Ego: Hit and Run (Taekook)

Train to Busan

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Taehyung has just walked into the lion's den. Literally.

The entrance to the office space was nothing short of luxurious; as grand as it was modern. An array of traditional design insignia littered the walls which glowed golden, reflecting beams of light from an oculus protruding against the skyline somewhere up above. The corners of the room were lined with various vegetation, a spring of water flowing freely on the outskirts of the room. Taehyung swore he saw fish swimming along the narrow spaces between the walls and corners of the floor tiling.

The granite floor echoed of Taehyung's footsteps as he edged towards the expansive set of double doors promising no chance of return.

The doors were unapologetically domineering over the entrance hallway. These very doors were what hinted at the whole 'predatory king of the jungle' aura of the space that lies beyond. They were painted in shades of red and gold which framed a design worthy of a centerpiece in a museum or perhaps the silk of a prince's warrior gown. The entire affair screamed money, rank, and power. King.

With these thoughts in mind, Taehyung halted by the door, his confidence shattered by the imposing creature depicted on the handles. It resembled a lion, with a singular horn protruding from the head, thick trunks for legs and enigmatic eyes. The animal was painted in blazing gold, the light flickering so brilliantly Taehyung presumed it was nothing short of 24 karats.

He was disrupted from further examination by a muffled command coming from behind the doors.

"Come in, Sparrow." An invitation in a familiar cadence laced with a deep baritone.

Taehyung took a moment to compose his frantic expression. The lines of fatigue and stress morphed away into a habitual mask devoid of the anxiety he felt in the pit of his stomach. Taehyung took a deep breath and opened the majestic doors.

If the entrance hall was a sight for sore eyes, the office space concealed within was by far a more superior architectural marvel, Taehyung thought in amazement. The floor continued the polished marble theme from the entrance hall, stretching to meet the junctures of the wall and ceiling with dark grey concrete spanning its length. The entirety of the central wall was made out of glass, the expanse of the woodland forest outside being displayed with panoramic views. The cold grey tones fused into the gigantic center granite work-desk, its sheer size dwarfing any other furniture scattered minimalistically around the room.

The entire space was as austere and cold as the man sitting at its heart.

"Ah, the legendary Kim Tae-hyung," he enunciated, voice marred with the heavy rasp characteristic of a lifetime chain smoker, or a jazz singer akin to Sinatra or Gaye. "I must admit, finding you was a challenge that vexed me for quite some time. I almost gave up, actually," he took a pause, as if recalling the memory of such a time. "Yet here you stand." He offered a smile cold enough to wilt roses in its wake.

"In the flesh, Jeon-nim," agreed Taehyung, offering a small smile of his own and a complimentary bow of the head. "And why, may I ask, am I standing here?"

Jeon took a moment to ponder this question, as if debating whether to indulge Taehyung's curiosity. His head tilted to the side, and his fingers drummed a staccato beat on the granite surface below them.

"Well it's quite simple Taehyung-ssi. I gather that you happen to be in need of some work, and I am in desperate need of a laborer." He smirked at this, as if amused by his own analysis. Taehyung spotted a dimple lining his cheek as he did so, and that fact seemed to shock him more than anything else about his strange countenance. It looked strangely... off-kilter to his persona. "The way I see it, you're in a predicament and I am just the man to help you get out of it. Similarly to how you can help me with my little problem. A win-win situation. A symbiosis of sorts." He concluded with a careless gesture of preponderance in a wave of his hand.