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—Chapter 9—
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"I can do more than just accompany you, sweetheart," Suhyuk chuckled, the stench of alcohol and nicotine seeping from his mouth.
"Can I just kill him?" Jiseon heard Jake's voice over the comms as he and the others were listening to everything that was being said. She subtly glanced over Suhyuk's shoulder and saw the blonde man still nearby, watching over with hawk eyes.
"Jake, you need to move away. You're too close." Sunghoon snapped in response, followed by an exasperated sigh from Jay who had been listening in from the room upstairs.
"Y'know it's quite funny actually, I was just thinking," She hummed as Sunghoon and Jake argued in her ear, finishing the last of her drink and placing the glass back down on the counter. She then propped her elbow next to it and leaned into her open hand. "I've been feeling quite lonely lately. You see, my ex-boyfriend dumped me only days ago and I've been trying to find something to distract me for awhile, hence why I thought I'd come here tonight."
She exerted her best pitiful face and her attempt must have worked or Suhyuk's mind was too clouded by the substances he had consumed as he immediately crumbled at her voice.
"Who would dare leave someone like you?" He crooned, grabbing her free hand and pressing his lips to it briefly. "Tell you what, I'll give you a good time tonight, and if you find that you like it, I'll be here at this club for you whenever you'd want."
Jiseon heard a snort come from her earpiece and she didn't know whether to laugh or throw up at the man's words. Instead, she gripped his hand still holding hers and swiftly stood from her seat.
"I'll have to take you up on that offer, mister." She said, pulling him up from his seat and smoothly gliding across the floor with him in tow towards the staircase leading up to the vacant rooms. "Lucky for you, I happen to have a room under reservation."
"Lead the way, darling."
With a hidden smirk, she led him up the stairs which were set in an 'L' shape, a small landing in the corner where it split into the next flight. She dragged him into the designated room where she knew Jay and Heeseung were waiting for her appearance.
It was a simple room with only a queen sized bed in the back right corner, a small nightstand with an old-fashioned lamp, and a circular rug to take up the open space.
It was much larger than her own room back at Enhypen's mansion, with its own bathroom which its entrance was on the left wall; a singular white door which was open ajar.
The bed was made with royal blue bedsheets and a white duvet cover. Two pillows were resting at the head, both dressed in matching blue pillowcases. The nightstand beside it was cedar wood, perfectly sanded and polished to a shining finish.
The rug was a bright cyan, matching the color of the nightclub's neon sign, contrasting nicely with the oak plank flooring of the room. The only source of light was from the lamp along with the many LED light strips lining the edge of the ceiling, also a bright cyan color. Though, the lights glowed softly, just enough to add some color to the dark gray walls.
Jiseon eyed the bathroom door, fully aware of the two young men waiting behind it patiently for her signal. However, a sudden pit of unease settled in her stomach. That feeling would instantly be confirmed when Suhyuk's hold on her hand shifted to her wrist to which he began to squeeze tightly.
"Did you really think I wouldn't recognize your little friends sneaking past? I bet your leader or whoever sent you thought I'd be too damn drunk to see straight, but Hongjoong warned me to be on guard recently." He hissed in her ear. "And sending a little girl to do their work? How desperate are people becoming nowadays? That tattoo on your back is a dead giveaway that you belong to a gang. Whichever one I don't know nor do I care, but you made a mistake coming here tonight."
"I-I don't know what you mean, mister." Jiseon feigned ignorance and allowed a subtle tremble into her voice. "Please let go, you're scaring me."
Suddenly, Jiseon heard Jungwon's frantic voice come from her earpiece. "Agh, that wasn't part of the plan. And who is that—oh shit! You guys need to hurry, Choi Jongho just entered the building and he's looking for someone. It's probably Suhyuk, he's going to talk to that bartender. Dammit, what's going on here?!"
"You're not fooling anyone anymore, little girl." Suhyuk hissed, his eyes narrowing as his other hand made a move to grab for her throat.
Jiseon quickly contemplated her options. If an Ateez member is looking for Suhyuk, and if he asks Taemin or Jackson about it, they'll tell him where the two of them went with no questions asked. She'll have to knock him out beforehand and come up with a plan.
A soft thud came from the bathroom, both of their heads snapping over to peer at the open door and into the pitch black room. Nothing happened after that, though, but it only just solidified Suhyuk's sense that something was going on. He whipped out his phone and began dialing a number. Jiseon had to act fast.
She looked down at her wrist still enclosed in Suhyuk's hand and an idea came to mind. She let out an airy chuckle, regaining his attention and he paused from typing out the number. She twisted her hand around to dislodge his and reverse the position, now she had a hold on his forearm.
She yanked him forwards and used the momentum and her own strength to slam her palm into his windpipe, causing him to choke and use both of his hands to grasp at his throat while he gasped for air.
He stumbled backwards away from her, still clutching at his neck and she lifted one leg, spun around, and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. Spittle went flying from his lips and he dropped like a bag of rocks, collapsing to the floor in a heap. He was out cold.
The fight lasted no longer than a few moments, as Suhyuk was already on the floor and Jiseon was left to smooth out her dress when Heeseung and Jay reemerged from the bathroom. Jay inspected the now unconscious man, impressed that she had just single-handedly dropped a man that was several inches taller and about sixty pounds heavier than her in a matter of seconds. He glanced up at her, a question forming in his head.
This she noticed, but she shook her head at him. "Not the time. You both heard Jungwon, right?" They nodded. "Good. Help me get him into the bed, I have an idea."
The three of them lift Suhyuk's unconscious body and heave it onto the bed in the corner of the room, making sure his face was turned away from the rest of the room. Removing his blazer and tossing it to the side, Jaeseong pulled the duvet cover and top sheet away, tucking them over his body to make it appear he was simply asleep.
A sturdy knock on the door made the three of them freeze as the voice of a young man came from the hallway. "Excuse me, is anyone in here?"
"Fuck." Jiseon hissed, frantically waving her hands at Jay and Heeseung, directing them towards the bathroom again and they silently slid across the floor towards the open door. She then called out louder in a sing-song voice. "Just a moment~"
As soon as their figures disappeared from sight, she flicked one of her dress straps to the side, letting it hang off of her shoulder in a messy appearance. She then kicked off her heels, letting them scatter into the center of the room, and pulled the back of her hand across her mouth, smearing her lip tint. Her face was already a bit flushed from the action that had just taken place as well as lifting Suhyuk's very heavy body, it was perfect.
The knock came again, and she immediately strode over the door and pulled it open a sliver of the way.
Standing just outside with his hand still outstretched was a boy no older than Ni-ki, his black hair dyed red at the ends and half of it swept back while the rest hung in front of his forehead. He was a few inches taller than Jiseon, and he was dressed very nicely for someone so young. But his round face and big eyes betrayed his age.
This must be the 'Choi Jongho' Jungwon was talking about.
"Hello," She smiled sweetly up at the younger boy who had a stoic expression plastered across his face. "How can I help you?"
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