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Chapter Text

The humid Bali night air hung thick and heavy, a suffocating blanket woven with the scent of frangipani and the distant, rhythmic crash of waves. It was a stark, cruel contrast to the icy dread that had seized the eight figures huddled near the rear wall of the sprawling villa. Their breaths hitched, ragged and shallow, each inhale tasting of fear and the metallic tang of betrayal.

Caught.

The small, hastily packed duffel bag, a pathetic testament to their futile hope of escape, lay forgotten by Seokjin’s feet. Its contents – passports, a wad of emergency cash – seemed naive now. Just beyond the pool’s shimmering surface stood the 'kids'. All twenty-eight of them. Not in their brightly colored vacation clothes, not with their usual goofy smiles or shy glances or loud laughs. They were dressed in practical, dark attire. And their faces…

The transformation was absolute, horrifying. No longer were they the clingy babies who cried if their favorite hyung left the room, the introverts who hid behind hoodies, the loud ones who filled silence with noise, or the goofy ones who tripped over their own feet. These were predators. Still terrifyingly young, yes, but with eyes that held a depth of cold understanding and sharp intelligence the parents had never seen before. The shift was so complete, so utterly chilling, it felt like looking at strangers wearing their children’s faces, a macabre masquerade.

Namjoon felt his heart hammering against his ribs. Beside him, Seokjin was pale, eyes wide with terror. Hongjoong’s protective instincts screamed, but who was he protecting? His partner, Seonghwa? Himself? Or… his members, now terrifying enforcers? Seonghwa’s hands gripped Hongjoong’s arm, his calming presence unable to cut through fear. Seungcheol felt a cold knot form in his stomach. Jeonghan looked drained, in shock. Disbelief crippled Chan. Minho stood frozen, his facade shattered, replaced by raw vulnerability.

The silence stretched, punctuated only by the distant buzz of insects and the gentle lapping of pool water. It was broken by a figure stepping forward, his height imposing even in the dim light.

Yunho.

Not the energetic, golden retriever Yunho who loved to dance and joke, the one who was sometimes clumsy in his enthusiasm. This Yunho moved with precise grace, his eyes utterly devoid of their usual warmth, fixed solely on them. His voice, when he spoke, was low, resonant, and chillingly calm.

"Leaving us?" he asked, the simple question layered with an unnerving intensity that made their blood run cold. It wasn’t a question seeking information; it was an indictment.

Changbin spoke, his voice low. "Did you think," he began, stepping forward, "you could just… leave?" The question dripped with disbelief and hurt. "After everything? After we showed you… this?" He gestured at the group, a chilling invitation to their hidden world.

Namjoon found his voice, though it trembled slightly. "We… we needed to understand," he stammered, his eyes darting. "We didn't know… this." He gestured vaguely at the group. This. This terrifying reality, this dark underbelly of their children's lives. "We didn't know you were… involved in… this."

Seonghwa’s voice was soft, a whisper, laced with a desperate plea. "We were scared. You… you aren't who we thought you were. The things we overheard… the whispers… we couldn't reconcile it with the children we raised, the members we cherished."

Suddenly, a sharp, guttural sound came from Wooyoung. It wasn't a laugh, but it held bitter amusement. "And you thought running away was the answer?" he asked, his frantic energy sparking with rage. "Abandoning us? Leaving us to fend for ourselves after all we’ve built, all we’ve sacrificed for you?" His voice rose, a raw, wounded cry.

The word ‘abandoning’ struck a chord, a discordant note that resonated with the deep-seated fear of separation the kids, particularly the more clingy ones, often exhibited. But this wasn't the whiny clinginess of a child wanting attention; this was the possessive, dangerous reaction of someone who felt a valued possession, a cherished belonging, was trying to slip away, to escape their grasp. It was the rage of an owner whose property had dared to defy them.

San echoed Wooyoung’s sentiment, his voice tight with raw emotion, a low growl that sent shivers down their spines. "Did you not… did you not want to be with us anymore?" His tone was lower, softer than Wooyoung’s, but held a raw vulnerability that was somehow more terrifying than the anger. This was the clinginess amplified, twisted into something demanding and absolute, a desperate, dangerous plea for reassurance. "Were we just… a temporary convenience?"

Hongjoong stepped slightly in front of Seonghwa, his protective instincts overriding his fear, a futile gesture against the overwhelming force before them. "That's not fair," he said, his voice strained. "We love you. More than anything. But this… this is a different world. A dangerous world. A world we never knew existed."

Yoongi pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against, moving with unsettling grace, a predator stalking its prey. "Dangerous? You think you're in danger?" He scoffed, a harsh, derisive sound in the night, devoid of any humor. "We control the danger. We are the danger." His gaze swept over them, cold and assessing, a chilling promise of what they were capable of. "You think you can just walk away from us and be safe? You're deluding yourselves."

"It seems you underestimated us," Seungmin stated with an underlying current of cold fury. "You saw children who needed care, who needed protection. You didn't see the infrastructure, the networks, the… capabilities… we possess. You saw lambs. We are wolves, dear hyungs. Wolves who protect their pack, fiercely and without mercy."

Jimin stepped forward then, his eyes sharp and narrowed, glinting with a dangerous light. "You taught us about trust, about family," he said, his voice low and trembling slightly, but with anger, not fear. "You taught us loyalty. And your first reaction is to run from us? To betray that trust?" The Jimin they knew was completely absent, replaced by someone who felt an unforgivable betrayal, and the consequences would be severe. "We gave you everything. Our hearts, our lives. And you… ran?"

Taehyung let out a small, humorless chuckle, a dry, rasping sound. "Running away," he repeated, shaking his head slowly, a gesture of disappointment. "That's… very disappointing, Hyungs. Truly. We thought you were stronger than that. More loyal." The simple words, delivered without his usual box smile, felt heavy. "Did you think we wouldn't notice? Did you think you could just vanish into the night without a trace?"

"We… we thought we could finally relax," Mingyu spoke up, his voice faster than usual, fueled by irritation and hurt, a rapid-fire accusation. "Have you here, like a normal family vacation, a chance to just be together, without the weight of the world on our shoulders. And you ruined it."

Dino looked up at his hyungs, his young face clouded with confusion, anger, and sadness. "Why? Why did you want to sneak away from us?" His voice was small, quiet, almost childlike, but his question cut through the tense air, highlighting the simple, childlike hurt beneath the dangerous exterior. The 'baby' was asking the question, and his innocent pain was more devastating than any threat. "Didn't you like being with us? Were we not enough?"

Jeonghan, in a desperate attempt to regain some control, attempted a placating tone. "Dino-yah, it's not like that baby. We just… needed a moment. To understand. To process everything."

Hoshi barked a laugh, "Understand what, Hyung? That we're capable? That we don't need you to coddle us anymore? That we're not the helpless children you imagine us to be?" His eyes blazed with fierce pride, dangerous defiance. "We've been protecting you, shielding you from the ugliness of this world, while you lived in blissful ignorance. And this is our reward?"

"You saw us as weak. As needing protection, as fragile. You saw only the idols, the performers, the artists." Woozi paused, his gaze unwavering, piercing through their very souls. "That perception is… incorrect. And frankly, insulting. We are far from weak. We are the architects of our own safety, and yours."

Felix finally spoke, his voice soft , a heartbreaking whisper that carried more weight than any shout. "We just… we wanted you to be proud of us," he whispered, his eyes shining, not with tears, but with a deep, genuine hurt that made the parents' hearts ache, even amidst their fear. This twisted manifestation of wanting parental approval, even for their dark deeds, struck them the hardest, a bitter irony. "Even if it's… this. This life. We do it for you. To keep you safe. To keep you with us."

Chan felt a pang of parental guilt, quickly followed by the crushing weight of reality, a cold stone in his gut. "Proud?" he repeated, the word catching in his throat, a strangled sound. "Felix, you're involved in… this? This violence? This… mafia?" The words tasted like ash.

Han stepped closer to Felix, putting a protective arm around his shoulders, a possessive gesture. "Our Chan-Hyung seems surprised," he said, a forced smile on his face, a grotesque parody of his usual cheerfulness. "Did you really think we were just… goofing off all the time? Playing games? Someone has to handle things while our lovely parents were busy doing their own things. Someone had to ensure their continued safety, their continued presence in our lives." His smile widened, becoming a chilling rictus.

I.N. added quietly, his voice a low hum of conviction, "We protect what's ours. What is important to us. And you… you are ours." His gaze was steady, unwavering, chillingly possessive. "You belong with us. Always."

"It seems you valued your comfort and perceived safety over staying with us," Minghao said, his voice detached. "A poor decision, given the circumstances you find yourselves in. A decision with… severe repercussions." He didn't raise his voice, but his words carried the weight of a pronouncement, a judgment from which there was no appeal.

Vernon looked angered, running a hand through his hair, a gesture of frustrated disbelief. "I just… I don't get it," he mumbled, which was terrifying because it was so real, so unfeigned. He wasn't pretending; he genuinely couldn't fathom why they would leave. "Why would you want to leave us? We're a family. We're your family. We protect each other. We need each other."

Changbin stepped fully into the small space between the parents and the main group. "You made a choice," he stated, his voice resonating with finality, each word a hammer blow. "And choices have consequences. Especially choices that threaten the very fabric of our family."

Namjoon felt a surge of desperate hope, a flicker in the encroaching darkness. "What consequences?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, to project an authority he no longer felt. "We can talk about this. Explain. There must be a way to understand each other."

Seungkwan finally broke his silence, his expressive face contorted with anger. "Explain? Explain why you tried to ditch us in the middle of the night?" He threw his hands up. "Did you think we wouldn't notice? Did you think we were that incompetent? That blind? We know everything. We see everything."

Seonghwa tried again, his voice pleading, desperate. "We didn't mean to abandon you. We just… the things we overheard… it was so much. So different from the life we knew, the life we thought we had with you."

Yunho tilted his head, a gesture that would normally look curious or playful, but now seemed predatory, like a hawk assessing its prey. "Different, yes," he agreed softly, his voice a silken thread of menace. "But still us. Still your members, your children. Still the ones who love you, who need you. And who will never let you go."

Mingi, in a move that stunned the parents, took a step towards them, his huge frame looming, casting a long shadow. He looked down at them, and for a moment, a flicker of the clumsy, baby Mingi appeared in his expression – a look of confusion and hurt, a ghost of their innocent past. But it was quickly masked by the cold, hard gaze of the mafia leader, a chilling transformation. "Did you… did you think we weren't good enough?" he asked, his voice quieter than expected, but raw with emotion, a wounded beast's growl. The clinginess was twisted into this terrifying question, a demand for validation that promised pain if denied. "Did you think you could find something better? Someone better?"

Hongjoong’s heart twisted, a painful knot of despair. This was tearing the kids apart, this perception of rejection, this deep-seated fear of abandonment. But how could they not react to the horrifying reality of what their children were involved in? "No! Of course not!" Hongjoong insisted vehemently, his voice cracking. "It's just… this life… it's not safe. It's violent. It's not what we wanted for you."

San laughed, a short, bitter sound that held no mirth, only chilling contempt. "Safe? You think walking away into a foreign country alone in the middle of the night is safe? Without us? You wouldn't last an hour without us. We are your safety! We are your protection! We are your world!" The clinginess was now declared protection, a terrifying, absolute possessiveness that left no room for dissent. "We are the only ones who can keep you alive. And you tried to leave us? You tried to leave your only chance at survival?"

Wooyoung mirrored San, his eyes blazing with fierce, wounded rage. "We protect you! We always have! Every step of the way, every danger averted, every threat neutralized. And this is how you thank us? By trying to leave? By trying to sever the bonds we’ve forged with blood and loyalty?" His voice was a raw, guttural cry of betrayal. "You think you can just discard us like old toys?"

"We trusted you. We brought you here to relax. To be a family." Jongho’s voice was deep, carrying unexpected disappointment, a chilling reprimand from the maknae they had always babied. "And you repay that trust with deceit. With an attempt to escape. You broke our hearts, Hyungs. And that is unforgivable."

Chan looked at his own members, their faces hard and unyielding, their eyes cold and unforgiving. He saw no trace of the boys he had nurtured. "Chan," Minho whispered, his voice barely audible, a fragile plea, "What do we do? I… I don't know what to do." Minho was lost, adrift in terror.

Chan shook his head, unable to answer, his mind a frantic. He had faced countless challenges as a leader, navigated treacherous industry politics, and weathered storms of public opinion. But facing his own members, powerful figures in a dangerous world he never knew they inhabited, left him without a plan.

Namjoon looked at Seokjin, finding a flicker of shared strength in his partner's terrified eyes. They, the leaders, the protectors, the supposed brains of their respective groups, were helpless. None of it could save them from the chilling wrath of their 'children'.

Seungcheol felt Jeonghan’s hand tighten on his arm, a desperate, crushing grip. This wasn't a game of wits; this wasn't a political maneuver. The stakes were lethally real, and the rules of engagement were unknown.

"So," Changbin said, breaking the terrified silence, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "Since you don't seem to understand that leaving isn't an option… since your loyalty is so easily swayed…" He trailed off, letting the implied threat hang in the air, a palpable, suffocating presence. "We'll have to ensure you understand. Permanently."

Han finished his thought, his forced cheerfulness making it sound even more sinister, a macabre jingle. "We'll have to make sure you understand. Very clearly. With every fiber of your being. So clearly, in fact, that the thought of leaving us will never, ever cross your minds again." A chilling smile stretched across his face, a predator's grin.

Felix added with chilling finality, his voice a soft, deadly whisper, "You're not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever. You are ours. And we will keep you. Forever." His eyes, usually so full of warmth, now held a cold, unwavering resolve, a terrifying promise of eternal captivity.

The night air, once thick with the scent of flowers, now carried the faint, metallic scent of fear.

Chapter Text

The air crackled, thick with the unspoken threat of Felix’s quiet declaration. "You're not going anywhere." His words, soft as a lullaby, landed like hammer blows, each syllable a fresh bruise on their battered psyches.

Namjoon felt a tight knot coil in his stomach. Beside him, Seokjin trembled, a silent, desperate tremor that spoke volumes of suppressed fear.

Across the dim, humid space, the other parents mirrored the anxiety, their faces pale and drawn, etched with terror. Chan’s shock rendered him speechless, jaw slack, eyes wide and unseeing. Minho wore pure, unadulterated terror. Hongjoong stood frozen, a statue of defeat, his mind incapable of processing the monstrous reality. Seonghwa's pallor spoke volumes of the pressure breaching his calm. Seungcheol appeared lost in the storm of emotions, his leadership stripped, leaving only a terrified man. Jeonghan clutched Seungcheol's arm, his face twisted in a grimace of dread, his grip desperate, bone-crushing.

The kids, their faces a terrifying blend of coldness and wounded betrayal, didn't move immediately. They simply waited, a silent, predatory semicircle, watching their 'parents' like hunters observing cornered prey. The silence stretched, an unbearable weight, punctuated only by the distant, mocking whisper of the Balinese night breeze and faint sounds of the villa – sounds that felt distant and alien from their terrifying reality.

Then, Mingi took another deliberate step forward. Each footfall was heavy, a drumbeat of impending doom. His massive frame loomed, casting a long, oppressive shadow over the trapped adults. "Follow us," he stated, his voice a low, guttural rumble that vibrated through the humid air. It wasn't a request. It was an absolute command from a new, terrifying authority.

The leaders and hyungs, trapped between the terrifying figures of their members and the unknown, predatory dangers of the dark, foreign night, had no choice. They turned, a huddle of terrified shoulders slumped in defeat, and walked back towards the main villa, guided by the silent, watchful presence of the ones they used to tuck into bed, the ones they had once believed were innocent, helpless children. Each step was a surrender, a forfeiture of freedom, of autonomy.

Walking through the villa felt surreal, a descent into a nightmare. They had tried to escape the unbearable truth of their children’s double lives, and in doing so, had only solidified their captivity.

They were led not back to their private suites but to a central, larger room. It was spacious, comfortable, with plush sofas and a large screen television. But as they entered, they noticed subtle, insidious changes. The heavy curtains were drawn completely, thick and opaque. Unrecognized figures – silent, watchful individuals dressed in simple, dark clothing – stood near the entrances, blending into the shadows but undeniably present. Guards. Their children’s subordinates.

"Sit," Yunho instructed, gesturing to the sofas. His eyes fixed on them with an intensity that made the parents squirm.

Hesitantly, the hyungs settled onto the furniture. Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa close, burying his face in his shoulder, as if to shield him from the monstrous reality. Chan kept a protective arm around Minho, murmuring reassurances neither believed, his own voice trembling. Namjoon and Seokjin sank onto a sofa together, their hands clasped tightly. Seungcheol pulled Jeonghan onto his lap, burying his face in his hair, absorbing his fear, making it his own. They were a tight, fearful unit, surrounded by the silent, suffocating hostility of their crew, their captors.

The members remained standing, fanning out slightly, creating a semicircle that penned the parents in, a living, breathing wall of possessive intent.

"We need a serious talk," Hyunjin said, his tone frosty, each word a bitter accusation. "What made you think this was a good idea? This… pathetic escape attempt?"

Beside him, San chimed in, "Trying to sneak away? Like we wouldn’t notice? Like we wouldn’t care?" His voice trembled with raw emotion. "Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

"We told you," Jimin added, his voice low and trembling with anger. "That we protect you. We take care of everything. And your first instinct was to... run from us? To betray that trust? To spit on our loyalty?"

Taehyung's expression was inscrutable, which was perhaps the most unnerving change of all.

"It wasn't about running from you," Hongjoong said, fear gripping him as he sought to make them understand. "It was... this world. It's violent. It's dangerous. We just want you safe. To live normal lives."

A collective, humorless scoff rippled through the group. Changbin sneered, his lips twisting into a cruel parody of a smile. "Safe? You think we aren’t safe? We create safety! Every peaceful breath, every moment of blissful ignorance you’ve enjoyed, was a gift from us. A gift you now seek to discard."

"You wanted safety?" Han echoed, his eyes glinting with a manic light. "There’s no safety outside us. Not for you. Not anymore. We are your world, your sanctuary, your only protection. And you tried to leave it. Foolish. So foolish."

"We hold the reins," Mingyu declared, his voice resonating with unshakeable authority. "Here. Back home. Everywhere you've felt 'safe' was because we allowed it. We made sure of it. Every contract, every deal, every rival eliminated – it was all for you. To keep you comfortable, to keep you ours."

The revelation hit the parents like a physical blow, shattering their perception of reality. The chaotic, loving world they inhabited—where they were steady anchors for their sometimes-clumsy, sometimes-loud, sometimes-introverted children—was merely a carefully crafted illusion maintained by those same kids. A gilded cage, meticulously built, for their unwitting captivity.

"So the company... the schedules... it’s all...?" Namjoon trailed off, his voice a strained whisper, struggling to grasp the deception's magnitude, the hidden empire's sheer scale.

Seungmin smirked, a cold, calculating expression that wiped away his usual gentle demeanor. "Layers, Namjoon-hyung. Many layers. You only saw the parts we wanted you to see. The pretty facade. The comfortable lie."

Minho, his terror momentarily overshadowed by bewildered anger, managed to say, "So all this time... you little rascals were running an entire operation behind our backs? A mafia operation?" The absurdity, the sheer audacity, was almost comical, if not utterly terrifying.

The kids exchanged looks, a fleeting moment of unspoken understanding, a silent communication that excluded the parents, making them feel utterly alien.

Jongho took a step forward, his deep voice firm, leaving no room for disagreement. "Lee Know-hyung," he said, his tone devoid of playful teasing, "it wasn’t done ‘behind your backs.’ It was done for you—for your security, your comfort, and our future. Every dirty deed, every drop of blood, was a sacrifice for your continued existence, for your continued presence in our lives."

"We didn’t want you to worry," Yeosang added possessively. "We feel... protective. Of what belongs to us. And you … belong to us, body and soul."

"Ours?" Seokjin murmured, his voice strained. "Are you saying... you see us as... possessions? As property?"

Woozi nodded, his expression chillingly serene. "Of course," he said, as if stating the obvious truth. "You are our family. Our hearts. Our everything. And we cannot lose you. We will not lose you."

"We built this," Suga spoke up, his voice low, raspy, carrying the weight of undeniable, brutal truth. He unfolded himself from the shadows, moving with unsettling grace, like a predator emerging. "From nothing. From the scraps of our broken pasts. To protect what is precious. And you... you are the most precious."

"We were just so scared," Hongjoong pleaded again, his voice raw, trying desperately to appeal to the part of them he knew still existed. "For your safety, mafia... it's not a life we want for you. We want you happy, free."

"And letting you walk out there alone was safe?" Hoseok challenged with a mask of cold, wounded fury. "Into the night? Where we control everything? Where anything could happen? We knew exactly where you were going. We could have... intervened. And we will, if you ever try such a foolish stunt again." He trailed off, the implication hanging heavy, a chilling promise of violence.

"You underestimate us," Seungkwan said. "You thought we were just... idols playing pretend? That you didn't know how to handle things? That you needed to protect us? We protect you. We always have. And we always will. Whether you like it or not."

Jungkook watched his parents with a disappointed, almost hurt expression, more crushing than any anger, more devastating than any threat. His tall frame slumped, the image of a betrayed child. "We thought... you would be proud," he said, his voice low, almost a whisper. "That you would understand. This is our way of being strong. Of taking care of things. Our way of keeping our family together. Why can't you see that?"

San stepped forward again, a flicker of the hurt baby peeking through the mafia facade, a terrifying juxtaposition. "We were clingy because... because we love you. We relied on you. We still do! But that clinginess... it also means we can't let you go. Ever. " The possessiveness rooted in that same deep-seated need for connection, twisted and amplified by their power.

Taehyung nodded, his expression still cold, his eyes fixed on them with unnerving intensity. "We have separation anxiety, remember? Thinking you were just... leaving? Abandoning us? It was unbearable. We will do whatever it takes to prevent that agony from repeating."

"So," Wooyoung said, stepping forward. "Since the message didn't get through when we tried to be subtle... when we tried to be gentle... we're going to have to be more... direct. More... persuasive."

Han’s smile was back, but it was wrong. It was a wide, chilling smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Consider this... forced family bonding," he chirped, his voice unnervingly cheerful. "A lesson in loyalty. A refresher course in belonging."

Felix’s cold voice added, his whisper still deadly, "For as long as it takes for you to understand. That we are your family. And you belong with us. Forever. Even if we have to break you to make you see it."

The hyungs looked at each other, then back at their members. These were not the kids they thought they knew. Yet, terrifyingly, they were their children. The love, the protectiveness, the clinginess – all still there, warped and weaponized by a hidden life of power and danger they had never suspected.

"You will stay here," Jungkook stated calmly, his authority absolute, chillingly mature. "You will have everything you need. Comfort. Food. Whatever you desire, within these walls. But you will not leave. You will not communicate with anyone outside. And you will not attempt to escape again." Mingi finished, his voice back to that quiet, menacing tone, each word a hammer blow. "Because the next time... the consequences will be... unpleasant. For everyone. And we assure you, our definition of 'unpleasant' is far more... creative than yours."

He didn't specify who "everyone" was, but the parents understood. Not just them, but potentially anyone they cared about outside the villa. Their families, friends, loved ones. The threat was implicit, absolute, and terrifyingly effective.

The clicking thud of the lock was a physical blow. It echoed in the oppressive silence that rushed in to fill the space where their children had just been, a silence that screamed of their captivity. For a moment, the four couples stood frozen, scattered across the plush rug of the enormous suite, the air conditioning’s gentle hum mocking the sudden chill.

Hongjoong felt Seonghwa bury his face into his side, muffling a raw, guttural sob that tore at Hongjoong’s own heart. Chan held Minho tightly, his arms a desperate vice, murmuring reassurances, his own eyes wide with unshed tears. Namjoon closed his eyes for a brief moment, incapable of finding a solution. Seokjin reached for Namjoon’s hand, clinging to it as if it were the last lifeline in a raging storm, his knuckles white. Seungcheol pulled Jeonghan into his chest, burying his face in his hair, inhaling the familiar scent of his partner, a desperate anchor in a world that had just turned upside down.

They were trapped. Utterly, irrevocably trapped. No one spoke for a long while. They were processing, grieving the loss of the people they thought they knew, wrestling with the monstrous truth. The boys they had raised, nurtured, and loved were gone, replaced by ruthless, possessive predators who saw them not as parents, but as cherished, vital possessions.

Finally, Seonghwa lifted his head from Hongjoong's side, his eyes red-rimmed and swollen, but possessing a flicker of something – not defiance, not yet, but a desperate clarity born of profound pain and chilling realization. His voice, usually warm and comforting, was thin and reedy, barely a whisper.

"W-we can't... we can't be this," he whispered, looking not at Hongjoong, but at the heavy, locked door, as if the words were meant for their captors, a futile act of rebellion.

"We can't be..." Jeonghan, pulling back slightly from Seungcheol, finished the thought, his voice equally strained, equally broken. "We aren't your parents anymore." The words hung in the air, fragile yet final, a desperate attempt to sever the psychological ties that bound them, even if the physical ones remained.

They were severing the tie, cutting the cord that bound them to the terrifying figures who had just left the room. Chan kept rubbing slow circles on Minho’s back, his own terror a cold knot in his gut.

"We...we can't..." Minho started, his voice barely a whisper, echoing Seonghwa and Jeonghan's sentiment, unable to articulate the full horror. "We can't be... we can't do this..." He couldn't bring himself to say 'be your parents' either. It felt too much like accepting this monstrous version of them.

Seokjin looked at the door, remembering the cold authority in Jungkook’s voice, the quiet menace in Mingi's. He remembered the chilling smiles, the predatory gazes.

They were trapped. And the silence screamed louder than any threat.

Meanwhile,

Downstairs, or perhaps in another wing of the sprawling, luxurious villa, the atmosphere was anything but silent. The moment the door to the parents' room clicked shut, the carefully controlled composure of the "kids" shattered.

They gathered in a large living area, the expensive furniture a stark contrast to the raw, turbulent emotions ripping through them. The loud ones were the first to break.

"Did you hear them?!" Wooyoung cried out, a wounded fury blazing in his eyes. He paced the floor like a caged animal, running a hand through his hair, tugging at the roots as if to pull the words from his mind. "They said... they aren't our parents anymore! They rejected us! After everything we've done for them!"

San was right there with him, his clinginess manifesting as a fierce, almost violent protectiveness directed at the parents, even in their rejection. His voice a guttural snarl. "How dare they? After everything! We just wanted them safe! To be with us! To be ours!”

Hoseok wore a mask of disbelief punctuated by pain. "H-how could they? Jin-hyung... Joonie-hyung... did they really say that? Did they mean it?" Heartache shadowed his features, snuffing out the light in his eyes,.

Seungkwan trembled, his face red with a mix of anger and tears. "Unpleasant?! They think our lives for them is unpleasant?! After we just showed them everything?!" His temper crackled like lightning, yet beneath the storm lay profound hurt.

Hoshi's fists tightened like coiled springs, his eyes blazing with dangerous, wounded pride. "They want to leave?! After everything we've built?! For us? For them?! Our entire empire, our very existence, is built around keeping them safe, keeping them here! And they want to throw it all away?" DK stood beside him, frozen in a tableau of silent, simmering betrayal, his bright demeanor replaced by chilling stillness.

Jungkook looked like a hurt kid, his vulnerability more terrifying than any rage. "We just... we just wanted them to stay. To be a family. To be whole. Why would they say that? Why would they try to break us apart?" His tall frame slumped, the weight of their rejection crushing him.

Mingi leaned against Yunho, looking utterly devastated, his earlier menace vanished, leaving behind the confused, hurt clinginess of a child who had just been slapped. "Appa said... Mama said..." He couldn't even finish, the words catching in his throat, too painful to utter.

Hyunjin was running a hand through his hair, agitated, his movements jerky. "They're rejecting us! Because of... because of what we are? Because we're strong? Is their comfort more important than our love, our loyalty?"

Han looked stunned. "But... we're still us! The same people they raised! The same people who love them more than anything!”

The maknaes were perhaps the most visibly heartbroken.

Jongho looked devastated. He usually teased the hyungs, not had the hyungs reject him like this.

Dino was wide-eyed and trembling slightly. The playful teasing he endured from his members was nothing compared to the sting of this perceived abandonment by his parental figures.

Felix's eyes were clouded with confusion and pain. "They don't... don't they love us?" he whispered, the softness of his voice carrying fragile, terrifying vulnerability, a question that promised dire consequences if the answer was not what he desired.

I.N was biting his lip, tears welling, his entire body trembling. Everyone babied him, but ultimate comfort came from Chan-appa and Minho-mama. Their words felt like a physical blow, a betrayal so profound it threatened to shatter him.

Yunho felt a cold knot of rejection in his stomach, struggling with the feeling of not being enough, while Mingyu radiated a chilling stillness, their shared hurt palpable in a silent, seething rage.

"They can't just say that!" Jungkook's voice cracked, a raw, desperate sound. "They can't just say they aren't our parents! It's a lie! A cruel, unforgivable lie!"

"It's not true anyway," Taehyung scoffed, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "They are our parents. They raised us. They took care of us. And we will remind them of that, every single day, until they remember."

"And we take care of them now!" Yunho's earlier hurt transforming into determined, chilling protectiveness – still warped by their reality. "We give them everything! Comfort, safety... us! We are their world now. Their only world."

"They don't get to decide when that stops," Mingyu punctuated slowly, each word a heavy, deliberate hammer blow. "We are their family. They belong with us. End of story."

"They need to understand," Changbin said. "They need to take it back. Every word. Every thought of leaving us. They need to understand their lives are irrevocably entwined with ours. Permanently."

A dangerous consensus formed, a silent, terrifying agreement. The collective pain and shock curdled into something possessive and absolute, a dark, viscous liquid of vengeance. The underlying clinginess, the deep-seated fear of abandonment, was triggered by the parents' desperate declaration. It wasn't just about mafia power; it was about a fundamental, primal need for the parental figures they had believed were theirs unconditionally, a need brutally denied.

"We have to make them say it," Woozi's silence twisted into chilling resolve. "Make them say they are our Appa and Mama. Make them say they are ours. Make them say they love us. And make them believe it, with every fiber of their being."

"How?" Mingi asked, still lost.

Hyunjin spoke up. "We remind them. We show them. We don't let them forget who they are. And who we are... to them. We will break them down, piece by agonizing piece, until only their loyalty to us remains. Until they crave our presence, our touch, our very existence."

"We go back," Dino said. "We make them look at us. Really look. And say the words. We will strip away their defiance, their independence, until they are nothing but ours."

Yoongi finally unfolded, his movements unsettlingly graceful, like a predator stretching before the hunt. "They tried to cut the string," he said, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "We tie it back. Tighter. So tight, in fact, that they will never, ever be able to breathe without us again."

The younger members looked around at each other, a silent, terrifying agreement. The hurt was still there, raw and bleeding, but it now fueled grim determination, a chilling resolve to reclaim what they believed was theirs. Their clinginess, their need for their parents, was no longer a gentle pull; it was a vice grip.

"Alright," Wooyoung replied, nodding, a playful, manic spark in his eyes that perfectly captured his insanity, a terrifying blend of childish glee and ruthless intent. "Let's go remind them who they belong to."

After all, they are OURs.

Chapter Text

The air in the hushed corridor outside the locked room crackled with a different kind of energy now. The raw, bewildered hurt had sharpened into a collective, focused intent, a predatory gleam in twenty-eight pairs of eyes. They moved as one unit, a dangerous tide of youth and power, fueled by the deepest, most agonizing cut their parental figures had ever inflicted. The quiet members walked with a newfound stillness that was more unnerving than any noise, their silence a heavy shroud of menace. The usually boisterous ones were subdued, their vibrant energy compressed into a tense, coiled readiness, a barely contained storm.

Yoongi, who rarely initiated movement unless strictly necessary, was at the front, his steps silent but purposeful, a phantom in the dim light. His presence alone was a promise of retribution.

The guard stationed outside the door nodded curtly as they approached. He knew better than to question the collective will of this group, especially when illuminated by the cold, hard glint in so many young eyes. He unlocked the heavy door without a word, the metallic click a stark punctuation mark in the suffocating silence.

The parents – Hongjoong and Seonghwa, Chan and Minho, Namjoon and Seokjin, Seungcheol and Jeonghan – were gathered in the living area of the suite. They were seated or standing apart, looking a mixture of wary, resigned, and heartbroken. The defiance they had shown earlier seemed to have drained away, replaced by a heavy dread that clung to them like a shroud. Their faces were pale and troubled, etched with the grim understanding of their predicament.

Seonghwa sat on the edge of a plush armchair, his hands clasped tightly in his lap with anxiety that made his knuckles white. Beside him, Hongjoong stood, his smaller frame radiating tension, his eyes fixed on the door, as if willing it to disappear.

Across the room, Seokjin leaned against a dresser, his arms crossed, his face etched with sorrow, the vibrant spark in his eyes extinguished. Namjoon sat slumped on a sofa, looking lost.

Chan was a statue by the window, his back to them initially, before slowly turning, his strong features a mask of painful disappointment, his jaw clenched. Minho was closer to him, leaning against the wall.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan were near the adjoining bedroom door, Seungcheol standing protectively in front of Jeonghan, who looked utterly exhausted.

Twenty-eight pairs of eyes, cold, sharp, and wounded, fixed on the eight figures in the room. The door clicked shut behind the kids, the sound echoing like a final, heavy pronouncement, sealing their fate.

"We're back," Wooyoung stated, his voice flat and chilling. San was immediately at his side, silent but his gaze intense, mirroring Wooyoung's unsettling stillness, a silent, predatory echo.

Hongjoong swallowed, his throat tight, tasting ash. "We... we said what we needed to say." His voice was a strained whisper, a futile attempt at defiance.

"No," Jungkook said, his voice low but carrying the surprising weight of his strength and the raw, wounded hurt that twisted his features. "You said something you needed to take back. Every single word."

"It wasn't true anyway," I.N added with a quiet, intense focus, his young face unnervingly serious. "You are our parents. You always have been. You always will be."

Namjoon finally looked up, his eyes meeting Jungkook's, a desperate plea in their depths. "Jungkook-ah... you know that's not... biologically true. We aren't your biological parents."

"That doesn't matter!" Yunho boomed a terrifying conviction. He took a few steps forward, his tall frame looming, casting a long, oppressive shadow. "Being a parent isn't just about blood! It's about raising us! Taking care of us! Being there! And you were there! You are there! You will always be there!"

"And we were there," Chan said quietly, his face softening slightly, pain flickering in his eyes, a desperate attempt to appeal to the boys' fading humanity. "We loved you. We protected you."

"And then you tried to run away from us," Han said, his voice a cutting bitterness. "You found out who we really are, and you tried to abandon us. You tried to sever the very ties that bind us, the ties that you forged."

Jeonghan let out a shaky breath, his body trembling. "It's... it's not who we thought you were. This life... it's not safe. We just... wanted you away from it." His voice was a plea, a desperate gasp for understanding.

"Away from us?" Felix's voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the tension like a knife. "Do you think being away from us is safer than being with us? We protect you. We make sure you have everything. We are your safety." His eyes, usually so full of warmth, now held a chilling, unwavering resolve.

"Comfort, safety, luxury..." Mingyu listed, his voice rapid and sharp, each word a hammer blow of accusation. "Anything you could possibly want. We provide it. We built this... this entire empire... so we could give you everything. So we could keep you."

Minho finally spoke, his tone cold and detached, a fragile shield against the terror. "We didn't ask for this life. We didn't ask for... for members in the mafia. We didn't ask for this gilded cage."

"We didn't ask to be abandoned!" Mingi burst out, his tall frame shaking with fury, his voice a guttural roar. "You said you weren't our parents anymore... Do you know what that feels like? To be discarded? To be told you're not enough?" His pain was raw, unfiltered, a terrifying force.

The parents flinched. Seeing the raw, unfiltered pain on the faces of the members they had nurtured was agonizing, a twist of the knife in their own hearts. This wasn't the cold, calculating mafia persona they'd glimpsed; this was the wounded child they had always known, magnified and weaponized by their newfound identity, their power.

"We... we were scared," Seokjin admitted, his voice thick with emotion, tears welling in his eyes. "Scared for you. Scared of you. We didn't know..."

"You didn't know we were capable?" Changbin finished, his voice dripping with contempt. "You only saw the sides of us we let you see. The loud goofballs, the quiet introverts, the clumsy ones, the ones you babied... that was real. But this is real too. And it's because of you that we can do this. That we can protect you. Protect... our family."

"Family don't abandon each other," Dino stated, his cold innocence making the accusation hit harder, a tiny, sharp blade. "Especially not because they're scared. Especially not when we've given you everything."

"We weren't abandoning you," Seungcheol said, his voice strained, a desperate plea. "We were trying to get out. To get you out of this!"

"But we are in it!" Hoshi exclaimed. "This is our life! Our choice! And you tried to leave the people who chose you! The people who own you!"

Jeonghan sighed, running a hand through his hair, a gesture of utter defeat. "It's complicated, kids..."

"It's simple," Woozi interrupted, stepping forward, his small frame radiating an unnerving power. The cold resolve in his eyes made him more formidable than any of them. "You said you aren't our parents. We need you to say you are. We need you to say you want to be."

"We can't," Hongjoong said, his voice barely a whisper, a broken sound. "Not when you are... this. Not when you've become... strangers."

"Then you leave us no choice," Yoongi said, finally moving from the front of the group to stand directly in front of where Namjoon and Seokjin were, his presence a suffocating weight. His face was hard and chilling, his eyes devoid of warmth. "You taught us loyalty. You taught us family. You taught us to protect what is ours. And you are ours. Every breath you take, every beat of your heart, belongs to us."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle, a chilling pronouncement. "You are ours. And we will never let you go. Not now. Not ever."

Minho scoffed, a wry, a desperate attempt at defiance. "Ours to control? Ours to lock away? Isn't that what you're doing?"

"Ours to keep," San corrected. "Ours to love. Ours to take care of. Like you took care of us. And if that means keeping you in a cage, then so be it."

"We will give you everything. More than everything. Just... you need to be ours. Our Appa. Our Mama. Our cherished possessions." Taehyung added with a quiet, silken threat. His box smile was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a cold, unwavering resolve.

Jimin, his eyes fixed on Seokjin, a desperate, almost manic gleam in their depths. "Just say it, Mama. Say you're our Mama. Say you love us. Say you'll never leave us."

"Jimin-ah..." Seokjin's voice cracked, tears streaming down his face.

"Say it!" Wooyoung's voice rose, the stillness gone, replaced by a desperate, almost hysterical intensity. He took a step forward, his hands clenching into fists. "Say you're our Appa! Say you're our Mama! Say you didn't try to leave us! Say you didn't mean it! Say you belong to us!" His voice was a raw, guttural cry, a wounded beast's roar.

The air grew thick with unspoken threats and raw, bleeding emotion. The hyungs were cornered, not just physically, but emotionally, psychologically. They saw the depth of need in these young faces, a need that was now dangerously intertwined with their mafia capabilities, their twisted sense of loyalty. They had taught them strength, loyalty, and the fierce protection of family. Now, those lessons were being used against them, weaponized with a terrifying precision.

"We don't want to hurt you," Yunho said, his voice losing some of its anger, replaced by a pleading tone that was almost more terrifying in its sincerity. "We just... we just need things to be the way they were. We need you to be ours again. Truly ours."

"But they can't be the way they were!" Bang Chan finally burst out, stepping away from the window, his composure cracking, shattering like glass. "We saw... we saw what you do! The violence! The blood! The danger! That's not the life we wanted for you! That's not the future we envisioned! That's not you!"

"It's our present!" Junhui stated, his voice cold and unwavering. "And our future. And you are part of it. You have to be. You don't just... walk away from family."

"Especially not this family," Wonwoo added coldly. "You are protected. You are provided for. You have everything you need right here. With us. And we will ensure you never forget that."

"But... what if we don't want this?" Seonghwa asked softly, his voice trembling, a fragile whisper of rebellion. "What if we just want a normal life? Peaceful? A life without blood on your hands?"

Seungmin scoffed, a chilling expression on his face, a cruel mockery of his usual gentle smile. "Normalcy is relative, Mama. This is our normal. And peace is what we provide by controlling the chaos, by eliminating those who would threaten our peace, our family. You benefit from that peace, Mama. Don't you feel safe here? In this room? In this life? Safe from the horrors we shield you from?"

Seokjin shuddered, looking around the suite that suddenly felt like a very comfortable, very inescapable prison. "Safe from what? From you?"

"Safe from everything else," Jungkook replied, his voice low and confident, a chilling certainty. "Because we are everything. We are your world. And we will not allow anything to take you from us."

"But you're also... monsters," Jeonghan whispered, his voice barely audible, the harshness of the word hanging in the air, a desperate accusation.

Silence fell for a moment, heavy and suffocating. The kids exchanged looks, a silent, dangerous communication passing between them. The word 'monsters' hit them hard, a raw wound reopened. Was that how their parents truly saw them? After everything they had done?

Changbin's face hardened, his jaw clenching. "Is that what you truly believe, Hyung? That we are monsters?"

Jeonghan met his gaze, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and regret, but also a desperate truth. "When you're capable of... of the things you do? The violence? The control? Yes. It changes how we see you. It changes everything."

"It changes you too!" Seokjin added, his voice rising slightly, a desperate plea. "You aren't the same kids we raised! You're strangers wearing their faces!"

"We are," Hoseok stated, his voice low, his eyes burning with a cold, wounded fury. "We're still us. We just... grew up. We learned how to protect ourselves. Protect you. And if that means becoming what you call 'monsters,' then so be it. We will be monsters for you."

"By killing people?" Namjoon asked, his voice heavy with disappointment, a profound sadness. "By controlling everything with fear? By leaving a trail of blood in your wake?"

"It's survival, Appa," Yeosang said, his voice still soft, but with a disturbing, unyielding firmness. "It's how we ensure we always have a place. Always have... family. Always have you. And if that means getting our hands dirty, then they will be stained for you. Forever."

The hyungs looked at each other, then back at the wall of young faces. They saw the hurt, the fear of abandonment, the twisted logic born from a life they hadn't chosen for them, but one the kids had clearly embraced, or at least adapted to, to fill some perceived void. Their rejection hadn't just hurt; it had reinforced the kids' deepest insecurities, turning their clinginess into a desperate, possessive grip, a suffocating embrace.

"We need you to say it," Jongho said, with unwavering demand. "Say you are our Appa. Say you are our Mama. Say you didn't mean you aren't anymore. Say you belong to us."

"We... we can't lie," Seonghwa said, tears welling in his eyes, his voice a broken whisper. "Not about this. Not about who you've become."

"It's not a lie!" San countered fiercely. "It's the truth! You raised us! You loved us! You gave us everything! That makes you our parents! That makes you ours!"

"And you are our children!" Hongjoong interjected, his voice raw with emotion, a desperate cry. "But the life you lead... the things you do... we can't... endorse it. We can't be part of it."

"You don't have to endorse it," Yoongi said, his voice chillingly calm, a predator's purr. "You just have to be ours. Here. With us. You just have to exist for us."

He took another step closer, a silent, suffocating threat. "We are not asking you to change. We are asking you to accept. Accept that we are your family. Accept that we are your children. Accept that you are our Appa and Mama. Accept that you are our property. And if you don't, we will make you accept."

"What happens if we don't?" Seungcheol asked, his stance defensive, though his face was pale, his voice barely a tremor.

A thick silence descended again, heavier than before, suffocating. The air grew colder, a palpable chill that seeped into their bones. The smiles were gone, the playful banter absent. The loud ones were still, their energy compressed into a dangerous stillness. The introverts radiated silent, terrifying power. The 'babies' looked heartbreakingly resolute, their innocence twisted into something far more sinister.

It was Wooyoung who finally broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper, yet cutting through the room with chilling clarity, each word a promise of unimaginable torment. "Then... we make you remember. We carve it into your very souls."

"Remember what?" Jeonghan asked, his eyes narrowed, trying desperately to decipher the true horror of the threat.

"Remember everything," Mingyu said, the words slowly, deliberately, each one a hammer blow to their psyches. "Remember the first time you met us. Remember teaching us to sing, dance... live. Remember comforting us when we cried, when you thought we were helpless. Remember cheering us on, believing in us. Remember every single moment you were our parent, every single moment you were ours." His eyes were wide, unblinking, filled with a terrifying, insane possessiveness.

"And we won't let you forget," Yunho added, his eyes wide and insane, a manic gleam in their depths. "Ever. We will burn it into your minds, into your flesh, until it's the only truth you know."

"We tie the string back," Woozi repeated Yoongi's earlier words, a faint, disturbing smile touching his lips, a chilling parody of affection. "Tighter than before. So tight, in fact, that you will never, ever be able to breathe without us again. We will become your air, your light, your very existence. And you will crave it. You will crave us."

The implications hung heavy in the air, a suffocating weight. It wasn't a direct threat of physical harm, not yet, but something far more insidious, far more terrifying. A threat to dismantle their emotional defenses, to break their spirits, to force them to confront every memory, every feeling, every moment of their shared history, until the overwhelming weight of their past crushed their resistance, until they were nothing but pliable, devoted shells. It was emotional warfare, psychological torture, wielded by the very people they had loved and raised, the children they had once believed were innocent.

Seokjin gasped, a raw, choked sound, looking increasingly distressed, his body trembling uncontrollably. Namjoon pulled him closer, his own face pale, his grip desperate.

Hongjoong reached for Seonghwa's hand, his grip tight, his knuckles white, as if trying to anchor them both to a reality that was rapidly dissolving.

Bang Chan looked devastated, his strong frame slumping, the weight of their words crushing him. Minho's cold facade wavered for a fraction of a second, revealing a flicker of raw, unadulterated fear, a terror he couldn't hide.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan stood frozen, understanding the terrifying depth of the possessiveness aimed at them, the absolute, unyielding nature of their captivity.

They had tried to cut ties with the mafia, with the 'monsters'. But in doing so, they had severed something far more fundamental for their children: the unconditional security of parental love. And now, the monster was demanding to be acknowledged, demanding to be loved, demanding its parents back, no matter the cost, no matter the methods.

"Say it," Dino pleaded again, his innocent face a mask of insane desire to be loved again, his eyes wide and unblinking. "Please. Just say you are our Appa. Say you are our Mama. Say you love us. Say you'll never leave us. Just say it. And mean it. Or we'll make you."