Taehyung's POV
"Here's what's gonna happen." Jungkook begins. "Take Jimin and Tae and together you will head towards the university. It's not far away from here so you'll be okay. When you reach the parking lot wait there."
I stare at both Elena and Jungkook, utterly confused about the panic that overtakes them, mostly Jungkook that is. He seems to think that somebody is following us for some unknown reason. On the other end, Elena doesn't seem convinced.
"Jungkook what the hell man?" Jimin snaps. "Just fucking tell us what's going on!"
"Okay, fine I think Taehyung's brother hired someone to spy on Elena." Jungkook finally says and I turn to him. He mentioned something about Jin just a moment ago, but I can't comprehend why on earth he might even think of such a thing.
"What business would Jin have with her anyway?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"Look we'll tell you everything later but for now can you just listen to me?" His voice is dripping in desperation. Judging from past experiences, I've learnt to trust Jungkook's instincts at such situations, so there's a chance he's not wrong right now. But what I still don't understand is what my brother Seokjin has to do with the two of them.
Jimin raises his case. "Whatever man, I'm still confused."
"Don't tell me you're going to confront this person." Elena says.
"I'll beat the shit out of him until he leaves you alone. And maybe break a bone or two." Knowing him, he's probably going to do something rash.
"Jungkook!"
He rolls his eyes. "Fine, only one bone."
"I'm being serious."
"So am I."
She sighs. "What if your intuition is wrong?"
"Better safe than sorry."
"You're not breaking a man's bones because of your gut instinct Jungkook." Elena says.
"How about this? You head with the guys to campus, and if I notice someone following you, I tell them to back off and we go on with our night."
"Alright."
"Take the route where the isolated alleys are." I tell her. "Also, don't run or walk fast. I'll be right behind you."
"Okay, can we go now?"
"You seem quite calm for someone that is being followed." Jungkook comments.
She scoffs. "You think this is the first time something as creepy and disturbing as this has happened to me?" Elena, Jimin and I pace away from the food truck and follow the path of the pavement that leads to some isolated alley. I look around at the crowded streets, watching different kinds of people, each and every single one of them leading lives that I'll never know of and that makes me feel oddly uncomfortable. It's a peculiar feeling that I can't explain and I always feel discombobulated when I'm around big crowds. I guess it's sad that I can't be a part of so many different worlds, just because mine so incredibly small and cold.
"Taehyung?" A soft voice calls and I look down at Elena who's looking up at me with concern. "Are you okay? You seem a bit restless."
"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply. How did she even notice? I barely even said anything.
"Do you think that someone is actually following us?" She inquires.
"I thought Jungkook said they're following you." Jimin interjects.
Now, that we're on the subject, I decide it's appropriate for us to finally discuss what is actually going on here. "Elena, what did Jungkook mean when he said that Seokjin hired someone to follow you? How do you even know my brother?" I get straight into the point because I don't like bitting around the bush.
Elena clears her throat a little too loud before stuffing her hands in her pockets. Her long dark brown hair covers her face and she doesn't even bother to pull it back. "I-It's complicated Taehyung." Her gaze falls on the ground and Jimin looks at me with curiosity.
"If someone is really following you right now and if this person is somehow linked to Tae's brother, don't you think you should let us in on what is going on so that we can help you?" He suggests. As usual, he's being diplomatic when it comes to pressuring circumstances. I think that Elena will find it easier to talk now because of his discretion. Apparently, being blunt and forward won't work on her, because she doesn't quite trust me. And frankly, I don't blame her, considering the fact that we barely know each other.
Her hand comes out of her coat pocket as she sweeps her hair away from her face, tucking it neatly behind her ear. Now, that her clear brown eyes are into view, I can see that she's contemplating on whether she should open her mouth. Soon enough, we make a turn towards some tall dark buildings. I notice an old tattoo parlor near the corner and a vending machine at the far end along with a familiar bus stop that's close to campus. If I'm not mistaken this bus stop is the closest to the parking lot.
"The thing is, the reason why Jungkook and I called you here, is because Seokjin is blackmailing me and I need your help..." Elena says in a hushed voice. She doesn't look at me as she proceeds, "I've been working for Seokjin for a while and now he wants me to do something that I just can't allow myself to do and he's telling me that if I don't do as I'm told, he will show um-private information to the university in order to sabotage me."
My eyes widen in awe at what she just explained to me. "You work at the Empire?" I ask her. If she does, it would be a surprise that I've never seen her there before since I work there part time as a front office manager. I notice Jimin from the corner of my eye suck in a breath as if he just realized something important.
"I-no, I work at one of his side businesses." She mutters, trying to get to the point by revealing as little information as possible. "I only recently found out that the two of you are related though."
"What?" That can't be. If Elena doesn't work at the Empire then that means that she probably works at one of Jin' nightclubs since none of us inherited any of Father's hotels around the country just yet. If that's the case, my guess is that she feels ashamed.
I already know that Jin manipulates vulnerable people, by threatening to strike where it would hurt them the most, as a marketing strategy. Even though I don't approve of his methods, I can't afford to go up against him either because I know that he won't hesitate to crush me under his heel. Like our father, he's grown to become ruthless and incredibly selfish. And just like Namjoon told me last week, he's a compulsive gambler in life. He would do anything to win even if it means putting someone else's life at risk without caring about the consequences. If only, I'd seen this sooner then perhaps we would have avoided tons of other troubles. I'm not so sure what I can possibly do about him right now, but it's better now that we have all of his cards on the table.
Elena doesn't say anything as we walk deeper into the alley, red bricked walls surrounding us from both sides.
"Where exactly do you work then?"I ask her but before she manages to reply we hear someone yell from behind us.
"Who the fuck are you?" Jungkook hisses at a hooded figure. Nobody else is in this isolated alley but us, so that can only mean that his intuition was right.
"Oh, shit." Jimin utters and Elena runs back to Jungkook.
"Jungkook!" She shouts and as Jimin and I dash towards them, I notice that the hood has fallen from the guy' head. His hands are balled into fists aiming for his throat, but the guy dodges and Jungkook' knuckles crash against the man's chin.
He loses his balance and almost twists his ankle as he backs up. His next move is to lunge forward to punch Jungkook's chest, but he manages to dodge the attack and then he aims for his rib area. Jungkook punches the man back again and while the blonde man is seeing stars, he seizes the opportunity to restrain him, by grabbing his arm and twisting it so that it sticks to his back. Kicking the back of his knees, the overpowered man drops down on the cold cement, the dirt brushing against his face with one of his hands extended in front of him.
"Stay back Elena." Jungkook grits, the heel of his shoe threatening to crush the man's wrist. "Now, back to our little rat. You've been following my girlfriend for quite a bit and I don't like that you're invading her privacy."
Ah shit, things are going to get dirty if we don't stop him now.
"What the fuck man?" The spy squirms. "I wasn't following her, I swear!"
"Wrong answer." Jungkook begins to apply pressure to the man's wrist that is currently being squashed between the ground and his sole. "Tell me, little rat, was it Seokjin who sent you to follow my girlfriend?"
"Jungkook, please stop!" Elena cries.
"I don't fucking know who that is-" Jungkook's heel abandons the man's wrist only to find his throat. Jimin lurches forward in order to stop him, but I raise my hand at him to stop.
"What the hell dude? Aren't we gonna do something?"
Of course we will. "Wait for a moment."
"Wait for what!"
"I want to see how far he's going to take things."
"He's obviously clueless Jungkook, let him go!" Elena screams her voice laced with utter desperation, while maintaining a distance from him. The pitch in her voice signifies her fear. She knows that Jungkook's intuition was right all along, yet seeing him lose it like this frightens her because even though she knows how fucked up he is, she has never seen this part of him. She wants him to stop because she's afraid that he'll do something he will probably regret later.
"You know, if something happens to you right here, no one will find your body, I'll make sure of that, so fess up quickly little man." Jungkook says warningly while slowly pressing his heel down onto the man's throat. His fingers wrap around Jungkook's ankle, but he can hardly defend himself, because he's unable to breathe and that results in the tears that run down his reddened cheeks and the spasms that overtake his body. A ghost smile appears starting from the corner of my friend's lips and that's when I understand what he's thinking.
He's enjoying this.
"Jungkook please," Elena says again. Only this time her tone is low.
And just like that he releases the weak man.
"You're fucking sick man-" The man croaks then lets out a harsh cough.
"Do you really want those four words to be your last?" Jungkook counters, raising a brow. Elena moves forward and reaches for his arm, dragging him as far from the man as possible while I signal Jimin to go. Together we lift the guy off the ground, and he seems thankful for the helping hand we give him, his thin smile growing even thinner when we nail him against the red bricked wall behind him. We hold him tight from each arm, to make sure that he won't break free. Elena and Jungkook don't say anything for a while and the silence is growing thick so I decide to finally break it.
"You work for Seokjin." I say calmly, my gaze finding his. "Tell me, why did he send you to follow her?"
"I-I said I don't know who that is." He replies curtly avoiding my eyes. "Will you let me leave now?" His upper lip is twitching and his bottom one is quivering. Droplets of sweat have formed on his temples and his temperature is probably going up. Either because of the beating he received from Jungkook or because his back is literally against the wall.
"You're lying." I say and with that I reach for his cell phone in his pocket. "Now if I look through each and every one of your contacts, are you confident that I won't find Seokjin's number on it?" I coo earning a fearful gulp from him as the screen lights up. "Now, I'm pretty sure you're not stupid enough to leave your device unprotected so tell me the password while I'm being nice."
"Fuck you! I could sue you for all the shit you put me through." He grits, trying to look tough. What a paper tiger.
"You see, I'm not like my beloved friend right here, yes; the one who was ready to kick your head off your shoulders like a football. I would rather do things cleanly, avoiding all the uneccessary violence. But mark my words when I say that I'll destroy your life I mean it. You won't be able to show your face around here if you upset me." I tell him sharply. "Now, I'm asking for the last time. Password. Now."
I can almost hear his teeth grinding in response when he groans in submission. "Fine, so Seokjin send me to look out for this bitch. What about it?"
"What does he want with her?" Jimin asks.
"The twisted fuck wants her to work for him as a whore at his fancy hotel." The man replies. "He sent me to only check in on what she's been up to because it's been a few days since she's showed up at the Golden Closet; you know that place? It's a strip club right around the corner. One of the best ones in town."
When he finishes the sentence, my eyes widen in realization. I let go of the guy and turn to Elena. I scrutinize her carefully and notice that her petite figure matches the body type of a girl I was going to spend the night with several months ago.
Where did that come from?
Her face is a little blurry on my mind because it's been a while since I've seen her and when I went to the Golden Closet to apologize for my behavior at the Empire, I could never find her. She resembles Elena a lot, even though when I saw that girl she was always in wigs and intense makeup. Jungkook and I once visited her-Eye Candy, was her stage name.
Eye Candy.
I've heard that nickname before. I think Jungkook used to mock Elena by calling her that.
What if the reason why I couldn't find Eye Candy, is because she was scared to look at me in the eye? Because Elena was scared to look at me in the eye.
And everytime she and Jungkook were together on campus and I would go talk to them, she would always distance herself from us.
"You," I start. That's when another memory rises to the surface of a night when Jungkook and I went to the Golden Closet.
Holy fuck.
Was it Elena/Eye Candy the one who sucked me off that night?
My best friend's girlfriend?
"Shit." I let out. Now that I connected the dots everything makes sense.
question of the day: where are you from?
I'll see u on Friday too~