Chapter Text
It should have been the perfect job. It was airtight, they thought of everything.
And in fact, it did work perfectly. The Sky’s Eye was in their safe and someone else was getting arrested for its theft. Junghoon didn’t know who it was getting framed, his partner took care of that. It didn’t matter, since it wasn’t them.
Junghoon and Montgomery celebrated in their office. The necklace was finally theirs.
With the first sip of champagne, Junghoon knew immediately what was happening, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn’t believe it; his best friend and partner in hundreds of jobs…
Montgomery knelt down in front of Junghoon, who’s flute fell from his hand and shattered on the ground. Montgomery took a slow sip from his own glass and said the words that made Junghoon’s blood run cold before finally slipping away.
“Do you think your wife can pay your son and daughter’s way through college from prison?”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten Years Later
Namjoon looked at himself in the mirror and straightened his tie. He was looking sharp in his fitted grey suit, but he figured today was worth it. His younger sister was graduating college, something he was immensely proud of her for. He himself was a recent graduate, receiving his PhD as the youngest of his class. He knew how much work it was. He knew how much work it was without their parents.
Namjoon and Geongmin supported each other throughout their middle school and college years; ever since their father was killed and their mother was arrested, they only had each other.
Namjoon adjusted his left cufflink one last time, making sure it wouldn’t fall apart again; he already had to fix it that morning once.
Down in the parking garage, Namjoon unlocked his black Audi SUV and hopped in. His cufflink caught on the door and pulled off. He cursed under his breath as he shoved it in his pocket and drove off.
The graduation ceremony was outdoors. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and the temperature was mild. The graduates were seated in the front section of seats. He tried to pick out his sister among them, but he couldn’t recognize her within the sea of blue hats.
Once he was seated and the speeches began, Namjoon pulled the cufflink from his pocket and tried to fix it one last time. The tiny latch was broken, and Namjoon only made it worse by detaching the little screw and dropping it into the grass. He supposed he didn’t like this pair very much anyway.
The keynote speaker stepped up to the podium and began his speech. The audience cheered when they saw him. Namjoon saw several women throughout the audience swoon and giggle. He smiled and rolled his eyes. Jin just had that effect on people.
Jin’s speech was long and didn’t make any sense, but Namjoon figured the audience wouldn’t care. He was a celebrity and a handsome face, people were just happy to see him in person.
Finally, the graduates were announced and their degrees were given. Namjoon cheered loudly when his sister walked across the stage. After the hats were thrown into the air, Namjoon stood up to find his sister.
Families were mingling and taking pictures all around him, but he found her easily enough.
“Congratulations,” he said, hugging her tight.
“Thank you,” said Geongmin. “If only graduation was tomorrow instead of today.”
“I know,” said Namjoon, pulling away from her and grimacing. It really was a shame that their mother would miss Geongmin’s graduation by only a day.
“Are you going to find Jin?” she asked. Namjoon nodded. He had been friends with Jin since they were children, at least until Jin started getting famous.
“You better hurry, before his security team whisks him away,” Geongmin said with a giggle.
“You’ll let me take you out for dinner, right?” Namjoon asked.
Geongmin grimaced and said, “Well, I was supposed to go out with some friends…”
Namjoon held up his hands and laughed, “I figured. Another time then. Promise?”
“Promise,” she said, waving before bounding away to find her friends. Then she turned around and shouted, “Maybe tomorrow, when mom gets home!”
Namjoon chuckled and made his way behind the stage, where his friend was waiting for him. Jin greeted him with open arms and a charming smile.
“Namjoon!” Jin shouted, hugging him tightly. “Is your sister joining us for dinner?”
“No, she’s with friends tonight,” said Namjoon.
“Right, of course,” said Jin. “Well, let’s get to it.”
The restaurant was way fancier than anything Namjoon’s ever stepped into, but Jin seemed right at home. The hostess knew him and sat them immediately.
Once they were seated, Namjoon said, “I was going to wait to bring this up with you, but now that we’re alone-“
“Oh my god, are you about to ask me out or something?” Jin asked. “We agreed we wouldn’t work out as a couple.”
“What? No, Jin…” Namjoon stared at him. “No.”
“Okay, please continue then,” said Jin.
“I have a job for us,” said Namjoon. Now it was Jin’s turn to stare, lowering his voice once his shock wore off.
“Joon-ah, are you sure about this?” asked Jin. “I thought you said you would never get into this business.”
“Jin, do you know a man named Cliff Hawthorne?” Namjoon asked.
“Of course,” said Jin. “He produced half my movies.”
“He has something I want,” said Namjoon. “I have a plan to get it.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Jin said, holding up his hands. They paused in their conversation as the waitress set down their drinks and appetizer. As soon as she left, Jin continued. “Why are you doing this? Why Hawthorne? I though you said you would never get into the family business. I said I wouldn’t get into the family business.”
Namjoon eyed his friend.
“Are you in or not?” he asked.
“Well, you haven’t even told me what your plan is, so I guess I haven’t decided yet,” Jin said with a wave of his hand. He crossed his arms and leaned back.
“I was watching the news yesterday and there was a story about a party Hawthorne is throwing,” said Namjoon. “Have you heard anything about his party?”
“I may have heard about it,” Jin said.
“Anyway, they showed his face and I immediately recognized him,” said Namjoon. “He’s famous, but he’s hardly ever on TV. Do you know why I recognized him?”
“Namjoon, you’re driving me crazy here, just tell me,” said Jin.
“I recognized him because he was my father’s best friend when I was growing up,” said Namjoon. Jin went silent and knitted his eyebrows. “I recognized him because he’s the man that killed my father.”
Jin’s eyes went wide. “But… I thought…”
“Hawthorne is Montgomery,” said Namjoon.
Jin closed his mouth and stared for a few moments. He slowly took a sip from his wine and then said, “So this is revenge. Namjoon, I don’t know…”
“I won’t kill him,” said Namjoon. “Everyone gets out of this job safe, but we’ll have the one thing he’s been keeping for himself all this time.”
“You’re not thinking about stealing the-“
“That’s right,” said Namjoon. “The Sky’s Eye.”
“Were you going to talk about this with your sister here if she had come?” Jin asked with a chuckle.
“No, definitely not,” said Namjoon. “She’d never let me go through with this.”
“Alright, well you have my attention,” said Jin. The waitress came back to set down their entrées, and as soon as she left, Jin spoke again. “I assume you have a plan?”
Namjoon nodded. “I do. But we’ll need a team.”