"Uh-huh. I--I got you something, Tae." He squirmed a little, deciding to be brave and once he was set down, he came to stand by Namjoon. Namjoon set down the two stuffed toys he was already holding to pass Jungkook the special gift. Jungkook toddled up to Tae and held up the bunny rabbit, it was green and fluffy. So inviting! "It's an alien. So it's a moon bunny. I got it just for you. You can hug it and think of me."
Jiho tensed and looked at the rabbit like they were giving his little brother a loaded gun. Honestly, it was going to cause a similar amount of drama. Still, he knew this was probably one of the better moments of Tae's life so... it was unfair not to let him have it.
"Go on, accept your gift. And get your hands off your mouth, you look silly." Jiho whispered, pushing Tae forward towards his little friend and then bowing himself further down so he didn't do something stupid like accidentally look at Min Yoongi.
"Jungkook wanted to get you a present, you were his hero." Namjoon explained as Jungkook jumped into his arms, hanging off him and now smiling at Tae. "He talks about you a lot."
"Thank you, Jungkookie." Tae cradled the little bunny rabbit to his chest and hugged it close, knowing that he'd not be able to keep it for long. But it was soft and he'd remember. He'd remember what it was like to hold it and watch Jungkook just jumping into Namjoon's arms like that. His little Jungkook was loved! He had really helped him.
"He was very brave too," Tae assured Namjoon, bowing again to thank them and to be polite. He smiled a little. "I think about you every night, Jungkookie. Please stay happy!"
"I am happy. Joonie-hyung is a good hyung and so is Min Yoongi. They're nice and they give me hugs sometimes. But Yoongi is cool so he doesn't." That was a lie but he wanted to help Yoongi stay cool so he was lying for him. It was less subtle when he turned around and gave Yoongi a thumbs up but whatever. He was nailing it.
Namjoon smiled and stood up, ruffling Tae's hair. "I'm very sorry for your loss." For many reasons. He looked over at Jiho and bowed lightly to him. "You too. If you ever need anything, Tae has magic." It made no sense to anyone but him and Tae but he didn't care.
"Thank you, Namjoon-nim." Jiho mumbled out. God, the kid sounded so miserable. Namjoon looked at Yoongi, his desire to steal them both was strong.
"My condolences." Yoongi bowed a little bit for them both, turning his head to avoid Namjoon's look. He knew, he knew, but what was he supposed to do? He just walked off, deciding that he definitely needed to find Minjun to offer his condolences there too. Anything that would strengthen Minjun's position might help these two young boys. He hoped.
He stopped looking around, voice low as he spoke to Namjoon. "You see Minjun anywhere?"
Tae bowed again and smiled at Jungkook when he got the chance, before remembering that he wasn't supposed to smile. Still, it made him feel so warm inside to know and see that Jungkook was happy. He knew he had a lot to be scared of, but at least he really had been a good hyung to Jungkook.
"Just follow the weed smell." Jiho supplied for them, daring to speak. His face was red from embarrassment but he never missed an excuse to slam on his cousin. He pointed without looking towards the kitchen where, most likely, he was getting snacks.
"Got it, thanks kid." Namjoon huffed out a laugh and turned his head towards the kitchen. Ah, that was that smell. He was wondering.
"I miss you and one day we'll play together properly. This is Dooly, Bunny and Ryan. We're all gonna be friends soon." Jungkook was sure of it, he just felt it. He rushed forward and hugged Tae, babbling away about Dooly and adventures. He wanted to stay but Yoongi started to move and he cried out in fear, letting go of Tae to run up to him, clinging to his leg. He didn't know if Yoongi was trying to go or not but the anxiety got on top of him.
That did explain the smell. "Well, he's sixteen." Yoongi couldn't really blame him. Sixteen, a lot of cash and no guardian? He was not surprised. He bent down to pick up Jungkook, adjusting him on his hip. "I wouldn't go without you, Jungkookie."
He said it quietly enough for no one to hear, but everyone could see Jungkook clinging to his leg first and now being held so securely. Tae was watching too and he hugged himself, having to smile a little again. It was so good to know that Jungkook had all this, he would think about it a lot. He made it happen! He put the little bunny toy into his pocket, wondering if there was any chance he could keep it. Probably not, especially not with how Kangwoo was now.
"Bye, Jungkookie." Tae did wish he could promise him that they'd play together, but that wouldn't really happen. So he just waved and then looked to the ground and stayed quiet, so hyung wouldn't reprimand him again.
Jungkook clung onto Yoongi, waving sadly at Tae as he left and made Dooly wave as well. He was slowly carried into the kitchen were a lot of people were mingling, it was a fairly big kitchen and Minjun had his share of people crowding around him. Namjoon wondered how many were loyalists and how many were with Kangwoo. He wasn't really sure what to do here.
"Oh my God, is that Dooly?" Ten slipped away from his boyfriend to approach Min Yoongi with no fear, walking up to the tiny boy in his arms with the biggest smile. This was probably the boy that Kangwoo tired to sell - it was smart to be the opposite of Kangwoo, to make a statement. They could trash on his bae all they wanted, he was not going to let Minjun be outdone. "I love him, he's teaching me Korean."
Jungkook smiled shyly and cuddled Dooly close. "He is very smart." Jungkook looked at the teenager and then giggled a little. "I like your ears, mister. They're shiny."
"My piercings? Aww, thank you. You're a smart boy. Dooly must be teaching you too." Ten adjusted his earrings playfully and then turned his head, looking for Minjun. "Minjun, come meet Dooly. He's so smart."
"You must be Ten." Yes, not that long ago Ten had only been some boytoy from Thailand. But things could change very swiftly and now he was the boyfriend of someone who could potentially be the next leader of the Baek family, depending on how the dice would land, so Yoongi didn't only know him by name, but also chose to address him as such. That alone was a statement, even if he didn't adorably talk about Dooly.
"Who am I meeting?" Minjun walked until he could stop next to Ten and then he realised who he was actually meeting and he bowed immediately. "Min Yoongi-nim. I didn't see you sooner, I'm sorry."
Yoongi fought off a smile and just nodded his head. "Don't worry. I came to offer my condolences to you." He held out his hand. "Sorry for your loss."
Minjun stared at the hand for a heartbeat, then took it, his other hand reaching for Ten's so he could hold on to something. Damn. This, and people were watching? "Thank you."
He bowed his head again, wishing he had something intelligent to say. In the end he simply smiled at Jungkook, because kids were easy. He could talk to a kid. "You are friends with Dooly? That's cool. Ten always watches the show."
"No, it's actually Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. Big name, yes? Can you remember it?" Jungkook shook his head, giggling happily at the other cause he spoke nicely and he was sweet. Funny too. "So I just use Ten instead so people remember. I'm from Thailand. I came over here and things were very bad and then they got better." Ten turned his head, smiling at Minjun and knowing how important this moment was to him. Everyone was watching them. They weren't just the punk and the whore any more - they were actual potential leaders.
"I'm friends with Dooly." He held out his Dooly doll to Minjun and Ten, beaming proudly. "I think he thinks you're doing very good with the words. Well done!"
Ten laughed and then looked up at Yoongi, bowing deeply for him. "My apologies for the late formalities, your little friend distracted me. It's a pleasure to meet you, Min Yoongi-nim."
"That's fine. I'm glad he's happy. He worried over coming here." He didn't say that Jungkook had been scared, because that was his boy and he would protect his rep too, but it was still a very obvious reference to someone he had worried about, while Minjun was there, petting the Dooly doll and talking nicely to Jungkook, his boyfriend even making him laugh. It was a good look, given the current climate within their family.
Yoongi turned his head a little to look at Namjoon, then he spoke to Minjun again. "I know it's a difficult time for you. Feel free to give me a call if you need something."
Minjun swallowed, then nodded and tried to think of something to say that wasn't just disbelief. "Thank you." There, he couldn't go wrong with that. He turned to Namjoon to bow to him too, knowing he was Yoongi's second in command. "Thank you for coming too, Namjoon-nim. And Dooly-nim and Jungkook."
"No problem, it's a tough situation, very tragic. You're free to call me too. Especially if it's numbers, I like numbers." Namjoon informed him playfully, proud to own his dork status. "It's been a real pleasure to meet you. Thank you for making Jungkook smile, he was very anxious."
"Cause of the bad men." Jungkook stated a little loudly so they did earn some looks. "But it's okay cause Dooly is here. And people are very nice. I saw TaeTae and his hyung, they were nice too."
"I'm so glad to here people are nice to you. They should be. You only get to be a child once so you must be happy, happy, yes?" Ten smiled and hell, his smile just worked magic on Jungkook, it made him smile too. "I'm happy you are happy."
"Thank you, mister Ten. You're very pretty and you know a lot of Korean." Ten just smirked and turned to Minjun, giving him a thumbs up. Hey, that was the best compliment he'd ever had.
"He is very pretty, isn't he? I'm glad you got to talk to my cousins, they can use some support." Minjun felt his heat beating to his chest. It was really on now. There was no going back. Kangwoo was bound to hear all about this. Damn. At least he wasn't alone. It was good to be holding Ten's hand through this.
"Say goodbye, Jungkookie. We're leaving." Yoongi figured they had made enough of a statement here, he could practically feel the waves. He nodded his head and waited for Jungkook to be done saying bye, then he turned around and headed for the exit, making sure Namjoon was next to him. He said nothing until they were back in the car, where he could finally relax, once the door was closed, letting out a deep breath. "That family is going to explode, Joon-ah."
"I don't know what to do. I don't know what move to make. I'm worried it's going to be an internal war and a lot of people are going to die. I think they're gonna implode as a gang and I don't even know who'll come out worse." He had a feeling Kangwoo would do well, issues aside - Minjun was young and likely softer than Kangwoo would ever be.
God, those poor kids. "I don't think Tae and Jiho are going to last this. Not well, anyway." Shit. Those poor kids. He looked at Jungkook, who was whispering to Dooly, feeling very uncertain. "I hate this."
Yoongi stroked Jungkook's hair and back, then kissed the top of his head, almost making up for not having been able to provide proper comfort during the ordeal. He was trying to estimate how things would go based on all the intelligence he had gotten over time. "Minjun is a smart kid. He got tutored in the States, where he lived, he graduated early. He's bilingual and I hear his boyfriend even speaks four languages, if you count Korean."
Obviously his Korean was still a bit lacking, but evidently he was learning fast. "He's a good shot and knows how to punch too and based on things he's said, he likes his younger cousins. Jiho is very withdrawn, he doesn't do that well in school, but then, just look at the mess his life is. Apparently Tae tested high on some IQ test, but so did you, so I guess he's a weirdo."
He smirked at Namjoon, then looked at Jungkook. "Do you think your TaeTae is weird?"
"He's really weird! It's funny." Jungkook giggled, cuddling up to Yoongi now he could.
"Hey, he's not -- we're not weird." Namjoon huffed as he rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Jiho just seems beaten down, I think he's a nervous wreck waiting to happen at this point. Kangwoo doesn't want competition, you can imagine what he thinks of Jiho and Minjun but only one of them is in his grasp." He couldn't imagine that Jiho could ever lead, he was so afraid of people, so cowed down by Kangwoo. Being a fighter was either something someone had or didn't have.
Tae had it. He was really the best chance they had at a pure line leader but... he was seven and it would be a good ten years before he was capable. "I think Minjun is the best possible answer but he'd need a LOT of help from us."
"Minjun doesn't really want to do it, but that doesn't matter. It's not like I was eager for this." Yoongi shrugged his shoulders. Luckily for him, being suited for it and being ready for it and wanting to do it were really not the same thing. He wondered if Minjun was ready to accept that, because he might not have a choice. "Jiho is shy and he's second-born, a lot younger too. He won't want to be a leader. Tae is way too young to even be considered. Minjun is the best shot and his father was the second son of the last generation, very well respected. The thing is, Kangwoo wouldn't just step aside and he does have some supporters."
Which was why this was explosive. "If this happened in the clan, there'd be a fight. Kind of like me and my father. But the Baek family works differently. I've made it clear that Minjun has my support, but I can't do much more. At least not openly, otherwise I'm already blurring lines."
"I know... we'll just have to watch and wait. Hopefully it'll pan out. I just feel bad for Tae and Jiho, I can't imagine being in their shoes right now. They both looked so scared, so sad." And he understood why. He knew why. Because they both were aware that Kangwoo had absolute power and, honestly, Minjun was not as strong as Kangwoo as a contender. He was just a potential alternative.
He just had to hope that the innocent kids didn't become pawns.
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Jiho tensed and looked at the rabbit like they were giving his little brother a loaded gun. Honestly, it was going to cause a similar amount of drama. Still, he knew this was probably one of the better moments of Tae's life so... it was unfair not to let him have it.
"Go on, accept your gift. And get your hands off your mouth, you look silly." Jiho whispered, pushing Tae forward towards his little friend and then bowing himself further down so he didn't do something stupid like accidentally look at Min Yoongi.
"Jungkook wanted to get you a present, you were his hero." Namjoon explained as Jungkook jumped into his arms, hanging off him and now smiling at Tae. "He talks about you a lot."
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"He was very brave too," Tae assured Namjoon, bowing again to thank them and to be polite. He smiled a little. "I think about you every night, Jungkookie. Please stay happy!"
He was a good hyung, so that was what he wanted.
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Namjoon smiled and stood up, ruffling Tae's hair. "I'm very sorry for your loss." For many reasons. He looked over at Jiho and bowed lightly to him. "You too. If you ever need anything, Tae has magic." It made no sense to anyone but him and Tae but he didn't care.
"Thank you, Namjoon-nim." Jiho mumbled out. God, the kid sounded so miserable. Namjoon looked at Yoongi, his desire to steal them both was strong.
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He stopped looking around, voice low as he spoke to Namjoon. "You see Minjun anywhere?"
Tae bowed again and smiled at Jungkook when he got the chance, before remembering that he wasn't supposed to smile. Still, it made him feel so warm inside to know and see that Jungkook was happy. He knew he had a lot to be scared of, but at least he really had been a good hyung to Jungkook.
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"Just follow the weed smell." Jiho supplied for them, daring to speak. His face was red from embarrassment but he never missed an excuse to slam on his cousin. He pointed without looking towards the kitchen where, most likely, he was getting snacks.
"Got it, thanks kid." Namjoon huffed out a laugh and turned his head towards the kitchen. Ah, that was that smell. He was wondering.
"I miss you and one day we'll play together properly. This is Dooly, Bunny and Ryan. We're all gonna be friends soon." Jungkook was sure of it, he just felt it. He rushed forward and hugged Tae, babbling away about Dooly and adventures. He wanted to stay but Yoongi started to move and he cried out in fear, letting go of Tae to run up to him, clinging to his leg. He didn't know if Yoongi was trying to go or not but the anxiety got on top of him.
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He said it quietly enough for no one to hear, but everyone could see Jungkook clinging to his leg first and now being held so securely. Tae was watching too and he hugged himself, having to smile a little again. It was so good to know that Jungkook had all this, he would think about it a lot. He made it happen! He put the little bunny toy into his pocket, wondering if there was any chance he could keep it. Probably not, especially not with how Kangwoo was now.
"Bye, Jungkookie." Tae did wish he could promise him that they'd play together, but that wouldn't really happen. So he just waved and then looked to the ground and stayed quiet, so hyung wouldn't reprimand him again.
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"Oh my God, is that Dooly?" Ten slipped away from his boyfriend to approach Min Yoongi with no fear, walking up to the tiny boy in his arms with the biggest smile. This was probably the boy that Kangwoo tired to sell - it was smart to be the opposite of Kangwoo, to make a statement. They could trash on his bae all they wanted, he was not going to let Minjun be outdone. "I love him, he's teaching me Korean."
Jungkook smiled shyly and cuddled Dooly close. "He is very smart." Jungkook looked at the teenager and then giggled a little. "I like your ears, mister. They're shiny."
"My piercings? Aww, thank you. You're a smart boy. Dooly must be teaching you too." Ten adjusted his earrings playfully and then turned his head, looking for Minjun. "Minjun, come meet Dooly. He's so smart."
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"Who am I meeting?" Minjun walked until he could stop next to Ten and then he realised who he was actually meeting and he bowed immediately. "Min Yoongi-nim. I didn't see you sooner, I'm sorry."
Yoongi fought off a smile and just nodded his head. "Don't worry. I came to offer my condolences to you." He held out his hand. "Sorry for your loss."
Minjun stared at the hand for a heartbeat, then took it, his other hand reaching for Ten's so he could hold on to something. Damn. This, and people were watching? "Thank you."
He bowed his head again, wishing he had something intelligent to say. In the end he simply smiled at Jungkook, because kids were easy. He could talk to a kid. "You are friends with Dooly? That's cool. Ten always watches the show."
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"Where are you from? Is your name really Ten?"
"No, it's actually Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. Big name, yes? Can you remember it?" Jungkook shook his head, giggling happily at the other cause he spoke nicely and he was sweet. Funny too. "So I just use Ten instead so people remember. I'm from Thailand. I came over here and things were very bad and then they got better." Ten turned his head, smiling at Minjun and knowing how important this moment was to him. Everyone was watching them. They weren't just the punk and the whore any more - they were actual potential leaders.
"I'm friends with Dooly." He held out his Dooly doll to Minjun and Ten, beaming proudly. "I think he thinks you're doing very good with the words. Well done!"
Ten laughed and then looked up at Yoongi, bowing deeply for him. "My apologies for the late formalities, your little friend distracted me. It's a pleasure to meet you, Min Yoongi-nim."
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Yoongi turned his head a little to look at Namjoon, then he spoke to Minjun again. "I know it's a difficult time for you. Feel free to give me a call if you need something."
Minjun swallowed, then nodded and tried to think of something to say that wasn't just disbelief. "Thank you." There, he couldn't go wrong with that. He turned to Namjoon to bow to him too, knowing he was Yoongi's second in command. "Thank you for coming too, Namjoon-nim. And Dooly-nim and Jungkook."
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"Cause of the bad men." Jungkook stated a little loudly so they did earn some looks. "But it's okay cause Dooly is here. And people are very nice. I saw TaeTae and his hyung, they were nice too."
"I'm so glad to here people are nice to you. They should be. You only get to be a child once so you must be happy, happy, yes?" Ten smiled and hell, his smile just worked magic on Jungkook, it made him smile too. "I'm happy you are happy."
"Thank you, mister Ten. You're very pretty and you know a lot of Korean." Ten just smirked and turned to Minjun, giving him a thumbs up. Hey, that was the best compliment he'd ever had.
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"Say goodbye, Jungkookie. We're leaving." Yoongi figured they had made enough of a statement here, he could practically feel the waves. He nodded his head and waited for Jungkook to be done saying bye, then he turned around and headed for the exit, making sure Namjoon was next to him. He said nothing until they were back in the car, where he could finally relax, once the door was closed, letting out a deep breath. "That family is going to explode, Joon-ah."
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God, those poor kids. "I don't think Tae and Jiho are going to last this. Not well, anyway." Shit. Those poor kids. He looked at Jungkook, who was whispering to Dooly, feeling very uncertain. "I hate this."
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Obviously his Korean was still a bit lacking, but evidently he was learning fast. "He's a good shot and knows how to punch too and based on things he's said, he likes his younger cousins. Jiho is very withdrawn, he doesn't do that well in school, but then, just look at the mess his life is. Apparently Tae tested high on some IQ test, but so did you, so I guess he's a weirdo."
He smirked at Namjoon, then looked at Jungkook. "Do you think your TaeTae is weird?"
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"Hey, he's not -- we're not weird." Namjoon huffed as he rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Jiho just seems beaten down, I think he's a nervous wreck waiting to happen at this point. Kangwoo doesn't want competition, you can imagine what he thinks of Jiho and Minjun but only one of them is in his grasp." He couldn't imagine that Jiho could ever lead, he was so afraid of people, so cowed down by Kangwoo. Being a fighter was either something someone had or didn't have.
Tae had it. He was really the best chance they had at a pure line leader but... he was seven and it would be a good ten years before he was capable. "I think Minjun is the best possible answer but he'd need a LOT of help from us."
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Which was why this was explosive. "If this happened in the clan, there'd be a fight. Kind of like me and my father. But the Baek family works differently. I've made it clear that Minjun has my support, but I can't do much more. At least not openly, otherwise I'm already blurring lines."
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He just had to hope that the innocent kids didn't become pawns.