Chương 28: Mafiosos

The first thing Taehyung registered was an acrid and sour smell invading his nostrils. He spluttered, and opened his eyes, only to be greeted with pitch dark surroundings.

This time, he was crouching behind a wooden box. In his hand, he held some form of a metal object. Using his sense of touch, he examined the object. Upon realising what it was, he yelped and dropped the foreign object as if it were boiling hot.

A gun.

Why was he holding onto a gun?

"Seokjin?" Taehyung called out nervously.

No reply came.

What was this reincarnation? The voice said he was in his home world, but Taehyung certainly did not like it. Unlike last time, Taehyung did not get the same white-hot pain when the memories rolled in.

He closed his eyes and slowly processed the memories flooding into his mind. Here, his name was still the same, but he was not a k-pop idol. No, he was something far more dangerous, and far more bloody.

A hyungnim. The boss of one of the largest mafiosos located in Incheon, the Kim Dragons. Cruelty ran through his veins, death was commonly seen. This was not the Korea that he knew; no, this was one that was far more dangerous.

Kim Taehyung. His name rang throughout Incheon as a cold-blooded leader who only knew how to fight, killing his way to the top of the ladder.

Taehyung let out a shaky breath. He had...murdered. In cold blood. Innocents and guilty lives, all taken without a second glance. How much of a monster was he in this life?

Right now, he was in a fight with one of the other mafiosos in Incheon - the equally bloody SS, a new group who had appeared from nowhere.

Kim Taehyung is a k-pop idol. He is not...whatever this cruel monster is.

Taehyung wrenched himself from his despair. He needed to search for Seokjin, and find the other member stuck within this world. They would leave this world behind. There was no need for him to enter this bloody world.

Ah, but he was already in this bloody world.

Heaving out another sigh, Taehyung creeped out of his hiding spot, clutching onto the gun for self-defense. In the distance, he could see a flicker of light. Slowly, he inched his way, going around the sides of the room and moving closer towards the light.

A few steps closer…

Just a few more before he could get out of this dark room…

"Freeze." A cold voice rang out.

Taehyung turned around, putting his hands up in the air. From the weak light provided, he could see the glimmer of a gun barrel pointed towards him.

"I'm not here to harm you!" he yelled desperately, unsure of what to do.

The voice chuckled. "That wasn't what you said when you came in and murdered three of my men. Who are you, really? Part of Kim Dragons? Or the SS?"

Taehyung's mind whirred. "That...wasn't me?"

"Come on now. You're not fooling anyone."

Taehyung's heart was thudding between his ears; adrenaline pounded through his veins. Cold sweat dripped down his back. He looked towards the side. There were several large metal boxes. Combined with the poor visibility and the distance… Could he do it? At this point, anything was better than just standing there.

Without another warning, Taehyung dashed towards the boxes, quickly rolling behind the boxes. Instinct took over and he randomly shot at where the voice once stood. White-hot pain zipped through his shoulder as the recoil hit; the smell of gunpowder, acrid and bitter, wafted through the air. The voice groaned and the sound of a body hitting the floor resounded through the dark room.

Taehyung was panting heavily, his mind still on full alert. It was quiet.

A metallic smell greeted him. Blood.

Taehyung's hands were shaking. What had he done? He...he didn't mean to kill the other guy. His trembles grew more and more violent, to the point where he dropped the gun onto the floor. Taehyung shook his head wildly, and rushed towards the entrance.

He needed to run.

Bursting through the door was like being given another lease on life. It was sunny outside, and Taehyung had never more welcomed the warmth the rays shone onto his skin. He had left the gun inside, unwilling to touch that murderous weapon once more.

He looked down at his still trembling arms. Colourful tattoos covered his skin, full of intricate and wild designs. From flowers to various animals, there was not a single inch of skin that wasn't inked.

The room he was stuck in was an abandoned warehouse. There was no one else around.

All of a sudden, a figure came rushing around the corner. Taehyung jumped in fright, only to feel a rush of relief flood through his body. It was Seokjin, and he looked exactly the same as before.

"Seokjin!" Taehyung called out gratefully, his heart beat finally beginning to calm down.

Seokjin rushed up to the trembling boy and held him within his arms.

"Tae? Oh god, what happened? I heard a gunshot, and I came rushing over just in case-" he spluttered.

Taehyung leaned weakly into Seokjin's embrace.

"I...it's hard to explain. Not here."

How could he explain that he killed someone? Would Seokjin push him away? But it was a matter of life or death situation… In the end, he still murdered.

"We need to get you to a hospital," Seokjin announced.

"I'm fine, hyung."

Seokjin shook his head. "You're not. You have blood coming out of the bandage on your shoulder. Whatever your past reincarnation is, where we are right now isn't safe."

Taehyung almost agreed.

"Hyung, don't! I'm a hyungnim in this world. Part of the mafiosos. If I go to a hospital-" he tried pulling his arm out of Seokjin's grip.

Seokjin froze. "Mafiosos…?"

Taehyung ducked his head, despair racking at his heart.

A thundering of footsteps came from around the corner. Several men dressed in black suits came rushing in. Upon seeing Seokjin holding onto Taehyung's arm, they immediately drew their guns.

Taehyung's heart leapt. He hoped that this was part of his mafiosos, and not the SS. "Stand down!"

The men stopped aiming at Seokjin. One of the ones at the front, stepped up. He had a large scar going from his left eyebrow to his right ear.

"Hyungnim. We came to escort you back," he said.

Taehyung took a deep breath. If the rest of the mafiosos found out he was not the Taehyung that they knew… he shuddered from the implications. With the memories he was given, he took a deep breath, and put on the mask of a cruel and cold mafia leader.

Taehyung's eyes turned cold, and he carelessly shrugged off Seokjin's hold on his arm and dragged Seokjin by his sleeve. With the aura of a powerful leader, he strutted towards the men.

"Let's go."

Seokjin's mind spun. Taehyung, a mafiosos leader. Either way, it was best for him to keep quiet. The men in black shot Seokjin dirty looks as Taehyung dragged him past.