right hand. “Do you have time to train with me today?” He asked RM animatedly.
RM shook his head. “You look tired, Jungkook.” He ran a long finger across the purple skin below his youthful brown eyes. “Maybe after you’ve had a full night’s sleep.”
Jungkook blushed a light rose before agreeing quietly. Their conversation ended when a tall male approached. He kept his eyes to the wet floor as he stood next to them, not speaking nor being spoken to. He was as tall as Jungkook yet his shoulders were broader than RM’s. He was lean which made his limbs appear longer and thinner than RM’s. His brows were just as dark as his black hair and his full lips were a warm shade of glossy rose. He looked down at his abdomen where he silently toyed with a loose button on his violet shirt while his other hand held a white coat stained with blood.
The other two males looked at him briefly, both tensing and initiating awkward small talk with the tall male.
Goosebumps ran over Hoseok’s entire body when the next man walked out.
He was almost as tall as the rest yet not as broad. His face was smooth and undeniably beautiful. He had a strong jaw and eyes that were perfectly symmetrical. There was a small mole decorating the bottom of his left eye and another on his left cheek. His chocolate brown hair was still damp from the rain and so was his brown suit. “RM, stop boring Jin with the weather will you? You’re the only one who cares about the science of condensation.” He put an arm around Jin’s shoulders and whispered something into his ear that made him laugh brightly. The brown haired man smiled quietly as he watched the handsome Jin laugh in his arms.
“I bet Jin could take any of us down in an even fight. He’s just too humble to do so.” The silver haired male from earlier walked out. His feline eyes looked worried as he looked at his watch and glanced down the road.
Jungkook’s face became serious. “No one can beat RM hyung.” He said it firmly, as if it were a fact rather than an opinion.
RM smiled. “Thanks kid, but no one is invincible. Besides, I think Suga’s right. It’s likely Jin could take any of us down.” He looked down at Jungkook fondly before patting his head and making a mess of the short dark hair there. “I think he could even take down Jimin.” RM nodded towards the doors where another male walked out.
The final male was shorter than the rest but he had the most intimidating look of them all. His pale ash hair was styled back neatly to uncover his paler blue eyes. His plump lips were pressed into a hard line as he looked down at the ground. He locked the door behind himself and walked towards the men on the sidewalk, unrolling the wine colored sleeves of his shirt as he walked. They were all engaged in conversation except for him. He stood with them quietly, his hands firmly in the pockets of his matching wine colored trousers.
There were many men present but Hoseok only kept his eyes on one.
The men continued chatting as they split up. Some walked down the road towards a bus stop while others walked towards the subway station nearby, including the man that had captured Hoseok’s attention. His brows furrowed lightly once the man was out of his sight.
It looked like Hoseok was going to follow until he caught sight of the man still standing on the sidewalk. Suga brought a ring decorated hand up to his face so he could check the time again on his watch. He continued glancing down the road, clearly waiting for someone or something.
Hoseok waited with him, but whatever it was never came. The man eventually sighed and walked away towards a silver Jaguar parked just in front of the building Hoseok was using to hide.
“Your seven days are up.” A voice behind him called out.
Hoseok turned around quickly, but his expression became bored once he saw who had snuck up on him. “Aren’t you tired of chasing me?” He sighed, “Will you finally kill me now?”
A bright flash of lightning lit up the man who was now squinting through the light rain and pointing a gun at Hoseok. The long scar running from his right brow to his right cheek didn’t allow his eye to scrunch up like his left. “I don’t want to, but I will if you don’t join. I’ve already explained the terms of the agreement.” Water dripped off the man’s black slicked back shoulder length hair and onto his clothes.
“What happens if you don’t kill me?” Hoseok stood defensively, seemingly ready to challenge the man despite the gun in his hand.
The rain echoed off of the man’s black leather coat. “My family dies.” He clicked off the safety on his gun. “I will never let that happen, so you will die.” He said determinedly.
“If I join, will Bang use my family against me like he does to you?”
“If you join, then you will understand he is not the one who you should be afraid of.” His mouth was set in a tight line.
Hoseok’s hand twitched briefly. “Then who should I be afraid of?”
“You’ll decide that once you join, but I guarantee it won’t be Bang.”
“Does Kim Taehyung have the same mark on his chest?” Hoseok nodded to the man’s chest where the white button up under his coat had been completely soaked through, making the solar emblem branded on his muscular chest completely visible.
The man furrowed his brows, still pointing the gun at Hoseok. “Yes. How do you know him?”
“Then I’ll accept your offer.” Hoseok said immediately.
“You’ll join Hybe?”
Hoseok nodded.
“If you’re being serious then I will take you there now.” The man put his gun away into the holster on his chest. “If you try to run, I’ll have to kill you.”
“You won’t have to.” Hoseok’s eyes darkened. “There’s someone I need to see before I die.”