Beautiful Crime || DoTae

Chapter One

Please refer to the end of the chapter for the trigger warnings.

Thursday, August 10th 2161, 13:02.

Cheongnam, South Korea.

Frankly, it wasn't an ideal circumstance that Doyoung found himself in.

He hadn't prepared for the day to go the way that it did. It wasn't often that he did, but it was particularly unbearable that he was running around in a black turtleneck in the unbearable August sunshine, as the temperature was climbing close to 33℃, despite the weather being murky all morning. He was drenched in sweat and desperate for a nice cold beer.

Doyoung panted as he practically stumbled around a corner. He shoved an innocent civilian aside in his rush, sending him into a wall. He didn't have time to dawdle or apologise. His black cardigan fluttered in the breeze as he sped through a narrow street, dodging passersby with ample skill. His feet were beginning to ache from the prolonged pursuit, but he pushed onward. He knew what he had to do, and he wasn't going to give up, even if it meant he was going to be aching the next day.

His target—a twenty-something year old thug that had been prowling around Neo City like a lion searching for its prey—ducked beneath a low-hanging tarp and shot into an even tinier alley. It was linked to Chinatown, Doyoung deduced, due to the many Chinese signs blinking down the narrow path. He could hear sizzling, and the hum of a gas generator remained as ambiance blaring into his ears. A cart of vegetables was pushed into his path, and Doyoung contended with it, throwing it aside and sending precious resources splattering onto the jagged brick path.

It was dangerous for Doyoung to be seen in Chinatown, but he couldn't turn back. It'd be social suicide for him to fail such a simple job. All he had to do was get his target cornered, that was all.

However, it was easier said than done.

Doyoung had hardly stepped foot in Chinatown, even during his Special Agent days. It was even harder to navigate than Neo City, with so many twists and turns that it could give even the more intricate navigators a run for their money. He could only recognise the main artery of the district, but he'd definitely be seen if he was to show his face there.

He was rapidly running out of energy, but so was his target. The younger man was stumbling and mis-stepping, almost tripping over every loose brick beneath his feet. They shot down another road. The light hardly reached the area, leaving it dull and eerie. Trash was scattered along the narrow path, leaving no option but to run through it. Doyoung scowled, but proceeded nonetheless. He was well and truly not prepared for the abrupt callout.

They reached the end of the narrow alley. A dead end.

Doyoung had never been so happy to see a trash dump in his life. Panicking, his target glanced around. The only way that he could escape was to climb over the wall, but before he could find a steady footing to climb onto a rotten dumpster, Doyoung kicked him in the back of the knee and watched him crash to his knees with a groan. A gun fell out of his pocket, and was kicked aside and out of reach.

"Well, that was a pointless chase, wasn't it? You've just wasted at least fifteen minutes of my time, and now you've made me crawl into this dump. This could have been over and done with fifteen minutes ago, and we'd have both been on our way elsewhere," said Doyoung, crouching in front of the man, who backed himself against a bag of trash. "I believe you owe Noctis a week's salary."

"Fuck you!" the man yelled, clenching his jaw. "I don't owe you shit! Even if I had the cash, I wouldn't be giving you a penny!"

Doyoung clicked his tongue, raising his hand against the younger man. He slapped him on the cheek—not too hard, but enough to discolour the flesh—and reached into his pocket to find his wallet, finding it empty. He tossed it aside. "You entered Neo City without paying the toll, and you also brought a weapon inside without paying the weapons' fee. You owe us at least $150, but if you don't hand it over, I might have to apply some inflation and beat the cash out of you."