Ch.24
Someone has been banging loudly on your door for the past few minutes. It's so early in the morning! Who in their right mind would...wait, is it the landlord? But unnie always pays on time. Or was it the neighbors complaining about your clothing line that blocks sun from coming into their window? It's not your fault that you need to dry clothes and this place is so cramped. Throwing yourself out of bed, you made your way towards the door. Before you opened it, you did look at yourself through the mirror. If you were going to open the door then you wanted to look like you've been awake for more than a second. If they've been knocking for three minutes already then they can wait a little longer.
The pajamas you were wearing earlier were quickly switched out with casual clothing. You also splashed your face in the sink to properly wake you up. Not to mention, you used some water to tame some of your hair. It luckily wasn't too messy today so that was good. Hearing a scream behind the door, you turned to it with panic. Oh no. What if it was serious? Rushing towards the door, you heard loud sobbing as you began to take off the locks. Unnie knew this place wasn't the safest so that was reason for all the locks. It did seem over the top, but it did let you sleep soundly at night. Flinging the door open, you were only introduced into more confusion to see the sight in front of you. This wasn't what you were expecting so early in the morning. School wasn't even happening today.
That didn't stop the sight in front of you from happening. Taehyung was clutching onto the rails, loudly whining and crying for you to open the door. Even his face was red to show his pain. Once you opened the door, it took him a second to collect himself. He jumped back onto his feat with his giant boxy smile. That was a fast change. And it still didn't clarify anything. Furrowing your brows at the silver hair, he happily waved at you and entered inside your apartment. You didn't even invite him in, but okay. It's not like that matters anyway. Crossing your arms, you leaned against the open door to see him staring in awe at everything. Unnie was working so you were safe. So far the only boy she has seen you with is Seokjin and she already doesn't trust him for being older than you. Plus he's handsome, a bit of a flirt, and has strong charms.
"May I ask why you're here?" You finally spoke to see him turn to you with a weird face.
"We're going to the warehouse!" He threw his arms in the air.
"...this early?" You glanced at the clock.
"Yes!" Taehyung started heading out the door and was confused to see you not following him. "Come on."
"Okay but let me get myself cleaned up first." You laughed, pushing yourself off the door. "How come no warning?"
"I'm a wonderful surprise." Taehyung puffed out his cheeks.
"Well, then can we get Seokjin to drive us?" You pulled the elastic band out of your hair.
"No! Walking is so much better. We haven't walked in a long time and I want to walk!" Taehyung whined to earn a sigh from you.
"Got it."
It's not like you're someone to ruin his dreams. If Taehyung wants to walk to the warehouse then you're going to walk with him. He's not asking for much and you don't want to hear his complaints get louder. Unnie is very close to attacking the neighbor down stairs. Taehyung waited near the entrance of the apartment as you went in the bathroom to brush your hair. The both of you had a conversation from here. It sounded like you guys were fighting, but not even close. He let you know why he came alone to walk with you and it was pretty sweet. Taehyung wanted to hang out with you alone for once without Jungkook and Jimin puffing out their chests to see who's better. It made you laugh at the way he described it, but you've noticed it too.
Exiting the bathroom, you ran up to Taehyung with a smile as big as his. You were still laughing at everything going on. Closing and locking the door, you gave Taehyung a nod to know you were ready to go. As the two of you were leaving, Taehyung almost hit his head on your hanging shirt. At least it was dry now. It almost made him fall over the railings but you grabbed the back of his jacket in time. This morning with Taehyung has already been incredibly eventful. You can't remember a time that your heart has raced faster this early before. While you were calming yourself down, Taehyung was laughing and going down the narrow stairs. He was still having a blast even though he could have broken a lot of bones a second ago.
"Careful on that step!" You squeaked to see his foot go through the wooden step.
"AAAAH!!" Taehyung clutched onto the railing, trying to lift his foot out.
"Hold still." You giggled, pushing the steps lower down to give him enough space to escape. "It's supposed to be getting fixed today so yay!"
"Wah! I could've died twice today." Taehyung made it to the bottom of stairs safely. "What would I do without you (F/n)?"
"You'd be dead." You went down to ruffle his fluffy silver hair. "How have you survived this long without me having to watch you?"
"To be fair, Namjoon hyung helped keep me alive for some time." Taehyung chuckled with his hands in his pockets.
Shaking your head, you patted his back as the walk to the warehouse began. The both of you started talking about anything but school. It was finally the weekend again so the two of you could breathe peacefully. Instead, Taehyung talked about everything going down in the warehouse and brought up Namjoon's name a lot. Like you've noticed, they've been doing a lot of deals. A lot more than usual. It seems like every day they have to go to a new location. The boys found it fun no doubt, but they were starting to get nervous. Doing a long streak of deals was not good. Namjoon apparently has been making Taehyung continuously find new deals. Taehyung has been trying his best to get the safest deals out there. By safest, he meant gangs they've worked with before, they knew the layout of the gang's territory, and just making sure they won't get caught by the police.
Taehyung almost walked into a busy intersection as he admitted everything. Once again, you pulled him out of the road from getting hit. Some cars were just zooming through without a care in the world. Telling the boy to take a deep breath, he took your advice. It was an interesting sight to see someone like Taehyung stressing out. In the middle of his rants, he told you how Namjoon was doing all these deals for money. All the deals were to get easy money. There was nothing new about that, but Namjoon needed more money and he needed it fast. Taehyung wanted to trust his leader but felt like Namjoon wasn't thinking like a leader anymore. That was a lot coming from Taehyung.
"Maybe you should bring that up to him?" You rubbed his back as the two of you were now in the middle of a field. Taehyung balanced himself on one rail of the railroad track while you just walked in between the two rails.
"I thought about that." Taehyung sighed. "I don't want to be disrespectful. He's a great leader but his personal problems are starting to affect him."
"...what are his personal problems?" You heard yourself ask. Being a nosey b*tch again! D*mn it.
"I want to tell you, (F/n). But it really isn't my place to do so," Taehyung said and you understood completely. This was something Namjoon had to tell you. He just didn't want your help though. "I've already told you a lot more than I should've."
"Yeah, I get that." You nodded your head, staring at the gravel. "Well hey, if he does something else you don't think is leaderlike then call him out on it."
"Okay." Taehyung stumbled off the railing, losing his balance.
The both of you laughed as his shoulder bumped into yours. Sharing the middle of the rail road tracks, Taehyung pointed out the warehouse in the distance. There it was! Now you got a good understanding of what he meant by the walks being better. Rides from Seokjin were fun, but it was nice just getting to talk to each other like this. No interruptions and it didn't end shortly. The two of you could talk it out and get stuff off your chest. Taehyung looked a little better after admitting this all to you. His grin got a little wider as you guys got off the tracks. Pushing through the wheat field, soon you were standing in front of the warehouse. Nice!
Taehyung went in front of you to be the first to enter. He raised his arms out and yelled to announce his entrance. Members were already in the warehouse. You didn't expect them to be here, but you heard them all shout back happily at Taehyung. Since you were behind him, their eyes immediately landed on your right after. All the elder members were sitting at the table while Jungkook was sitting on the arm of the green couch. Taking a look around, it appeared that Jimin wasn't here yet. That was a little disappointing, but he'd be here soon. Jungkook's happy expression at Taehyung's arrival changed into confusion as you came following after. He got off the couch right away while you waved at Seokjin. Taehyung hurried over to the fridge as you felt someone grab your wrist tightly.
Staring to see who was connected to the arm, you looked up to see Jungkook was unreadable expression. He pulled you over to the couch without saying a single word. It made you feel anxious for some reason. Lately, conversations with Jungkook haven't gone the best and you were hoping that this wouldn't be another example. The rest of the members were at the north of the warehouse while you two were at the south. They couldn't hear you guys unless the both of you spoke loudly. Things could echo here in the warehouse. Jungkook ran a hand through his light brown hair as he let out an exasperated sigh. He looked in a different direction from you before finally making eye contact with you. His intent stare made you squirm in your seat.
"I thought Seokjin would drive you over here. Or that you weren't coming today," He muttered.
"I didn't know I was coming today either. Taehyung came to my apartment out of the blue, and we walked over to the warehouse," You stated.
"You walked over?" Jungkook raised a brow. "I miss walking here..."
"We should walk to the warehouse together after school sometime then." You smiled to see the corners of his lips lift up. He nodded his head in agreement as your eyes glanced over at Namjoon at the table. He was speaking to everyone and using his hands. They all listened to what he had to say and you remembered what Taehyung had said earlier. "Hey Jungkook...how do you feel about all the deals?"
"Why?" Jungkook grew defensive.
"I was just wondering." You shrugged. "I keep getting left alone at the warehouse."
"...yeah, sorry about that. I'm okay with the deals." Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck, looking straight ahead of him.
"Isn't it dangerous?" You bit your lip.
"Did Taehyung say anything to you during the walk?" Jungkook narrowed his eyes on you. His voice was full of suspicion. It made your throat close up. What were you going to tell him? Taehyung shouldn't get in trouble for letting out his worries.
"Nothing! I'm just seeing a lot of tension these days." You huffed. "Why are you getting so upset with me anytime I mention anything gang related?"
"I'm not trying to be..." Jungkook tried to suppress his frustration. "I just think you shouldn't have to worry about us."
"It wasn't a problem before." You crossed your arms. "Is this all because Yoongi told you guys to not tell me anything? To keep me safe? That wasn't a decision for you guys to make without me."
"So he did tell you!" Jungkook groaned, hitting the couch. The two of you had gotten loud enough to echo throughout the warehouse. All was silent for a few seconds.
Taehyung stopped eating his breakfast. His cheeks were full like a chipmunk as his wide eyes watched you two. He looked scared while the older members raised their heads in confusion. They all turned to face the first years on the couch having yet another fight. Hoseok and Taehyung turned to face Namjoon who was chewing the inside of his cheek. Yoongi rolled his eyes in annoyance. Seokjin gave a worried stare as Namjoon stood up from the table. He walked over to us as Jimin entered the warehouse with a hand in his hair. He certainly came at the wrong timing. Jimin was hit with bewilderment as he heard shouts and Namjoon rushing over to the situation with a stressed-out face.
"It doesn't matter!" You jumped in your seat.
"What? Are you mad that we care about you?" Jungkook threw his hands up. "I'm sorry that we didn't ask you about it, but this is for your safety. We don't want you getting tangled up in our mess again. I learned my lesson after you got kidnapped!"
"I appreciate that you guys care about me! But if you guys truly did care about me then you would have asked me about it. I'm not going to get kidnapped again." You scoffed. "Besides, you keep getting mad at me for caring!"
"Are you calling me a hypocrite?" Jungkook asked through gritted teeth.
"I don't want to fight with you!" You frowned as Namjoon finally made it to the couch.
"Kwon (F/n) and Jeon Jungkook!" He stared down at the two of you. "Why are we fighting about this?"
He should've asked one specific person to speak first. Jungkook and you didn't hesitate to start complaining about the situation. He went on about Yoongi telling everyone to keep you out of things. The maknae wanted to make sure you weren't roped into other gang related activities. It was kind of him to want you safe, but you knew what you were in for. Hanging out with them means that you have a good chance of ending up dead and you're willing to take it. Jungkook didn't know what to say when you revealed that. You just wanted to be all their friends. It felt like you guys weren't close anymore. It hurt you to think everyday that you might end up fighting with Jungkook.
Emotions were out on the table. Namjoon sighed at what he had to work with. Jimin remained at the entrance with his arms crossed. Taehyung continued to eat his food while Yoongi stood up from the table. He figured that he would get pulled into this fight for being the start of yet another problem for you. Seokjin didn't glare at Yoongi or anything. He only stared at his arm, lost in thought. Hoseok carried the same watchful expression as Taehyung, but he wasn't going to get involved. This was a problem the leader decided to take on himself. It shouldn't be that hard to fix a friendship, right? Namjoon scratched the back of his head, taking everything in.
"Uh, Yoongi, when did you tell them to keep (F/n) out of things?" Namjoon asked.
"After the whole kidnap situation. I thought it was for the best." Yoongi shrugged.
"And did you know it would lead to something like this?" Namjoon sighed.
"Not really," Yoongi said with a smirk, his eyes connecting with yours. So he's still trying to make your life harder? Good to know. Jimin shook his head in annoyance, wanting to say something about the situation.
"He knew." Jimin walked over to Namjoon. "I think (F/n) has a right to be mad. We should have talked with her."
"You would say that. You're trying so hard to get into her f*cking pants." Jungkook rolled his eyes.
"Like you're one to talk, Steroids!" Jimin growled. It made the maknae stand up with fury in his eyes.
"No! Stop it. We don't need more fights!" You pushed them apart. Their glares went over your head. Frowning at the situation you caused, you looked at Namjoon for help. The pink haired male was at a loss for words. Taehyung stopped eating and set his food aside on the table. The confrontation grew larger than you wanted it to.
"Guys, we don't have time for this..." Namjoon placed his hands on their shoulders. "You both know we have a deal that we have to go to."
"What? Right now?" Your eyes widened, looking over to Taehyung who silently nodded. Jungkook and Jimin took Namjoon's hand off. They got themselves together enough to stop trying to attack each other. You were relieved to not have them at each other's throats, but what about when they come back? What if one of them lets it go and the other waits until the deal is over? Namjoon hasn't resolved the issue yet.
"Seokjin, get the truck." Namjoon ordered. The eldest stood up without speaking a word and did as he was told. Yoongi followed him out as the two at the table walked over with frowns. They weren't happy with how things were playing out too, huh?
"Namjoon! We can't leave yet. The problem is still here," Taehyung said with a nervous tone. "You always fix our problems right away..."
"Taehyung..." Namjoon faced the first year that admired him so much.
"He's right, Namjoon," Hoseok spoke. "You've been getting a little wrapped up with your personal situation that you've almost changed."
"I'm sorry. We just don't have time. We'll talk about this when we come back!" Namjoon started walking out the door.
"If you need any help at all, Namjoon, we can help," You called out to have him turn around with a cold look in his eyes. It made all the first years forget how to breathe. Hoseok only clicked his tongue.
"I don't need help. What did you tell her that she didn't already know?" Namjoon's eyes shifted towards Taehyung.
"Nothing!" Taehyung tried to hide behind Hoseok.
Both second years released heavy sighs. Namjoon gave everyone a hand signal to follow him out. Jungkook and Jimin gave each other a worried look as they watched Taehyung nervously trail behind Hoseok. Falling onto the couch, you muttered a goodbye. Both boys quickly apologized before parting ways with you. You watched all of them leave through that opening. They never did build a door for protection. One thing did you notice was how Hoseok didn't come to try and save the problem. He only watched Namjoon to see how the leader would fix it. He even spoke about the change that's been bothering Taehyung. Biting your lip, you didn't like seeing Taehyung look like a puppy with its tail between its legs. He made an attempt like you told him to and that's what matters.
Hopefully the deal goes well. When they return, the problem is going to be fixed. That's how you want it to go anyway. Staring up at the ceiling, you could only wish for the best. What was really causing all these problems to occur? It all made you feel helpless. You could only imagine what Namjoon felt as the leader.