Chapter Text
Four years ago in December
Snow was slowly blanketing everything around Agust, a stark difference between that and the burning house behind him. He could feel the heat on his back and the smoke was filling his lungs. He didn’t pay any attention to that though, his eyes were set on a guy lying on the ground, his blood slowly painting the snow around him red. His knees were pulled up to his chest, trying to hide whatever injury he had and his head was supported by the wall that would soon become rubble. His eyes were filled with fear, understandably so, after all, Agust was pointing a gun at him.
Agust did his best to keep up his calm, reasonable persona as much as he could. He didn’t want to seem uncivilized amongst all the gang leaders. So, he was a gentleman. He never fired his gun without a good reason, but what counts as a valid reason is objective. The guy is smart enough to realize that. He should be scared.
“Who the fuck are you?” Agust asked impatiently. His men were leaving the building behind him, making a ruckus, and getting into their cars. He was a little annoyed since he clearly instructed that no one could leave the building alive, and yet he found a little puppy fighting for his life. “Who are you with?”
“I’m with no one,” the man said, his eyes focused on Agust’s finger on the trigger. He was sweating despite the below-zero temperature, his red hair sticking to his forehead in patches. “I’m no one.”
Agust crouched down, his thick black coat brushing against the ground and put his free hand on the guy’s knee, trying to push his leg down so he could see the injury. Maybe he wasn’t as smart as Agust thought because he only drew his knees closer to his chest.
“Do not resist me,” Agust ordered in a tone that no one would argue with. The man finally let him see the wound that was on his stomach, bleeding steadily. A puncture wound. Agust’s men didn’t use knives, only guns, so the injury wasn’t made by them and the clothes that he was wearing didn't match with the other gang’s attire. He was wearing colors. A lot of them.
His saying that he’s with no one might be a lie but he’s certainly not with this gang and Agust isn’t looking to make a feud with an unknown small gang by killing their wayward guy. There’s already enough on his plate and he hardly wants to add more to it. Killing this man would only result in something bad.
“You’re not with these assholes?” Agust asked, lifting his eyes back up to the guy’s face. He was staring back at him as his lips were slowly turning purple. He won’t make it if they waste too much time.
“N–no,” he coughed, curled in on himself again as though it hurt to make too much noise. “I don’t know too much about the–them. They fucked me over.”
“Assholes tend to do that,” Agust nodded, lowering his gun. It seemed like the guy was the victim and in his current state, he was not a threat. Saving him became more and more appealing to Agust because that would mean this guy owed him one, and he really liked having people who owed him favors. “You’re bleeding out.”
“I noticed,” the man groaned, but he didn’t ask for help and that was fine. Agust didn’t need him to because he was already in a good mood before he found him. It truly is the guy’s lucky day.
“What is your name?” Agust sighed, refusing to leave before he knew his name. In this world and business, names were everything. Sometimes it was all they had. Some might like the way your name sounded and decided to help you because of that. Some might dislike it. Agust already decided that he would like this man’s name no matter what it was. He knew he would remember it for as long as he needed to.
The other man grew defensive once more. Frowning and lips shaking, he had that sort of expression on his face that Agust often saw on his enemies’ faces: the desperation to live.
“Why do you want to know?” He asked, his voice quieter suddenly. Then his eyes dropped Agust’s hand, limply holding onto the gun, so Agust, slipped it back in its place on his hip. There was no need to make him feel more on edge.
“I’d prefer to know the name of someone I’m about to save,” Agust explained, entirely expressionless. Fire and snow: so different from one another, just like the other man’s facial expressions were from Agust’s. His deep brown eyes widened, his lips quivering either from the pain or the cold. His breath audibly stuttered, exhaling relief from the cold air. “You don’t have to tell me, of course. But I will find out sooner or later, so there is no reason for hiding it from me. You’ll owe me after this.”
He gave in at once. “It’s Jack.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Agust’s lips, feeling pleased that he would yield this easily. Sure, he can drag the information out of him or have someone find out everything there is to know about him, but that was not as enjoyable as Jack looking into his eyes and saying his name himself. Agust nodded, accepting his name for what it was, and he was about to stand up and call over one of his men to take care of the guy when he suddenly asked, “What’s your name?”
Agust paused at once, his eyes searching for any sign of disrespect on Jack’s face but there was none. It shocked him to his core that Jack, who was apparently knowledgeable enough to try to make some sort of deal with a gang in Seoul, had no idea who Agust was. Agust didn’t need to introduce himself in years to anyone. Everyone knew of him and most gang leaders had done business with him the past three years. And yet, Jack had no clue about who he was.
It was a strange feeling. He usually introduced himself because it was the polite thing to do and not because he had to, but now Jack was making him do it.
“Agust D,” he replied as he stood up, lifting his hand in the air. “I’ll give you some advice as a bonus since I don’t want to find you bleeding into my business again. Get familiar with the underworld and the main leaders! No wonder you get fucked over by Kangs if you don’t even know the most basic facts.”
“Are you one of the main leaders?” Jack asked. How he dared to ask such a thing, Agust had no clue. A man stopped right behind him, ready for any instructions from him. Agust sighed and shook his head. He was starting to regret saving Jack. He was going to get himself killed before he could become useful to him.
“Yes, and don’t ask that question from anyone else! Got it?” Agust asked, and without waiting for an answer, he turned around to face the man standing behind him. “Fix him up and drop him off wherever he wants to and then return to base.”
Agust walked away without saying goodbye or demanding a thank you from Jack. He was sure that they would cross paths again one way or another. Such was life in Seoul. It was big enough for several gangs but not big enough that they could avoid each other all the time. Even if Jack was telling the truth and he didn’t belong to one gang, he would end up in one soon enough. Nobody lingered alone too long. Safety could only be found under the wings of the leaders. Agust wasn’t interested in taking in lost puppies, but he was sure that those pretty doe eyes would be useful to him someday.
Three years ago in May
There were only a few people that didn’t belong to any of the gangs as it was often way more dangerous and it didn’t always pay that well. These so-called ‘freelancers’ were still important especially when one had to deal with another gang silently. Park Jimin was one of the most notorious ones. Incredibly busy most of the time. Jimn was often unavailable when Agust required his services. He had his hand in so many honeypots at once that Agust almost anticipated getting turned away when he went to him in May.
“No can do, boss,” Jimin had told him. “I’m dealing with Kim right now and I can’t afford to lose this. However, I can recommend someone to you. He’s a newbie but you can trust him. He’s trickier than he looks.”
Agust had wanted to reject the offer but his desperation to get back a precious folder full of important documents got the better of him. He was surprised when a few days later Jimin introduced him to Jack. He tried to mask his surprise as best as he could, but he recognized him immediately. He had the same red hair and colorful clothes but this time around there was more life in his eyes and a wicked smile on his lips. Agust thought that Jack wouldn’t betray him after saving his life. Although Jimin had no idea, he paired Agust up with a person he could trust.
As it turned out Jack worked quickly because not even three days later Agust was standing on an abandoned restaurant’s rooftop with a cigarette between his lips as he waited for the other. The spring evening was particularly warm that night; the air was still but stars kept moving as the earth rotated.
He didn’t turn around when he heard footsteps approaching him, he just looked down at his watch to see if Jack was on time — and he was. Mentally he noted that the guy is fast, efficient, and punctual: all great traits to have. His investment in saving his life was already paying off.
Jack stopped next to him. An arm’s length away.
“I have the folder,” he announced, and without looking at him, Agust held out a leather-gloved hand towards him. The folder was placed on his palm and he quickly made sure that they were indeed the real files that had been stolen from him. “I found another one that looked similar to this one but it looked fake to me.”
“Well done,” Agust nodded as he put the folder into his jacket’s inner pocket. He turned his head just enough so he could comfortably look him into his eyes, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. “Your payment will be sent before midnight.”
“Got it. Thank you,” Jack said, clearly trying to hide his emotions in his voice but he was failing badly. The excitement seeped through his teeth well enough for Agust to notice, and he observed him closely then from head to toe, and decided that he should give out some more free advice to the newbie. He had a hunch that this wouldn’t be the last time they see each other.
Agust sighed. “Listen, kid, since our last meeting I can see that you’re in a much better shape and situation, and on top of it, you seem very capable to me. You pulled off the whole operation on your own. Like I said, well done. You want people to notice you and your skill set, but you should never draw too much attention to yourself. That’s rarely a good thing. So, lose the red hair and the colorful clothes! You’re not a damn K-pop idol.”
Jack’s lips parted in surprise then he looked down at his attire in shock and confusion, so Agust continued, “Maybe this is who you think you are. Your style or whatever.” He gestures towards him then takes a lungful of smoke from his cigarette, inhaling then exhaling slowly. “But you gotta change and adapt some more if you’re serious about this line of work. No one will take you seriously if you look like this.”
“I’ll take your advice,” Jack said, lifting his eyes back to him. A smart thing to say. “I’ve been learning about the leaders, the history, and the rules. I promise your advice didn’t fall on deaf ears.”
“Great! Who am I then?” Agust asked, wanting to test the guy a little.
“You’re Agust. They also call you the King. You have a popular casino and your territory is the second biggest after the Kims,” Jack replied immediately as though he was reciting it from a textbook. Agust shifted, turning his body toward him and a small smile tugging at his mouth.
“Indeed,” Agust nodded. “And what does that all mean?”
Jack gave him a hesitant look, a tiny frown appearing on his forehead. “I’m… not sure.”
“You just completed a job for someone very important which is a very good thing for you. If one leader trusts you, eventually all the others will too. You’re on the right path,” August explained patiently. As much as jobs with freelancers were supposed to be secret, it was a well-known fact that everybody had dealings with them, and Jimin didn’t get so famous by sticking to one or two gangs, he helped out everyone who asked. He was in everyone’s favor. That should be Jack’s goal as well.
“Why are you helping me?” Jack asked, almost hesitant. Agust thought it was obvious after their first meeting in the winter, but perhaps Jack didn’t quite get what was going on after all; that was a bit disappointing.
“I saved your life,” Agust pointed out, taking one last drag before letting the cigarette hit the ground. “Which means you owe me. I don’t want you to die before I ask a favor of you.”
“This wasn’t a favor?”
“It’s not if I pay you.”
They stared at each other for a second too long. A sudden breeze blew Jack’s cherry red hair into his eyes, making him squint and push the stands back, and Agust had to give it to him: red was really his color. It suited him so well. In the context of committing crimes, it was a ridiculous and stupid choice to dye one’s hair an unnatural color. Anyone would be able to pick Jack out of a crowd. The lines of his face were memorable and the red was just screaming at others to notice him. To remember him.
A handsome face like that could hardly leave one’s mind so swiftly. Although naivety wasn’t something Agust was attracted to, he could not deny that Jack was attractive. He was sure that if Jack worked hard, one of the leaders’ daughters might snatch him up. If Jack was ambitious enough and swung that way, that is.
“It was a pleasure working with you, Jack,” Agust said eventually. He was more than ready to leave. “I’m sure we’ll meet again soon. So, until then be good and don’t disappoint me, sweetheart!”
Using flirtation as a sealed weapon is a skill that came naturally to Agust at this point. What was the point of threats and intimidation when most people were susceptible to softer and sweeter poisons? Smart people would see right through him and his honeyed words, but at least it would give him some intel on his victim’s true nature.
He was amused to see Jack blinking at him dumbly, opening and closing his mouth to try to form a proper response to that. Before the other could figure out what he wanted to say to that, Agust already turned away, leaving Jack standing alone under the stars. Another gust of spring breeze made its way through Seoul soon after, signaling the beginning of something great.