Not Broken. Jaehyun Mafia Au

Dreaming

"Does everyone understand?"

The members of NCT 127 stared at their boss, astonished by his sudden announcement. None of them knew what to say so they just nodded.

After Suho left, Jaehyun called Taeyong into his office in inform him of his intention to marry Y/N. Taeyong was understandably shocked by his boss's unsettling plans to marry a girl who was rightfully terrified of him even if it was in the best interest for NCT. At first, he tried to talk him out of it knowing full well that Jaehyun doesn't just get talked out of things, but when Jaehyun revealed that there were discussion of replacing him among the council and that Suho himself recommended this action, Taeyong conceded to his boss's orders and called a meeting in the billiard's room.

"You are all dismissed then. Except for you two," Jaehyun motioned towards two of his colleagues before turning to Taeyong.

"Bring Y/N to my office when she is done eating. I first need to have a discussion with these two in my office," Jaehyun instructed his right-hand man.

<><><><><>

"Have a seat."

Winwin and Johnny sat down at the two chairs placed directly across from the one their boss was seated.

Jaehyun took his time studying his raven-haired colleague whilst almost completely overlooking the gentleman who sat beside him.

"What do you think about what was discussed at the meeting, Winwin?" Jaehyun asked, taking care to analyze his reaction.

Winwin, who had been glaring at this boss up to this point, let out a dry laugh, shaking his head to show his irritation.

"What are you trying to do here?" He demanded.

Jaehyun let out a laugh that mirrored his amusement.

"What do you mean? I just wanted to ask your thoughts."

Winwin rolled his eyes.

"Listen, I couldn't care less what you do with the girl. It's just business, right? Or did you think I'd be against it since marrying her is just all a part of your ploy to win against Wayv?"

Any traces of amusement were now gone from the mob boss's expression. He turned to Johnny.

"You've been keeping an eye on him all this time, right? Nothing suspicious?"

The man nodded in response.

"What about when you two were separated?"

"The only time we were not together was when one of us was using the bathroom, but like you instructed, I checked to make sure he was unable to bring any electronic devices in with him and Taeil watched over him when I needed to go."

Jaehyun leaned back in his chair, staring behind the two men. He still didn't trust Winwin but he couldn't very well keep him on watch without any new evidence against him. Doing so would make it seem as though he were making a decision fueled by his emotions instead on based on what he thought was best for his members.

His thoughts were interrupted when a soft knock could be heard from the other side of his office door.

"Johnny, you will no longer be required to watch over Winwin. Winwin, you are free to interact with whoever you feel inclined, but I will be keeping my eye on you. You are both free to go."

He watched as the two men exited out the door, catching a glimpse of them as they stopped to greet who he presumed to be Taeyong and the girl.

After taking a moment to mentally prepare himself for what was about to come, he called out to them.

"You may enter now."

Y/N was the first to enter as Taeyong held the door open for her. Jaehyun took note of what she was wearing, faded black jeans and an off-white shirt. It made him wonder why she turned down the clothes that were prepared for her to wear something of such a lower quality, but then he remembered what Jaemin had said about her not wanting anything he had to offer her.

He watched her as she made no effort to hide the fact that she was avoiding his gaze. Once she sat down in the chair Winwin had previously sat in, Jaehyun dismissed Taeyong. It was just the two of them now.

He silently stared at her frightened figure that seemed to shrink further into the brown leather chair. The first thing he noticed were her bruises, they had almost completely vanished from her face, only small patches of discoloration remained.

He hadn't forgotten how beautiful she was the night of the performance, though he couldn't help but notice that she seemed even more ethereal than she was that night before everything went down. Sure, her wounds hadn't completely healed, and her appearance revealed traces of dishevelment, yet her flashy costume and makeup seemed to only draw attention away from her already pleasing visage.

"Y/N?"

She looked up at him, finally allowing their eyes to meet. For a moment, Jaehyun forgot why he had called her in his office in the first place. It was when he noticed her shaky breaths that he was reminded of what he was to say.

"It has been decided that you and I will get married this month."

<><><><><>

I was the type of person whose mind would go blank whenever she heard something, she didn't want to believe was true. I felt I could turn any unwanted reality into a dream I merely needed wake up from as long as I didn't think about it, or anything else for that matter. If I focused on what was happening, or allowed myself to process the situation in anyway, it was like I was thinking the situation into existence despite it having already happened. I didn't know why this was my first instinct, it never changed anything, it only allowed for me to live in denial for a moment longer. That was how I reacted to my parent's death, and to my brother's betrayal, but those weren't dreams or even nightmares. Eventually, I had to accept them for what they were, my reality.

Even now, as the words left my tormentor's mouth, I wanted to fall back into that state of disassociation. If there was ever a time to mistake my reality for a delusion conjured up by my unconscious mind, this was it. It was all so bizarre; too preposterous to be real. My rationality was evaporating, my vision blurring.

I bit down on the inside of my cheeks, determined to find some sort of grounding. I focused on the metallic flavor that coated my tongue. I continued to stare at the man that had found yet another way to afflict me, this time with words instead of fists. I wanted so desperately to snap out of it, but I didn't know how. I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper into nihility when a memory of the Madam entered my mind.

"Those who believe that heaven and hell are opposites are cursed to only experience one at a time. They say you gotta go through hell to get out of it but why not learn to love the heat?"

That was her go to toast for after show drinks with the performers. Why I had thought of that speech, I didn't know but when my eyes finally left his, my gaze landed on the glass of brandy that rested next to next to his hands.

I instinctively reached out toward the glass earning a wide-eyed stare from its owner. Without thinking I dipped my fingers inside the glass and scooped out the ice cube that was floating just below the liquid's surface. The ice cube dropped to the floor as I bought the glass to my lips, quickly draining its contents. The familiar burn that traveled down my throat managed to return my soul to my body. From how many gulps it took to finish, it must have been a double, not nearly enough to get me drunk, but hopefully enough for the liquid courage to do its job after the adrenaline fades.

I slammed the empty glass down on the desk.

"What the fuck did you just say?"