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🏁 002: 𝙒𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙉 𝙄𝙉 𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙎🏁
MAY 18, 2006
12:06 AM
TOKYO, JAPAN
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NAOMI STOOD GLUED TO HER SPOT. The heels of her pink platforms digging into the orange-ish dirt below her as she keeps a close eye on the street. Even after the race had begun and the cars took off in a vicious, unified roar of engines - the crowd aside never stops their exuberant chanting.
Bets were being placed on these racers and it was then that Naomi realizes how talented these men were. How confident the crowd had to be to take hundreds from their pockets and slap them into the hands of the collectors who roamed around urging them to bet. The trust and bond between street racers and their fans was an interesting thing. A tight and close relationship. Win or lose.
Her head turns to the side as the sound of the once distant engines get closer and closer with each passing second. Speed limits being broken carelessly and rubber being burned as their tires skid across the smooth, black asphalt as they cut the sharp corner. Her eyes widen in awe as the blinding headlights shine upon the crowd. And loud gasps erupt from the curious audience as a winner approaches the finish line.
"Step back step back!" A loud, masculine voice boomed.
Naomi took steps back, not wanting to become a greasy spot in the middle of the damn road. Her heart pounding in her chest as anticipation weighs upon her.
Here it comes... she thought.
And just as the thought crossed her mind, a winner crossed the finish line in a ghostly white flash. A flag being pushed out and waved by Jimin to mark the first finisher, and the car that soon followed behind. Naomi nibbled on her bottom lip as they all fall in line beside one another after crossing. She turns to her left to see doors opening and people trampling over one another to get to the cars and either greet or congratulate the racers.
Her eyes take a brief travel across the line until they land on the car at the very end that was stopped just a bit ahead of the other. She recognized this car as the first to cross the finish line. And as the car that belonged to the one and only Jung Hoseok.
Curiosity eats at Naomi as she gains the sudden temptation to approach him. Noticing him greeting his fans with a huge smile on his face as he exchanged hand shakes with guys and little side hugs with the ladies. She just knew he was boasting about what a good job he had done, and honestly the thought makes her want to gag. But she had a role to play. A job to do. And she couldn't display such distaste at a time like this.
Sucking in a breath, Naomi begins to walk over towards his car. Attitude and grace in her confident stride as she steps on the road. Her hips swaying and dipping on their own accord as she walks around the gleaming white Nissan Skyline with a mission to get to Hoseok.
Naomi enters the lions den it seems. A bunch of bimbos swarm around him like bees. She could hear their loud obnoxious voices and the flirtatious remarks that slip past their glossed up lips. They barely wore clothing which - Naomi couldn't blame nor judge them because of what she wore. But it was all about how you wore the clothes. And they looked like a hot ass mess.
"Excuse me." Naomi says, tapping her finger on the shoulder of a woman with horrifically dyed blond hair, the natural black of her roots showing through beneath the frankly unnatural color.
The woman turned around and scoffed causing Naomi to frown. She opened her mouth to address the unwanted and unnecessary attitude but before she could - she heard him calling out to her.
"Mimi!" He said. Naomi looked over towards Hoseok. That smug smile on his face would appear in her nightmares. If not make an appearance, it would be the star of them.
Strands of his black and silver hair fall over his dark brown eyes as he waved her over. Naomi glanced over at the blond with a look that read nothing short of 'Yeah, that's right. Now get the hell out of my way' before walking over to him.
Standing before him even in platforms, Naomi wasn't taller. But she was eye level. And she could see a twinkle in his eyes that read nothing but mischief and troubled fun. He was nothing but trouble.
"I won my race, Mimi. I think that means we're off for drinks." He says teasingly. Naomi hummed.
"You won but I don't know about that second part." She replies. Hoseok chuckled.
"Oh come on-"
"What's up, Seok?"
Naomi and Hoseok turn around at the same time to see a man standing there holding what appeared to be a wad of cash in his write hand. He was obviously Japanese, and he wore all black with his shoulder length hair pulled back in a little bun. Naomi stared silently yet observantly at the exchange, wondering what his business was with Hoseok in the first place.
"Your cut for tonight. Good job man." He said, prepping his hand to toss the thick stack of cash to Hoseok. He caught the money swiftly. A whistle leaving his lips as he ran a thumb through it.
"Thanks." He gave a simple head nod. The man looked at Naomi before turning on his heels to leave. Naomi then looks back to Hoseok who was now taking the beige rubber band from around the money as he counted it.
"Everyone loves you." Naomi said without a second thought. It was nothing but a mere observation. The crowd's admiration for Hoseok was undeniable from the girls who tossed themselves at him for just a single night of his affections to the men who aspired one day to be on his level of expertise.
"They don't love me. They love how I race." Hoseok stated, counting the bills for a few seconds more before nodding and rolling the cash back up into the rubber band.
"What's the difference?" Naomi asked softly. She was certain there was a difference. She was certain that there was some hidden meaning beneath his words. But she wanted an actual answer from him. She needed to dig deep if she wanted to do this job correctly.
"How about you let me take you out for drinks. And in return, I'll tell you just why they're so different."
Naomi nibbled on her bottom lip. She craved to have a her favorite strawberry-flavored bubblegum between her teeth right about now. She was nervous and anxious to agree. But she didn't have a choice in it all actuality. It was now or never.
"That win got you feeling powerful?" She teased, raising her eyebrow.
Hoseok threw his head back in a whimsical laughter as if she had said the funniest thing in the world. A professional comedian dressed in pink.
"Come on, I know a good place just a few blocks away." He stated, laughter dying down and his tone being replaced by one of slight seriousness and persistence.
"I didn't agree to go." Naomi smiled. Hoseok leans from his slumped position against the car. Naomi is taken by surprise once he gently grabs her hand and begins to walk them around the car over to the passenger side.
"You look like you could use a drink." He says.
"Why your car?" Naomi questions as he opens up the door for her. Hoseok smirks. "We can either take pinkalicious over there and draw unnecessary attention to ourselves or we can take the skyline. It's your choice, Mimi." He teases.
Skeptical, Naomi is hesitant to get inside of the car. She didn't trust leaving her car out here with all of these greedy fingers and strangers. But she knew because of why she was out here in the first place, that nothing would happen to it.
She looks around and spots Jimin talking up a racer with a flashy red Porsche and calls for him. "Chim, watch my car!" He perks up and swivels his head toward the direction of her voice. He nods curtly, waving his hand dismissively before saying something to tonight's hook up before leaving to go to her car instead.
Naomi rolls her eyes. Picking up her platform covered foot before placing it in the car. Hoseok gives a complacent grin before nodding.
"Thought so."
The path ahead clears as Hoseok closes the door after making sure Naomi was safely inside. He pushed his hair back on his head as he walks around the front of the car, the crowd clearing out to let him through. Hoseok then hops inside, closing the door afterwards in a hurry to leave the scene. Naomi turns her head just enough to see him slipping on his seatbelt, eyes trained ahead with a focused expression.
"Seatbelt, Mimi." He says.
Naomi looks at him incredulously. "You race at like 500 kilometers per hour but you want me to put my goddamn seatbelt on?"
Hoseok looks at her, clear as day with grave seriousness which tells her, 'I won't say it again'. "I'm not driving that fast with you in the car, am I? Put it on."
Naomi's lips twitch as she slowly slides the seatbelt over her body. Tucking it in with a click that alerts her of her security. As the keys turn in the ignition the inside of the bars lights up, coming to life. Naomi looks around, her absorption obvious as she gets a taste of how the inside of the skyline looked. Her fascination with cars was evident in her bright brown eyes as Hoseok's hand pressed down on the horn to get the path before them cleared.
Naomi gasps suddenly, head snapping up to look straight ahead. Nothing but space and opprotunity was before them. The city lights beaming down on the streets and bouncing off of the little sidewalk puddles that appeared after rainfall. One second they were sitting, and the next they were speeding off into the night with the chants and ruckus from tonight's race left behind as a memory.
-
The nightclub was like a little hole in the wall. It wasn't very spacious but it wasn't like some tiny confined space. Naomi found herself feeling a bit suffocated, but it wasn't all that bad. Hoseok got them there in no time. Off the track, his driving wasn't so reckless. He abided by the traffic rules and wasn't as cocky as he was on the track. He was like a completely different person - Naomi noticed.
They drifted past all the night clubs and restaurants that lined the side of the streets. Tokyo was known for its seemingly electric, colorful night life. And Naomi found herself falling into a trance as she admired all the lights shining above her.
They entered the club after admission through the security. Gazes were thrown at Naomi from every corner it seemed. She didn't know if it was because of her skin color or her attire, but it was something. Could it be the long, peekaboo braids flowing down her back? Or maybe it was the fact that beside her was one of the biggest names in illegal street racing at the moment that had her sticking out like a sore thumb at the moment.
"Let's get a table." Hoseok muttered, standing close by as he showed her to a table.
Naomi stared straight ahead as he leads them over to a little round black table. Two folding chairs across from each other with a little blown out candle in the center that people obviously used as an ash tray when they came here. Naomi went to pull out her chair but before she could, Hoseok was pulling it out for her.
"Chivalry still lives on." She joked. Hoseok scoffs a breathless laughter as she sat down.
"It does." He says.
Naomi clears her throat as he sat down. There was nothing else for her to do at the moment besides look around. There were little colorful bulbs in the corner that made the lights bouncing off the wall different colors. Some blue, some green, some purple. Naomi also seen the little square ramp a few feet away that served as a dance floor. A dj booth right beside it with a man behind it working the mixing table and sporting a pair of bulky headphones.
Licking over her lips, she turns back to Hoseok who had surprisingly already been looking at her. Leaning back in his chair with a single arm spread out so that he could tap his finger against the table top. His legs spread and his other arm swung across the back of the chair. A analytical gaze on his face as he watched her shamelessly.
"Is everything okay?" Naomi asked.
She didn't like how he was looking at her. It looked like he was trying to read her. She didn't like when people tried to figure her out as if she were a puzzle. Something or someone that needed to be solved. She was the one meant to solve people, the one who made people anxious when she made eye contact for a little too long. People were intimidated by her, by her skin, by her femininity, by her confidence, and she liked it.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
If Naomi were an opened book, she would be opened for a reason. Just like there was a reason for her being a closed book. He only needed to focus on the cover. He didn't need to dig deep for any other information because he would not be getting it.
"Yeah, I'm great. I just...I can't believe that you're here. You've changed." He smiled.
No matter how much Hoseok tried, he couldn't seem to stop comparing her past self to her present self. It was obvious that she had been through shit just like any other human being. But she masked it well. She kept herself up and looked damned good. She was confident and hard bodied. And hoseok liked that about her.
"That's usually how humans work." Naomi says sharply. Hoseok quirks a brow.
"Can't argue with that." He mumbled swiftly moving on to something else. "This place sells drinks, food . Get whatever your little pink heart desires."
"Why do you think I'm just obsessed with pink?" Naomi asks. Hoseok gestures towards her appearance. Everything about her just screamed pink.
"Not to mention your car. Do I really need to answer?"
Naomi ignores him as they are approached by a bartender...or should she call him a waiter? She was confused on where the hell they were anyway. So she just chose to order her drink.
"Get something girly. Like a fuzzy navel or some shit." Hoseok teases, reaching into his pocket to pull out his blue lighter.
She didn't remember him being this obnoxious when she was younger. Sure he had his moments like any other guy. But Naomi was able to see past it because of her admiration for him at the time. Now, she wasn't able to give him that same benefit of the doubt. Naomi twisted her lips to avoid saying something that just might blow this entire thing.
"Uh..." she looks up at the waiter who already seemed incredibly impatient and fed up with his job. Naomi didn't drink much and she was presented no menu so she honestly didn't know where to go from here. Perhaps Hoseok was on to something.
"Fuzzy navel." She said in what she hoped to be perfect Japanese. If not, Hoseok would hopefully correct it for the waiter's understanding. Hoseok gave a silent laugh as the waiter turned to his direction. Naomi looks at anything but him.
"Just get me a beer, man." He says.
The seemingly overworked and underpaid waiter walks off to get their drinks. Naomi frowns as she looks over at Hoseok.
"You're an ass." She says.
Hoseok shrugged, pulling a cigarette that she didn't even notice from behind his ear and holding it between his fingers. She watched as he took up his lighter. In one swift motion he is able to spark up the lighter, putting the flame to the cigarette which then causes smoke to appear. He takes a hit. The smoke pollutes the air between them but Naomi brushes it off. It didn't affect her much. Yoongi was a smoker too, but always talked about how bad it was for the body and told her never to start...but still continued to do it anyway.
"Do as I say not as I do."
"I believe you owe me an answer to my earlier question." She bids, still looking over to side like the wall sould be the one to answer her.
Hoseok releases the smoke through the slither of space between his teeth. His eyes low as the thin smoke attempts to cloud his vision. His hair mysteriously making its way down to cover his eyes again. "I do." He says, a sigh following afterwards as he took a minute to think.
"My only answer to that would be with another question, I guess. How can any of them love me when they don't even know me?" He tilts his head slightly.
Naomi turns to peep at him just as the waiters come back with their drinks. An ice cold beer is placed before hoseok, and a stupid, orange fuzzy navel placed before Naomi.
"Enjoy." The waiter grumbles before walking away. Naomi stares down at her drink as Hoseok continues to build upon his question.
"They love the sound my car makes when it takes off. They love the way their cash is never wasted in the end after they put down their hard earned money to bet on me. They love the way I interact with them. How I boast."
"But that's all you?" Naomi says in a questioning tone. It was difficult trying to understand him.
Hoseok shook his head in denial, pulling the cigarette back between his lips for another drag.
"It's not." He says.
Naomi felt foolish for even attempting to figure him out. He was a master manipulator it seemed. He could hide anything if he wanted to. She wondered just how many lies he's told. How many skeletons he had in his closet piled beneath Yoongi's.
"Let's talk about you though." He says with humor, smudging his cigarette into the candle before them before twisting open his beer.
Naomi slowly picks up her drink as he brought the bottle up to his lips. Naomi took a sip from the fuzzy navel. It was good and fruity. It actually was a very "girly" drink as hoseok liked to put it. But Naomi just knew it was loved by both men and women alike, and so she paid such an empty minded statement no attention.
"It's been what? Four or Five years since I last seen you. How are things back home?"
Home. Home was a touchy subject for Naomi. After losing Yoongi, she honestly had no home. So many burned bridges and broken relationships. She didn't have a place filled with warmth and family. Her family was gone. And he was the one who took that from her. So how dare he talk about home?
"Daegu isn't your home." Naomi says, taking another sip from her drink.
"It's not, you're right." Hoseok raises a hand in defense.
"But it's...fine. It's...it's there I guess. Not much to say about it." Naomi murmured, tracing a finger around the rim of her glass.
Although she was right across from him, Hoseok felt as if she were talking in the distance. As if she were speaking past him. But he listened regardless. And he could hear that this obviously wasn't anything she wanted to address at the moment. So he stirred away from the topic in the worst way possible.
"I figured. After yoongi's d-"
"Stop." Naomi cut him off before he could even finish, closing her eyes as she tried to straighten her train of thought. It was tragically derailing into a catastrophic crash.
He had some nerve to bring up her brother after killing him. Some fucking balls to even say yoongi's name. He was the devil. He couldn't be real.
"Sorry. I'm sorry, seriously." He says. He didn't mean to offend her or upset her. He didn't want this night to end so soon but by the looks of it, they were working their way towards that direction.
Hoseok cleared his throat before looking around. "It's getting late. What do you say we finish up these drinks and I bring you back to your car?"
"Sounds good." Naomi states bitterly. Her piercing brown eyes concentrated on the glass before her as she tried to calm herself. She should kill him, drop him dead right here right now.
"Alright." Hoseok nodded, leaning back slowly in his chair.
The awkward tension between them both being thick enough to cut with a knife. Naomi just wanted to get out of his presence. And honestly he could not blame anyone except himself for having such a big ass mouth.
It was so silly of him to expect for her to be ready to talk about Yoongi. Granted some time has passed but wounds never healed completely, they always left scars. Scar were permanent.
And they were written all over Naomi.
*.✧ 𝘿𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙎
A/n: i don't know what to say... I'm just gonna acknowledge the fact that we made both Naomi and Hoseok two incredibly hot characters so beware.
Excuse any mistakes <3 - Dionne.