#dangerously

Previously: It all went down in slow motion.  The dancefloor of the gigantic room cleared out, the remaining guests pushing themselves up against the walls. Pure terror was written all over their faces, at the scene that played in the very middle of the room.   Prince Chenle stood there.   With a knife at his throat.   And at the end of the knife, the person who was holding it… Junhui.   You stopped breathing as you took in his face, took in that familiar, sharp smile. As your eyes met with Yukhei’s from across the room, you were certain he was horrified, just as much as you.   They were here.   The Black Spade was here.  

The air was stiff, tense; you felt the droplet of sweat on your neck before it had a chance to slide down. You were aware of everything suddenly, the sharp breaths of the elite guests, the faint clinking of your jewellery, the clamminess of your palms as you tightened your fist. You were in deep shit and you had a vague idea of what the outcome might be if you didn’t think of a solution quick enough.  

It’s been three years since you saw any member of the Black Spade.  

Not like you regretted it, or that you had wished to see them. It simply made you nervous, made you hyper-aware of your surroundings. Now, that one of them – if not all – is in the same room as you, some sort of perverse euphoria took over your brain, that they see you, and they want to kill you, and they have no idea how much can be done in the span of three years.  

“Long time no see, beautiful,” drifted Junhui’s voice, and you swore the blood froze in your veins. His ashy hair fell into his eyes as he tilted his head slightly, his cupid’s bow-like lips curling into a vicious, Cheshire-cat smile. He looked different since the last time you saw him, but if it surprised you, the feeling slid away into a secluded, subconscious part of your brain. It was not the appropriate time to think about the appearance of a conman. It was never the same.  

Even though he was standing far away from you, you felt feather-light touches caress your arms, ice-cold breath brushing your neck and even colder lips linger above your shoulder.  

Mirroring his expression, you placed your weight on your right leg and cocked your waist out. The dress shifted around your legs, the slit moving so that your left leg was let bare. You replaced your shocked expression with one of confidence, of piercing ice.  

“Let the prince go, Junhui,” you breathed as you kept eye-contact with him, no matter the amount of memories and even more regrets flashing into your mind.  

His grip tightened on the knife and Chenle hissed as a droplet of blood slid down on the front of his neck.  

For fucks sake.  

The youngest prince was supposed to be down in the basement along with his brother Donghyuck and Winwin…where are they? What happened to them?  

You did not dare glancing up at the balcony, where Taeyong and Doyoung lay, scared that a single look might serve as a clue to the one of the conmen of the Black Spade.  

“Come and take him, assassin,” mused Jun and you tilted your head to the side as invitation.  

“Where is the rest of your precious little gang, Jun?” you asked, masking your voice with the similar silky tone the conman sported. He ran his eyes over your figure then, something like bizarre satisfaction flashing in the dark orbs.  

“Three years ago,” Junhui purred, ignoring your question, as he flattened the blade on Chenle’s neck, “you pulled an impressive stunt.” You felt all eyes on you and him, the guests remaining backed up until the ivory and gold embroidered walls. You kept yourself straightened, focused on your breathing and let your hand linger around the dagger hidden under your dress.  

“Don’t evade,” you said then, icy edge wedging itself between your words, “let the prince go and show your faces so we can settle this properly.”  

A beat of silence, then Junhui craned his neck back as he let out a booming laugh. The knife tightened on Chenle’s neck and his panicked eyes searched yours.  

“Settle this properly?” crowed Jun then before his lips curled back in a vicious snarl. You felt the whole room tense at the sheer animosity. “And what does this ‘settling’ mean for you, huh, dear? Shooting someone in the head? Or stabbing them in the neck, maybe blow their guts up with the help of your little arsonist?” his eyes narrowed into slits as he drank up your facial expression, “or does spreading your legs nice and wide does the job for everyone?”  

You stopped breathing.  

Talk.  

This is all talk, and he talked too much –  

Stalling. Was he stalling?  

You didn’t dare look up at the balcony, it would just give him an idea of Taeyong’s and Doyoung’s whereabouts…  

“That’s quite enough, Jun,” a voice sounded then, echoing through the deadly silent ballroom.  

A figure emerged, muscular and clad in black. His hair was smoothed back onto his scalp, revealing a creaseless forehead and bedroom eyes, wide and dark. An easy, light-hearted smile coated his lips and his name flashed in your mind immediately.  

Seungcheol.  

Then you felt a presence at your back, a whiff of spicy cologne and smoke – Taeyong stepped beside you. You felt a wave of relief wash over you, with enough force to blacken your senses for a single second. But Taeyong didn’t look at you, didn’t even graze his fingers against yours, his gaze was fixated on the rival gang’s leader and conman.  

Rage rippled off him – you felt it, Jun felt it, and you reckoned that the entire room felt it too. It was quiet and icy, cold enough to freeze lakes over.  

“We didn’t come to fight tonight,” Seungcheol said then. His voice was deep and rough, embers of arrogant authority sizzling. You cringed and watched the knife at Chenle’s neck.  

“Of course, you didn’t,” breezed Taeyong, his crimson hair smoothed back, emphasizing his elegantly tilted cat-like eyes, flashing, “you hold daggers to princes’ necks for the laugh.”  

Seungcheol let out a deep chuckle and Junhui grinned, tightening his grip.  

“You are slick ones, you know,” the Black Spade’s leader said, leisurely placing his hands in his pockets. A move of superiority. A move of arrogance. “We managed to catch this little one here only, the rest – “  

He looked at you then, his depthless black eyes raking over your form smoothly and you forced yourself not to flinch.  

“– scattered. Like underground rats.”  

As if on command, tiny red dots flashed up on their skin – not yours or Taeyong’s but the others, and it took them a whole ten seconds to realize it.  

And when they did, you managed to grin as if you had been planning it all along.  

“Rats, you say?” you hummed and dared a glance behind Seungcheol and Junhui – where Yukhei was supposed to be but you found nothing other than an empty macaron plate. He managed to get out – through the servant corridors.  

“Let go of the prince, Junhui,” Taeyong said then, his voice barely louder than a faint whisper, but much, much more powerful.  

The conman and his leader exchanged a quick glance before Jun lifted the dagger from Chenle’s neck and pushed the princeling away from him. He stumbled but didn’t fall and his eyes found yours immediately. It took Chenle no time to be at your side, his breathing and legs shaky. You grabbed his wrist and manoeuvred yourself in front of him.  

“Consider this a warning,” Seungcheol murmured then, “we see and hear everything, and remember, the blade of the spade cuts the snake’s head off.”  

You fought the urge to roll your eyes.  

“Just take the rest of your ragtag and fuck off,” grumbled Taeyong and turning on his heels, walked out of the ballroom.  

For a second you held Junhui’s eyes, then turning around you followed your leader, not letting the prince’s hand go.  

You flinched, hard, when the double-winged door banged closed behind your back.  

Three and a half hours, four shots of whisky and an entire pack of cigarettes later your fingers still seemed to tremble, and you considered chopping them off with one of Doyoung’s crooked daggers. This was after you finally stopped running your eyes over your family and the princes, looking for hidden injuries, panicked flashes in the eyes or a shaky breath – which you had found plenty. None of you changed out of your elegant clothing. If someone had walked into the suite with no knowledge or context regarding your history, they would have perceived the situation as something beautifully morbid. Suits were crumpled – the immaculacy only a tell-tale of what was supposed to happen, and the weapons scattered around the velvet sofas did not seem as intimidating as they should have been.

Chenle was sitting on a big, plush sofa – his entire body shaking, sweat dripping off his brows – Renjun and Jungwoo sat by him, encasing him with their bodies, wiping the cold beads from his eyes and neck. You swore you saw Jungwoo’s hand tremble the entire time.  

Johnny ran his fingers through his hair – once brushed elegantly, now hanging low into his brows. His eyes kept going to his youngest brother, guilt glinting there now and then.  

“We were right then,” he murmured, his voice hushed yet it seemed like a shout in the painfully quiet room, “it has been the Black Spade all along.”  

Ten and Jeno exchanged glances and you hummed. The only noise coming out of you since you collapsed onto a couple-sofa with Winwin.  

Maybe that was why Prince Yuta’s sharp eyes cut to your features immediately.  

“Miss Assassin seemed to have a moment there,” you thought he wanted his voice to be threatening and reckoning but you felt nothing other than a hollow sort of static noise.  

Taeyong turned towards the prince before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that encased his face for a second.  

“She owes no explanation, even for Your Highnesses.”  

“Maybe she doesn’t,” Johnny said, his eyes now set on you hesitantly and you stared back with an empty expression, “but what if it has significance?”  

Doyoung squinted.  

“It doesn’t.”  

“Maybe it does.”  

“Trust me, it does not.”  

Jaehyun drew in a sharp breath.  

You didn’t look at him. Didn’t dare to or didn’t want to, that did not matter. You still felt the warmth of his breath on the tip of your nose.  

“It might have some, though,” you interrupted, and everyone looked at you. Tilting your head back entirely, you rested it against the head of the loveseat and Winwin reached underneath the nape of your neck. You let out a small, thankful smile.  

Sitting in the crossfire of burning gazes, you began to tell a story.  

Everything has a start. The creation of Earth, the start of civilisations, kings and queens begin their lives as toddlers like everyone and everything else. Gangs, mafias don’t emerge the way they are now. They are not born as complete, safe empires. They crawl out as muddy and clawed hands; they pull themselves through sewers and tunnels and they scratch and cut themselves in the process – but it doesn’t matter because the purpose is stronger than the circumstance.  

The journey is long – never ending. Your growth never stops, there is no limit of being better – or worse. And you believe you haven’t gone down the right path. But does being good mean being right? No one knows the answer to that.  

You took a deep, deep breath before starting.

“There hasn’t always been war between the Black Spade and the Diamond Snake. In fact, it started off as something as close as a brotherhood. It crumbled three years ago – I believe people have heard about it. It was all over the media. Before that happened… Dear heavens, we were inseparable, we even thought about merging our gangs. I was nineteen at the time it all fell apart…an age where you ardently believe you are mature enough for whatever might come your way. The age when life seems to throw its heaviest and sharpest stones at you. Three years ago, our family was thriving already…but only because of Seungcheol’s – the Black Spade’s leader’s – help.”

“The Black Spade is a bit older than us. Even though we are around the same age, they began their businesses much earlier. They were already dealing serious things when we only ran around, wreaking havoc, stealing and just…living life at its fullest. In the foulest ways possible. It was Seungcheol who told Taeyong that he should get into similar business like him. I remember, he said something along the lines of: “There is potential in you, brother. Great potential.”  

I was thirteen then. Taeyong was barely sixteen. We admired the way he built up something like a kingdom, we were there when the fundamental stones were placed down. So, we began to do the same. We built up bases, created businesses, recruited people. He stood with us the whole time, helping us, advising when we needed it.  

For two years, everything went smoothly. I was already good at fighting – living on the streets isn’t the best thing for a girl. Especially in that part of the city. But Doyoung and I began to train, to be weapons, irreplaceable assets. We were trained by ex-assassins, spies, conmen, any person who has once been great, and had enough skill and power to make empires crumble into pieces. Working on the streets and in the underworld had its perks.  

During those two years, the two gangs shared dreams. We had great plans…overly ambitious at the time but we were so determined – it was impossible to keep us down, to make us give up on those ambitions. It didn’t stray us that their gang structure was different from what we planned.”  

You inhaled deeply and let out a shaky laugh. Winwin squeezed your shoulder.  

“The Black Spade has a unique way of…working. I will try my best to tell you what I know about it.”  

You looked around the room, sweeping your eyes over the princes and gang members. They huddled around you and drank up each word you said. As you looked at them you realised – for the first time, there was no place for anger, prejudice or even disgust in the room. The princes and gang members sat by each other one by one, brushing shoulders, crossing legs. Not enemies. Something close to acquaintances. Not friends yet, no… but you felt like you were on the right path towards that. Maybe this mission which became a catastrophic mess, the embodiment of your mutual enemy – this was perhaps what you needed most to be pushed together, to begin acting like an alliance instead of two reluctant parties forced into working together.  

You continued with a small, bitter smile and tucked your trembling hands under your thighs.  

“The Black Spade hits and runs, without lingering. When you realize what they have done…you feel numb and out of place. They work and move in sync, through careful planning and execution of strategy. In and out. They work for money, for men of status and they are not afraid to do the dirty work. They work long-term, taking down their prey over periods of times, working their ways into systems and hearts. This is exactly what they were becoming after that year. The inner circle had roles and jobs – just like us. But they are trained to do the dirtiest and foulest of works. We have spies – but they have conmen. Their names are Jeonghan and… and Junhui.”  

You said the last name with a dying breath. Pressure held your throat together as you fought the urge to shake. Winwin’s pinkie finger began to trace calming patterns on your shoulders.  

“They are worse than spies, they don’t get the information like us – by listening carefully and paying attention to details, or even hacking. No. They deceive you; they make you trust them; make you believe that they are more important than what you are truly protecting. They take the information, and they make sure to destroy you afterwards. Slow and steady. That was the path they started to follow. Their ambitions took a dark turn, one we were not willing to follow. Taeyong wasn’t, at least. More complications arose and more fights broke out between the two gangs. The last one was between Doyoung and Wonwoo, one of the Spades’ assassins. It turned bad…Both Yukhei and Taeyong were needed to hold Doyoung back, and Mingyu – another Spade assassin and Seungcheol, their leader, to keep Wonwoo from throwing daggers at Doyoung. It was a mess. Pure chaos.  

That was when things turned around for us, we strayed apart from each other, went on different paths, different parts of the city. After another half a year, we started a race. To see who has more territory, more assets and influence over wealthy people. It was obvious, after a while, that they worked against us on purpose, but it was too late for them. We grew stronger, we knew their ways of working and we developed ours – a new system, something that was unfamiliar for them. That went on for…I believe I was almost eighteen when I met Junhui again. The last time I saw him was two-three years before that.”

Another breath. You felt your heart hammer against your chest as you tried desperately to calm it down by taking deep breaths. But it did not seem to work, and the dress started to feel tighter, more open – too revealing.  

“I’d always found him attractive. So, when we met again accidentally on a mission, where both of us had the same target…those old emotions re-surfaced. For me, at least. One thing led to the other…The next thing I knew I was sneaking out of the Viper’s Pit, our home and headquarters, to meet up with him. I believe the thrill that we were lovers like Romeo and Juliet, from two families who have developed hatred toward one another, fired our emotions up. He was irresistible. I knew I was doing the wrong thing, deep inside me, but I felt like for once, I would be young and foolish. That I could afford it and could get away with it later. That even if it ends, if emotions die or our families find out, we have learned something new from each other, from the whole situation.”  

“So, we continued meeting up. Secret rendezvous. We shared everything. Our pasts, our feelings, our deepest secrets and doubts.  

Then one day, he started asking about things that weren’t related to my own feelings…he asked about the Snakes, first about how my relationship was with them, then slowly about how we work. And I was so in love, I was so sure that he wanted to know where I come from, where and how I live…I gave him everything he wanted to know.”  

You took a breath. Then another. Then another.  

And you swallowed back the lumps in your throat, because thinking about the mistakes you have made was much, much harder than you thought it would be. The barricades, the walls you have placed between your memories and your thoughts seemed to weaken as you talked about him. You saw a mixture of emotions when you looked around the room, ran your eyes through the princes and your family.  

The young princes…their eyes were filled with held back emotions, sympathy and sorrow and something like understanding. They were young, too young to fully understand how it must have felt like to go through these things but…they were smart enough to comprehend other aspects of it. The choices, the danger of trusting and the importance of keeping vital information to yourself. To not let emotions come in the way of that.  

Then you glanced over at the four older royals…their expressions were a haze, a mess of swirling emotions. It was so clear, in that moment, what each of them felt. As if everyone had dropped down their guards along with you.

Prince Johnny swallowed; you saw his throat bob as he looked away from your face – to stare at his own feet instead. Was it pity? You didn’t know, and you weren’t sure you desired to find out. Yuta’s expression was perhaps the most shocking one. He was leaning back on an armchair, his legs crossed and his head resting in his palm. In his eyes – a sharp glint of understanding. His bone-chilling attitude seemed to have melted in that moment. The edge didn’t leave his eyes but was joined with something new. Something soft and forgiving. Prince Jungwoo had a similar calculating look in his sweet, brown eyes. Although he wasn’t looking at you only. His eyes kept sweeping over your family, their expressions while listening to your story. The big picture.  

Finally, you let yourself glance at Prince Jaehyun.  

He stared at you, his face radiating nothing but pure curiosity and painful realisation - the information seemingly took its place in his brain like the piece of a puzzle. The key to the lock. They understood where you were getting at. They knew what it cost you to love a rival.  

Your voice descended into a quiet, but steely whisper.  

“After I learned all the things he’d done, how he used me for the information…I visited their nest. The Spades’ nest.”

And when you looked up again, you felt like the entire weight of a cliff rolled off your shoulders.

“And I burned it to the ground.”  

“You shouldn’t have shared this much.”  

These were Ten’s first words, barely a minute after the princes left Taeyong’s suite, with something like incredulous haze dwelling in their eyes. Your story was followed by a heavy silence, and you noted the quiet tears in Jaemin’s eyes. He was the most reluctant to leave, but Jaehyun pulled him along gently with a last look at you over his shoulder. You met his gaze. And let it linger.  

You slid your eyes towards the spy, and it barely surprised you how much energy you had to muster for it.  

“I placed the youngest prince in danger. I owed them this much.”  

Ten clicked his tongue.  

“You could’ve told them all this with half as much detail. Something about you and the Black Spade conman fucking, him betraying you and you taking revenge. It would’ve also taken less time.”  

Winwin groaned.  

“Why is it that when you open your mouth, only negative things manage to leave through it?”  

“You’re one to talk.”  

Kun interrupted, “We need them to trust us.” He shot you an approving look before frowning.  

“You did not have motives other than that, right Z?” he looked at you more carefully.  

“Of course, I didn’t, what are you talking about?” you murmured and stared at the ceiling in a rather determined manner. Jeno sat up straighter.  

“Oh my god, is it because of one of the princes? You like one of them?” he grinned, his eyes contracting into half-moons.  

“How did you come up with that? What does it have to do with it all? I don’t like anyone,” you hissed at no one in general. But that wasn’t enough for your family, who had entered a state of frenzy.  

“It’s Johnny, isn’t it?” Winwin glanced down at you, his lips tightened so he doesn’t burst out laughing.  

“No what the fuck, Win -”  

“I mean I wouldn’t blame you,” Ten shrugged and you arched one of your freshly plucked eyebrows. You did not like the direction of the conversation.  

“You have a daddy kink, don’t you Z? And Johnny is the daddy,” Yukhei was nodding deep in thought, as if he was a doctor writing a prescription for you. You gaped again.  

“Excuse me – “  

“No, I think Johnny is way too soft to be a daddy,” Doyoung shook his head and the others murmured in agreement. You were at a loss for words. Just minutes ago, you were discussing your tragic past love-story and now they were dissecting the chances of who you might fancy and their kinks-  

“Nah,” Taeyong spoke up then, the one who did not render his eyes from your face ever since you finished talking about Junhui, “I don’t think it is Johnny.”  

Whipping your head at your leader you shot him a betrayed look. He just stared at you with ever-knowing eyes.  

“You don’t like anyone,” he tilted his head and placed his chin in his palm, “but you do find one of them fascinating, don’t you, dear?”  

You squinted.  

“You wouldn’t know – “  

“Yes, I would,” Taeyong’s voice was hard and you clumped your mouth shut, “I have known you your entire life. Gives me enough time to figure you out.”  

Shrugging, you hoisted yourself up from the sofa and stalked towards the door. You needed sleep. A day’s worth, at least. You didn’t want to listen useless talk.  

“Z, wait,” Taeyong called after you regretfully. Tightening your grip on your heels, you turned around, glanced at your leader, at the rest of the Diamond Snake.  

“Stay here for the night, please. Everyone will.”  

He hesitated, as if saying these words caused him physical pain. He was disappointed, too. Shaken up by the night’s events like the rest of you. On the edge.  

“I don’t think it is…safe yet. For us to walk around here alone. We also heard Seokjin’s words – about his office being near here. And he disappeared along with the Spades. No one knows where he might be, what he might be planning along with these little shits.”  

You saw his point, and you hated to admit that you agreed with him. A part of you wanted to say that you’re fine off alone, that you can protect yourself… but tonight’s events upset you, too. The moment of realisation, while Seokjin held your hair wrapped around his finger, that you knew nothing, that you stalked straight into a trap in golden stilettos. And that you had no idea.  

With a sigh, you dumped your heels back on the ground.  

“Fine. But I want the bed.”  

Tae let out a sigh of relief.  

But not even the soft privilege of the bed was enough to lull you into sleep that night.  

The next few days, most of your group retreated into a nerve-wrecking calm, even Yukhei was quieter and less lively than usual. It was nice to see that you were not alone in this pit of…lethargic feelings because of the ball. The next week was spent in solitude, the entire inner circle gathering up in Taeyong’s suite, eating and sleeping together. If anyone else saw you, they would have straight up called you miserable. The usual teasing, yelling and disastrous attitude towards the cleanliness of the place was nowhere to be seen.  

“We haven’t been that lucky while being here, have we?” Doyoung piped up one evening, with Taeil and yourself sitting on the balcony, smoking in silence. You placed your legs in Taeil’s lap.  

“What do you mean?” the eldest of the group asked as he smashed the remnants of his cigarette.  

Doyoung shrugged.  

“Well, look at the first mission. That wasn’t carried out so well either,” his voice sounded sarcastically cheerful, but you caught the tone of disappointment. Doyoung has always been the type to be adamant on succeeding on the events and actions and whatever objective you had in mind. You hardly failed. And it has never happened two times in a row, until now.  

You wanted to say something soothing, but the words got caught in your mouth.  

Taeil drew circles absently on the skin of your ankle.  

“Well the first mission was good to earn the Royals’ trust, no?” he said then. The raven assassin inclined his head.  

“Yeah, but Z got injured,” he countered, and you groaned, “so the two cancels itself out.”  

Taeil chuckled.  

“Based on what?”  

“PEMDAS?”  

You chucked the pack at Doyoung’s head. He threw it right back.  

“We have to come up with something. We can’t keep going on like this,” you said after tugging out a new piece from the pack.  

“What do you mean?”  

“I feel like we have been feeling around in the dark so far. We weren’t sure who stood behind the attacks, we could only play a role as bodyguards. But now we know it is the Black Spade for sure. Just think, what would we do normally?” you straightened up while talking, folding your legs underneath yourself.  

“We need to sniff around the Spades… find out the location of their headquarters, their current customers and deals,” Taeil caught up with your thinking and you nodded.  

Doyoung’s eyes shone as he leaned forward.  

“On the other hand, we need to get ready for any following attacks. We need to recruit more Snakes for this job, the inner circle can’t stay the only ones working on this case,” he thought out loud, “Ask for a new place from the Royals, and no one should know about it… not even the princes. Then we need to visit the Headquarters, see who can be used for the job. And then we need spies stuck onto the Spades… but I’m not so sure about that. Remember what happened last time?” he grimaced.  

You shuddered as you recalled what happened the first and last time you set three of your spies onto the Black Spade. You could hardly identify them two days later, when you found them at an abandoned bus stop by an empty road.  

Taeil let out a pained sigh.  

“That means we will need to hire someone who does not belong to us and is further independent from other gangs… and who knows how things work in the Underworld, knows people, has connections… Doyoung, all the people who would be perfectly up for the job belong to us.”  

“Not really,” you spoke up then, a triumphant grin stretching on your face, “there is someone who would be perfect for the job. Or more like someones.”  

Doyoung’s mouth hanged open after a minute of silence.  

“Z no. I don’t want to see those little shits ever again.”  

You slammed your hands on the arms of the wooden chair and shooting up on your legs, you smashed the cigarette that was not done simmering.  

“Z yes. I’m gonna talk to Tae. Call the rest of the Snakes together,” was all you said before you hurried inside the suite.  

Luckily, all of the members were inside already. You agreed not to roam around at night, especially alone, so it became a fixed routine, that all the Snakes are back in the suite around early evening, doing their own things, scattered around the place.  

As usual, Jisung and Winwin were on the floor in one of the living room’s corners, surrounded by cables and computers. Ten, Jeno and Yukhei were watching a video on one of their phones – something violent, judging by the crashing sounds blasting on full volume. Taeyong and Kun were bent over a pile of papers, thrown messily around on the coffee table. You sauntered over.  

“I have an idea.”  

Both of them flinched at the unexpected voice and the victorious cheer it held. Kun squinted.  

“What have you cooked up now, Z?”  

You jerked your head towards the couches and armchairs arranged into a half circle in the middle of the living room. That area became the core of the preparations, the talks, the planning.  

Shortly after the Snakes got comfortable, you began sharing your idea. Summing Taeil’s, Doyoung’s and your own ideas, you drew up the problems that you stand against – and how you should solve them. The attitude you should adjust to. When you finished with the problem-solution speech, you went quiet, waiting to see if they followed you, to see if they understood.  

After a beat of silence, Yukhei’s head shot up.  

“You’re gonna suggest we talk to the Shenanigans?”  

Taeyong’s eyes widened. Winwin let out a sound that might have been called a whimper. Jeno and Jisung grinned.  

You nodded.  

“I say we talk to the Shenanigans. Listen, if anyone knows the Underworld and its dealings better than us and other gangs, it’s them,” you ran your eyes over the members.  

“They are so disrespectful,” Doyoung whined.  

“What do you expect from a bunch of outcast kids?” Jeno shot back before looking at you and Jisung, who hasn’t said anything the entire time.  

“I like Z’s idea. I’m in. And you know what guys? You old people won’t even need to see them. Jisung and I can go talk with them, we are the same age anyways.”  

You let out an impressed hum and swung your legs over into Yukhei’s lap.  

“The two of you is not enough. You need more people, so maybe you should take Yukhei as well. They seemed to like him last time,” Taeyong tilted his head, “maybe you could bring the young royals with you too.”  

“Okay no need to go overboard now – “Kun spoke up, but you interrupted him.  

“Wicked. I like it. And maybe one elder for added authority and to show it’s a serious case.”  

“No more adults though. Yukhei and an older royal is borderline intolerable for the Devil’s spawns,” Doyoung drawled as he ran through a hand through his hair.  

Everyone looked at Taeyong, waiting to see what he says. Jeno and Jisung exchanged a quick glance and Yukhei played with the nail polish on your toes. You could see your leader mulling over the exchanged ideas and propositions, saw him weigh each of them.  

“We will need to execute these things as quickly and as quietly as we can,” he murmured then, drawing his cut eyebrow up. Kun and Taeil agreed with grunts of their own.  

“Then we will need to divide ourselves and the royals up. One team goes to the Viper’s Pit to recruit more Snakes, the other team goes with the young princes to talk to the Shenanigans,” you jerked your head towards Jeno and Jisung.  

Taeyong straightened up and said, “okay,” before heading towards the phone on the nightstand by the bed.  

Before you knew it, you were on your way to Prince Johnny’s suite with Taeyong and Doyoung flagging either side of you. Following the eldest prince’s instructions, you ducked into a hidden pathway that connected all the wings of the palace and was kept a secret even from most of the servants. It is the safest mean of travel for all of us from now on, he said.  

You chuckled to yourself as you listened to the loud echoes of your breaths with your leader and your fellow hitman. When exactly did you get to the point where you were allowed to visit the private suite of the Crown Prince? And exactly when did the royals stop worrying about the fact that with a single movement you could hurt them in unimaginable ways? You wanted to add ‘without feeling remorse’ but…that would have been a blatant lie.  You wiped the thoughts out of your brain.  

“Did you tell him to get the princes together?” Doyoung whispered over your head to Taeyong, who nodded in response.  

The walls around you were painted hastily in old fashion, and because of the damp, it started to fall off in some places.  

“Ceremonious,” Doyoung groaned as he inched sideways into a corner, so that he wouldn’t touch the blight, “is this really the means by which we’re gonna have to move around in the palace?”  

“Since when are you such a diva?” Taeyong murmured and you snickered.  

“He’s always been like this. How can you forget it?” you countered, then shuddered when a cold breeze kissed the back of your neck. Placing your hands in the pockets of Yukhei’s hoodie, you hurried your steps.  

“It’s getting colder here. Let’s hurry.”  

In about five minutes you arrived at the Crown Prince’s suite and as soon as Doyoung lifted his hand to knock, the door swung open. Johnny had a slightly dishevelled look, but you didn’t have time to observe him because he ushered you inside with hurried, frantic movements. With a frown, all three of you stepped inside the –  

You had no words.  

You had gone speechless.  

You doubted you had the appropriate vocabulary to describe the eldest prince’s suite.  

Staring, you took in the spotless interior. The walls were ivory white, and the entire place had a theme of black and white. The entrance led to a small foyer, where there was a spacious closet in which you could place your shoes and coats. He then led you into the living room and as you walked inside you could feel your feet sinking into the soft, white carpet that covered the entirety of the room. You wanted this material at your place too. You were going to have to Taeyong about it later on. The living space was huge. Enormous.  

There was a spacious kitchen to your right, as you stepped inside, and to your left – half of the living room was sunken into the floor, with a circle of black velvet couches, providing an intimate and cosy atmosphere to the people sitting there.  

It was so luxurious and clean, you felt reluctant to touch anything so you wouldn’t smear …. yourself on it. This was ridiculous.  

There are people on the street, you thought, who are starving and begging for money every day and these people have half their living room sunken inside the floor?  

You heard a low scoff beside you and concluded that Doyoung must have had similar thoughts.  

“Do you think the toilet flushes itself here?” he murmured into your ear and you had to clamp your hand to your mouth, so you don’t snort out loud.  

“Make yourselves at home,” Johnny said then and gestured towards the couches, “The others are here.”  

Indeed, the princes were scattered around the circle, wearing casual clothes. Yet again, you were glad that you wore a hoodie and sneakers instead of a full body tunic and heels. It would have been a little overkill. Placing your hands back inside the pockets, you stalked towards the royals, Tae and Doyoung following.  

Yuta, who had his back to you, turned around then, and glared your way.  

“We do have things to do, you know. You can’t just order us around to your conveniences.”  

Doyoung glared right back.  

“If it concerns your survival, damn yes we can order you around Highness. Unless, you find pompous meetings with ass-lickers more important than your skin, you are obliged to do nothing of course.”  

You clamped your mouth shut when you saw the expression on Yuta’s face. But he didn’t say anything else. That was perhaps the courtesy of Jaehyun, who placed his hand on his brother’s arm. You noted that his face was grimmer than usual and the skin under his eyes were a shade darker than usual. Not that you’ve observed him before.  

The other princes were sitting seemingly relaxed, chatting casually, but you caught their eyes following your every movement. Oh well. Turns out you generalised the thought that they began trusting you. Putting a light swagger in your step you flashed them a grin.  

The three of you sat on a segment that was left empty by the princes.  

You caught Jaemin’s eyes and he gave you an eye-smile.  

“So, what is the reason for this emergency call-together?” Johnny asked as he leaned forward.  

“We came to share an idea and plan we just came up with. We thought it was an emergency because it is important that we take action as soon as we can,” Taeyong said with authority in his voice. He smoothed his flaming hair out of his forehead and ran his eyes over the royals, “we will need to involve Your Highnesses in the implementation of the next task.”  

Jungwoo tilted his head, “which would be?”  

Doyoung took over.  

“Our team will have to be divided into two. We know that the previous missions resulted in more failure than success because how little men and information we had.”  

“One of the teams will have the task of heading to the Diamond Snake headquarters, the Viper’s Pit, and the other team will have to take a small trip outside the city to talk with the Shenanigans,” you explained, placing your chin on the back of your hand. You fought the urge to cringe from having all the princes’ eyes fixated on you. Especially now, after you spilled so many things from your past. Ten was right. You shouldn’t have said so much. The last thing you needed from them was their pity.

“Who are the Shenanigans?” Mark piped up, pushing his circular glasses up on his nose.  

Doyoung hissed, “A group of little fu – “  

“The Shenanigans are a group of boys,” you interrupted him with a pointed look in his direction, “they are a fairly young group who were outcasts. I wouldn’t say they are a gang or mafia because they don’t do dealings or jobs for higher class people. But they know how the Underworld works, where you can find gangs, mafias, how you can get to them. They know how to get information without anyone noticing, they are exceptional at blending in and working their ways through crowds and events.”  

“What is our role?” a low baritone voice spoke up then, sending chills down your spine. You glanced in Jaehyun’s direction but avoided eye contact. Taeyong took over.  

“We would divide both our inner circle and You Highnesses. The younger ones – Princes Mark, Renjun, Jaemin, Donghyuck and Chenle would be accompanied by Prince Jaehyun and Yukhei, Jeno and Jisung from our team. It is known that the Shenanigans don’t take too much liking to older people. We are certain that they have taken a liking to Jeno and Jisung because they are the same age, and also Yukhei who is…Yukhei, and he is liked by anyone. We thought to add Prince Jaehyun as well to take extra caution. One adult wouldn’t hurt anyone. That is, if it is alright with Your Highness,” your leader finished with a long breath.  

Jaehyun thought for a while and glanced at Johnny. There was a wordless conversation between them – something most siblings shared. You knew the feeling well.  

“Alright,” he said then, “I will go with them.”  

The young princes nodded vehemently. Their eyes shone brightly, and it made you believe that they were enthusiastic about having a chance to go on a mission and not staying in the shadow of their older brothers. You smiled at Jaemin who returned it with a wide grin of his own.  

Taeyong inclined his head.  

“Prince Jaehyun and our Jeno will then join the other team at the Viper’s Pit. We will be heading to the headquarters, as we mentioned earlier, to talk with the rest of the Diamond Snake members and recruit people who are trustworthy and fit for the job. The people going there will be Z, Kun, Ten, Princes Johnny, Jungwoo, Yuta and myself. We will need to stay there for a couple of days to make sure everything goes smoothly and without complications.”  

“What about the rest of your gang?” Yuta drawled.  

“I will need to stay here, as I am the Taeyong’s Second,” Doyoung answered, unfazed by Yuta’s icy tone, “Winwin will monitor everything from his computers and Taeil will assist me in sorting through materials for the next mission and other precautions we will need to take.”  

“Precautions?” Johnny asked. Taeyong nodded.  

“We were not careful enough previously. No mistake like that will happen ever again.” his voice held solid authority, even when he apologised. In his own way.  

The princes were quiet for a while, each deep in his own thought and the three of you waited patiently. Somewhat. Doyoung kept playing with the embroidery on one of the pillows until you slapped his hand away. He was this close to tearing it.  

Then to your surprise, Yuta spoke up.  

“When are we leaving?”  

The following morning’s cold breeze sent shivers down Jaehyun’s spine. He groaned as he pulled the covers further up on himself, so it was only his eyebrows and the top of his ruffled hair that was visible. Yuta had stayed in his suite for a long time the day before and honestly, now he wished he had kicked his brother out sooner than three in the morning. He gave himself three more minutes of snoozing, though he was everything but relaxed. Jaehyun knew that if he actually relaxes in that time period, he’s going back to sleep for the next couple of hours.  

With another groan he fought the covers back and sat up. He was not a morning person, and on some days, he was thankful that he was a prince with duties, otherwise he would have wasted his entire life lying in bed all day. It was 7.35 by the time he flung his jacket over his black button-up and left to join his brothers and the three Snakes at the circular driveway of the castle.  

He saw that his younger brothers had taken up on his advice the previous night - that wearing something casual but elegant might be the golden middle way, to stay true to themselves without offending the Shenanigans – who openly judged adults and lived life by their own rules. Unapologetically. He’s done all the research he could last night with Yuta, but this was all he could find online, in the darkest pits of the internet. He will have to interrogate Jeno more on who exactly they were going to see.  

The youngsters set a great tone, his brothers were joking around with the Snakes, and as he headed over to them, occasionally he heard Chenle’s high-pitched giggles and Yukhei’s boisterous laughter. There were only three bulletproof-ed cars waiting for them, not a police car or motorbike could be seen anywhere near them. Interesting. The first one to notice him was Mark. The younger one tilted his head to the side, so his light brown locks fell over his brows.  

“Brother,” he said as a way of greeting, “we were waiting for you. I thought we agreed to meet at 7.30?” his voice was not accusatory, only confused. Jaehyun sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair and glanced back at the castle.  

“Yuta came over to mine at ten.”  

Mark’s mouth shaped a silent ‘o’ and he nodded understandingly. He knew that if Yuta visited someone…it led to a discussion that went on for hours at least.  

Jeno stalked over and Jaehyun had to fight down the urge to wince. The Snake’s steps were near silent, even on the pebbles of the driveway, and he moved with serpentine grace. It sent chills down Jaehyun’s spine.  

“Are we ready to go?” he asked and cast an eye-smile at Jaehyun, “I just told your brothers that we will be divided into three, so we fit into the cars. Princes Jaemin and Donghyuck will be with Yukhei. Mark and Renjun will be going with our Jisung and Your Highnesses Jaehyun and Chenle are with me.”  

Mark and Jaehyun nodded and a quiet voice in the back of Jaehyun’s mind told him that he should consider himself to be lucky – one Snake in one car, and two Royals with them. If it came to anything unfortunate…no. It is not the time to think about betrayals or conspiracies. The Snakes were there to protect them. Not to divert the cars and crash.  

So, he followed Jeno to the car at the very front and with a reluctant gaze, he waited until all his brothers were inside. And then he got in.  

“I’m really excited,” Chenle said as soon as he buckled himself in, “I have heard more about the Shenanigans after yesterday.”  

Jaehyun flicked his eyebrows up and looked at Jeno who was sitting at the passenger seat. The motor whirred into life underneath them.  

“You have?” he asked his youngest brother. Chenle grinned at him, his eyes narrowing into cheerful slits.  

“Yeah! Jeno, do you want to tell Jaehyun more about the Shenanigans?” he grabbed the seat in front of him and leaned as far as his belt allowed him. Jeno shifted so he was sitting sideways and could look at them both.  

“What has Your Highness heard so far?” his voice was casual but his ebony gaze penetrated Jaehyun. The prince shrugged.  

“Not much. I have done a little research. The only thing I know from the internet is that the Shenanigans are rather young, and they don’t take kindly to adults.”  

Jeno nodded.  

“They are known as outcasts, kids who had nowhere to go because no one wanted to take them in, but that is a false myth. They have taken up the role of outcasts on their own will. The boys who join the Shenanigans were once abused by their families. Parents, mostly,” he’d glanced at Jaehyun who forced a mask of calm on his features, “many young people know about the Shenanigans, some consider them a legend, a myth, though. Too good to be true. The ones who were able to stand up to their parents and leave – or get away one way or another, searched for the group. But they were never successful. Instead it was the Shenanigans who found them.”  

Chenle squirmed in his seat but Jaehyun tried to hide his astonishment. To be able to stand up to abusive parents…and leave. How brave does one have to be? How bad does the abuse have to be in order to make teenagers flee their home? Jaehyun shuddered.  

“The Shenanigans are the modern Robin Hoods for the young generation that has lost hope and are scared to stand up for themselves. They embody freedom and independence. Defiance. Us, the gangs and mafias…we are tied down by our businesses, by deals and bets.”  

Jaehyun placed his elbow on the windowsill as he listened to the young spy. He felt like he was beating around the bush.  

“What is it that they do?” Jaehyun asked and Jeno’s eyes cut to him as he gave him an eerie grin.

“They do many things. Firstly, they defy the gangs. They refuse to swear loyalty to any of them other than themselves. Secondly, they steal. They steal from the higher ups. Lastly, they gather information about everyone and everything. Nothing misses their eyes and when I say all the gangs have been trouble figuring out how they do it, I don’t exaggerate. It is impossible to get a hold of them.”  

There was pride in Jeno’s voice and maybe a little longing. Jaehyun wasn’t exactly sure. Chenle looked at him with bright eyes.  

“Aren’t they terrific? Donghyuck and Jaemin and the others think so too.”  

The eldest frowned.  

“Why do they steal? And what do they do with the money?”  

The spy shrugged and laughed quietly.  

“I have absolutely no idea,” he mused, “it is their business. We haven’t tried figuring it out.”  

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence, neither of them talking. Jaehyun caught Chenle smiling softly as he stared out through the windows and it didn’t take him a lot of work to figure out why. The last thing we need is a national scandal that the youngest prince has joined a bunch of thieves, he thought bitterly.  

He had to admit, the Shenanigans did sound appealing to a certain extent. To be free of all duties, to swear loyalty for no one but your family and friends…to be independent from it all. Curiosity burned in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to know more. He wanted to see it all. See how mafias operated, the deals, the missions – even the assassinations, as morbid as it sounded.  

His thoughts screeched to a halt and changed directions. Assassins… he thought of her, with teeth made of razors and eyes like simmering embers. Was she abused as well? Did she have to run away? Or was she born into it all? He thought of the times he watched her train – the way she moved. The sharpness and the precision – the same serpentine grace he saw and still sees in the other members of the Diamond Snake. But it was training – he longed to see it all in action. He longed to see her lunge and twist and stab and – why the fuck was he thinking about all this? Since when did he want to see someone end lives?  

But a voice whispered to him; she is not all edge and defiance.  

He thought of the look on her face when she saw the Black Spade conman with Chenle in the middle of the dancefloor that night…remembered his own rage and how he was glued to the floor, unable to move, to think. How he lost control and went with the flow. Got lost in it. And how she did not. He remembered the way her eyebrows spiked up in that pure, horrified expression. And the way it cleared out in the span of a single second, morphing into a look of murderous calm and arrogance. How she did not let go of his youngest brother’s hand until they were out of sight.

As he stared at splotches of green, orange and yellow passing by, he realised he knew nothing.  

That there was more underneath it all. Hearing her story about the conman and the intertwined history of the two biggest rivalling gangs of the country showed them all, him and his brothers, that there was so much more to these criminals.  

That there is a reason for why things happen. How people turn out to be.  

And how wrong they were for judging them.  

But then again, what if they chose this path…?  

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jeno looked back with a surprised look.  

“Something wrong?”  

Jaehyun shook his head and sighed.  

“Just…there’s a lot on my mind,” a blatant understatement. The spy tilted his head as he continued to look at him with calmly. Calculating. Wondering. Jaehyun avoided his gaze. Tried not to cringe when Jeno smirked.  

“We are almost there,” was all he said before turning back.  

“Where are we meeting them?” Chenle piped up and leaned forward.  

“Outside the capital. That is all you need to know,” he looked back at the eldest from the corner of his eyes, “you can trust us. There is no conspiracy. If that’s why your head is so heavy, Your Highness.”  

Jaehyun didn’t know whether to feel insulted or amused.  

The warehouse by which they stopped, was gigantic, and isolated. Both irked Prince Jaehyun. It was ran-down, rusty and almost fell apart and he saw nothing or no one that would have indicated that the Shenanigans were there, waiting for them.  

As he stepped out of the car, a breeze of the early autumn air ruffled his hair. He took a deep breath. It has been a long while since he visited the outskirts of the capital – or the countryside, and he needed to take a moment to take in the solemnity and quietness of it all.  

“Oi, Chenle, I got fucking chills!”  

As soon as Donghyuck’s voice got to him, Jaehyun’s eyes snapped open. In the span of seconds, ten forms of irritation ran through his brain as he swirled in his brother’s direction. Then froze as he saw the way Donghyuck bounced in his youngest brother’s and Jeno’s direction – and threw his arms around both of them. Jaemin joined him from Jeno’s side. In the friendliest of manners. Without hesitation. Jaehyun could only gape as he looked around for someone who could be as outraged as him but…  

Mark got out of the third car along with Renjun and both of them were listening intently to something Jisung was murmuring to them. Nothing on their faces other than concentration and fascination as clear as the pond nearby.  

His eyes found Yukhei’s, and found the arsonist already looking at him. Yukhei gave him a challenging grin.  

Look what happens when status and prejudice doesn’t get in the way.

Jaehyun felt his ears warm up and he cleared his throat.  

Their steps were quick as they neared the doorless entrance of the warehouse, the younger ones leaving Jaehyun and Yukhei behind. The Snake had long, lazy steps, as if he was never in a hurry, had all the time in the world. Jaehyun, on the other hand, was tense as always when it came to a sudden meeting with a bunch of criminals. He had just started getting used to the Diamond Snake. He had to get his mind off this.  

“It’s curious,” he turned to Yukhei, “how you and my brother Mark are almost the same age, yet he doesn’t count as an elder like you do.”  

Yukhei shrugged and his eyes widened with a mischievous glint.  

“I guess it counts a little different. Your brother is seen mostly around the young ones and they seem to give off a really harmonised vibe, if Your Highness gets what I mean. Meanwhile I am a part of the inner circle, the oldest and most trusted part of the Diamond Snake gang. I guess that puts a little more to my age.”  

Yukhei glanced at the prince who watched him carefully.  

“Y’know, there is more to age than just numbers. Our family prefers not to distinguish based on age. That barely gives you valuable assets. Look at our Jisung. He’s a teenager, like Jeno, they would still be in high school… but they’ve been through things, Prince. Terrible things. And that makes them cautious, makes them listen and work hard so they do not have to endure those things again.”  

Jaehyun swallowed and had the same chill run down his spine when he heard the story of the Shenanigans. He dared not to ask what the two youngest members of the inner circle went through. He stayed silent and gave an understanding nod to Yukhei.  

The arsonist gave him an encouraging grin and lifted his arm, as if he wanted to slap Jaehyun in the back but he decided otherwise and dropped it. A pang of disappointment hit the prince.  

As they stepped through the eerie opening of the warehouse, many things came into Jaehyun’s mind. The first being that the warehouse was actually not empty and abandoned; it was filled with iron containers of many sizes, having gods know what inside them. The second was the stuffy smell, nearing on mouldy, and suddenly he did not want to know what was inside those containers.  

The third was that other than the two people sitting by a table in the middle of the main paved way through the containers, there was no one else.  

As Jaehyun looked closer, there were a bunch of chairs in front of the single table, Jeno and Jisung leading his brothers straight for them. He opened his mouth to object but Yukhei placed a hand on his shoulder.  

They stopped a few feet away from the chairs, giving Jaehyun time and space to take in the two figures waiting for them.  

The one who was sitting on a wooden chair was clad in a leather jacket, jeans and black combat boots. His hair was a tousled, curly mess of dark blond and his mouth was quirked in a pleasant, almost welcoming smile. His head was tilted, watching them carefully.  

Jaehyun fought his eyebrow so it doesn’t shoot up in the skies.  

The other person, the one who perched on the edge of the table, gave off a more mysterious and serious aura – this one reminded Jaehyun of the Snakes. The man – boy? – was not smiling like his partner, he had his eyes set dead on the princes entering. His arms were crossed tightly, but his legs were hanging loosely on the edge of the weathered table. He was clad in black, similarly to the other person, even his hair, which was so dark it was almost blue. His fingers were adorned with rings, all silver, all capable of leaving a nasty mark if he was to punch someone. He was not smiling. There was nothing on his face other than…boredom? He seemed bored out of his mind, even as his eyes zig zagged between the younger princes.

Only two? I thought there were more people in the Shenanigans’ group. Did they just send representatives?  

Yukhei must have noticed Jaehyun’s confused glare because after nudging him, he nodded his head around them, towards the top of the containers. Following his nod, Jaehyun looked and his heart almost stopped.  

From the shadows and darkness, without a sound, figures emerged.  

They were everywhere, scattered around the warehouse, on tops of the containers, between them, hiding out in the shadows. They stood still. They only watched. But it gave Jaehyun the impression that if he was to do anything reckless, they would not hesitate to lunge down, up onto him. He placed his hands deep into his pockets so he wouldn’t loosen his shirt that suddenly felt a bit too tight.  

Then the blond one spoke up, with a voice surprisingly soft and pleasant.  

“Jeno,” he said, “it has been a while. You got us all worried with your absence.”  

The spy smiled and his eyes scrunched up into their usual moon slits. He lifted his hand slightly to stop the younger princes a step away from the chair laid out. Yukhei and Jaehyun did not go nearer, and there was a container’s length left between them and the others.  

“You out of everyone should know, that it is way too difficult to get a hold of you, Chan.”  

Chan laughed, his plump lips widening.  

“I would have thought that the infamous Diamond Snake spies would at least try. We might have let you, right Minho?” he glanced up at his partner. The boy, Minho, only gave Chan a quick glance before continuing to observe them, but his arms loosened a bit.  

“How rude of me,” Chan continued as he finally stood up, and waved at the chairs, “please, guests, sit down.”  

Then, for the first time, Jaehyun thought, he looked over at the eldest prince and Yukhei. After giving a quick nod and a flash of a smile to Yukhei, Chan’s eyes settled on Jaehyun.  

“I’m afraid we have no more chairs. I hope that is not taken as personal insult to the throne,” his eyes did not leave Jaehyun’s and his voice suddenly took on a mocking, challenging tone. Jaehyun did not break his look away from his.

“By all means,” he said coolly, “pretend I am not here. I have no role in this meeting other than being an elder brother.”  

Chan held his gaze for a second and then his smile went back to warm.  

“Perfect. Now, let me introduce myself and my boys,” he sat back down and casually waved his hand around, “My name is Chan and I am the leader of the Shenanigans. I welcome you princes, Snakes.”  

His eyes ran through the boys perching on the chairs. Jaehyun could swear Chenle and Donghyuck shook slightly from excitement.  

“This here is Minho, my Second and my advisor,” he continued, “and soon, if the situation demands, I’ll call the others forward. But that’s it for now.”  

Jeno grinned and Jisung smirked at Chan, who leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.