"He's taken. He offered me gum." Jimin informed Cheon as he tried to angle his hips away from Cheon's roaming hand, lightly knocking his knee on the table. Ow. "He's cute."
"Woah." That was all he did. Kangwoo was weirdly relieved. "I thought I was going to have to stop Ten from killing you." Well,that little brat was a scrappy psycho sometimes. "I don't think gum preferences tells you a lot about someone."
"I don't know. I got thrown out of class more than once for my stance on gum." Sometimes one had to stick to his gums. Heh. Damn, that was hilarious! Why was no one in this room good enough at English to appreciate it? He'd definitely have to tell Ten later. "Jimin-hyung is fun, he's nice. It was good, getting to know him and taking a break from losing at poker."
"Uh-huh. Talk to me again once you turn into a man and your dick starts working." Cheon snorted, shaking his head. "The boy's a whore. They are all the same."
"They try to charm you, idiot. All whores seem nice. That's what we pay them for." Kangwoo rolled his eyes as he dealt the cards and, Jimin wasn't sure why he did it or what possessed him to but he was listening to Minjun and just feeling kind of restless so whatever. He was never the best at holding his tongue.
"You don't pay me." Well. They didn't. When was the last time he got cash? "And I am nice." He was a damn delight.
"Huh. Do any of your whores get paid, Cheon-hyung?" Minjun had never before called him hyung, so Cheon was taken off-guard by that and it made him, at least temporarily, forget about punishing Jimin.
"They get paid if they deserve it." Seemed fair enough to him. "Don't worry about it, pretty boy. They all learn to be sluts quickly enough. They should be paying us."
"I'm not a slut. Or a whore." Jimin insisted, knowing he was getting himself into trouble but knowing that Hoseok was out there, loving him still, it made him want to have a bit more pride. "I wanted to quit and you wouldn't let me."
"... Is now really the time for this?" God, couldn't a guy just play cards? He loved cards. It was just numbers. And he loved numbers. Kangwoo massaged his temple. "Pay your damn whore, Cheon, and make him shut up."
Maybe if they shoved money at him, he'd shut up and Minjun would be happy. "We pay our whores, Minjun. It's a service, we pay the employee."
"No, they don't!" Jimin looked at Minjun, pleading. "They never do!"
"That doesn't seem fair," Minjun said slowly, blinking as if this was a new revelation and not something he had known about already. He looked at Cheon and smiled. "I'm good with finances. I can work you out a good plan to calculate the wages." He gave him the thumbs up and Cheon's fingers dug into Jimin's thigh painfully.
"... You didn't--" Kangwoo cut himself off. Cheon didn't pay the whores? Was he fucking kidding? He gave Cheon a murderous look. How would they make a respectable business if they were just not paying their damn whores? No wonder so many of them were running off. They weren't being paid. "They'd stick around more if you fucking paid them."
Jimin winced but he didn't care. They knew! They knew and now they could fix it. Hopefully. Maybe. "They don't even get to keep tips. Not even at the strip club."
"Oh, hyung, remember how I asked you about that the other day? I guess that explains the profit margin." And here he had his proof that Cheon was blatantly keeping information from Kangwoo. And that Kangwoo was oddly naive, but hey. He had kind of already figured that out. "Although I don't know... Cheon-hyung, you must be keeping some money aside, for repairs and stuff?"
Paying into his own pocket. He bet.
"I run my businesses the way that is best," Cheon ground out. Damn this little twerp.
"He uses that cash for reinvestment. Ten percent goes back to those who earned it." That was what Kangwoo had agreed with Cheon beforehand so why wasn't he doing it? Kangwoo never really looked at Cheon's businesses, he trusted him. He had always been there, he'd always been a good friend... so why would he lie? "I'm sure he has a good reason for why he's keeping it back."
"Yeah." Jimin muttered, knowing he was punished so whatever, may as well ride this train to hell. "His car."
"Repairs." Kangwoo insisted as he looked up at Cheon, on the verge of losing his shit. "It's for repairs, right?"
"Of course it is. It costs to run businesses. Come on, Kangwoo. I'm not some kid who just graduated business school, I actually know how to do this stuff. You ever have any trouble with my businesses?" Cheon huffed, rolling his eyes. "I handle my shit."
"I think you have really effective methods," Minjun agreed, "Like Jimin-hyung, he's here to make others scared of trying to run, right? And stop Jung Hoseok from recruiting."
"... It works." Well, it did. Kangwoo had to admit that. Even if it was kind of not what he was going for, if it worked them what was he supposed to do? He was getting a good profit out of it. "People have to suffer so others benefit, that's life. We do what we do to make cash and live a good life, it's not a fucking charity. Yeah, we should pay our whores and we will but they're stupid enough to become whores in the first place so they have to deal with the shit they have to deal with."
"I didn't want to be a whore."
"Cheon, will you shut the whore up?" Cause he did not want to be contradicted right now. He was this close to decking someone. He turned his head, looking at Minjun. "How do you know about Jung Hoseok...?"
"I talk to people. I get to know them." Minjun shrugged his shoulder and then he touched Kangwoo's arm, knowing that he was risking a lot here. He switched to English, because other people in the room wouldn't understand him and Kangwoo was far from all that fluent, but good enough for this. "Cheon tried it with Ten. He picks people. Imagine if it happened to your brothers. Imagine if Jimin was TaeTae."
"What the fuck are you saying, you little shit?" Cheon was running out of patience too and he got up, ready to beat Minjun up.
Kangwoo got up and shoved Cheon back. "Don't you fucking dare attack a Baek!" Kangwoo snapped as he grabbed Minjun by the wrist and yanked him up. He may not have the brute force that Cheon had but he wasn't a pushover by any means. He was a fighter, well trained too. A good way to work out his anger. "Calm down now. He's not saying anything I give a shit about. Sit your ass down."
He shoved Minjun behind him and exhaled slowly, trying to get a handle of this situation. "Both of you stop it, right now. I'm going to leave and I'm taking Minjun with me. You better cool your head, Cheon. I fucking mean it."
Minjun stayed behind Kangwoo - he wasn't stupid - but he still tried for eye contact with Jimin, bowing to apologise and smiling just a little bit. This might get them both into trouble, he was sure it would, but he wanted to make things happen. Sometimes trouble was the only way.
"Fine! Fine, whatever. Stupid punk." Cheon was trembling with anger, glaring at Minjun, but bowing his head slightly for Kangwoo. He gave in. He knew he had no choice.
"Don't kill your toy either." Kangwoo warned because that wasn't over either. Sure, they just made a mess and all but he wasn't letting Minjun get hurt. And he didn't want the guilt of a death hanging over him either. "Calm down."
Jimin smiled lightly at Minjun but he couldn't do much else. He sensed that yeah, tonight would suck but maybe Minjun meant it. Maybe he could help him. And that was worth it. Kangwoo gripped Minjun's arm and shoved him ahead. "Come on, punk. Let's get you home before Cheon kills you. Idiot."
Minjun walked outside with Kangwoo and, once they were outside, he bowed before him. He knew he had pushed it. "I'm sorry, hyung. It's not to disrespect you, but I don't like Cheon. I don't trust Cheon. And I don't think it's okay to force people into prostitution. I don't think you do either. I don't want the Dark Dragons to stand for that."
Kangwoo slammed Minjun against the wall and gripped his neck, squeezing it tight under his hands. "Don't you ever disrespect me like that again, you pathetic little punk. Who the fuck do you think you are? You may be a Baek but you're nothing to me. Cheon is here, has always been here. You and your appa, you ran off and now you think you own this city and you can tell us what to do?" He gripped it a little tighter now before letting go of him. He had to fight to not punch Minjun. "You disrespected me in front of my friends. If my brothers didn't love you, I'd have you dead right now."
Minjun stayed against the wall, just in case. He had known that this would be risky and, damn. Cheon's hold on his cousin was about as tight as Kangwoo's hold on his neck had just been. "I'm not telling you what to do. And I respect you. I'm sorry you see it like that."
Minjun rubbed his neck, holding back on saying the other things that were on his mind.
"I know how I see it. You're trying to play with my head, it doesn't work." He gripped Minjun's hair and yanked his head to the side, hissing angrily in his ear. "I know now. I know you've been talking to the Min Clan. Oh, you little traitor. If you think cause we're blood, I won't hurt you then you're an idiot. I stabbed my father thirty-four times. I know cause I counted each beautiful stab as it happened."
Kangwoo smiled a gruesome smile and then let go of Minjun, snarling and bearing his teeth. "There are worse things than death."
"I'm not a traitor! Did you not see how much I suck at poker? Why would I set myself up like that?" Of course this was scary, of course, but Minjun knew he had to ride this out. He couldn't just give in, he couldn't let Kangwoo see it as that black and white. He had to make him see the truth about Cheon, at least begin to doubt him. "I haven't talked to the Min Clan. I've talked to Jimin, the person that Cheon is holding captive in there. And that's how I know that Cheon has been using Jimin against the Min Clan. I don't think he's bothered to tell you about it."
"It's blackmail. I know the gist. You think I'm that ignorant? You talk about me like I'm an idiot." And it was starting to bother him. "I'm the one who noticed Hoseok was stealing our business and I asked him to handle it." And if that means was sending a whore then he did it. He just didn't know that the reason Hoseok was getting all their whores was because he was paying them and they weren't. He rubbed at his temple and the world got too much, too loud, too everything. He fought through his meltdown to keep it together.
"Jimin is Cheon's issue, he's not mine! I don't care what Cheon does. He's my friend! And at least I know he's loyal."
"You told me that you don't mess with the Min Clan. So excuse me for assuming that you actually don't." Minjun could see the frustration in Kangwoo and he sighed. Loyal? He didn't think Cheon was all that loyal. "I'm sorry, hyung. I know it's stressful, all you have to handle."
And all he had just learned. "I understand now why you think it's dangerous to mess with the Min Clan."
"It's-- things are always hard. I-- Cheon handles some stuff I wouldn't really like to do. He's essential for that reason alone." He stole people for him or attacked people on his behalf, blackmailed and killed. For him. Right? Why else would he do it? Just like the money. He was sure he was going to get it back... right? He just -- he didn't know. It was hard to find about.
"I'm going home." Kangwoo huffed and turned away from Minjun. "You coming?"
"Of course I'm coming." Minjun hurried until he was next to Kangwoo and then he brushed shoulders with him, for just a moment. "Hyung, do you remember when we were little and we went to the store or when we were on the beach and got ice cream and all that? Do you remember at all?"
He had a point to make, but he wanted the affirmation first.
"I don't forget much. I have a good memory." So yes. Kangwoo put his hands in his pockets and made some distance from Minjun. He didn't like to get too close to anyone, really. Sometimes people won him over but that was mostly just people like Jin - he had a way that just made touch pleasant and welcoming. His heart ached a little. "Why?"
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"He's taken. He offered me gum." Jimin informed Cheon as he tried to angle his hips away from Cheon's roaming hand, lightly knocking his knee on the table. Ow. "He's cute."
"Woah." That was all he did. Kangwoo was weirdly relieved. "I thought I was going to have to stop Ten from killing you." Well,that little brat was a scrappy psycho sometimes. "I don't think gum preferences tells you a lot about someone."
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"Uh-huh. Talk to me again once you turn into a man and your dick starts working." Cheon snorted, shaking his head. "The boy's a whore. They are all the same."
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"You don't pay me." Well. They didn't. When was the last time he got cash? "And I am nice." He was a damn delight.
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"They get paid if they deserve it." Seemed fair enough to him. "Don't worry about it, pretty boy. They all learn to be sluts quickly enough. They should be paying us."
"Huh." Minjun doubted that logic a lot.
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"... Is now really the time for this?" God, couldn't a guy just play cards? He loved cards. It was just numbers. And he loved numbers. Kangwoo massaged his temple. "Pay your damn whore, Cheon, and make him shut up."
Maybe if they shoved money at him, he'd shut up and Minjun would be happy. "We pay our whores, Minjun. It's a service, we pay the employee."
"No, they don't!" Jimin looked at Minjun, pleading. "They never do!"
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"Sure. Sure, boss, I will do that."
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Jimin winced but he didn't care. They knew! They knew and now they could fix it. Hopefully. Maybe. "They don't even get to keep tips. Not even at the strip club."
Kangwoo put his head in his hands. What the hell?
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Paying into his own pocket. He bet.
"I run my businesses the way that is best," Cheon ground out. Damn this little twerp.
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"Yeah." Jimin muttered, knowing he was punished so whatever, may as well ride this train to hell. "His car."
"Repairs." Kangwoo insisted as he looked up at Cheon, on the verge of losing his shit. "It's for repairs, right?"
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"I think you have really effective methods," Minjun agreed, "Like Jimin-hyung, he's here to make others scared of trying to run, right? And stop Jung Hoseok from recruiting."
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"I didn't want to be a whore."
"Cheon, will you shut the whore up?" Cause he did not want to be contradicted right now. He was this close to decking someone. He turned his head, looking at Minjun. "How do you know about Jung Hoseok...?"
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"What the fuck are you saying, you little shit?" Cheon was running out of patience too and he got up, ready to beat Minjun up.
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He shoved Minjun behind him and exhaled slowly, trying to get a handle of this situation. "Both of you stop it, right now. I'm going to leave and I'm taking Minjun with me. You better cool your head, Cheon. I fucking mean it."
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"Fine! Fine, whatever. Stupid punk." Cheon was trembling with anger, glaring at Minjun, but bowing his head slightly for Kangwoo. He gave in. He knew he had no choice.
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Jimin smiled lightly at Minjun but he couldn't do much else. He sensed that yeah, tonight would suck but maybe Minjun meant it. Maybe he could help him. And that was worth it. Kangwoo gripped Minjun's arm and shoved him ahead. "Come on, punk. Let's get you home before Cheon kills you. Idiot."
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Minjun rubbed his neck, holding back on saying the other things that were on his mind.
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Kangwoo smiled a gruesome smile and then let go of Minjun, snarling and bearing his teeth. "There are worse things than death."
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"Jimin is Cheon's issue, he's not mine! I don't care what Cheon does. He's my friend! And at least I know he's loyal."
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And all he had just learned. "I understand now why you think it's dangerous to mess with the Min Clan."
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"I'm going home." Kangwoo huffed and turned away from Minjun. "You coming?"
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He had a point to make, but he wanted the affirmation first.
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