Chapter Text
“This boy? He does almost all types of work in our club. Monday to Wednesday; he’s our dancer, driving the whole place wild with his hip thrust and pole dance—some of the bastards even masturbated just by watching him.” He still remembers the suggestive, dark chuckle following after the statements informed by one of the club’s DJs, Rapmon, after he’d bribed him into giving him some information about a blurry picture of a young lad, taken just in front of his father’s penthouse fortnight prior. Jeongguk swears, if it wasn’t for his dear mother, he wouldn’t even think to waste a dollar on the heavily-pierced, dark-skinned DJ in trade of some shitty, uncertain details about a mere boy, let alone to waste his time standing outside of the said club, clad in suit and tie, hopefully to look adult enough to be granted the entrance for his plan to work.
It’s hard, when you’re only 17 trying to maneuver your way into a high class night club, all elite and private, with only a fake ID in the pocket. Jeongguk prays the front guards have enough eyes for Yugyeom’s father’s black limousine to prove the point that somehow, they indeed, are wealth enough to have fun in here.
“On Thursday and Sunday, he’ll take up some shifts as the bartender or our part-time DJ or, if he’s in a good mood, he’ll even sing for us. You should really come on the nights he’s singing, that deep voice is to die for!”
To be quite honest, Jeongguk isn’t all too bothered to find out whether the boy’s singing is worth a listen or not. All he cares—wishes for—is to immediately meet him face to face and maybe…strangle the dude to death. He’ll see about it. He doesn’t want to ruin the thrill so early, does he?
“Then how about on Friday and Saturday?” He recalls asking further. He wants to have a concrete plan for this so he needs deep detailing.
“Ah, Saturday’s his day off while Friday…,” Jeongguk knew something was wrong the moment Rapmon paused talking. Friday was the day he captured the blurry picture too, just like the other Fridays he started noticing this mysterious boy came in and out like a routine from his father’s place. Jeongguk hates to think of it, it makes his heart boil and the desire to destroy him becomes all that stronger. He took a deep breath to listen again, “he’s still around the club, but for a whole lot different kind of job. It’s the only night of the week he does something more personal.”
Jeongguk can’t help the smirk appearing on his face. His stupid, stupid father. He seriously thinks he can fool Jeongguk and his mother around huh?
Jeongguk will make sure that old man will think and pay twice about it.
“So it’s the best to meet him on those nights, right? Because I won’t be sharing him with the crowd.”
It’ll be easier to catch them too.
“Yeah, well…only if you book him for the night.”
“Book? Explain.”
Jeongguk already gets the answer. A very tiny part of him just hopes he’s wrong.
“Friday-nights are his regular night to leave with customers. You know, for paid-service and stuff. Usually he’ll stay in the club till midnight before they come and pick him up so make sure you come earlier if you wanna catch a glimpse of him on those nights.”
Jeongguk guesses he’s just about to hit jackpot because it’s Friday tonight and his dickhead of a father, just contacted his mother an hour before to cancel their family gathering yet again, under the same old, repetitive reason of being a super busy doctor with multiple midnight shifts. A load of bullshit.
If only his father could be a bit clever, he should’ve known better to give his mother a variation of better and fresh excuses for the sake of covering his lies. Yet that’s Dr. Jeon—brainy and idiot all the same, Jeongguk muses as he steps nearer to the glimmering entrance with Yugyeom gaping over everything behind him.
“The fastest way to spot him is around the VIP section, because that’s what his customers are—rich, VIP assholes,” those are exactly the adjectives to describe Dr. Jeon. Jeongguk isn’t very sure anymore of what fault he did in his previous life to be casted the bad luck of being born as his son now. “But I’m sure you won’t have problem picking him out. Just ask around for V, everyone in the club will know him.”
Clearing his throat, Jeongguk flashes his ID to the inspecting guard before quickly wanting to retrieve it but Big Guy in front of him is fast enough to catch his elbow. Jeongguk hisses and he can hear Yugyeom’s audible gulp right behind him. Stupid Yugyeom! Don’t blow up the cover!
“First timer or club member, sir?” Big Guy surely has grumpy, threatening voice to make Jeongguk almost piss in his pants but he keeps it steady by cocking up an eyebrow. People don’t call him ‘A+ Eyebrow Gamer’ for nothing after all.
“Why? Do I look that cheap for you to doubt my qualification to enter this place?”
“V?”
Big Guy does lose a bit of the tightness in his face at this and Jeongguk prides himself for the smugly confident tone he’s using on him. Even if he might die here tonight, he must make it inside by crook or by hook. He has to, he has a V to meet and greet.
“I apologize, sir. It’s not what I meant. Just wanna check; if you’re a member, can you show us your membership pass?” Shit. That bastard Rapmon didn’t mention anything about membership card or something! Yugyeom has started to shiver from the corner of his eyes but Jeongguk internally curses and subtly elbows him to chill the fuck out. He lets out a tired, impatient sigh towards the guard.
“Look, have you seen my face before? No? That obviously means I’m new here. Then what? You wanna promote the club’s premiere membership? I’ll consider that shit later if you let me enter and rate the fun if it’s worth enough to become a member. Deal?” Big Guy exchanges glances with his fellow guard, considering the matter while Jeongguk shoves his hand into his pocket and leans backward a little when Yugyeom tugs on his sleeve.
“Guk-ah, I think it’s better if we—”
“I think you better shut up,” the so easily intimidated Yugyeom snaps at the warning laced in Jeongguk’s face and all he can do is to press his mouth tight and keep his gaze low on the ground. For fuck’s sake, at times like this, Jeongguk forgets why he keeps Yugyeom around as his best friend. Lucky that the cowardice boy has his father’s limousine for Jeongguk to appreciate their friendship at the moment for helping as if they had an expensive sweet ride to be here—even though it’s not that working to their advantage apparently. Jeongguk shoots Big Guy another glare when he turns back to him.
“Sorry again, sir. If that’s the case, can we see your ID once more?”
Jeongguk truly loses his patience now, clutching and unclutching his fists. “God help me, what is your fucking problem huh?! You motherfucker prick—”
“Jeongguk!” Yugyeom calls to calm him down just at the same moment with someone’s “what’s going on here?”
The argument stops for the small crowd to turn looking at a lad when he asks while walking out from the glassy doors behind the guards. He pauses in between Big Guy and Jeongguk, judging the two hard even when he’s the smallest and shortest one compared to them. Dark raven hair, smoky eyes with cherry red tank top to show off his bulky biceps and a pair of tight leather jeans that leaves nothing to the imagination—this guy looks too delicious to be one of the desperate, sex-deprived assholes. Instead, he’s so close to appear like the one who will relieve their neediness in this opulent pleasure pit because from head to toe, he screams exactly that—high class hotness.
Jeongguk tries not to be distracted from the thought of what else he will find later on in this place.
The newly appeared guy tilts his head to Big Guy, silently asking for explanation but all the guard does is to lower his gaze from him and answer with voice carrying a lot more respect than the one he used upon Jeongguk. “These gentlemen are just entering but I’m doing my duty, making sure that they’re legal enough.”
The guy—his superior, maybe, glances around to study Jeongguk and Yugyeom one last time before he turns sighing to the guard and waves his hand, “let them in. I know them.”
Jeongguk narrows his eyes to him while Yugyeom again, doing what he’s been doing since he stepped out here, gapes with mouth wide open on that hot superior. One nonchalant look is thrown to them over his shoulders, he then pushes his chin towards the glassy entrance.
“Shall we start with our fun inside? I’ve been waiting for you two all night after all.”
Not to ruin this chance, Jeongguk flatly nods and tails after the guy with Yugyeom still looking like he’s trudging in a real Wonderland next to him. Just like any other clubs, it’s beginning to grow darker and noisier inside as they take the path further into the main bar area with only shining and blinking disco balls illuminating their way. Jeongguk notices how Yugyeom tries his hard to adjust to the darkness but he doesn’t want his plan to further being interrupted by the guy leading them inside so he reaches forward and stops him by the shoulder. The guy throws him a questioning look while Jeongguk raises his voice over the booming music, doesn’t want to repeat himself in case the guy doesn’t hear him.
“I don’t wanna know why you helped us but thanks! Let us go catch our fun separately!” Jeongguk steps aside with Yugyeom but the latter gives him a grin big enough to transform his eyes into crescents that causes them to pause in deeper confusion.
“No biggie. This club welcomes money from everyone even if it’s from underage dicks,” his tone is playful, nothing shows that he will reveal their illegality anytime soon but Jeongguk can’t help clearing his throat and adjusting his tie just to refine his ‘adult’ image. Yugyeom is already too focused lolling his head to the catchy melody in the air to share the same consciousness with Jeongguk, that fucker.
“Well, yeah. I—”
In the midst of this tight crowd, with bodies grinding and attaching close to each other, surely you can’t help it from accidently stumble into one another. The guy before Jeongguk, however, still yelps out a ‘Yah!’ when someone walks through behind him and bumps into his back, causing him to stumble into Jeongguk and have to be supported by the shoulders to prevent him from falling to the floor. The guy clicks his tongue all the way he’s snapping around to check out the person who has crashed into him without apology.
“Hey, you! What did I say about watching your steps, huh V?”
Jeongguk’s eyes widen to the highest possible degree, pivoting his head around and landing his sight upon that person who’s being yelled at.
“V?”
“Yeah, V—cute by the day, hot by the night. Part time handsome, part time sexy and full time wanted.” Rapmon’s voice rings loud and clear in his ears.
That very person, V, reveals only his side profile to them but Jeongguk can already feel how his sharp jawline, his sharp stare and definitely his sharpest smirk are able to render him speechless and boneless on his spot.
Hot by the night; his entire black and tight and holey outfit wrapped around his tall but lithe frame already speaks so much about that statement. This V absolutely represents a tiny, dangerous flame, setting this messy dark club on fire just by his mere presence there. Jeongguk can feel his burn, even by the first glance.
Part time handsome; Jeongguk must say, only a blind person will admit V’s a part-timer in conquering his handsomeness, because no. He’s not just handsome, he’s lethally gorgeous. Big expressive eyes, prominent nose, pink wet lips shaped into inviting smirk, hair that seemingly dark but must be soft from the way it shines under the lights (because Jeongguk can’t quite make it out amidst this dimness) and all of that face instantly cause Jeongguk to understand why his father wills to give a thousand lies just to steal times with this V.
Part time sexy; oh God, yeah. He is so very much sexy even when all he does is standing there because the moment he opens his mouth to speak, Jeongguk is a goner.
“You know I’ll never listen to whatever you say, Chim. It’s not my fault you were born short and happened to be difficult to notice in the dark.” His voice, his deep timbre. Rapmon was not joking and Jeongguk curses all the deity above as he slowly gulps.
“You little shit—”
Full time wanted; Jeongguk doesn’t need further proof to make clear of it because as he watches V blow a flirty kiss to the guy next to him, Chim, as a way to cut him off, he takes notice how the crowd nearby them already fall mute as all eyes focus on that one strong center of attraction, V. Prying eyes, heavy lust, you name it—V receives all this kind of stares the whole way he’s turning away to leave them. Chim doesn’t follow him, just let it go with a ‘Brat!’ under his breath.
“Besides…,” Jeongguk is unable to take his eyes off the back of V even while he’s recalling Rapmon’s statement in his head. “It’s not every day that you’ll see a living Sex God walking around. You won’t even want to miss him.”
It’s true. Now that Jeongguk has seen him with his two real eyes, he swears he won’t let him go.
V’s disappearing into a path with the label VIP above the arch door, and Jeongguk immediately straightens his posture. That’s where he’ll proceed with his plan now.
It’s not yet midnight, which means Jeongguk still has some time before someone—whom he hopes isn’t the person Jeongguk predicts will be—appears to fetch this beautiful lad away from the club and into their private pleasure. He hasn’t even yet talking to him but Jeongguk can’t stop himself from admitting the truth.
V is handsomely beautiful, and there’s no use denying that—with or without the fact that he might be the same person who’s currently ruining the life of someone so precious to Jeongguk, his mother.
Not to let that thought consume his brain with all the ugly monsters called anger, Jeongguk arranges his steps light but firm with confidence towards his only target that is in the middle of sitting on a stool and fingering a piece of napkin atop the bar, eyes clearly staring but miles away from focusing on that cloth. V seriously doesn’t know what he’s doing to the people around him by looking at his void, plain expression even when those VIPs are eagling and hawking his entire being through the way his slim torso leans on the bar side, to the peeks of delicate skin shining and tempting through all the wrong holes on his shirt. And let’s not start with his clavicles, exposed from the sinful way the collar has slipped down his shoulder and doesn’t seem to bother V that much for him to readjust it back.
Jeongguk stops right next to him, hands coolly in pockets and a smirk ready to murder hearts, he will be damned if he isn’t going to have so much fun with this angel tonight.
“Mind if I join you, pretty?”
People say he has a special voice, the kind that can make souls go weak and spines shiver if he’s speaking it with the right tone and huskiness. And Jeongguk knows he has nailed his intention of sounding sultry when V looks up and instantly matches his smirk with a sensual curve of his own lips. Those lips; Jeongguk wonders what kind of mess they might capable to bring.
V gives the empty stool beside him a nod. “Help yourself.”
God, his deep baritone is even better within this proximity.
Jeongguk is all too eager to slip his body on it before turning to scan their surrounding for one quick glimpse. He’s supporting his chin on his elbow to stare at V the same time the beautiful creature locks his gaze on him with a playful tilt of his head. For a moment, Jeongguk is too unsure to do anything but stare.
Blame the angel, he’s a sight. “Alone?”
Stupid question, but it’s only polite to ask. V doesn’t break the silent game of their staring but responding again with a nod.
“Yeah, I’m just waiting for someone.”
Jeongguk pushes his tongue against his inner cheek, hating the idea that they might truly be waiting for the same person to arrive but he’s not going to ruin the mood. Plan is still on board after all.
Jeongguk offers instead, “then how about a drink while you’re waiting? I can buy you one if you allow me to.”
Silent, saves for the moment used by V to read him with his intrusive, but amused gaze before he lightly shrugs. “Sure, why not?”
The bartender appears to serve them right after a click of Jeongguk’s fingers but just as Jeongguk is about to settle with his regular order, the same type as he usually drinks in any other clubs, he remembers to make this game even more interesting by poising another question to V.
“What’s your favorite, pretty?” Flirty gentleman is always a bonus and V understands it all too well when he breaks into a small (but still insanely attractive) grin before leaning closer to let his elbow bumps with Jeongguk’s in feathery touch.
“Surprise me with your choice, handsome,” comes his whisper and Jeongguk smiles back. Two can play this game, of course.
V doesn’t even mind to ask Jeongguk for its name as he just accepts the purplish blue drink served in a flute with a mini umbrella attached to the rim of it. Jeongguk watches while V’s long fingers toy a bit with a straw compliments to it before he pulls it to his lips and sucks in the drink. What the actual fuck—
V’s short chuckle stops all the unnecessary pictures Jeongguk has in his mind. His eyes fly up to his face while V nods impressively upon his drink.
He flashes Jeongguk a gaze full of mirth, unknowingly inviting a wild butterfly to flutter somewhere deep in Jeongguk’s stomach. “For an underage kid, I must say you’re quite an expert with liquor, handsome.”
His comment is innocent enough, but Jeongguk can’t help furrowing his brows.
“Wait, what are you—”
“Don’t have to act surprised,” V further chuckling to him, making a show of humming with satisfaction around his straw as he enjoys his free drink. He then shrugs, “only stupid Jimin will bring kiddos inside here. He’s unsurprisingly soft and has all the strong kink for babies.”
Jeongguk’s mind automatically travels back to a few minutes earlier when V first bumped with his savior of the day, Chim—or in this case, Jimin as a proper name. He’s not sure if Yugyeom and him still look like an open book even as they have chosen the most professional-looking suits to boost their ‘maturity’ for the night or this V just happens to have supersonic hearing or knows Jimin too much to acknowledge his antics.
Jeongguk straightens on his seat, doesn’t want to seem threatened even after V has correctly guessed who he is in a way.
“I am not a baby.” He states, suppressing a sulky pout even when he grumbles like one.
This somehow invites V to laugh all that louder, causing Jeongguk to feel both confusedly happy and oddly angry because 1) V’s laugh sounds like music with one million dollar-worth of copyright and 2) he isn’t supposed to laugh at Jeongguk’s age, it’s rude.
V finally settles back after Jeongguk’s subtle of ‘shut up’ and the need to get the air regulate back into his lungs as he eyes the 17 year old boy, gaze too close to something fond between strangers like them. Yet it lasts only for two seconds before V bares a secretive grin and shoots up a challenging eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Then are you a daddy, handsome?”
Jeongguk breathes in sharply. This naughty angle shouldn’t be allowed to say something like that again. Jeongguk is going to die even before his plan works.
He forces the rising bile all the way down his throat as he daringly enters V’s personal space, speaking an inch away from his lips, breath mingling and eyes firmly locking. Jeongguk hates it that V doesn’t waver, doesn’t even flinch.
“Guess you’ll never find out, pretty. Since you already waiting for someone.”
The only thing he does after another five seconds of staring is sighing in exaggerated disappointment.
“You’re right,” but he still doesn’t lean away. Still too close. He should be closer, Jeongguk deduces.
He’s too busy staring at those wet lips that Jeongguk almost misses it when V speaks again, whispering hush and low this time. “But I’ll also have plenty of time, especially for someone deadly handsome.” Jeongguk’s gaze climbs up to lock with his eyes, clearly seeing a pair of dark brown irises and long lashes now. This dude is not real.
Jeongguk wordlessly challenges him with heavy stare but V’s eyes are heavier—both for Jeongguk’s clouded mind and heart. He answers with “I’m flattered, pretty.”
And all that happens after is snapping them both like the first thunder strike during heavy storm, overwhelming and insufficient all simultaneously when Jeongguk’s lips meet V’s while his hands cradle the back of V’s neck and V snakes his arms firm around his biceps. Jeongguk cares no longer about their surroundings, VIPs and workers be damned as he bites straight to the plush bottom lip of V and forces him to open wide for him to dive his tongue inside and satisfy his thirst from the very first moment he set eyes on this sinful creature.
Jeongguk kisses and kisses while V sucks and bites with the same urgency into his mouth, all teeth and tongues and small moans blend into one mess of their first make out session.
Damn you, V; for doing this to his mother.
Damn you, V; for captivating him with his kisses so easily even when Jeongguk supposes to have plan.
And damn you, V; because he’s supposed to bury him down the Hell with his own father.
His father. Yeah, that old useless man. Jeongguk hopes he shows up now and sees this. Sees that Jeongguk has got his pretty little slut in his arms, on his tongue.
But just as Jeongguk is about to pull the other lad into his lap, wanting to deeper their already messy lips-locking and pushing away the disturbing thoughts about his father, V’s phone rings aloud between them and he has to slightly pull on Jeongguk’s thick locks to make him stop ravishing his lips.
Jeongguk lets go of him, but not before tugging at his liquid-honey bottom lip until V whimpers a bit and watching it spring free from his teeth with satisfaction. He plants a smug smirk against the lad’s chin as he motions for V to pick the call up. There’s a click of tongue from him, yet he obligates without pushing Jeongguk away.
“Speaking,” Jeongguk knows he’s trying so hard to keep his voice even as he naughtily litters quick butterfly kisses all along the sharp jaw and down to his smooth neck.
“Ye—yeah…I’m at the usual place but I can meet you outside if—” Jeongguk can feel V swallow when his Adam’s apple bobs against his lips when Jeongguk presses there, inhaling all too deeply and happily when V tilts his head back for easier access.
God, he smells so good. Jeongguk rubs his nose like an addicted drunkard on the skin, eyes slipping shut. God, I want him.
“—if you want me to. We can leave faster.” Jeongguk snaps back to reality upon hearing this.
It must be midnight. Time for V to leave. Time for Jeongguk to confirm the truth.
He leans away from V, releasing his grip on him all at once as V steals a glance up to him, seemingly trying hard to breathe normally again before he bids a quick goodbye to the caller (Please tell him it’s not his father. Please don’t be Dr. Jeon. Jeongguk is going to hate all of this) and keeps his phone away.
The smile V gives him afterward is so secretive and poisonous. Jeongguk hates him.
“Time’s up, handsome. My ride is here,” he announces it as if Jeongguk is too stupid to understand the situation. The younger looks away while V finishes the last seep of his drink before he wipes his mouth with the napkin he played with earlier and adjusts his hair that’s been messed by Jeongguk’s hungry fingers.
Jeongguk doesn’t know what to say. He has never been good with farewell, momentary or forever, so he says instead what he knows will happen.
“I will see you again.”
V chuckles just when Jeongguk decides to redirect his eyes on him and regretfully has to see his beautiful grin, stretching wide like a box resemblance. It’s cute and it’s unfair.
“Don’t be so confident. I don’t take underage cock to bounce on even if you pay me better.” V reminds him as he slips down the stool with red swollen lips and suggestive arched eyebrows. Jeongguk releases a matching chuckle, joining back into their push-and-pull game.
“Alright, pretty. I’ll take that as a challenge to change your mind.” Because Jeongguk is competitive if anything, and loses is not something he does.
“Deal.” V leans forward, kissing him one more time before he whispers the next words against his lips, “though I must admit, you kissed like a daddy, handsome. It’s a shame your dick is too young for my ass.”
Jeongguk tries hard not to shiver at his vulgar statements. Another peck is stolen from him before he watches V turn his back on him and leaves the VIP section as if he didn’t just make Jeongguk’s heart ache both from his family matter and the passionate kisses they shared.
Jeongguk never likes hospital.
The sterilized scent engulfing the air, the plain whiteness wrapping everything like a huge deathbed and the suffocating silence are all that Jeongguk hates about this place. To him, there are so many pretenses being held in here. People want to scream, but they’re asked to keep quiet to respect the patients. People want to cry, but it’s not good to create drama in a place so public. And of course, the saddest fact about hospital is that people want to survive, that’s why they’re here seeking for doctors and treatments, but life is simply just unfair. Because despite the medicines, surgeries and high-tech machines, nothing can stop death from taking anyone away with it. People want to survive their disease in here, but no one has ever survived death.
And that’s what scared Jeongguk the most. Scared that his mother will be the next.
To try and fight death, only to fail helplessly because in the end, death will always win—with or without any disease.
Taking a deep breath to control his emotion, Jeongguk tightens the grip on his mother’s smaller palm as he watches the lady stir a bit in her sleep on the hospital bed in front of him. His eyes back again to wander around the first class room after he’s sure that his mother has settled back into her slumber.
He’s been here since he was three. His earliest memories of this place were about playing around and accompanying Dr. Jeon in his office just next to his research lab before Jeongguk grew to hate this place as he visited it more and more not to play with his Legos and car toys, but to bring porridge and fruits for his mother after Mrs. Jeon was confirmed to suffer from a myelogenous leukemia.
Years filled with chemotherapy sessions and a series of entering and leaving the hospital for his mother finds Jeongguk not to hate only the place, but also his father, because sadness becomes disappointment. Disappointment turns to loneliness, and loneliness brings him to forget a wife who’s used to be healthy and pretty until he cures the damage inside with shameful, dirty secrets.
Jeongguk gulps; the secrets that he hopes he doesn’t grow old enough to understand about, the secrets that Jeongguk prays he could forget once he closes his eyes yet he miserably can’t because as soon as darkness fills his eyelids, all he sees is the image of his father and that boy—outside the club, reaching out to tangle their hands together before Dr. Jeon led the boy into his familiar Mercedes and took off the night just like how their relationship should be hidden but now has hurtfully known by Jeon Jeongguk, the son himself.
“You secretly slipped inside again, huh?” A gentle squeeze on his hand pulls Jeongguk out of his deep thoughts and he glances forward to feel his heart clench tightly at the way his mother already has a small smile on her face. She looks tired, she is tired but her droopy gaze reminds Jeongguk of his own eyes, how people around are so easily captivated by him due to the attraction of those doe eyes, how his father used to be so in love with drowning himself in that soft gaze belonged to his mother—once upon a happiness. But that was a history, because when shiny doe eyes changed to weak gazes, cherry lips turned chapped and rosy cheeks decolorized to pale; gone also the love and adoration from his father. How pathetic to think that nothing lasts, just like how a promise is forgotten from a golden band in between the slender fingers of Mrs. Jeon.
Jeongguk clasps their hands more securely together, refusing to acknowledge how the little glim from that ring has becoming meaningless day by day, and brings them close to his chest while he leans in to rest his elbows on the edge of the bed, loving nothing more than to be closer to his mother.
“You’re wrong this time,” Jeongguk wrinkles his nose with that playful answer. “The nurse working tonight let me in. She can’t resist my cuteness so when I pouted at her, she melted away like a Sundae.”
The quiet room lightens a bit at the booming laughter released by Mrs. Jeon, shaking her head at her son’s unstoppable mischievous habit of sneaking into her hospital room long after the visiting hour ended but never being caught in trouble because 1) every guard and nurse adores him and 2) he’s the only son of the hospital’s highest director, who dares to fuck with him? Jeongguk is both grateful and ungrateful for having ‘Jeon’ in line with his name.
“These late night visits shouldn’t be something regular, darling,” his mother reminds him as soon as her laughter dies away, reaching forward with her free hand to brush through Jeongguk’s fringes with fond caresses. “You should be at home, study and get a proper sleep.”
Jeongguk can turn from 17 to 70 and he’ll still pout with the same amount of childishness every time the lecture comes from his mother. “I can just sleep here,” he waves his hand stubbornly around the spacious room furnished with a complete set of sofas which Jeongguk deems comfy enough to be slept on. “And I threw away all the medical books, so I have nothing more to study about.”
Mrs. Jeon’s eyes widen at this, frowning at her son and opening her mouth to protest but Jeongguk quickly shushes her by patting softly on their entwined hands. “Cool it, mom. This is why I’m here tonight. I’ve got news to tell you.”
“About what? About how much you hate lungs and frogs make you feel less manly because you scream each time you see them?” Mrs. Jeon sounds serious but nothing stops Jeongguk from rolling his eyes. “Jeongguk, honey, I’ve heard these complaints since you were old enough to learn Science but that shouldn’t stop you from studying to become a doc—”
“I don’t wanna be a doctor, mom.” Jeongguk cuts off his mother mid-sentence firm enough to shut her. He readjusts his posture on the chair and keeps his gaze steady under Mrs. Jeon’s scrutinizing eyes, hoping to convince her that whatever he’s about to tell her after this will be his final decision for many important reasons. “You and dad know it, I know it and everybody knows it so let’s stop pretending as if I don’t have any business with my own future.”
Mrs. Jeon clicks her tongue, “of course not. You have every right on deciding what you want to be, darling. Your father only hopes for you to become a doctor so that he knows that this hospital will have someone trustworthy and capable enough to hand it over to.”
“Then he can take his hope and chuck it out of the nearest window because I swear to God, I never want to have anything to do with this place.” Jeongguk snorts through his response and even though Mrs. Jeon smiles hearing it, he can still detect the hint of worry in her eyes.
“Then what do you want to do? If you’re not interested in medical,” beaming a bit at the question asked so quietly by his mother, Jeongguk untangles their hands for him to bend down and retrieve a file from inside his black backpack, thrown carelessly down beside the bed before he straightens and hands it over into the lady’s hold. Jeongguk worries his teeth over his lower lip while Mrs. Jeon takes her time to read inside.
It’s a school application along with all the information needed for a student to transfer over. Mrs. Jeon frowns upon the entire filled-out forms.
“Seoul Arts High School? This is where you’re transferring to?”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk replies without missing a beat. “I love arts, mom. I love dancing and painting and all the stuff that both you and dad won’t agree with because I know what dad will say, ‘If you don’t graduate as an idol, then you’ll graduate as a poor who won’t have a job and let alone, money’ but mom, medical promises me no such thing too. I can get into the university and fail all the exams because like you said, I scream looking at a frog, and then I’ll be expelled from it and my future will still be jobless and moneyless. So what’s the difference will it make, mom?”
A solemn and uncomfortable pause stretches between them as Jeongguk prays hard for his mother to agree on this, on his choice. She has to, or else his plan will be doomed. He watches uncertainly as she goes through a few other pages of the application before Mrs. Jeon flips it close and sighs, looking over at her beloved son.
“But that’s what your father will say, that you’ll be jobless and moneyless if you’re not becoming a doctor. What I will say is,” she pauses to curve a heartwarming smile before she reclaims Jeongguk’s hand and shakes it firm like an assurance. “You want to study art? Go for it. Knowledge is not something you study just to set your future, but it’s also to be appreciated. And if you appreciate art more than you do with frogs, then you have all my blessing, honey.”
Jeongguk doesn’t wait, feeling too relieved and happy upon his mother’s understanding and approval, as he stands up to wrap the woman into a tight hug, snuggling his face on her shoulder. “Thank you, mom,” he whispers, closing his eyes to the familiar, motherly scent of the lady. “I love you so much.”
Mrs. Jeon’s soft chuckle rings warmly into his ear while she returns the cradle, holding Jeongguk close as if he was still a whiny 3 year-old baby. “I love you too, sweetie.”
Jeongguk inhales deep hearing that, steadying his mess of emotions and strengthening the walls around his heart because Jeongguk and his mother, they only have each other. And if Jeongguk couldn’t win the battle in saving her from death, then he must at least win the one where he pays a nice and hard lesson to his father and his dirty, little secret.
(Jeongguk followed after him through the exit of the club, saw the Mercedes waiting for him, saw Dr. Jeon step out of it and entwined their hands, and pulled him close, and kissed him straight on the lips.
Jeongguk watched how the Mercedes leave afterward, and heard how his heart shattered and his demons screamed, and rubbed his lips fiercely because he just kissed the same lips that have been ravished by his father every night. He thought he would never hate anyone more than he hated these two.)
“Don’t worry, mom. I’ll make sure I do well in school this time,” Jeongguk tells her gently as he strokes up and down the back of Mrs. Jeon. But there’s nothing gentle with the fire in his heart. It burns with an itch to destroy.
To destroy his father.
To destroy the boy.
He can’t wait to attend school tomorrow.
So…what’s the name of this registrar again?
Jeongguk hasn’t been paying that much of attention on this short, round woman with big glasses perched low on her nose and a seemingly out-of-place pink cardigan she wears as he’s too busy scanning his eyes through the glass wall behind her, out on the office corridor where the students bustle themselves around with chatter, food and laughter during the recess time. He’s only targeting to catch the very first glimpse of someone but it’s getting annoying to stand here and listen to all the instructions given by this lady so to shut her up, he needs to address her name but…what’s the name she said just now?
He seriously needs to fix this habit of instantly deleting unimportant things off his mind.
Jeongguk exhales a long breath, impatient but smiling sweetly all the same as he looks back down to her and only manages to catch the last few words she’s saying, “…so I’ve allocated your locker on the third floor, with all the first year students and you can refer the—”
“Please change my locker nearby Kim Taehyung’s.”
Jeongguk is glad to silent her without having to call her name but the way she frowns with disbelief in her expression causes Jeongguk to fidget a bit on his feet.
“Excuse me? Are you making a request right now?” She asks once she’s found her voice back but Jeongguk ignores the sheer annoyance he can detect taking over her face by smiling even wider and adjusting the strap of the backpack on his shoulder.
“Yeah, and one more thing, can you change all my elective classes to be the same courses as taken by the boy? I wanna match our timetable as much as I can. Thank you.”
Jeongguk steps away to leave but the lady shouts a ‘Yah!’ before she blocks his way with her body and waves the folder she’s been holding frantically to his face, Jeongguk has to reverse a step back to prevent it from hurting his handsomeness. He resists himself from hissing while the registrar judges him hard up and down, a hand on her hip.
“Kid, I don’t know from where you get the idea that you are allowed to change your locker and timetable arrangement, but let me tell you this. I am not going to fulfill any of your requests and you are a junior! You can’t simply match this and that with a senior—and a third year senior to that! You must obey the—”
“Ajumma,” Jeongguk tries to keep his tone flat yet he gets a huge gasp in return.
“You—you can’t simply call me like that you—”
A nonchalant roll of eyes before Jeongguk sticks his hands into his pockets and throws a stern look upon the lady, “I’m sorry I forgot your name but ajumma, I heard this school is in need of donation for some renewal of the art supplies. You can contact Dr. Jeon’s secretary from Jeon Medical Center, my father will give the donation and more.”
Satisfied to render her speechless from the unexpected news, Jeongguk smirks thinly and leans closer to her face, whispering now.
“So in return of that, can you please just do whatever I just asked you to do?”
Jeongguk flashes her a grin, doesn’t wait to see any further of her reaction as he drops a light pat on her shoulder and finally, finally gets to leave the unimportant registration in the office.
He needs to make sure that he spends half of the classes around Kim Taehyung. He has plans and the more coincidences he could create with this Kim Taehyung, the more likely it will work. That’s why instead of approaching the third floor for his locker, he climbs straight to the rooftop of the third year students’ building because according to his sources, this is where the Kim Taehyung likes to spend his recess, eating and maybe sleeping.
As for today, Jeongguk can tell he chooses to sleep when he enters through the single door of the rooftop and catches sight of a body—lying down on the floor, one arm as his pillow and the other is thrown carelessly over his flat little stomach. Jeongguk almost laughs at the irony of all this.
They just saw each other in the club three days before and now, they’re meeting again with his target looking so different and innocent in his high school uniform, nothing like the pure Sex God image Jeongguk first saw him with. He’s just there, vulnerable and alone and waiting for Jeongguk to ruin him.
He will.
Arranging his way until he stops right next to the lying figure, he sets his expression to look cool and haunting as Jeongguk drops his backpack down to the floor and even the thumping of it doesn’t seem to disturb the slumber of this boy. Jeongguk tuts, desperate to wake him up so he dives straight to the wildness, slanging a leg over the boy and dropping his entire weigh onto his hips.
The boy under him grunts, slowly opening an eye and Jeongguk stares him down through hooded eyes and a sensual smile. “Rise and shine, pretty. You’ve got a friend to meet.”
He must be blocking the sun rays and the boy can’t fully grasp his face due to the darkness his shadow illuminates so Jeongguk waits as he blinks another eye open, slightly distracted to the delicate way his eyelashes flutter before he gets half of his body up on his elbows and tilts his head out of the shadow to see Jeongguk’s face, clearly stares into his eyes and notices his suggestive smile. The boy groans.
“Stupid Jimin. I must strangle him to death for letting the kid in. Now I’m dreaming of him, nice.” The words trip and tangle in between sleepy syllables as the boy goes back to lie down.
“You’re dreaming of me? How sweet,” but Jeongguk laughs (can’t help that his sleepy face is cute and his raspy voice is so sinful) before purposefully bites his lips as he rolls his hips down to meet the boy’s, emitting a breathy ‘Holy fuck!’ under him. The boy’s hands fly up to clutch his thick thighs that are straddling him still, big brown eyes now widely awake.
“That’s right, pretty. You’re not dreaming. I’m here and I’m very much real.”
Upon that declaration, Jeongguk feels the slender fingers tighten on his lap before the boy under him sits up and there he is, the beautiful face that charms the world, wraps men and women around his fingers, steals hearts, destroys marriages (or, his parents’ marriage) and makes Jeongguk’s lone heart beat too fast for somebody he’s supposed to hate with his entirety. Jeongguk forces the storm inside to calm the shit down by curving a smirk he knows no one can resist and leans a breath apart from the boy.
They’re still too close. Jeongguk still straddling his thighs and the latter still studying his face. It feels like a bomb just dropped even in fact, it’s just Jeongguk and the boy playing silent contest of staring into each other’s soul right now.
Another heartbeat too long, he at last speaks, “What are you doing here?”
“Hmm,” Jeongguk hums, pretending to think as he snakes his arms around the other’s neck and becoming all that closer to him until he needs to grip Jeongguk’s waist to keep their stability. Jeongguk laughs on the boy’s confused frown, enjoying this too much.
“As I recall it, pretty…,” Jeongguk murmurs exactly next to his ear, feeling the body under him turn rigid. “I did say that…”
“I…,” he drops a peck to the soft cartilage of the ear, making the boy squirm slightly.
“…will,” another peck on his left cheek.
“…see you,” and another down his sharp jaw.
“…again,” he ends it nicely with a lingering kiss right on his chin, rubbing his lips and savoring the smoothness of the skin there until a pair of hands pushes him backward by the shoulders and Jeongguk comes to face with the cutely puzzled lad again.
“You…,” Jeongguk loves seeing him struggling like this, batting eyelashes and blinking innocent eyes to decipher the situation until he puts his words into a sentence again. “I never knew you attend this school, too.”
“I didn’t. I only start here today,” Jeongguk informs merrily as he grins so big it turns his eyes into crescents and puts a small space between them for him to hold out his hand, offering a handshake. “So how about a proper introduction? I’m Jeon Jeongguk, from class 1B, Dance Major. Nice meeting you, Kim Taehyung.”
Once again, he causes those brown eyes to enlarge hearing his full, real name being uttered and when Taehyung doesn’t move to take his hand, Jeongguk arches up a brow.
“Why? Do I get the wrong name here?” He gives him the don’t-fuck-with-me-I-know-everything-about-you look. “Or…should I call you V in this school?”
Just like that, something snaps in Taehyung’s calculative expression, replacing a fierce look on his face before he grabs Jeongguk by his collar and flips them over. Jeongguk lets out a grunt once the back of his head hits the concrete below and Taehyung’s already hovering close above him. It’s his turn to burn holes into Jeongguk’s soul.
“Don’t you ever, dare, call me with that name again,” Jeongguk understands he’s being threatened from the deep, flat timbre Taehyung is using on him but he likes it this way. He gets Taehyung right exactly where he wants him.
Jeongguk then lifts his head up, closing the gap between their lips and smiling against it.
“I can’t guarantee that, pretty. My tongue might slip because it’s hard to see you as Taehyung, when all that I remember is the hot V.”
Savoring the opportunity, Jeongguk licks across the stiffened, pinky lips before he withdraws and rests his head all too relax on the floor. Taehyung looks like he’s a minute away from slapping him in the face which is, good.
It’s Jeongguk’s mission to rile this boy up after all.
He reaches a hand up, brushing the soft strands aside to reveal to him such a smooth forehead of Taehyung. How hard to battle against an angel, Jeongguk muses.
“You want me to shut up? Keep the secret away and pretend like we never met each other before? That comes with a deal, pretty.”
Taehyung swallows, looking away and trying to get up but Jeongguk stops him by the waist, clawing his hand tightly there until Taehyung has no choice but to stare right back on Jeongguk.
A hiss only comes as a response two minutes after that.
“What deal?”