𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗚 || ᴛᴀᴇᴋᴏᴏᴋ

• C H A P T E R 28 •

“I just wanna forget him tonight,” he whispered under his breath, barely loud enough for Jimin to hear over the music.

Jimin didn’t say anything just placed a gentle hand on Jungkook’s shoulder while glancing over his shoulder at the shadow lurking by the edge of the crowd.

Taehyung.

Eyes glowing with something unreadable, fists clenched at his sides, watching everything.

The lights in the club were dizzying, casting flickering colors across Jungkook’s flushed face. He swayed slightly in his seat at the bar, one hand gripping the counter while the other clutched Jimin’s sleeve.

“Hyung…” he slurred, eyes wide and glassy, “I— I need… I need the washroom…”

Jimin looked at him quickly, brows knitting together. “You okay, Kook?”

Jungkook nodded far too fast, his hair flopping into his eyes. “Yeah-yeah, jus’ gotta pee…” he mumbled, voice dragging as he pushed off the stool a little unsteadily.

Jimin quickly reached to steady him, looping an arm around his waist. “Okay, okay, come on. Let’s go before you fall on your face.”

Jungkook giggled at that, clinging to Jimin like a sleepy kitten. “I’m not a baby… I can walk…”

“You’re barely walking,” Jimin muttered, amused but worried, guiding Jungkook through the crowd toward the restrooms. “You better not fall asleep in the stall, I swear—”

But as the bodies around them shifted, someone danced right between them, separating their grip.

Jungkook stumbled forward slightly  blinking and when he turned around… Jimin was gone.

And the crowd swallowed him whole.

The club was alive pulsing with neon lights and heavy bass that vibrated through the floor. The DJ stood high on his booth like a king on a throne, head bobbing beneath a mess of dyed hair and thick headphones as he layered track after track, each drop harder than the last.

Colored spotlights cut through the smoky air, slicing across the sea of moving bodies. People were packed shoulder to shoulder, sweat-slicked and glowing under the strobe lights, dancing without a care. Laughter and shouts mixed with the music, forming a chaotic symphony of nightlife energy.

Jimin, still gripping Jungkook’s wrist, tried to weave through the mass of dancers, but the crowd thickened near the restrooms everyone seemed to be moving in different directions. Someone bumped into him from the side, forcing him to loosen his grip just for a second.

That was all it took.

Jungkook, dazed and drunk, was swept sideways by the movement of the crowd. A tall guy laughing with friends stepped right between them, and by the time Jimin looked back Jungkook was gone.

“Jungkook?” he called, trying to peek over shoulders and heads, but the lights flared again, blinding. The bodies shifted endlessly. He spun around in a mild panic, pushing his way forward. “Jungkook!”

But Jungkook was no longer behind him. The crowd had swallowed him whole and Jimin’s chest tightened as the music roared louder.

Jungkook stumbled near the edge of the crowd, dizzy from the lights and the alcohol warming his veins. He blinked blearily, trying to remember where Jimin went, but everything was swirling the music, the heat, the flashes of color.

He leaned against a wall near a hallway that led toward the washrooms, head hanging low, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

That’s when a shadow stepped in front of him.

“Hey there, pretty thing,” came a slurred voice, too close to his ear.

Jungkook’s head lifted slowly. A man, tall and unfamiliar, stood in front of him with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His breath reeked of alcohol, and the way his eyes traveled over Jungkook’s body lingering far too long on his thighs, the curve of his waist made the younger's stomach twist.

“You lost?” the man asked, stepping closer, his hand reaching out to touch Jungkook’s arm. “Need someone to help you out?”

Jungkook flinched, taking a small, unstable step back, but his back hit the wall. He blinked again, trying to steady himself, his voice caught somewhere in his throat.

The man chuckled darkly. “Come on, don’t be shy. You dressed up like that… you’re practically asking for attention.”

Jungkook’s breath hitched, panic beginning to rise in his chest. His limbs felt heavy. The music was too loud. Where was Jimin?

Where was Taehyung?

Jungkook’s vision blurred at the edges as the pulsing lights from the club’s DJ booth washed over everything in dizzying flashes of neon blue and red. The beat of the bass throbbed in his ears, muffling everything else even the voice in his head screaming for him to move.

He tried to take a step sideways, but his ankle buckled slightly in his shoes, and he stumbled against the wall with a soft whimper. His lashes fluttered, sweat glistening on his brow. His body felt heavy, sluggish the alcohol clouding his thoughts and weighing down his limbs.

The man moved in closer, breath hot and disgusting near Jungkook’s ear. His hand brushed against Jungkook’s side, fingers curling boldly around his waist.

Jungkook’s eyes widened, and his mouth parted in panic. “D-Don’t…” he slurred, his voice trembling, weak.

But the man just laughed low in his throat. “You’re so soft, baby. Where’s your little friend, huh? Left you all alone?”

His grip tightened slightly on Jungkook’s waist, pulling him forward with a leering grin. Jungkook’s hands pressed feebly against the man’s chest, trying to push him away, but his strength was all but gone. The panic was rising fast too fast and his heart pounded in his chest.

He needed help.

He needed....

“Back. The. Fuck. Off.”
A deep, cold voice suddenly cut through the music like a knife.

TO BE CONTINUE