The Tiger King (Chaelisa)

79| The Gangnam Gambit

Previously:

Jinyoung spoke with his father JYP and learned more about the history of Tiger King and the people involved in its escape ( Dr Marco Bruschweiler and Hwangssabu). Jinyoung promises JYP  he will set up a meeting with Jennie for answers and closure, and they part on amicable terms.

Jennie drowns herself in physical training and befriends Youngdeuk, one half of Hani's twin henchmen. He appears to still not have recovered from Hani's decision to not use Tiger King for their own  benefit. Rosé drowns herself in trying to recover any information that would help them gain access to the classified Tiger King showcase Jinyoung is intending to host in mere days' time.

Thanks to Jennie's suggestions, Rosé stumbles upon a lead: the location of one of Yang's dead drops that potentially Jinyoung is still using to distribute secret information to relevant parties while staying under the radar. Information can only be extracted physically from the dead drop, which is located in a club called Burning Sun, potentially under Jinyoung's name.

Rosé managed to override administrator access and open a limited time-window where anybody could access the dead drop. Together with Hani, Chaennie decide to take the risk and visit Burning Sun. 

{continues from previous chapter} (warning: mature scenes)

"Now who could that be at this time?" Irene frowned, looking up at the sound of light knocks on the front door. She shared a mystified glance with Seulgi.

Ella dropped the chopsticks into her bowl with a clatter. "Mom!" She slipped down from her chair in a flash, running for the door in excitement. "Mom's back!"

"El no wait!" Seulgi dropped her spoonful of rice and raced after Ella, scooping the girl up just before she reached the door.

"Wait, El, wait! We gotta check first, okay?" Seulgi said breathlessly. She puffed and set the forlorn girl down. "Whew, you're getting heavy. Joohyun's rice balls are that good huh?"

"Gi," Irene said anxiously as she walked into the hallway with them. Dalgom was at her heel, growling low in his throat. He had taken a liking to Irene, much to the woman's delight, despite Seulgi being the one to bring him from Jisoo's apartment. He liked to greet Irene with a wagging tail when she came back from work. Rosé's cats on the other hand were more comfortable hanging out with Seulgi's own cats and kept to themselves. Seulgi was just glad they all seemed somewhat settled despite their owners' absence.

Seulgi nodded reassuringly and gently pushed Ella towards her girlfriend, speaking in a low voice. "I got this, Hyun. Go check the stove."

Irene nodded once and pulled away with Ella, who immediately followed, solemn and grave. Dalgom whined uncertainly but followed them as well.

'Checking the stove' had been a code Seulgi and Irene came up with in case Ella and Irene needed to leave the area quickly and hide. That way, they wouldn't alert any potential intruder that they were prepared.

They had come up with a lot of these little code words in the past few days, and Ella adapted well. Seulgi didn't want to show it but she worried for the little girl stuck inside the house unable to go to music class or anywhere else for that matter as they watched endless cartoons, played endless boardgames, cardgames and every wordgame Seulgi could remember while they waited for Irene to come back from work or any scrap of news from Rosé and Jennie.

Seulgi made sure Ella didn't stay close to the windows or go outside and meet neighbours. She policed their internet browsing history in case the authorities were on to them or Jinyoung was keeping watch. She checked and rechecked locks and bolts. She went out only for sparse moments, just to not get stir-crazy and let the dog and cats have some air. 

But she only did that when Irene was home; they had decided there needed to always be an adult in the house with Ella. Seulgi never spent too much time outdoors: her guilt that Ella was not able to go outside always gnawed at her but she held strong on her decision to keep the girl hidden, for now. She had groceries be delivered instead of going to get them herself. Nights were spent trying not to toss and turn too much and disturb Irene.

But Irene always cottoned on to Seulgi's restlessness and comforted her with an arm around her waist, hugging her tightly with small kisses pressed between her shoulder blades, or her collarbone if they would be facing each other. Seulgi was able to relax a bit then, eventually dropping off to a dreamless sleep.

In mere days, Seulgi had swiftly taken up the mantle of vigilant protector. And she was now starting to understand a tiny smidge of what Jennie had been going through all this time without anyone ever knowing. It made her respect for Jennie grow even more.

Seulgi grabbed an umbrella from the stand at the door and clutched it tightly as she peered through the peephole. She set her jaw when she saw a tall lanky man waiting awkwardly outside. He seemed to have a wad of paper under his arm. 

Seulgi spoke up when he raised his fist to knock again. "Who is it?"

"Oh uh..." the man fumbled in his pocket with his free hand and raised his police badge up to the peephole. "Detective Park Chanyeol. Uh, I'm here to drop off some uh...letters? From Rosé Park? Sorry for interrupting dinnertime."

Now that she could see his whole face, Seulgi recognised the detective. She had seen that harried face on TV, answering reporters' queries about some murder investigation. But she had seen and heard plenty in the last few days alone. She wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. He could be trying to bait her. He could be working with Jinyoung. He could be trying to winkle them out.

"Rosé? I don't know who that is. You must have the wrong address," she lied, hoping she was erring on the side of caution.

"Uh, well she and Jennie told me..." he seemed to come to a decision. "I understand you might be afraid and not trust me. So what we'll do is...I can post these letters one at a time to you."

Seulgi was about to say no, she wanted to say she didn't consent to this bizarre interaction even though she desperately wanted to believe him and ask more about Jennie and Rosé, but the detective beat her to it.

"Please, it's for her daughter. I know this is the right house, Jennie specifically told me the address. It's alright. I'm not here in the name of the law," he said softly.

Seulgi swallowed, remembering Ella's anguish that she heard not one word from her mother, remembering Irene's mounting worry and lack of appetite, and how her own nerves were fraying waiting on any good news at all.

"Alright. Post them."

The detective left as soon as the last sheet of paper had gone through, bidding the door a brief 'thank you and goodnight' before he stalked off into the night. Seulgi watched him go then gazed down at the sheets of printer paper before her. 

When she bent to pick them up, she frowned to find them blank, though slightly stiff and with a faint orange scent. There were fifteen sheets in total, all folded in half.

"Clear," she called down the hallway, summoning Irene and Ella.

"Who was it?" Irene whispered as she led Ella out, stopping dead when she found Seulgi sitting among the pile. Ella came forward as well, hopeful.

"Was it Mom?"

"It wasn't your mother but apparently these letters are," Seulgi said dumbfounded. She looked up at Irene and shrugged. "A detective dropped them off."

"Letters? From Mom?" Ella asked curiously. The moment she picked up one of the blank sheets, Seulgi and Irene watched in trepidation, waiting for the crestfallen face of disappointment. Ella had soldiered bravely through the days with barely any complaint but she was too quiet for Seulgi's tastes.

To their utmost surprise, Ella brought the paper to her nose. She sniffed deeply for a few seconds before her eyes grew round as she clapped with glee. 

"Oranges! It's invisible ink! Mommy wrote the letters in invisible ink, just like my ghost game!"

"Ghost game?" Seulgi said, puzzled.

"Are you sure?" Irene said cautiously, kneeling to take up one of the sheets. She sniffed deeply. "It does smell like oranges."

"We need a candle! Or a torch!" Ella declared. Her eyes were shining again, making Seulgi and Irene glance at each other and smile, relief and anticipation taking over their expressions.

"Let's get reading then," Seulgi nodded and Irene hurried to find a box of matches.

>

Gangnam-dong wasn't one of Rosé's regular haunts when she had been running gigs for Yang.

That dubious honour went to some other runner, since they were all individually assigned the same district over and over to carry their jobs, in order to build a presence and a reputation. Yang liked to have repeat customers, because that's where the money business was. Having a familiar face helped clients to stay in touch.

Constantly showing up at the same places with shady people was what had Rosé dreading that one day, she  would be profiled by cops. She wouldn't be too surprised if she was already. And then it would only be a matter of time before the cops come banging on her door and took Ella away...

Ella. Did she get the letters? Did she realise that they were written in orange juice, a nod to their old game? Would she understand all the love Rosé poured into painstakingly writing with a measly toothpick? Would Ella forgive her? Was she eating well?

Rosé shook her head. Focus. She couldn't afford to get lost in ruminations right before they went into Burning Sun. She needed to be Thorn, poised and in control.

"Ready?" Youngdon asked before they climbed out of the car. He was wearing a rectangular black mask over his eyes, an item that all Burning Sun patrons were uncompromisingly asked to wear, otherwise they were not granted access at all. It was like a precaution to help maintain anonymity in a criminal's den, in case some wandering undercover cops managed to get the slip.

Rosé pulled her own rectangular black mask over her eyes, hoping it was enough of a disguise. "Ready."

Youngdon tapped the diamond stud earring in his ear and Rosé heard the faintest crackle, so faint that you wouldn't hear it if you hadn't been listening for it. In the silence of the car they sat in, Rosé heard the answering feedback, which meant that the earpiece had connected to Hani's channel. 

Hani, Youngdeuk and Jennie were going to be communicating with them and keeping an eye on the proceedings with the hidden camera Youngdon had on his person. Rosé tapped her own diamond stud earring as well, listened for the signal that communication lines had been open then nodded at Youngdon.

"Let's go."

"Good luck," Hani said in their ears. "The time-window opens in fifteen minutes."

"We'll get there in time," Rosé reassured. 

"Be careful," Jennie said shortly. 

Rosé knew Jennie was trying to keep a tight lid on her emotions for everyone's sake, but Rosé could still hear the anxiety behind her words, virtually begging Rosé to back off the mission. But Rosé couldn't back off; she was the only one of them who could access the dead drop. 

Rosé allowed herself a tiny smile, remembering Jennie's outrage on her behalf when she stepped out of the apartment's bathroom after getting ready. Despite the grave circumstances, Jennie's fussy tendencies helped disperse some tension.

"What the hell? What is she wearing? You call that a dress? I have fishnets with less holes in them!" Jennie said shrilly upon spotting Rosé's chosen club outfit. "No, no, no, absolutely not, she is not wearing that, she is not stepping into any club looking like some slab of meat on display. No deal. Rosé go change—"

"Easy there sweets, what are you, her keeper or something? She knows what she's getting into."

"Does that happen to be a skin flick set, 'cos that's what she's looking to be getting into to me," Jennie said indignantly.

"If you think that's racy, you haven't been looking at enough porn,"  Youngdeuk snickered.

"Right, because I really have a lot of empty time  on my hands to consult porn for educational purposes ," Jennie deadpanned. Those two seemed to have gotten chummy after an afternoon spent in each other's company 'spinning cars in circles', as Jennie put it.

"Don't get your panties all wet now, Ace, we're going for erotic, not pornographic. It's just a costume to sell the act. Thorn is used to this," Hani replied in her usual drawl. She cast an approving look at Rosé and nodded. "Move out."

The hardest part of the mission was probably going to be entering and then exiting Burning Sun without attracting undue attention to their presence. Youngdon was going to be handling negotiations at the entrance. Rosé must have looked doubtful when Hani assigned Youngdon to be her partner because the mobster patted her henchman on the shoulder.

"I know he looks like he owns half a brain cell but trust me when I say, you want him on your side. He'll handle everything. You just do your thing," Hani said whilst Youngdon shot Rosé a wink. 

She snapped back to the present when Youngdon stepped out of the car with a bulky briefcase in hand, and she quickly followed suit. Rosé wasn't sure of the contents but if she had to guess, it was full of Hani's imported product and Youngdon was going to use it as an entry token.

Unlike regular clubs, you didn't get into Burning Sun with tickets, a regular entrance fee or simply just going in. It was a bit different, a bit more unorthodox, a bit more exclusive.

Burning Sun was a secret club that didn't actually exist. The club people on the street saw was named 'Ku Club', a front for the actual Burning Sun club that was housed underground. It was a gambling den and casino haven for criminal trading, and seemingly a well-kept secret from authorities. And to stay that way, it meant entrance was highly rigorous, despite the masks. Only registered and authorised patrons could enter. Payments weren't cheap either.

Rosé hoped that the promise of quality drugs that Dasoni was renowned for, coupled with Youngdon's Dasoni tattoo to confirm authenticity, would be acceptable. She had no idea just what level of payment was demanded for entry, only that it was something Yang didn't do often, only once every three months or so. 

"Why don't I just cut my arm and give it to them next time," Yang would grumble when the assigned runner would be waiting for the suitcase of goods, then he would sigh theatrically. "But they do need to bribe those damn cops and keep their mouths shut or we all sink with the ship."

"I've only been once or twice but it will be alright, just follow my lead," Youngdon said reassuringly, taking her silent reminiscence for apprehension.

The chill night air had Rosé shiver as they approached the Ku Club, greeted by a lively crowd at the entrance of the red neon-drenched club. The stench of booze and sweat filled the air as they drew closer, with clouds of cigarette smoke making Rosé cough, her heart already pounding to the loud thudding music emanating from inside.

She had walked through this whole nightmarish landscape a thousand times before, to the point it almost felt like a suffocating embrace, welcoming her back to her own special kind of hell. 

In her time working for Yang, Rosé had learned that essentially all the districts were the same. They had their own gangs, their own hotspots, their own mobsters and turf wars, their own culture and codes, their own rules and lines you didn't cross. Rosé had learnt to read all these trademark signs of her district very well, but being dropped right into a new one that she wasn't as familiar with made her anxious.  

"They'll see Youngdon's Dasoni tattoo and they'll know not to mess with you. Stick close to him and you'll be fine, even if you do step out of line,"  Hani had reassured.

Rosé felt the tell-tale signs of anxiety creeping up on her but she pushed it all back. She was Thorn right now, not Rosé, and Thorn wasn't fazed by a little smoke, or a crowd that ogled her as she swept by them. Thorn thrived in those situations, she was in her element, she had the control. She had her pepper spray and a small knife in her clutch, along with a tiny mini tablet, very much like a Nintendo DS but with the crucial USB access port, and quite heavy. This was the computer she would be working with to access the dead drop.

She had a tiny watch doubling as a bracelet attached to her wrist. She glanced at it now. Seven minutes till the time-window opens.

So Rosé took a deep breath and braced herself as Youngdon cleared a path, pushing through people with Rosé clinging to his arm, her head bowed. Their play was clear for all to see: with Youngdon's smart suit and tie, and her skimpy black dress that left little to the imagination, people wouldn't delve deeper. They saw what they needed to see: a pimp hauling his choice goods to the club to ply his trade.

People made way for them, parting with slight murmurs and little resistance. Though she walked with her head down, Rosé felt the hungry gazes upon her, peeling away the last few shreds of clothes on her body. She clung tighter to Youngdon despite her pep talk, only breathing slightly easier when they arrived to the Ku's entrance properly.

Two bouncer thugs sized them up, one of them leaning in when Youngdon beckoned for him to listen closer and pulled back the cuff of his sleeve to show him the tattoo. The other bouncer appraised Rosé and she held his gaze, jutting out her chin and working her Thorn persona. He didn't smile or leer at her, which she counted as a good thing: the less she drew attention at the entrance, the better.

 Whispers were exchanged and Youngdon tapped his briefcase. The taller of the two bouncers beckoned for him and Rosé to follow him.  Youngdon nodded reassuringly at Rosé and they stepped into the club, the suffocating heat immediately swallowing them.

Ku Club wasn't small by any means, despite being a mere front. It was a thriving club with EDM blasting through the roof. Rosé's heart was thudding along to the deafening dum dum dum  beat, wading through groups of people dancing and drinking, letting loose and having fun beneath the strobe lights. Seating areas and booths were scattered across the floor, with an area for slower-paced activities like pool and poker set up, still just as boisterous as the main dance area.

As they passed close to the centre, Rosé grew aware of a blinding beam of light just outside of her periphery, making her look up. Her mouth dropped at the sight of a massive sleek black car on display, raised on a platform with a powerful white-hot spotlight shining down on it, the centrepiece of the whole place. 

Curiously, the wheels' rim structure were coloured baby blue, which was an interesting choice, the innocent soft colour clashing with the menacing black hulking mass. There seemed to be more baby blue accents along the lower body as well. Whoever this car belonged to had decidedly odd tastes, but clearly wanted to show it off.

Rosé didn't know what brand the car was but it sure looked obnoxious and out of place, sitting in the middle of the dance floor as the roiling mass of bodies thronged around it. The platform was surrounded by rope barriers and there was one lone guy standing rigid without dancing in front of the car. Rosé presumed he was some sort of guard as he watched his surroundings sternly, a wired earpiece in his ear.

She quickly forgot about the vehicle as Youngdon tugged her forward towards the back of the club. Obnoxious cars and their even more obnoxious owners had no place in her plans right now. She was on a mission. 

Rosé glanced at her watch again and promptly walked into someone when Youngdown yanked her without warning. She hit the stranger's shoulder hard, almost dislodging her mask.

"Watch it, slut!"

"Shit, my shirt!"

"I...I'm so sorry," Rosé said, shouting to be heard over the noise. Youngdon swivelled around just in time as the drunk brute Rosé had bumped into pawed at her chest.

"Listen here you little—"

Youngdon didn't hesitate; he grabbed the man's wrist and yanked it off Rosé and then hauled her away before she even registered what was happening. They lost the drunk guy in the crowd as they hurried to keep up with the bouncer leading them to Burning Sun.

"I was handling it," Rosé said, reigning in her flustered composure.

Youngdon merely grinned. "Less talk, more walk."

She had to concede he had a point. It seemed like they were going to be walking forever but being buffeted by people from all directions was hard to navigate through. Briefly, she wondered if it would have been easier to just walk along the perimeter till they got to their destination across the dance floor, but maybe the bouncer didn't have enough braincells to think that far. 

So long as Youngdon was there, Rosé felt herself relax ever so slightly now that he had proved himself quick-thinking enough to get them out of a potential sticky situation that would cost them time. He was not the dumbass Rosé had taken him to be.

 Youngdon had also surprised Rosé earlier when they had been leaving the condo: he offered her a shawl to cover her bare shoulders and her almost bare body. She hadn't known he was capable of such decency, considering that only hours earlier he had slammed her to the ground together with his brother without a single qualm. It seemed he was intent on redeeming himself, he had been extra careful not to impinge on her personal space. 

Rosé had declined the shawl, though reluctantly. Escorts, prostitutes and the like weren't renowned for their modesty—covering up would only make them look suspicious, as well as stop her from embracing the part wholly. She needed to feel like an escort to pull off the disguise, all down to the sheer fabric and bare thighs. At least it was summer, so she wouldn't feel the chill as much.

It didn't take away from the fact that beneath her stoic facade,  the familiar nausea crawled up her throat, making her almost throw up when anyone brushed against her bare skin.

One more time. Just one more time. For Jisoo. For Jennie. For Lisa. For Ella.

For all of them, she'd walk on hot coals and straight into the lion's mouth if it meant they would be saved. For all of them, she'd be Thorn and whatever else she needed to be, if it meant they'd be free.

>

Jennie chewed her lip and gnawed on her inner cheek. She rubbed her tattoo and shifted restlessly in her seat next to Youngdeuk, unable to settle, trying her damndest to rein in her thoughts that were as usual, running amok.

They watched Youngdon and Rosé make their way towards Burning Sun's secret entrance on the tablet Youngdeuk was balancing in his lap which was transmitting live footage from Youngdon's camera.

Or rather, watching the bouncer ahead of the duo walking through the teeming mass of clubbers. The surroundings were dim, with occasional bursts of light filtering through. It was also noisy and claustrophobic, with people pressing in on all sides and towering above their field of vision, jostling Youngdon and giving Jennie motion-sickness on top of her anxiety for Rosé, whom she was not seeing. Hani had forbidden her from talking to Rosé, saying that the other girl needed to focus. 

When Rosé had bumped into the man, Jennie had been all but ready to bust into the club, find the brute  and break his nose hadn't it been for Hani's barked orders to stay put. Jennie was on the edge of her seat with nerves, her furrowed brow in danger of being permanently embedded, with her lip nibbled raw.

"Can you just relax for five damn minutes?" Hani snapped, startling Jennie out of her thoughts. "What's got into you? Pull yourself together."

Jennie dropped her hands in her lap and slouched in her seat unhappily. "I should have gone. I should be keeping an eye out for her. She's got a kid back home."

"She had a kid back home every time she stepped out to run a gig for Yang but it never stopped her," Hani said sharply, making Jennie wilt. "She's already got Youngdon for a chaperone. She's Thorn. She can handle herself no matter what's thrown at her. You're underestimating her."

"You weren't the one watching her have mental breakdowns for the past three days while you sat pretty waiting for leads," Jennie hissed. "You weren't the one lying in bed helpless listening to her cry while you were busy having your orgies. You weren't the one to hold her after she was assaulted."

"Watch it," Youngdeuk muttered in warning but Jennie didn't care. Her combined nerves and simmering anger towards Hani were reaching a breaking point. Seeing her continuously bully Rosé and pile on impossible expectations chafed her and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"For your information, I was plenty busy, busier than you'd even think. But I don't have to explain myself to you," Hani said coldly after a moment's pause. "Know your place, Ace." There was nothing good-natured about her statement. Her hard voice oozed authority, reminding Jennie that she was effectively a minion forced to fall in line. She wondered how she was going to stand for this for the rest of her life.

"They're here," Youngdeuk announced after a brief tense silence. Jenie scrambled to undo her seat belt and lean over Youngdeuk. Hani leaned in closer as well, her breath reeking of smoke, making Jennie inwardly gag.

Youngdon's hidden camera didn't show much in the dim light, but Jennie had caught glimpse of two men's stony faces—presumably the bouncers of Burning Sun—as they listened to Youngdon talk and negotiate. He was offering Hani's product as their ticket into the club. Rosé hovered just out of frame, sticking close to Youngdon. The man that led them to Burning Sun's hidden entrance had left.

"It's underground so you won't get to see much," Youngdeuk explained unnecessarily. He seemed to be on edge too, watching the interaction between his twin and the bouncers raptly.

"We weren't informed of new debuts,"  one of the bouncers said gruffly. His words crackled and Youngdeuk adjusted the audio sliders to make it clearer.

"I'm aware it's short notice which is why I got with me a generous entry fee, but I'm afraid we need to start somewhere with the novices, build a rep as you know. And where better than here?" Youngdon reasoned.

The bouncers seemed to agree, going by their nodding heads, but they still seemed reluctant to accept Youngdon's offer.

"The suites are all booked, there's a big hotshot landing here tonight so that's pretty bad timing you got there, pal. Didn't you check the schedules?" the right bouncer asked, checking with a clipboard of all things, looking all professional as he perused a list. "Yep, all the VIP's taken. You seen that fancy car upstairs? He's all swanky and shit, I hear he's got friends to impress so he booked out the whole damn place, we had a busload of girls come over just for them to have their choice pick."

"What the hell are they talking about?" Jennie hissed but Youngdeuk shushed her.

"Are you that desperate to put her with the singles?" the left bouncer said sceptically. He peered in Rosé's direction. "This little mouse won't last long if you throw her in the deep end on her first night."

Rosé didn't say anything. Jennie wracked her brain, trying to latch on to the meaning behind their words. 

"Gotta break them in sooner or later, but she'll handle it. This one is pretty and ripe. I wanted to have her official debut here. She won't get better exposure elsewhere and I stand firm on this. If singles is what we get, then we'll take it."  Youngdon spoke smoothly and confidently, without a trace of uncertainty.

"What is he saying?" Jennie frowned. "What debut? Why is he talking about her like she's a fruit?"

"In a minute," Youngdeuk whispered.

"Very well. Does she need a tag?"

Youngdon gestured to his side. "She got her bracelet. And if she doesn't want to get in trouble then I hope she has the good sense to not wander. Right, Annitta?"

No response from Rosé but she seemed to have given some affirmative answer because the bouncer with the clipboard took the briefcase and the other bouncer opened the door.

"Report for cuff check," he said as they entered. "Mr Kim's breathing down our necks to hand over the accounting, he wants to know all about the traffic we're driving so do me a favour, would you?"

"Of course. Come along, Annitta," Youngdon said smoothly, again using the fake name that he and Rosé must have agreed upon. He swept inside Burning Sun but Jennie could barely see, though it seemed to be some cavern, with booths lining up the walls and people milling about. Scantily clad figures seemed to be draped everywhere and even though Jennie was on the other side of the screen, the atmosphere seemed to be unbearably smothering.

The door clanged shut behind Youngdon.

"Pick up the pace guys," Hani said, startling Jennie. She had forgotten the mobster was still sitting behind her. "Youngdon, that took longer than we estimated."

"Sorry, boss."

"It'll be alright, as long as nobody comes looking for us," came Rosé's calm reply. Jennie was hoping for her friend to step within frame, just to make sure she's okay.

"Right. Scope out the place, make it snappy," Hani replied, an edge to her voice.

"That won't be a problem," Rosé replied. "The homing device on the tablet will ping it once it detects the signal from the USB. We'll just go down and find a quiet corner and set up. Once we find it, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle."

"A USB gives out signals like a beacon?" Jennie said perplexed.

"These dead drops ones are like mini-computers in themselves, not just an average USB."

"You're aware the time-window opened two minutes ago, right?" Hani said, her voice strained. "Let them work, Jennie, you're costing them time."

 Jennie went rigid with panic but Rosé's answer reassured her.

"I know. I'm keeping count. I've got this."

"Everything's going to plan, boss," Youngdeuk reported as Youngdon and Rosé descended to mingle amongst the patrons of Burning Sun. "No alerts from the other teams so far, no unusual activity."

"Don't jinx it, Deuk. The hard part will be getting out," Hani said muttered.

"How come?" Jennie wondered. Hani and Youngdeuk were silent for a moment too long, making Jennie's eyes narrow.

"How come?" she asked again, stifling the knot of anxiety that threatened to swell into fear. "What about leaving the club is difficult?"

"Deuk, you explain," Hani sighed.

"You know what the bouncers were referring to when they talked about debuts?" Youngdeuk asked without preamble.

"I was hoping someone would explain that, yeah," Jennie said cautiously.

"They were talking about escorts. Prostitutes, strippers, whores—"

"I get it."

"Right. So, Rosé is playing the part of a new escort, she's going to be 'debuting' because she hasn't been in the business before. It's her first night, she's all fresh and green."

"And debuting means....?"

"Having her first clients. Her deflowering. Her first gig as an escort slash prostitute slash stripper slash—"

"I get it," Jennie gritted. She had been against the idea of Rosé playing the part of an escort from the start, deeming it too risky. Youngdeuk bringing it up so casually wasn't helping her nerves. "So, hypothetically, she's...debuting." The very word tasted vile in her mouth.

"Right. Burning Sun is a good spot to build a rep like that, pimps from all over Seoul go there to showcase their best meat. Usually, you wanna take like pure virgins for the job, the clientele goes feral to be the ones to have their way with a girl that is supposedly virgin, to be the first to claim her and mark her. Like putting a stamp on a girl, you know? Taking her virginity feeds their egos, makes them feel special. So virgins are special, you wanna make it a splashy affair and make the most of it, attract the most high-brow person in the place, if possible. Because high-brow means money. And you're not finding virgins growing on trees so whenever you get your hands on one, you wanna make the most of it."

"Virginity isn't even a real thing." 

"I hear you, but other people beg to differ."

Jennie felt sick but Youngdeuk was only getting started.

"It's best to have it happen in a group situation for the first time," he said a little too animatedly. "One: you get to have the girl not be alone, there would be other girls around so it's like a group affair and she might feel a little less fish out of the water. And two, you can keep your eye on her in case she tries to bolt or in case some sleazy client tries to kidnap her."

"Are you joking?" Jennie choked out.

"No, it's happened before. Sometimes, you even have like rival pimps stealing your girls and putting them to work in their own brothels and clubs. Now, the point of all this is to drive traffic over to your actual places of business, your own brothels, whatever. Think of Burning Sun like a marketplace. You wanna entice people by advertising the sexiest, hottest, juiciest—"

"I. Get. It," Jennie gritted.

"—and most importantly, virgin girls, to show them that hey, we got all these hot babes just like her back at our place, come on over, spend your money there and make us rich, not other pimps. See?"

"Fine sure okay. So what does that have to do with being difficult to get out?"

Youngdeuk sighed. "If they're going out the way they came in, they need to prove that Rosé...is no longer a virgin. As in, she's had, uh, intercourse. Penetration." He glanced to the side and spotted Jennie's working jaw. "It's not as bad as you're thinking—"

"Not bad? Are you insane?" Jennie burst out. She rounded on Hani, furious. "Are you fucking—"

"Now is not the time for moral righteousness," Hani said coolly, the nub of her cigarette glowing orange. "This is how we do things around here, Jennie."

"You mean, you deal in this...this..."

"Duh," Hani said. "This is just business. Those are the rules. Thorn knows this."

"What the fuck kind of rule is that? That's so sick! How are they going to pull this off?" Jennie seethed. "How do those creeps even check for something like that? Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Do you think I'm daft? Tell you all about it when you've been a wreck all evening?" Hani snorted. "Pipe down, sweets. Youngdeuk is still explaining."

"You heard the bouncer mention cuff check, right?" Youngdeuk said when Jennie settled back in her seat like a restless tiger prowling its cage.

"Yeah," Jennie growled.

"The cuff check is simple. The debutante escorts that enter Burning Sun will only be allowed to leave once they have intercourse and to prove that, she has to have pulled at least one client to string along to wherever they're going and they need to be cuffed to each other. Cuffs are provided by Burning Sun itself."

"Excuse me?" Jennie said shrilly. "What the fuck kind of stupidity is that?"

Youngdeuk shrugged and went on. "Be it back to a brothel, a love motel, out of the country—wherever it might be, the owner of Burning Sun doesn't care where they're going. But he cares to know that his club keeps up its reputation, and he cares to know that genuine bona fide escorts from reputable pimps are coming into Burning Sun. The cuff check is like a guarantee that yes, this escort is the real thing, she's down to get dicked down by the guy that's taking her because that's her job. The cuff check merely ensures that the escort passed the virginity test and there is no suspicion that she is a mole or some undercover cop. Burning Sun has a lot to lose if its operations are uncovered so the management takes fastidious care with regulating traffic."

"I imagine they are following Yang's blueprints. This Namjoon guy that we are suspecting works for Jinyoung, it wouldn't be a stretch that he's following Jinyoung's orders, who in turn, practically learned what he needed from his mentor. Yang Hyun Suk was always fussy about passwords and checks, few moles ever caught wind of whatever he would be cooking up," Hani added thoughtfully. "He came up with unusual rules and rituals to keep everyone guessing. Jinyoung learned well."

Jennie's head spun. "Okay okay, she just needs a guy right? They won't check further than that. So cuffing herself to Youngdon should be good. The rules don't say anything about cuffing yourself to your pimp right? Okay, that's alright I suppose, not so creepy..."

"Theoretically yes, you could play it that way, but even though Youngdon has the Dasoni tattoo so they know he is legit, they won't know the girl. They won't know if she's blackmailing him, they don't know anything about her. So they might question it if Rosé and Youngdon do that."

Jennie's mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words.

"We're hoping to evade that," Youngdeuk said, though he didn't sound too certain. "A few exceptions can be made to exempt the cuff check, but only if there's like a really big emergency or accident, or somebody has overdosed or fainted, that sort of thing. Causing a ruckus might attract too much unwanted attention but they might go for it if they see an opportunity."

Jennie held her head. "Rosé, you idiot." She glared at Hani's silhouette, still placidly smoking. "How could you?"

"I trust in Thorn," Hani said coolly, "something you'd do well to try. Improvisation is key to being out on the prowl like she has been. She would have been eaten up a long time ago if she wasn't quick to think on her feet. You need to reckon with that enormous saviour complex that you got—"

"I don't have a saviour complex—"

"Whatever you have, it flares up real bad when you're not needed. But you need to take the backseat sometimes," Hani said. "And if worst truly comes to worst, I have teams ready to go in and fight to extract both Youngdon and Rosé. It's a measure of last resort. I don't want that because it puts my clan in a sticky situation."

"This isn't already sticky enough to you?" Jennie exclaimed. "You should have figured out how to get them out in the first place!"

"Are you done questioning my decisions?" Hani hissed. "Pipe down and if you really are concerned, I would focus my energy on thinking of something that would actually help, instead of fretting endlessly without cause."

Without cause? Jennie wasn't sure whose eyes she wanted to claw out more: hers, Hani's or Rosé's, for agreeing to step into that hellhole in the first place.

She fell back in her seat, watching Youngdeuk's screen in silent trepidation.

>

Rosé had no idea what was happening in the car because she had muted the earpiece to concentrate, knowing full well that Jennie and Hani were probably involved in some row again.

Burning Sun was stuffy, and finding a quiet corner wasn't as an easy task as she'd hoped. At least there was chill lounge music playing as opposed to the heavy muffled dum dum dum just beyond the doors.

 Youngdon practically dragged her over to the first alcove he saw then made a beeline for the bar, which thankfully wasn't as busy. He was soon back with two glasses of liquor and ice. Rosé pretended to sip, waiting for people to lose interest in their entry as they went back to what they had been doing. She kept an eye on the watch, lips pursed.

Ten minutes till the time-window closes. Jennie had questioned why they didn't go in earlier and she was immediately pounced on by Hani, who said people would get suspicious if they saw two people lurking around not getting involved in any particular activity (Hani hadn't wanted them to leave impressions by playing games or drinking) and then suddenly just leave. 

Everywhere Rosé looked, there seemed to be high-powered masked men with scantily clad masked girls draped over either arm, drowning in booze and smoke, or else lounging around the roulette table, spinning the wheel and flinging chips with giggling masked women perched on their knees. The amount of money that switched hands made her mouth run dry. Dealers distributed cuts of cards and poker chips, surveying the groups gathered and talking down egos when tempers flared. Intermittent shouts and rowdy calls startled Rosé. Youngdon stuck close and nursed his drink, his shirt sleeves rolled up because of the heat. 

It was suffocating and Rosé felt sweat bead up on her temple as she discreetly booted up the tablet, locating the signal almost right away. 

"Bingo...ah."

The sense of elation fizzled out almost im and she frowned.

"Boss, we've located it," Youngdon muttered, touching his ear. "What is it, Thorn?"

Rosé tilted her head to indicate the screen and he glanced over her shoulder at the winking dot over a graphic of the club's layout. He sucked in a breath.

"That's the group suites. They're all occupied." Youngdon said worriedly, spelling out the problem: how were they going to access the dead drop surrounded by people?

Time was pressing but Rosé felt clinically calm. "Let's just go."

"But—"

"I have a plan. When we get there, bang on the door and say this..." she whispered the words out to him and he nodded, determined.

"That would buy us some time. It will ruffle feathers and I'm sure they won't be happy but you don't make a cake without breaking some eggs."

"Don't jinx it," she warned, "we still have to figure out how to get out."

"Oh honey, leave it to me," he smirked, following in her wake as they weaved around tables and headed towards the back where the hallway branched off into corridors with doors for the VIP suites. "Boss, you got that? We're going in."

>

It was more Youngdon that went in rather than Rosé herself.

"Oi! Fun time's over, come on, everyone out, we got a big night!" Youngdon roared as he practically bust down the door of the VIP room where the dead drop was located. "Out out out! This is our reserved suite! You've overstayed!"

A tall dishevelled foreign man with bloodshot eyes threw back the door, his shirt unbuttoned and in disarray with hickeys painted across his neck. "What the hell man? I wasss just getting ssstarted," he slurred in English, sounding distinctly Australian and very confused.

Rosé had retreated to a shadowy corner to draw less attention to herself but her curiosity was piqued when she heard the man's accent. She didn't recognise him. 

Youngdon kept on blustering and gesticulating vehemently, ignoring the man's confusion. "Out, I'll report you, this is our slot! Big boss will boot your ass out! We reserved this booth! Out out out! Now! You girls, get him outta here!"

Three frightened girls, barely legal and dressed much like Rosé with masks covering their eyes, ushered the confused man away with little prodding as Youngdon hurled abuse in their wake.

"I'll report you!" slurred the foreigner.

Rosé ducked into the suite immediately and Youngdon shut the door behind her as she swiftly did a quick sweep of the surroundings. The gloomy room reeked of beer and smoke, with white powder sitting in neat little piles on the low table in front of a triple chaise lounge, evidently still to be consumed. A variety of belts, paddles, rope and other toys were strewn on the floor but Rosé didn't pay attention as she got to work.

Youngdon kicking up a fuss was exactly the kind of distraction needed to buy themselves some time, and the fact that they chanced upon a foreigner was even better because he wouldn't be able to retaliate as quickly. Rosé just hoped that she would be able to access the dead drop before Burning Sun's management was alerted to the ruckus. 

She found the dead drop behind the mini refrigerator and immediately connected her tablet. Information blocks rolled down  down the screen right away and she scrolled through them, breezing through the frozen security checks with pursed lips even as the clock wound down.

 Six minutes suddenly seemed so little.

"Where is it?" Rosé muttered. There were more files than she anticipated, all of them with tantalising titles, many of them with 'CLASS'  tagged on at the front but it would take too long to check them all out or even download them all. They didn't have much time.

"Uh, Rosé," came Youngdon's tense voice through the door, "you might wanna hurry up."

Rosé sucked in a breath. Had their ploy already been found out? She clicked frantically though files until she noticed a folder, with several sub-folders nested within it, titled CLASS_slammer_tk2.

She didn't know why but the name caught her attention. She didn't think twice. Praying with all her might, Rosé hit download. The tablet's screen flickered but after a few agonising seconds that felt like minutes, with her heart pounding in her ears, a copy of the file was safe in Rosé's tablet. With only half a minute to spare before the security features of the dead drop would be alerted, Rosé disconnected the tablet and blew out a relieved breath.

She stood up and pushed the refrigerator with her foot to cover the USB, then tapped her earring to activate it and give Hani a quick update. "I downloaded something, I'll send it—"

A commotion outside the door made her freeze, it sounded like a lot of people had suddenly congregated at the suite.

"Shit," Hani said in her ear. "Thorn, stay put."

"Aren't you gonna send someone?" Jennie chimed in, her voice tinged with panic. Whatever was going down outside, it didn't look good. Rosé fought to keep calm.

"What's going on here? Who gave you the authority to kick out Elordi?" came one man's voice over the confusing hubbub.

"Hey man, we booked this place for my boss, your guy overstayed his welcome, alright!" Youngdon was still playing his part, speaking loudly, no doubt to alert Rosé. "Back off, I'm expecting them any minute."

"Hide the tablet," Hani said tersely.

Where?

Rosé chewed her lip, her breathing coming out faster as she cast about her helplessly. There was no way out, she was trapped. If the foreigner's friends or whoever came and found her in here, they were bound to interrogate her, maybe even search her, after discovering their joint duplicity. 

She glanced at the mini fridge, her heart thumping. Would the tablet and information she downloaded survive in the cold for....how long until they would be able to retrieve it safely and without the information being lost?

"Hey, hands off!" Youngdon yelped. A thud against the door made Rosé fly into action.

"Fridge," she muttered, hoping her message went through to the others on the other end. She put the purse in the fridge behind bottles of beer and hoped it was enough of a camouflage from anyone peering in.

"Let's be reasonable now," coaxed the first voice, still trying to de-escalate the situation outside. Rosé frowned, forcing herself to focus. The man's voice sounded familiar.

"If you come with us, we can get this mix-up cleared up and you can apologise to Mr Elordi, come on."

"There's nothing to apologise for, my boss reserved—OOF!" Youngdon's voice cut out abruptly and then came the sound of something heavy sliding down against the door.

"Shit," Hani spat.

"A Dasoni leech," sneered someone outside. "Of course. Who else would try to steal the boss's thunder but that bitch?"

"Lock him up, we'll talk to him when he comes around," said the first male voice. He seemed to be the leader. Rosé still couldn't place his voice, though the foreboding in her gut grew. "He seemed to be guarding something pretty insistently hmm..." The doorknob turned.

In the last second, Rosé dived for the couch and clutched onto the first item she found—a paddle. The fear on her face was real when the door swung open and in strode a familiar man that made her heart sink and her shivering grow.

"Oh hello there," said Jaehyun, his sneer taking up half his face. "You're coming with us, little mouse. Jinyoung will certainly want a word with you."

>

"I'm going in," Jennie snarled, fighting Youngdeuk's grip holding her back from the scruff of her shirt, "fuck, they're taking her to Jinyoung, I need to get her out of there, let me go, I knew this was going to happen—"

"Stand down," Hani said coolly. "This Jay hasn't recognised her yet. Hold it there. He just wants to bring her to Jinyoung because he thinks she's part of the Dasoni. All Rosé gotta do is play dumb."

"Shut up. Shut up with your know-it-all air, you don't know shit," Jennie said furiously. "You don't care and you don't—"

She stiffened as Hani's blade pressed against her throat, the familiar sharp edge burning when it nicked her skin.

"I should have done this earlier," Hani muttered next to her ear. "Now will you calm down and fucking listen? Getting involved will escalate things. Let's wait and see. If you don't want to get your throat slit, shut up."

With Hani's blade practically pinning her to her seat and holding her hostage, Jennie couldn't do anything but balefully swivel her gaze over to Youngdeuk, who was frantically twiddling with his tablet, feeding in from Rosé's audio.

Youngdon's camera had gone dark, another factor for concern. With no word from him, no idea where he was (locating the signal was taking Youngdeuk precious time), they had lost a crucial member of the team who could go in and retrieve Rosé's purse with the tablet. They had heard her muttered message and understood her intentions.

Sitting in the fridge, Youngdeuk was optimistic that nothing too bad would happen to the tablet, though he worried about a build up in condensation after it was retrieved that when thawed out, would damage the circuitry. Either way, retrieving the tablet fully functioning was imperative, or else everything they had gone through would have been for nothing.

"Hani," Jennie said, doing her utmost to sound reasonable. "I can go in and get the tablet."

Hani groaned. "God, you just don't know how to take an order, do you? Jennie, you're part of a gang, do you get it? You take orders, you're not a renegade doing things by yourself. If it turns out that someone from the Dasoni kicked up any sort of fuss on someone's turf, that's going to cause ramifications for me and my businesses, alright? You wouldn't get it but it's all about a delicate walk on eggshells around here. I'm trying not to create some major fallout."

"At Rosé's expense?" Jennie said indignantly.

"What's with you and her? Were you two fucking or something?" Hani wondered. "Is she like your side-piece?"

"What the hell, no!" Jennie spluttered. Youngdeuk kept his eyes firmly on the tablet, even though there was nothing to see.

"Look, I don't really care about what's going on between you and her," Hani snarled, "but I'm looking out for the clan as a whole. You're a loose cannon, Ace. I can't trust you to keep your head and let you go in and extricate the tablet. We'll wait for Youngdon to do that, he can untie himself if they got him all tied up. Let's just sit tight for Rosé, for now."

For now.

A plan was already brewing in Jennie's mind as she kept her eyes on Youngdeuk. All she needed was to jump at the right moment. Rosé was in danger with no backup whatsoever and they still needed to retrieve the tablet with the crucial information about the showcase. 

Hani was sitting on her ass being useless, to protect herself and her precious clan. She didn't care if she lost someone inconsequential; Rosé wasn't part of the clan and she had already completed her part for the mission. Hani didn't need her anymore, no matter the promise she made them.

But Jennie was done waiting. If Hani wasn't going to save Rosé, then she would.

 It was time to enter the scene herself. And to do that, she needed to time things meticulously to make sure her exit would be as smooth as possible, with no chance of being anywhere close to Hani and her knife. She had gotten way too intimate with that blade already.

Jennie touched her neck, stroking along the thin line the blade's sharp edge had left behind, and wondered how fast a car seat could tilt back.

>

Luck was still favouring Rosé, for once. She had wisely kept quiet when the Jays dragged her out of the group suite after them, keeping up her charade of a bewildered and frightened debut escort.

Youngdon was being dragged behind them, supported on two Jays. He was out cold, worrying Rosé but she forced herself not to glance back and prayed that Hani didn't send in her teams to get them out.

Causing a bigger racket would only draw Jinyoung's attention and if word got around that the Dasoni clan was sneaking around and sticking their fingers into things they weren't welcome to, it would make their entry to the showcase that much harder.

She had momentarily tuned in to her earpiece and heard Jennie's panic, swiftly shut down by Hani, but Rosé couldn't trust Jennie to calm down under duress. She knew Jennie would feel the need to do something, to take action, it was hard-wired into her.

Rosé hoped that Hani was keeping a firm leash on Jennie while she figured a way out. Hani had told her what signal to give should she run out of options and needed urgent help, but like Hani, she was reluctant to go down that route.

She just hoped Jennie would stay put. 

She was being Thorn right now, and Thorn had gotten out of stickier situations. She just needed to breathe and keep moving.

The three Jays walking behind her hadn't recognised her, not even Jaehyun who was gripping her hard from her wrist. Combined with her newly dyed hair and the rectangular black mask over her eyes, Rosé had essentially pulled a Clark Kent. People wouldn't look too closely unless they were looking for something that was different. She hoped the same would prove to be true when she was standing in front of Jinyoung himself.

With luck, maybe they would let her go free. They would buy into her act and see that she had nothing to give them. Maybe Jinyoung would be drunk, or maybe he would interrogate her but all she had to do was play dumb, stay quiet, maybe pull out a few crocodile tears and she will be fine. Thorn could do this with eyes closed.

The march to their unknown destination was over before Rosé could even begin to truly spiral. Jaehyun knocked on one of the group suite doors, number 7 she noted idly. 

"Come in," said Jinyoung from within. Jaehyun shoved her inside and the other three Jays crowded inside as well, dragging in an unconscious Youngdon. The suite wasn't small by any means and similar to the one with the dead drop, it was furnished with three chaise lounges, but Jinyoung wasn't alone, making the space crowded.

He sat on the central chaise lounge, face flushed, his fringe falling in his eyes. Two girls sat at the floor next to his knees, curled up against his legs. He was stroking the head of the girl on the left like she was a cat, the other hand holding a clear glass of wine.

There were three other men with him. Rosé speculated  that two of them must be his friends—their clothes at least stood on par with Jinyoung's in terms of luxury. 

One was a Korean stranger with a rather prominent nose, slit eyebrow and short blonde hair, an earring dangling from one ear. He didn't notice Rosé's entrance, to busy feeling up the girl in his lap while another two were touching him all over. On the other side of Jinyoung, sitting and pouting sullenly with his own green bottle of soju was the Australian stranger that she and Youngdon barged in on, the one Jaehyun called Elordi. He was paying no mind to the coterie of escorts doing their best to distract him so he immediately looked up when they entered, his scowl deepening.

The third man was Jackson. Rosé barely stifled her gasp of surprise when she spotted him sitting quietly at the back, not partaking in any activity at all.

"So, is it this one?" Jinyoung asked in quite decent English, turning to Elordi.

 "Yes her! And that guy!" Elordi spat, pointing at Youngdon.

"Alright Jacob," Jinyoung said pacifyingly. "We'll deal with them in a second."

Jackson was looking at her and Rosé took the chance to take a good look at him too. His face was sunken in, the grey under his eyes more pronounced than she remembered. The stubble dotting his chin was thicker and he had a split lip. Truth be told, he looked rough. If Rosé hadn't known better, she'd say that Jackson looked like he'd gone through the wringer. He stood silently, shrunken in on himself as though he wanted to disappear entirely.

She averted her eyes, wondering if he would recognise her, but his eyes held not a flicker of recognition even when she held his gaze. In fact, they looked quite dead.

Jinyoung finished placating Jacob Elordi and turned to Rosé, switching back to Korean when he spoke. "Don't look so afraid. I just have a few questions. My beef is with your boss so you have nothing to fear."

Rosé clasped her hands in front of her tightly and crossed her legs, made her eyes go wide, the picture of doe-eyed terror.

"Do you know who I am, girl?"

She decided to go for the truth and nodded shakily.

"Words, please." He said pleasantly enough. Everyone was watching her like a hawk, even the other escort girls.

"Uhm...P-Park Jinyoung, CEO o-off JYP Ph-Pharma?" she said, making her voice high and tremulous. Her heart was knocking against the walls of her chest.

"Very good. And who do you work for?"

Rosé cast about her and with a shaking finger, pointed at Youngdon's prostrate body lying in front between her and Jinyoung's low table, filled with empty bottles and peanut shells.

"Good. And he is a Dasoni, as we can see from that little bee tattoo he got there," Jinyoung pointed, his mouth pursing into a thin line as though he had just been force-fed lemons. "Now one thing you should know about me, girl, is that I don't like the Dasoni. But no matter how much I don't like them, I don't go about provoking them unasked. Unlike them."

Rosé remained silent, her eyes darting from one face to another. All eyes were riveted to her, even the man with the slit eyebrow, with one girl's hand down his shirt.

"Now do you see my friend here?" Jinyoung prodded at Jacob Elordi's shoulder as the man in question scowled and took a long swig from his bottle. "We're in a bit of a pickle. You and your pimp ruined his good mood. I brought him here with the promise that he will have a fun night but that didn't end up happening. All because of you. Well, mostly him," Jinyoung grunted as an afterthought. The tip of his shoe prodded at Youngdon but the man didn't stir.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she said, truly uncertain where all this was going. Were they expecting her to drop to her knees and grovel?

"Anyone can say sorry, girl. I need something better than that."

"Jeez louise, relaxxxxxxxx," drawled the man with the eyebrow slit, "you're scaring the poor girl, she's about to pee herself. And you Jacob," he called, switching to English with an Aussie accent, "get over yourself, mate, instead of throwing a tantrum like a girl."

"Well they killed my boner, Chan," Elordi snorted. "How you like it if someone comes screaming at you when you're getting head?"

"Eh, I'm sure she can make it up to you, won't you sweetie? You're a debutante aren't you? Won't you fluff him up again?"

He edged forward, shrugging off the hands draped over his body to stand and reach for Rosé's cheek. She managed to stifle her grimace, remembering that she was supposed to allow strange men to touch her. 

Sell the act, sell the act. 

But if they told her to do something disgusting like giving them head, she was going to scream and vomit and then run for sure.

"What's your name, beautiful?" Chan said, his rough thumb smoothing over her cheekbone. The motion was meant to be soothing, but out of nowhere, she remembered Lisa lovingly stroking her cheek and kissing her. To Rosé's horror, her eyes burned as tears welled up at the memory.

God, not now.

"Aww, it's alright little mouse." Chan crooned. "Look what you've done, Jin, you've scared her too much. Come here baby. Now, wanna tell ol' Bang Chan your name? I promise, I don't bite."

He plonked her firmly on his knee and she had no choice but to pretend to be shy and cover her face, though what she longed more was to strangle him and then strangle Jinyoung as well.

"A-Anitta," she said after recollecting herself. She masked her voice behind a high falsetto. "My name's Annitta."

"Sexy. Spanish huh? But you're too cute for sexy. Why don't we call you Chipmunk instead? Oh dear, poor little chipmunk," Bang Chan cooed as the tears fell harder when Rosé remembered Lisa used to call her that nickname once upon a time.

 "P-Please don't hurt me." Rosé burbled, playing into her genuine tears. "I'm really sorry."

"On my word, Jin would never hurt you!" Bang Chan vowed. "We just wanted to clear up the mix-up that happened, straighten out the record, you know? We don't really need anything from you, baby girl, it's him,"  he added with a hard nudge of his heel aimed at Youngdon's ribs, "that's to blame for all this."

"I-I'm really sorry to Elordi-ssi," Rosé said tearfully. "But I was just following orders."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jinyoung pick up his buzzing phone, frowning as he listened to whoever was on the other end.

"Of course darling, of course," Bang Chan said soothingly, turning her attention back to him when he slyly stroked down her lower back. "So jumpy! Now, why don't we have something to drink and calm down some more, hmm? We'll get the night back in full swing in no time and you can join us. We kind of ruined your night too, eh? Not to worry, we can always loosen up together." His suggestive wink had her breaking out in cold sweat.

Rosé bit her tongue. She had no intention of doing such thing. She hesitated when Bang Chan handed her a glass filled with cloudy liquor and inadvertently glanced at Jackson in the back of the room.

Jackson seemed to be barred of these festivities, quietly studying his fingers like an ostracised kid at school, ignored as though he wasn't even there. 

"Bottom's up, Chipmunk. Now, why don't we have a chat first, get you all warmed up before we have ourselves some fun?"

Jinyoung beat Rosé to the point.

"Absolutely not, she could run back to the Dasoni after this and tell them whatever classified secrets you blab," he said flatly. He had pocketed his phone. The call seemed to throw him in a foul mood as he knocked back his glass, his face suddenly dark. "No, I don't want her, or her pimp, to stay here. They've ruined our night. Jay-J, send her out. The rest of you, throw the Dasoni bitch's whore in a closet somewhere, we'll get him later." He slammed his glass hard on the table, rattling the other bottles. "And get me more beer! And wine!"

Rosé didn't have time to gasp before Jaehyun grasped her tightly from her forearm and yanked her off Bang Chan. The other three Jays were already lugging Youngdon out of the door.

"Jinnnieeee come on, what's got into you, relax," Bang Chan said, seemingly the only one immune to the frosty glare that Jinyoung was giving him. "Let's have some fun. You've worked too damn hard to make this showcase a success.  You deserve a break. You too, Elordi, come on." He clapped his hands. "Girls, liven up these poor sods, they need some real good lovin'."

"Chan," Elordi groaned but his gloomy mood seemed to evaporate as soon as a girl landed in his lap and wound her arms around his neck. Another one of the escorts started massaging his shoulders and though he stiffened at first, he quickly melted into the feeling, especially when hands wandered and slipped beneath his clothes, into his pants. "Oh well..."

"See? One down, another to go," Bang Chan grinned, clapping a hand to Jinyoung's back. "Now for—"

"You," Jinyoung said suddenly, startling Rosé. "I've got a message to send to the Dasoni bitch."

Rosé tried very hard to ignore Elordi's grunts and the feminine moans on Jinyoung's left. Bang Chan glanced in between Jinyoung and Rosé, his stupid grin fixed on his face and eyes twinkling as he pulled one of the escorts he had been feeling up prior to Rosé showing up. Yet, his attention remained on Jinyoung and Rosé, even as he started mouthing down her neck.

"Jackson," Jinyoung called over his shoulder, startling both Rosé and the man in question. Jackson stood to attention, perplexed.

"Give her the photos," Jinyoung said brusquely, fumbling with his tie and blindly grabbing a soju bottle before pouring. Rosé tried to keep her face neutral but her insides buzzed with anticipation and apprehension.

What photos? What was Jinyoung talking  about?

 She hoped Hani was still listening in—the line had gone dead silent.

Jackson stared from Jinyoung to Rosé. "Jin, you're drunk," he said softly.

"I'm drunk and in a very bad mood because Dasoni can't stay in her lane," Jinyoung said irritably. "She's always trying to upstage me. I promised my trusted investors some downtime before the big day.  All work and no play isn't good. They came here all the way from Australia and what do I get? Her infuriating minions waltzing around. Show her the photos."

"But...those were for Jennie and Rosé," Jackson said uncertainly, glancing at Rosé. 

Rosé held her breath, wondering if her disguise would be discovered at the eleventh hour. Jaehyun still hadn't twigged anything, neither did Jinyoung. Bang Chan was full out making with the girl he had selected as she grinded down in his lap, while two other girls were draped all over him.

"And they'll get them. This girl will be a messenger." Jinyoung snapped his fingers. "You, girl. Tell this to the Dasoni bitch: Back the fuk off. I'm done tiptoeing around each other. The next time I catch her or her minions being anywhere near my sight, it's war."

"Jinyoung," Jackson said warily.

But Jinyoung was on a roll. "You, girl. Anitta, you said? You know how many times the damn cops knocked on my door these past three days? They knocked....fuck, I don't even know how much! A dozen raids at my properties. A dozen! Maybe even more! She was behind them, that bitch you're working for. Her and the cop she's fucking. The cops said it was an anonymous tip but I know she's behind it all."

Rosé's mind was racing. The past three days had been a blur of hacking and barely sleeping or eating. She had assumed, just like Jennie, that Hani had been mostly waiting around for answers. But according to Jinyoung, it seemed that behind the scenes  Hani and Chanyeol had been busy indeed, being responsible for anonymous tips and multiple raids on Jinyoung's properties.

Her heart lightened. Hani might have had her reasons for keeping  this development low-key, but the fact remained that she had been doing what she can to bring Jinyoung down before the showcase even happened. 

And Jackson...was that why Jackson himself had stayed radio silent?

"You got all that, girl?" Jinyoung said. He gestured to Jackson. "The pictures. Then she can go. Take her out yourself."

"Okay," Jackson said slowly. He took out a narrow manila envelope from inside his back pocket and handed it to Rosé. "You got anywhere to keep it safe?"

"Uhm...my purse...I left it..."

"Let's go get it. I'll catch you later, Jin."

Jinyoung barely acknowledged them, the air thick with groans and slurps as he poured and poured in between his two friends getting hot and heavy with their individual escorts.

The moment the door closed behind them, Jackson's hand tightened like a vice around her upper arm.

"Where's your purse, Thorn?" he muttered next to her ear.

Her heart thundered. He'd recognised her! Clutching the precious envelope tightly in hand, she kept calm, breathing evenly, and led the way, dying to turn around and speak to him, say anything. But every word she was about to say deserted her and he on his part kept his gaze straight ahead until Rosé pointed out the room.

Just before she went in, he grabbed her again.

"Listen, there's not much time," he said urgently. "He's on to you. He knows who you are."

"What? How?" she said aghast.

"This envelope? He's been guarding it like a dragon, only letting me and him touch it. No way he would suddenly hand it off to a random girl, not even when drunk. He doesn't get stupid drunk like that," Jackson gabbled. He clutched Rosé's arms tighter. "Any second now, he's gonna call the Jays on you. I can't guarantee that you'll make it out safe, especially now that he figured you're working with the Dasoni. So grab your stuff and let's go."

"What about Youngdon?"

"He can take care of himself. Can you?" Jackson said tersely.

Rosé's heart sank, fear flooding her anew. She didn't question Jackson's declarations: with Jinyoung, there's no second guessing.

"There's one more thing I need Hani to know," Jackson said, once she had retrieved her purse and exited the suite. They started walking fast along the corridor, making haste to reach the end of the passage and enter back into the main hub of Burning Sun. "Tell her the cult of Tiger King is real, and they are bigger than ever. I made contact with them, they have a branch here in Seoul. They're looking for Lisa as well. If we need manpower, they're ready to fight." He pressed a slip of paper into her hand. "Keep it, just in case. It's their contact info."

He marched ahead, with Rosé doing her best to keep up. Thank goodness she was wearing flat ballerina shoes.

"What?" Rosé said, barely understanding a word as she rushed after him. "Jackson, what do you—"

The words died in her throat when she spotted Jaehyun and the other three Jays waiting for them at the end of the corridor. Jackson pushed her from the small of her back, urging her on.

"What's up?" Jackson said casually when they drew up to the scowling men. Rosé felt all their baleful glares piercing her, making her shiver. Her mouth ran dry and she was unable to utter a word. To his credit, Jackson moved in front of Rosé, who tried her utmost to hide her trembling.

"That whore behind you is a traitor bitch. Let her through! She's Thorn."

Death suddenly felt very near, but she was still thinking, still collecting her wits as Jackson tried to initiate a conversation and buy her time.

"Jay-J what do you mean, this girl is Thorn? Why would she be with a pimp?"

"Outta the way, Wang. We've been nearly bamboozled by this low-life slut. Good thing boss got a call," Jaehyun scowled. He shoved Jackson aside and pushed up in Rosé's space, who backed up. "You think you're so smart, huh, Thorn? Well, you got another one coming."

"Are you sure? She doesn't look like—"

"Shut up, Wang," Jaehyun snarled. "The bitch is coming with us."

Rosé backed away, throwing a helpless glance at Jackson who stared back equally helplessly.

To reveal himself now could blow their useful link within Jinyoung's whole operation. She subtly shook her head, telling him to stand down. She was Thorn, she would have to handle it by herself.

"Don't test me, Rosé. I've been on your side all this time but this is the last straw. You dare switch sides and work with that Dasoni bitch? What's got into you?"

Rosé's mouth dropped open, all fear momentarily deserting her as she goggled at him. "Are you kidding me?" she snapped. "You want me to go back to being an obedient dog after all the pain Jinyoung caused me? He blew up people, he framed my friend, he's holding my neighbour hostage and my own damn girlfriend is his guinea pig. Don't make me laugh, Jaehyun. Why would I work for such a monster? Yang is as docile as a sheep in comparison."

"Maybe if you cooperated we wouldn't have to be here," Jaehyun said relentlessly, "but no matter. Get over here, now. Before I fuck you up worse than Jinyoung will."

"Jaehyun, be reasonable," Rosé said. "If something happens to me, Jinyoung won't be happy." She touched her neck, indicating the black band all the Jays wore around their throat. "Jinyoung didn't remove your dog collars just because Yang died, did he? Still keeping you on a leash, I see."

She wasn't sure how she was able to say all that without losing her nerve in the face of Jaehyun's incensed wrath.

"Jinyoung doesn't fucking care," Jaehyun spat. "You're dead meat once we take you back to him."

"You don't know that," Rosé said, desperately hoping it was true as she kept slowly backing away. Jaehyun advanced, relentless. 

There was no knowing what Jinyoung would do with her once he had her in his clutches. Would she be executed in some back alley? Or else be reunited with Jisoo? Or Lisa? The thought had her mind in a whirl.

"Jaehyun, please...I have Ella back home," she choked out, going for the pity angle. "Don't...please, I'll do anything."

He paused, the angry sharp glint in his eyes giving way to something sinister and sly. "Anything?"

She swallowed, revulsion sitting at the back of her throat. "Anything."

Jaehyun sneered. "Of course you will. You'd spread your legs and open that pretty mouth for anyone, wouldn't you? That's how you got saddled with a kid in the first place."

He rubbed his hands together. "Maybe we can have a little fun before I hand you over to the boss. You three, go tell Jinyoung we have the girl."

"What about you?" Rosé asked desperately when the other three Jays left without question.

Jaehyun's eyes gleamed. "I'm going to make sure you are too preoccupied to run." The lecherous intentions behind his words were all too clear. Rosé wanted to cry as he advanced on her while she stood frozen like a deer in headlights.

"Jaehyun, what—" Jackson blurted, coming back to life, "come on, not out here man, Jinyoung won't allow—"

Jaehyun paid no attention, his eyes boring into Rosé. "I've been waiting to have you for a long time. Jin tried, then Jimin. But they all got smoked out by Yang. I bid my time until he wasn't around. Now I can have you, with nobody to stop me. On your knees where you belong, slut. Let's see that pretty mouth."

Rosé clutched her purse and the manila envelope to her chest, shaking. She was too numb, too exhausted to cry. After all the horrors she had gone through in the past few days, Rosé was actually angry with herself for not seeing this twist coming. Jaehyun was just like all the creeps that grew obsessed with her, waiting to pounce.

Somewhere deep down, she had anticipated this repulsive move, knew he had always been waiting to take advantage of her and claim her, but the fact that he found her at such a low point, alone and helpless, crushed her.

Just get it over with. It will be over before you know it, said the tired part of her brain.

But that wouldn't be the end either. He'd hand her over to Jinyoung and she'd probably die for real. He had no use for her, he could use her to hurt Jennie further.

She had to fight back somehow.

She had to fight back. 

It won't end here, not like this, not when she had just gotten the important information they needed to save Lisa and Jisoo.

"Jay-J, let's just take her to Jinyoung, come on, don't be foolish." Jackson was still trying to reason with Jaehyun, the panic in his voice clear. But Rosé on the other hand was swept with icy clarity as numbness overtook her, making her calculate her odds with detachment. She thought she heard muffled gunshots but it could be her imagination running amok.

She was weak, walking on barely a good night's sleep. Overpowering Jaehyun through sheer strength wasn't enough; he was a seasoned fighter, and he would catch her. Sending a signal to Hani would do nothing much; they needed the help right now.

She remembered the pepper spray in her purse. And the knife.

"Let go of me Wang!"

A loud click caught her attention, snapping her out of her spiralling. Jaehyun aimed a gun right between Jackson's eyes, making Jackson freeze and hold up his hands slowly.

"Now step back and leave," Jaehyun snarled. He turned to Rosé, scowling. "You! I thought I told you to get on your knees!" He turned the gun on her, growing angrier when she still didn't move. "Get down on your fucking knees bitch!"

Slowly slowly she lowered herself to her knees as he ordered, keeping her head down. She put the manila envelope and her purse down in front of her, but she didn't let go of them. She wasn't going to lift a finger more than what she was asked to.

She breathed in and out. She was calm. She was Thorn.

"That's better," Jaehyun said smugly, the anger in his voice replaced with a leer. "Now, be a good girl and unzip me."

Swallowing bile, Rosé hesitatingly lifted her head, coming face to face with his crotch. She felt Jackson's horrified gaze on her but ignored it. Dread filled the hollow cavity in her chest when she undid the button of his pants and pulled down the zip.

Her heart thumped harder as Jaehyun shuffled closer. His cruel hand curled around the back of her head, pressing her closer to his crotch until she could smell his musk. She stifled her retching, her mind running a mile a minute as she braced herself for the next command, her hands jittery as they dropped back to her side, tingling with the need to do something,  even with the gun holding her hostage.

The knife. She had a knife.

"That's it, baby," Jaehyun crooned. "Now, get to work."

Stab him quick. Now.

"Hey fucker!" someone shouted. Jaehyun's head jerked up, startled by the call.

In one fluid motion, Rosé slipped the knife out of her purse and punched it down into the closest foot.

At the same time, a gun fired.

Rosé rolled out of the way and covered her head as Jaehyun crumpled without so much as a yell. When Rosé looked up shakily, her jaw dropped at the sight of the man lying face down on the polished floor. He wasn't moving. It wasn't his gun that had gone off—his lay next to his hand beside his head, drowning in growing pool of blood.

Jackson had fallen back against the wall, gasping for breath and holding his heart in shock.

"Rosie!"

Rosé whipped around. Jennie stood at the beginning of the corridor a few doors down, eyes wild, gun in hand, wearing black shorts and a pink leather jacket.

She might as well have been an avenging angel in white robes with fucking wings and a halo, because in that moment Rosé swore Jennie glowed like divinity personified; her very own guardian angel.

Rosé's lips trembled. "J-Jen? Jen!"

Jennie tore down the hall like a stampeding bull, crashing into Rosé who caught her in her arms, crying.

"Jen oh my god, you're here, you're here—"

"You brave, stupid idiot." Jennie was crying too. "I was going mad back there, I had to come, I was so worried."

She pulled back, smiling tearfully at Rosé. "Dammit, you've made me go soft, Park."

Rosé laughed, heart singing with relief. "Good to see you too, Kim."

She almost went in for another hug before Jackson intervened, bringing them both back to reality.

"You need to go, now," he said urgently, scooping up the purse and envelope and cramming them into Rosé's arms. "The Jays will be on to you any minute and you...how did you even get in here?"

"Long story, but Hani will bite my head off for sure when we get back." Jennie tapped her ear, nodding at Rosé. "You went dark on us and that's it, I blacked out. The bouncers at the door let me through cos' I'm Dasoni now."

"How nice of them," said Jinyoung's voice behind them.

Rosé froze. Jennie whipped around, growling like a dog. Jinyoung had crept up on them but to Rosé's surprise, he was utterly alone.

"You," Jennie snarled and cocked the gun, pointing it in his face. She wouldn't have missed if she fired, he wasn't more than a few yards away from the barrel of the gun. "You're going to die."

"I'm sure we all will, one day," he said amiably, hands in pockets. "But tonight, I would think that it's you two that have to watch out." He glanced behind them and shook his head. "Ah, Jay-J got carried away with his...manly desires. And the others?"

"Dead, just like you're gonna be," Jennie spat, surprising Rosé with her vehemence. The gun shook in her hand with barely concealed rage. "Found them wandering. I'm not above getting my hands dirty, Jinyoung. You've made me the monster, so now I am going to be your worst nightmare."

"Magnificent," Jinyoung said reverently, which only angered Jennie further.

"Shut up!"

Rosé watched Jinyoung curiously, wondering how he could be so calm, wondering why he looked at Jennie with something strange and twisted yet familiar, something akin to...admiration? Awe? Adoration?

"Every time we meet, you always manage to surprise me with something new. I feel quite spoiled," Jinyoung said. He nodded at her exposed arm. "Congratulations on joining the Dasoni. Your marksmanship has already improved in leaps and bounds."

"I'll show you leaps and bounds!" Jennie spat.

Jinyoung didn't jump out of the way at her threat, didn't draw a gun from his pocket, didn't even flinch. He merely stood and waited, a mildly curious expression on his face. Jennie was frozen in no man's land, holding out the gun with her arm trembling. Rosé looked in between them, mouth dry. Jackson was glancing apprehensively in between Jennie and Jinyoung as well.

One little finger curl. One squeeze of the trigger was all it would take for their nightmare to end. Rosé's heart was positively vibrating in her chest as she trembled behind a similarly frozen Jennie.

Do it, Jen, Rosé wanted to say, hate curling like poisonous snakes in her gut, spewing acid. End it here. But her mouth was too dry to utter a word.

"What's the matter? Gun blocked?" Jinyoung asked mildly.

Jennie didn't reply. The very air around them seemed to hold its breathe.

"Shoot me. Here I am defenceless," Jinyoung said. "I bet you dreamt of this moment. So do it."

"Jin?" Jackson rasped. "What are you doing? Let's just get out of here."

Jinyoung didn't answer, his gaze never leaving Jennie. For several tense seconds, the stand-off continued, with only the muffled sounds from Burning Sun filtering through the bubble.

"Jennie, I can think of several things that are stopping you from shooting me right now," Jinyoung said, suddenly very business-like. His face was still flushed red, but he had regained composure, which was not a good thing. He spoke as though he held all the cards again, grating on Rosé's nerves.

"Shut up," Jennie gritted again. But she still hadn't fired, still hadn't ended the nightmare.

"You know that killing me won't change anything," Jinyoung said. "There are forces at play that you don't understand. I have contingency plans for the Tiger King project to proceed should my demise happen. You would still not get Tiger King back if you kill me. You will just create a power vacuum. Someone else will get Tiger King, someone with more power. That's the way these things work."

Rosé's heart sank. Hadn't Hani mentioned something similar? Taking down Jinyoung wasn't as simple as ending his life, not when he clearly had other players involved in his wicked schemes. She cursed inwardly, the temptation to rid the world of the snake standing in front of her still very real.

"But maybe getting Tiger King back isn't the true reason why I'm still standing here either, is it?" Jinyoung asked. His mouth lifted at the corner. "After all, you were going to trade it, so it's not as important as you're trying to convince yourself it is..."

Rosé saw the flash of pain on Jennie's face, a split-second expression that was swiftly replaced by renewed anger.

"Nice try bastard," Jennie growled, "we both know you coerced me into it."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night." Jinyoung tilted his head, eyes softening in a mocking display of sympathy.

"You still don't know where Jisoo is and I am the only one who can tell you," Jinyoung said softly and Jennie's face twisted; he had hit the mark. "That must tear you up badly, wondering where Jisoo is, wondering if Jisoo would forgive you, wondering if Jisoo would look at you again, or even remember you—"

"Don't you ever say her name again, you psycho!" Jennie snapped. "You're wrong, I don't need you for that!"

Jinyoung gestured to Jackson. "Ask him. He's practically my right-hand man. He knows all about Jisoo, don't you? Been keeping an especially close eye on her, haven't you?"

Rosé didn't like the emphasis Jinyoung put in his words, as though there was a subtle message he was conveying to Jackson: I'm keeping an eye on your movements.

Jackson's eyes darted from Jinyoung to the girls. "I...I, uhm..."

"Go ahead," Jinyoung encouraged. Rosé couldn't tell if that was an invitation or a threat.

Jacskon swallowed hard. "I...I don't know where she is. Uh, she's been...moved to a higher security lab that I...am not currently allowed access in."

Jennie's face crumpled in devastation while Rosé's heart gave a pang. Jackson's pained face seemingly spoke of his sincerity: he was at a loss as much as they were.

"So you see, Jennie, your gut instinct was right," Jinyoung said smoothly. "If I die, finding Jisoo— in whatever state that may be—will be that much harder. You might be too late—"

"Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up!"

Jennie gripped Rosé's hand; her fingers were icy. Still holding Jinyoung at gunpoint, she tugged Rosé along behind her, circling Jinyoung and Jackson until they were standing on the opposite side, with nobody between them and freedom. The two men had turned to face them as the girls moved, like the moon orbiting the sun.

"We're going to leave now. And you won't come after us. I'll get you some other day," Jennie said hotly. "You hear me? It's not the end."

"As you wish," Jinyoung shrugged. "But humour me. I'm just curious: how are you going to get out if say, hypothetically, the SOU happened to swoop in here because they got a tip that a runaway terrorist was spotted on the premises?"

Jennie stopped dead, as did Rosé. All the muffled noises from Burning Sun just beyond the suites area faded away into white noise as Jinyoung's words sank in.

"You didn't," Rosé whispered shakily. Her body was suddenly heartbeats away from a full-scale panic attack. "The fucking KNP SOU? Are you kidding me?"

Jinyoung wasn't just threatening them with regular police, but the specialised elite military unit for handling dangerous operations, especially counter-terrorism.

"Well if they suspect a potentially dangerous North Korean spy is hiding in here, the best units the KNP has to offer must come to apprehend the suspect, no?" Jinyoung said innocently.

"You told them Jennie is a North Korean spy?" Rosé spat.

Jinyoung shrugged. "What is the likeliest country an illegal immigrant could have come from? An illegal immigrant that is apparently making terrorist moves, like blowing up innocent people's houses in unprovoked attacks? Use your imagination."

Rosé balled her fists. The target painted on Jennie's back had just gotten bigger.

"He's bluffing," Jennie declared, hiding her fear well. "He wouldn't risk exposing his precious secret club like this."

"Wouldn't I?" Jinyoung challenged, eyes flashing in the low light of the corridor. "For you, Jennie, I'd risk anything."

Jennie stopped short of gagging. Behind Jinyoung, Jackson's face was an ashen mask. And unbidden, Momo's words about Jinyoung rose from the depths of Rosé's memory: He will murder an entire village to keep a secret. Her blood ran cold.

"He would," she realised, staring at the madman smiling devilishly in front of them, "he absolutely would throw this place under the bus, just for kicks."

"How? Won't people snitch?" Jennie said incredulously.

Rosé swallowed. "Not if there isn't anyone left alive to snitch. I bet...I bet he's got this place all wired up to blow at the pull of a switch if he wants to. We're standing in a ticking timebomb."

Jinyoung smiled broadly and clapped, taking in their horrified faces. "Glad that someone is taking me seriously."

He turned to Jennie again. "By the way, Ace, Rosé as good as pulled the hood over my eyes with her mask and dye job, I admit that. She had me virtually convinced she was some common whore working for Dasoni. You were the one to blow her cover. You're the reason you're stuck in a catch-22." His face twisted into a sly mask. "You're the reason Jaehyun was going to rape her."

"Shut up!" Jennie's voice cracked.

"Her second time in what, three days now, is it? Seems to be a pattern. A testimony to your incompetence to protect your friends."

"It didn't happen though, did it?" Jennie burst out. "I killed him and I killed all your bastards and I'll shoot you in the fucking head if you take one step—"

"Jen," Rosé pleaded. Jennie didn't hear.

"Rosé wasn't harmed because you have the luck of the devil," Jinyoung pointed out calmly. "But luck runs out someday."

"Don't listen to him," Rosé whispered, clinging to Jennie's arm. But Jennie's wild eyes were riveted to Jinyoung, enraged yet enthralled.

"The bouncers up front at the Ku informed me after you passed through. They know your face, even if you gave them a different name. I told them to hold off on calling the authorities. I knew you had to be coming in here for something specific. It was a bit of a puzzle at first. The Dasoni bitch you work for wasn't going to send in her underlings for nothing, especially her darling terrorist. But then it suddenly clicked why the girl in front of me looked so damn familiar. You were coming in to save Rosé from me."

He smiled mockingly. "The knight in shining armour coming to save her damsel in distress from the clutches of the big bad wolf."

Jackson's face registered dismay just as Rosé remembered the phone call Jinyoung got whilst Bang Chan was talking to her. It made sense now why Jinyoung's mood had switched so abruptly.

Guilt reflected in Jennie's eyes when she turned to Rosé in despair.

"Rosé, I-I didn't mean to blow your cover, I just thought...I thought you're in trouble..."

"Doesn't matter now. Let's jut get out of here." Rosé glared back at Jinyoung. Jackson stood behind him looking utterly defeated. Jennie was rooted to the spot, her gun still pointing at Jinyoung, breathing harshly.

Rosé tugged sharply on Jennie's arm. "Jen, let's go."

"Always trying to save people, aren't you, Jennie?" Jinyoung sighed. "Always trying so hard to be the hero. Yet, you either mess it up worse...or they die. Like the Kims. Careful you don't repeat that for Lisa. Or Jisoo."

"Say her name again you piece of shit, I dare you, say it!"Jennie seethed.

"Jennie stop, let's just go," Rosé begged.

"What made you act so sloppy? After hiding so carefully, why risk derailing Rosé's whole venture into unknown territory? It's unlike you to lose control like this. Don't you trust Rosé? I thought you were friends. And by now you should know she's capable as Thorn," Jinyoung chided, soft as a snake's hiss. "How come the Dasoni bitch didn't stop you from interfering? Something isn't adding up here. Hmm. What could that be?"

"He's just trying to stall us. Snap out of it, Jen," Rosé hissed, putting on her sternest voice as Thorn and tugging Jennie's arm. "Jennie, listen to me. Let's go."

A vein on the side of Jennie's temple jutted out, her internal conflict painted plain as day on her face. The gun rattled in her grip. Jinyoung continued to talk as though he wasn't interrupted, amusement clear in his tone—he was enjoying playing with his food.

"Unless...ah. I see now, the reason for your sloppiness."

Despite herself, Rosé paused to listen too.

Jinyoung tilted his head, a slow smile taking over his face. "You're afraid of me, aren't you, Jennie? You were terrified I was going to hurt Rosé or worse, vanish her away like I did with the others. Losing her would be just further proof to your incompetence. More guilt piled on your conscience."

"Shut up."

Jinyoung hummed. "How much more can you take losing over and over, Jennie? I know you, you can't fool me. The cracks are starting to show."

Rosé feared Jennie was about to have a stroke, she was shaking like a can of soda.

"And oh dear, what about the daughter?" Jinyoung trilled, catching Rosé's attention. "How would you face her? Tell her mommy isn't coming home? Maybe you can bond over your losses together, since you know a thing or two about being an orphan. Twice."

"Leave my daughter out of this, you psycho!" Rosé snarled. "Jennie, come on."

"I wasn't talking to you, Rosé," Jinyoung said smoothly, his gaze solely on Jennie. The sound of Jennie's gnashing teeth rang loud, but she didn't reply to his taunts.

"Cat got your tongue?" Jinyoung had the audacity to laugh as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "You might want to hurry along. Our police friends will be here anytime soon."

Evil chuckles reverberated in Rosé's ears long after she dragged Jennie away.

>

"What if I shoot the ceiling sprinklers in the main area?" Jennie said, twirling a pair of handcuffs. She pointed up at a water sprinkler overhead. "That would set all of them off right? We head out while people are still confused or running around, they won't see us for dust."

Rosé considered. "It could work. Or it could not."

"Can't you check?"

"No phone," Rosé said wryly. Jennie didn't have one either. Worryingly, Hani was strangely silent, despite Rosé frantically tapping her earpiece trying to get a connection again.

"What if something bad happened to them?" Rosé whispered, voicing out her worries. "And Youngdon—"

"Forget about them. She's Dasoni, if people mess with her directly, it's war," Jennie said. "We're the ones in a pickle if we don't act, fast."

They had made it as far as the Ku dancefloor where they found themselves facing a ridiculous thronging mass of people all pressed up against each other, practically forming a suffocating and impenetrable human wall. Apparently it was peak clubbing time, right after Jennie passed through.

To dive in and push all the way through until they reached the exit was an invitation for disaster. Just looking at the whole tightly packed area had Rosé lose her breath. She wasn't intending to die by asphyxiation tonight, not after dodging so many close shaves with disaster.

But if they didn't think of something soon, she could find herself in a far terrible and complicated situation. Jinyoung hadn't specified how long the SOU would take to show up but Rosé wasn't going to leave it up to chance.

"Let's go to the bathrooms," Jennie had shouted to be heard and Rosé quickly agreed, her woozy head already clamouring for a break from the dizzying heat and noise. The bathrooms were clean and well-lit, with a strong scent of antiseptic wash lingering in the air. Once they found a relatively clean stall, Rosé ad Jennie shut the door and put their heads together to think. Thankfully, Jennie had quickly recovered from the confrontation that had gone down with Jinyoung. 

They were both pretending nothing happened, for the time being: escape was the priority.

"What's in the envelope?" Jennie said now, gesturing with the hand holding the cuffs. She held her gun in the other hand, pointing away from Rosé for safety. Rosé touched the edge of the envelope that poked out of her purse.

"Jinyoung said they're photos. Of what, I don't know. But Jackson said Jinyoung wouldn't let anyone else touch them. Oh and he also said to tell Hani something about Tiger King's cult? He seems to have gotten in contact with one of their people, he gave me this paper with their details."

"You hang on to them. What about the showcase info?" Jennie said tersely, brushing them aside. Rosé understood; gathering the showcase info had been the main priority. She patted the purse.

"I've got a good feeling on what I downloaded," is all she could tell Jennie, which wasn't much to go on.

"Well, hope it's worth all this," Jennie sighed.

She leaned back against the wall of the stall and closed her eyes, her brows furrowed. Some noisy group came in, chatting and cackling. Some girls even knocked on their door, with Rosé calling out that it was occupied so they left. While the group swore and slagged each other off, Rosé took the opportunity to observe Jennie.

She was still struck by the way Jinyoung seemed to have singled out Jennie and focused all his malicious attention on her, making her friend freeze and unable to counteract his taunts, or physically act. Jinyoung knew just what to say to strike where it hurt Jennie the most. He seemed to have studied Jennie to a frightening degree and knew exactly which buttons to push. Rosé shivered at the memory.

Jennie blinked her eyes open and caught Rosé staring. "What?"

Rosé shook her head. "No reason." It was not the time to bring up such a sensitive topic.

"I'm still worried about Youngdon," she blurted out instead.

"Worry about us, we're on our own here, clearly. Hani won't leave her favourite fucktoy behind, she'll get him somehow," Jennie replied shortly.

"Maybe she'll send in those back-up teams," Rosé said optimistically. "If we go outside and wait...I'm sure she's anxious to get the information so she won't abandon us."

"I doubt those back-up teams even exist," Jennie scoffed. "She was probably just saying that to keep our minds at ease. I bet she thought she was too good for Jinyoung and she'd pull off this hare-brained plan without a hitch." Her shoulders slumped. "Maybe I was the biggest hitch."

Before Jennie could spiral, Rosé jumped in to distract her. "Actually, I learned something interesting about Hani. According to Jinyoung, cops have been raiding his offices these past days. Like, a lot. He's convinced Hani is behind them, and Chanyeol."

Jennie's brows shot up. "Oh...that is news. She was actually not bonking Youngdon all the time every time she stepped out of the basement? Consider me...unwillingly impressed, because she acted so damn horny all the time."

"Yeah, Jinyoung thinks Hani is fucking Chanyeol?"

"Hani certainly seems into the idea."

"So they are...?"

"I don't know and I don't care. We're fucked if we don't act now."

Jennie cocked the gun, checking it with practised moves to see that it wasn't stuck. Rosé admired how fluid Jennie had become with handling a weapon in just mere days.

Satisfied with the inspection, Jennie pushed on the stall's door. "Let's just go and we'll see what happens. If shit hits the fan, I don't know you, and you run."

"Wait what?" Rosé asked.

Jennie pressed her lips into a thin line. "You heard me."

"Then I think my ears just deceived me," Rosé said testily. "Because I thought I heard you say, I'm back on my self-sacrificing shit again. And I thought we're moving past that."

Jennie whirled. "I'm not self-sacrificing—"

"Go ahead then, what did you mean?" Rosé challenged. She suddenly realised how small Jennie looked in front of her, as though she was shrinking and Rosé herself was growing. Jennie looked up at her, her eyes bright and angry pinpricks.

"I meant...I meant exactly that," Jennie relented. "If something happens, we split. Let the cops or whatever come for me and you get out. I won't let you paint a target on your back if I can help it. You don't have to be a self-sacrificing martyr, don't stay with me just because it's the honourable thing to do. You have the info to give to Hani. For god's sake Rosie, you got a kid back home! Remember her?"

"Oh that is low," Rosé growled, "don't bring Ella into this! And don't you Rosie me!"

"But it's true! You wrote Ella all those letters earlier, for what? So she'd keep them and read them if you...if you don't go back?" Jennie ducked and shook her head. "I won't let you do that, even if I have to hurt you."

Rosé stared, speechless.

"Let's just go," Jennie said in clipped tones but Rosé held her back from the shoulder.

"Is this about Jinyoung?" she asked softly. Jennie immediately stiffened beneath her touch.

"What about that bastard?" said Jennie in a dangerous voice.

"He's messing with your head," Rosé said. Jennie's shoulders sagged.

"Maybe. He's...really good at getting under my skin," she mumbled in shame.

"He gets under mine too."

Jennie's hand clenched tighter around the gun. "He said I'm scared of him..." she trailed off, her voice small, but she didn't contradict the statement.

Rosé took a deep breath. "I think it takes a special kind of stupid not to be scared of him."

"It's even scarier when he's right." Jennie looked up at Rosé, her eyes haunted. "He was right about Ella. I...I won't be able to face her or live with myself if something happens to you. When I saw you being taken away...I feared the worst. Do you know what it's like, seeing every person you get close to being taken? It's happened more times than I care to count. It's like I'm cursed."

The lump of emotion in Rosé's throat made it hard to swallow. "Jen, we'll get through this. As long as we stick together. I know you have my back. I trust you."

Jennie's bottom lip trembled and she turned away. "That makes one of us."

"Then trust in me trusting you. I know what I'm doing, Jen. I know it's dangerous outside but I'm here and we're going to move together."

Jennie looked so small and vulnerable, like a lost child as she looked up at Rosé. She absently scratched her wasp tattoo as well, reminding Rosé of how Lisa used to click her wrist when anxious or worked up. On impulse, Rosé gripped her hand to stop her.

"Jennie, if anything happens, we stick together and we get out together," she said quietly, summoning all the calmness and authority she could muster as Thorn. "We've gotten this far because we got each other's backs. It's you and me fighting for Jisoo and Lisa. They depend on us. Are you with me?"

Jennie blinked rapidly but eventually nodded, fierce and determined. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"Good. Now let's get moving. Operation Sprinkler Buster is a go."

Jennie's lips twisted up into the ghost of a smile.

Just on the edge of the dancefloor, as Rosé was bracing herself for the imminent chaos, Jennie suddenly stopped moving, making Rosé bump into her.

"What is it?" Rosé said, or rather, shouted in Jennie's ear. The party was going strong, and incredibly, nobody had been crushed yet.

Jennie's face was a blank mask. "How did Jinyoung know that my nickname is Ace?"

The music cut off abruptly, leaving Rosé with her ears ringing as she stared at Jennie. 

"What?"

A high-pitched scream shattered the confused silence and all hell broke loose.

****************

:D :D :D

next up is mayhem, chaennie edition, can't wait!

(not sure when that will be cos march and april are going to be hectic but i'll do my best)

thanks for the votes, reads and comments!

inspo for jennie's look in the club 🔥🔥