Agent of Destruction

Jungkook regretted agreeing to the plan almost as soon as they left the suite, but there was no turning back now. What if we discover Namjoon doing something bad? he wondered as they slipped into the elevator.

“Has anyone figured out how we're gonna get past Sejin?” Hoseok asked. “He likes to work in the hotel dining room, and if he sees us-”

“He won't see us,” Jin interrupted, “because I've got an idea.”

“This oughta be good,” Yoongi mumbled.

The elevator doors opened into another hallway and Hoseok groaned. “This isn't the lobby!” he exclaimed.

“Shh!” Jin hissed. “Come on!”

He led them all the way to the end and peered out the window. “Okay, here's the plan,” he said in a loud whisper. “There's a fire escape that runs down from this window. If we can get it open, we can use it to leave the hotel without any managers seeing us.”

“What if we trigger an alarm?” Jungkook asked anxiously.

Taehyung stepped up and examined the window from several angles. “I don't see any wires or bells,” he pronounced. “Help me, Jimin.”

They strained against the window for a few seconds, then the sill finally came loose and they worked it upwards until they had a large enough opening to crawl through. “That's gotta be a safety hazard,” Hoseok commented.

“Stop complaining and let's go!” Jimin said, ducking through the opening, and one by one the others followed him onto the fire escape. Jungkook was last and he gave the hallway one last scan as he jiggled the window back down.

“Don't close it, we'll need it to get back in!” Yoongi said quickly.

“I'm not repeating this experience,” Hoseok grumbled.

“Come on!” Jin said, leading the way down the metal stairs. They went down in a single file line, checking each window for onlookers before sneaking by like shadows. They were almost caught on the second floor by an older couple, but they were so drunk Jungkook presumed they wouldn't remember anything about tonight, much less six guys darting down the fire escape. I hope the paparazzi don't see this, he thought suddenly. This would be really hard to explain to-

He collided into Hoseok’s back and managed to grab the railing before falling completely. “What's the hold up?” he asked.

“Jin failed to mention that the fire escape doesn't go all the way down, and the ladder is stuck,” Taehyung snapped.

Jungkook could see Jin and Jimin both struggling with the ladder and he shouldered his way through to them. “Let me,” he offered.

The others drew back and Jungkook grabbed one of the rungs with both hands. Really hope I don't hurt myself, he thought, then he jumped through the opening toward the ground.

The force of his weight was enough to loosen the ladder and it slid with him before coming to a stop a few feet from the pavement. Jungkook dropped down lightly and looked back at the others. “Come on!” he urged.

“Don't just jump off things like that without a heads up next time!” Yoongi snapped.

“Sorry,” Jungkook apologized.

They all climbed down and decided to leave the ladder down for their return, despite Hoseok's grumbling, and stepped onto the street.

“We need a cab,” Jin called over the noise.

“I called an Uber,” Taehyung yelled back. “It's gonna meet us at the corner.”

Jungkook felt unusually shy as they made their way through the crowd and he pulled his hoodie up to be more inconspicuous. Taehyung, on the other hand, seemed to be doing everything he could to draw attention to himself, including moonwalking down the sidewalk.

“Stop that!” Jimin hissed. “Are you trying to get caught?”

Taehyung stopped and folded his arms. “I'm just trying to have fun,” he pouted.

“We can have fun later,” Jin said, clapping him on the shoulder.

The Uber was actually a small limousine and Jungkook thought Yoongi’s eyes might actually roll out of his head this time. “What the-”

“Aren't we in a hurry?” Taehyung interrupted, already climbing in.

Everyone piled into the limousine and Taehyung gave halting instructions in English to the driver. “Piece of cake,” he said, settling comfortably into the plush seats.


******


Namjoon had been alone in the room so long he was starting to get nervous. What if they've already figured out I'm working with the FBI? he thought anxiously.

He got up and started pacing the room, trying not to fidget with the watch as he clasped his hands behind his back. So far no one had raised an eyebrow at him, but he was feeling more anxious with each minute he spent alone. “It's been too long,” he murmured to the microphone hidden in his necklace.

The door opened suddenly and Namjoon turned around. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Taylor said with a bow, “but it appears Mr. Song is running a little late, so I've brought you some entertainment.”

He gestured for Namjoon to sit in the central seat, then clapped his hands twice. The lights dimmed considerably and a low fog appeared as if by magic, tinted pink and purple by stage lights that winked on like stars. The stage curtains parted and revealed three dancers, two male and one female, all wearing bits of glittery costumes that didn't leave much to the imagination. Their skin was gleaming with oil, and the girl wore thick makeup that made her look dark and dramatic. And probably much older than she is, Namjoon thought with a queasy feeling.

Sensual music started and the dancers began their routine, twisting and gyrating over each other as they made their way to the end of the stage where Namjoon sat. The girl was incredibly beautiful and under different circumstances he might have been attracted to her, but all he could think about was how they were forced to do this just to please him.

The girl repeatedly caught his gaze and took that as an invitation, so she stepped down from the stage and straddled his lap before he could react. Namjoon didn't try to touch her as she moved and rolled her body, then she took both his hands and put them on her slender hips. Don't get shaky, don't get shaky, he reminded himself, giving the dancer what he hoped was a pleased smile.

The music built to a frenzy and the dancer matched its pace with her movements, drawing closer to Namjoon with each beat until her lips hovered just above his own. Namjoon slid his hands up until he felt the rough edges of her bra and gripped her as tightly as her slippery skin would allow. She didn't kiss him, but ran the tip of her tongue over his cheeks and across his lips, making him shiver in spite of himself.

“Namjoon!”

Namjoon pulled back to see the horrified faces of his friends gaping at him from the entrance. Panic rushed through him like a cold wave, then he stifled it and looked back at the dancer. “We'll have to finish this later,” he said, rubbing his thumb over her lips before jerking his head at the door.

The dancer dismounted and the music faded to a pleasant murmur as Taylor made his way through the group. “My apologies for disturbing you, Mr. Kim, but your friends arrived and were asking for you.”

Several of the members were staring at Namjoon, while Hoseok and Jin were glaring daggers at Taylor. “Thank you,” Namjoon said smoothly, stepping between Taylor and the group. He turned to his friends and gave them his best smile. “I'm so glad you could all make it,” he said loudly.

“Namjoon-”

“Could we have some drinks, and maybe some more entertainment for everyone?” Namjoon asked, glancing at Taylor.

“Of course, sir,” Taylor replied, “right away.”

The door closed behind him and Namjoon released the breath he'd been holding. “I know how this looks, but-”

“Oh, you have no idea how it looks,” Yoongi hissed. “How old was that girl, fourteen? And you were feeling her up like a… like a piece of meat!”

“Yoongi, please let me-”

“What is this place?” Jin demanded. “Is it a brothel? Is that what you've been doing, sneaking out to sleep with prostitutes?!”

“Are they all that young?” Taehyung whispered. “Dear God, Joon, do you know how bad this is?”

“Please, we haven't got much time!” Namjoon pleaded. “I know this looks terrible, but I promise I've got a good explanation.”

“Good enough to risk losing BTS?” Yoongi shouted. “The media will have a field day with this! How could you do this to us?!”

He shoved Namjoon hard and Namjoon stumbled back against the stage, but didn't fight back. “Please, let me explain,” he begged.

“Can't we… can't we just hear him out?” Jimin asked in a small voice. “Maybe he really does have a good reason.”

“Thank you, Jimin,” Namjoon sighed. “I was approached by the FBI to help them arrest a sex trafficking ring. I've been working with agents and visiting clubs in order to lure the ringleader in since we got to America, and the leader's meeting me here tonight so the agents can run in and arrest him.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before Jin lunged forward and punched him in the jaw. “That's the worst lie I've ever heard!” he yelled, pinning Namjoon against the wall. “Do you think we're stupid enough to believe that shit?!”

“Jin, don't!” Jungkook cried, trying to pull him off. Taehyung grabbed Jin’s other shoulder and they managed to pull him away from Namjoon.

“I know it sounds insane,” Namjoon said, wiping blood off his chin, “but it's the truth. Sejin and the other managers know, so if you don't believe me you can ask them later.”

Any reply was forestalled by Taylor hurrying into the room. “Is everything alright? Someone heard shouting,” he said anxiously.

“I'm afraid my friend here has already had a lot to drink,” Namjoon lied quickly. “We're fine now, thank you.”

Taylor left again and Namjoon sighed. “Look, I wasn't supposed to tell you in order to keep you safe. Song Jihoon is a bad man, and I couldn't risk your lives by telling you the truth before now.”

“And now?” Hoseok demanded.

“Now you're in it with me,” Namjoon realized. “They think I invited you to… partake, so you'll have to play along until it's all over.”

“Play along?” Jungkook echoed, then the door opened again and two waitresses came in with trays of drinks.

“Just pretend you're in a play and you can't break character,” Namjoon whispered. “I'll do the rest.”

Everyone accepted drinks and downed them immediately, as if bracing themselves for what was to come. Namjoon resumed his seat and tried not to think about the panic Porter and O’Hare were likely experiencing. “I'm sorry, I didn't have any choice,” he murmured into the microphone.

Everyone else was some mixture of hurt and angry as they took seats around the room, except for Hoseok, who stood by the stage with his arms folded. “I don't even know what to say to you,” he snapped.

“I'm sure I can imagine,” Namjoon responded, “but I need you to cooperate, Hoseok. Just for a little while, please?”

Hoseok huffed as he sat beside him and Namjoon sighed. “For what it's worth, I hated every second of it,” he murmured.

“Really, because it looked like you were having a good time just now,” Hoseok barked.

“Hoseok!” Jungkook gasped. “You heard what he said, he was just doing what the… they asked of him.”

At least one of them believes me, Namjoon thought gratefully. The thought occurred to him that Jungkook just didn't want to face the alternative, but he didn't dwell on that now. “All of this will be over in a few hours,” he promised them.

“It better be,” Hoseok grumbled.

The lights went down again and they all collectively braced themselves for the performance. “Don't forget to smile,” Namjoon said softly.

A whole troupe of dancers came out this time, almost filling the small stage as they started dancing. They were much more varied in size, coloring and age than Namjoon had previously seen, and several more young men had been added as well. They really do cater to everyone, Namjoon thought.

Notes