(⚠️Warning: Mentions of drugs ⚠)
-Wooyoung's POV-
I rushed into the apartment complex with panic rising up my throat, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I sprinted towards Seonghwa's apartment. I usually felt a pleasant shot of adrenaline after pickpocketing somebody, but that's only when that somebody wasn't dumb enough to carry so much cash on them! I'm used to getting pocket change, and if I'm lucky maybe thirty thousand won here and there, but as soon as I actually paid attention to what I had grabbed, I realized it was a lot heavier than normal.
But the guy looked so average! Well, not average, because he was definitely way more attractive then most of the people I saw around here, but his clothes looked like they belonged to someone in the middle class. His shoes were worn, he didn't have any high quality brands or jewelry, and he was just chilling in one of the shittiest parts of town!
They were kind of near a really nice car, but I didn't think it actually belonged to them!
I knocked maybe a little too aggressively once I finally made it to Seonghwa's door, but I was in too much of a rush to care about my now throbbing knuckles. Time seemed to slow as I waited for him to finally open the door, and I looked around me, paranoid.
Thankfully it only took him a couple seconds to get to the door, and after probably checking the peephole like he never failed to do, he opened the door with a look of concern and confusion.
"Wooyou-"
"Let me in. Please." It was rude to interrupt, but I was too stressed to care, and he thankfully didn't seem bothered by it as he stepped aside. I rushed in before closing the door behind me, and I locked it with shaky hands.
"What did you do?" I pivoted to see Seonghwa giving me a concerned yet accusatory expression, arms crossed as he waited for me to respond.
"Why do you assume I did something?"
"Because the last time you came here looking so freaked was when San caught you trying to sell fake crack."
"It was a rather lucrative business, you know."
"Until your pissed off customers tried to kill you."
I shrugged. "I was selling overpriced bags of white powder. It's not my fault they assumed it was coke and not powdered sugar. But seriously? Not the biggest issue right now."
"Right." He walked towards the living room before taking a seat on the well used couch, and I followed after him with tense shoulders. "So, what happened?"
I took a seat across from him before throwing the wad of cash onto the coffee table, and his eyes widened when he saw the multitude of ten thousand won bills. "I might have pickpocketed the wrong person."
"You think!? Put that away!" I did as told and shoved them back into my pockets, the paper weighing much more than it did when I first stole it. It felt like it was burning a hole through my pocket, and I found myself growing nauseous as I turned back toward the now equally as stressed Seonghwa.
"What do I do?"
He let out an anxious sigh, and he ran his fingers through his hair before leaning over towards me. "Were you caught?"
"I don't think so. I didn't notice anyone following me."
"The person you stole it from. Describe them."
I could do that. Despite only seeing him for a few seconds, his face was rather memorable. "He had blonde hair that went barely above his shoulders, brown cat-like eyes, and full lips. He had a small face and an incredibly sharp jawline, but still rather soft features. He ha-"
"I asked you to describe him. Not to simp over him." He seemed unamused, but at the same time, a lot less stressed, so I would consider it a win. But I definitely wasn't simping. He was pretty, but I was surrounded by pretty guys all the time. I was one!
"It's not my fault that's what he looked like!"
He rolled his eyes before opening his mouth to speak, but his words died on his tongue when the sound of his doorbell echoed ominously off the walls.
I swallowed harshly. "Any chance you were expecting company?"
He shook his head before standing slowly, and he hesitantly made his way to the door before reaching towards the door knob with a shaky hand. He checked the peephole before swallowing, but he turned to me with a slightly relieved look.
"There are two guys, but neither of them match the description you gave." I let out a relieved sigh as I sunk back into the cushions, yet I still found myself a little paranoid.
"Ask what they want, but don't undo the door chain." He nodded before unlocking the deadbolt, the door chain remaining intact as he opened the door a hair.
"Yes?"
"Any chance you've seen someone suspicious run by?"
Well shit. What are the odds they aren't talking about me? I guess the guy had friends with him.
"Well, I don't know the details, but I heard a commotion outside my door. I checked the peephole and saw a guy running that way. He seemed to be in a rush. Is that what you're talking about?" The lie left his lips with ease, and he once again managed to keep his composure despite the fucked up situation I might have accidently dragged him into. I'll have to take him to dinner or something after this.
"Aw, your friend lied for you! So sweet." Both me and Seonghwa jumped at the new voice, and we simultaneously turned to face the back wall, which just so happened to have the guy I pickpocketed standing there with some kind of small metal contraption clutched in his hand. The window was wide open, a cool breeze and the scent of cigarettes and urine wafting in from the side alley.
I leapt up before backing up towards Seonghwa, making sure he was fully behind me as he shut the front door.
"Locking my friends out isn't very nice." The blond pouted before calmly making his way over, and I frantically scanned the entry way for some type of weapon. Sadly the only thing I found was a pair of boots, and I spread my arms out to better cover Seonghwa.
"How did you get in?"
"You left the window unlocked."
That was very much a lie. Seonghwa was a super paranoid person, and he always made sure the windows were locked despite rarely ever opening them. It wasn't a very appealing thing when doing so meant your apartment would smell like urine and dirty socks.
My eyes just so happened to land on the piece of metal he was still holding onto, and despite the danger me and Seonghwa were in, I deadpanned.
"Is that the window latch?"
He blinked before throwing the lock to the side. "No. And stop acting so freaked. I'm not here to hurt you." I wasn't dumb enough to relax at his words, and my arms remained raised as I watched him intently.
"Are you here for the money? You can have it back. I didn't know you were carrying so much on you."
He chuckled before plopping down onto the couch, and he crossed his legs before leaning back into the cushions. "Someone who doesn't pickpocket for the sake of money. A thrill seeker, then?" He didn't seem bothered by my silence as he made himself at home, though his calm smile quickly melted into a more serious expression as he regarded me further. "Not very many people actually succeed in pickpocketing me. I have to admit I'm impressed, though your ability to get away is subpar. So in return for me not turning you over to the police, I have a proposition."
Fuck. Guys like him never offered fair deals, and because I was in the wrong, he had the upper hand. He also seemed dangerous, because no one who could break into an apartment so easily and so nonchalantly could be considered normal. He also had his friends outside, and while I've gotten away with stealing from strong guys before, I never actually had to fight them. We were trapped, and it was my fault. I needed to make sure Seonghwa got out of this unharmed, but to do that, I needed to buy time and hope for a well timed miracle.
"What proposition?"
Despite my obvious hesitance he smiled, and I tensed when he leaned forward regardless of the few meters of space between us.
"Be my friend."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Oh, also I want my money back."
"You . . . wha- friend?"
"Yes, though I probably would have phrased it with less awkward spaces and a few more complete words."
I stared at the blond with wide eyes, my mind failing to process the situation. The only thing that snapped me out of it was Seonghwa lightly hitting the back of my head, and I looked over my shoulder to see him just as freaked but apparently more composed.
"Give him back the money." His words were whispered, almost as if he feared the blonde would hear him, and my eyes widened further before I began to rummage through my pockets. I pulled out the cash before holding it out in front of me, but I made no move to get closer as the blonde eyed me with an unimpressed look.
"Are you going to give it to me? Something tells me you wouldn't want me to get closer to your friend there, and you certainly wouldn't like me breaching your personal space, so how about you close the distance on your own terms."
It made sense. The thought of walking towards him was nauseating, but the thought of him making his way closer was so much worse.
I nodded before ever so slowly inching my way closer, and he once again seemed unimpressed by my cowardice. It's not my fault this guy was so scary! If Yunho was here he would approach him without hesitation, but I actually had survival instincts!
"That's it. Just a couple more hours to go and you'll be close enough." My pace didn't increase, even with his teasing, and I continued to slowly inch closer with the money still extended towards him.
"Dude, just give him the money." I turned towards Seonghwa with a raised brow, and I motioned towards the blond.
"Would you rather do it?"
"You're doing such a good job."
"That's what I thought."
I once again made my way closer to the blond, though my pace increased when he made no move to attack once I was within reach. The last couple of steps I made were rushed, and I threw the cash onto the coffee table before quickly retreating back towards Seonghwa.
The blond snorted before gathering the money, though as he started to put it in his pocket, he stopped to look towards us. "Would you mind opening the door? My friend has a bag, and I would much rather avoid getting this stolen a second time." I nodded without thinking, though once me and Seonghwa actually processed his request, we froze.
He wants us to let his friends in? Because one of them has a bag?
He rolled his eyes once he noticed our hesitation, and he ended up pocketing the money before standing. "Fine. I'll put it in the bag later." He walked around the couch and started to make his way towards the still opened window, though as he started to swing his leg through, he turned back to us. "Also, for some strange reason the lock on your window is broken. That seems a little reckless, guys. In this part of the city? I would get that fixed."
He then ducked his head and left through the window, and he waved before rounding the corner.
An awkward silence followed as me and Seonghwa were left stunned, our eyes still locked on the window he had exited through. As soon as I gathered my wits I turned to Seonghwa with an innocent smile, and his eyes flickered over to me. "Well that went swimmingly."
He rolled his eyes. "Next time you do something stupid, go to San."
—------------------------------------------------------------------
-Hyunjin's POV-
The mall was expectedly packed as people walked in multiple different directions, bags secured in their arms as they made their way to the next store on their list. Thankfully the mall was more than large enough to accommodate so many people, the tall glass ceiling allowing light to illuminate the lively space. The mall was a rather nice one, the pearly white tile somehow shimmering despite the multitude of dirty shoes trampling it, and the space somehow managed to smell both clean and pleasant.
However, the stores themselves were also on the nicer side, meaning that prices were slightly higher than in a more middle class mall.
Right.
I forgot these fuckers were rich.
They probably didn't think much of it, but as someone who only had two million won to their name, spending it all simply on clothes wasn't exactly tempting.
The Chanmin duo looked so comfortable walking through the crowd, which I was now realizing was made up of rather snobby looking people. Seriously, why does Seoul have so many rich pricks? Though there were also a lot of homeless people and crack heads in the shittier part of town, so I guess you have to appreciate the variety.
"Where to first?" I looked up to see them both looking at me, apparently wanting my input on something I cared very little about.
"Um . . . how about we get clothes done first? That way Chan doesn't have to carry around a computer all day."
They smiled and nodded before heading towards a store on our right, and I blindly followed, not at all used to the process of shopping. They entered a store I didn't even bother reading the name of, too busy with my head on a swivel as I made my way after them.
The store they walked into was very much a clothing store, though I guess that should have been obvious, and I found myself speechless as I observed the high quality brands hung neatly on the displays.
"No."
The Chanmin duo turned to me with confused expressions, and I shook my head before stubbornly crossing my arms.
"How do you know you don't like the clothes yet? You haven't even looked at most of them." I furrowed my brows at Chan's words before gesturing to a four million won jacket.
"You think I can afford this?"
"You think we're making you pay?"
I blinked. "What?"
Seungmin huffed before taking my hand in his and leading me further into the store, and I followed behind dumbly. "We suggested going to the mall to buy you clothes before you had even a singular won to your name. You think we just forgot you're broke? This is on us."
"Nuh uh," was my very eloquent response, and I ever so gently yanked my hand from his as I angled myself to regard them both. "I'm not comfortable with you spending money on me."
Seungmin pouted while giving me puppy dog eyes. "Please?"
"No."
" . . . Pretty please?"
"I don't care if the please is gorgeous. The answer is no."
"But what if it has a cherry on top?"
"Well, now you've convinced me."
"Really?"
"No."
Seungmin groaned before turning to Chan. "Do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. You're the leader. Lead."
Chan rolled his eyes before stepping closer, and he rested a hand on my shoulder as he stared intently into my eyes. "SKZ is an incredibly powerful group passed down from generation to generation, and has the trust and respect of the darkest parts of the South Korean government. Guess how much money we have to our name, not including assets?"
"I'm scared to ask."
"Seven trillion won."
I blinked, my expression remaining blank as I matched his intense gaze. "I hate you."
He smiled, seemingly happy with my response. "Enough to let us buy you clothes?"
"Enough to let you buy me the entire mall. What the fuck do you mean seven trillion? That's fucking rediculous!"
He chuckled. "Yeah. It's more money then we know what to do with, so help us spend some of it, would you?"
I shook my head sorrowfully. "I'm feeling rather generous, so I guess I have no choice."
"So kind of you." Despite the joking manner in which this was said, Chan's smile turned relieved. "Now, go pick some stuff out."
. . . Shit. I had never really picked out my own wardrobe before, and I wasn't the most decisive person when it came to unimportant matters. Still, I didn't want to inconvenience them by not being able to do such a simple thing.
I looked around awkwardly, suddenly overwhelmed by the multitude of different styles. The store was on the smaller side, but every wall was covered by clothes, and dozens of clothing displays were placed around the store. There were so many items I didn't know where to start, and they all started blurring together the longer I looked. "Anything?"
"Yeah. Anything that catches your eye."
I shuffled my feet before slowly walking towards a random display, and I hesitantly began to sort through the shirts. I looked back towards the Chanmin duo with a pout, though the expression was unintentional.
Seungmin seemed to notice my struggle as he made his way beside me. "Need help?"
My pout deepened. "No."
"Okay, can I help anyway?"
I bit my cheek as I glared at the shirts, for some reason unable to discern the difference in styles. "If you really want to."
He gave me a gummy smile before rifling through the display with impressive speed, every so often pulling out a shirt and handing it to Chan. I followed behind wordlessly as he moved on to the next display, and I decided to follow his lead and attempt to pick some things out myself.
Unfortunately all the styles looked the same to me, the only difference being the colors. Felix said I looked good in white, but this light blue was really pretty. Or maybe I should go for more neutral colors? But I'm not a big fan of browns, and white stains easily. Perhaps black? But wearing all black was Chan's thing. I couldn't steal his thing. I'm not a thing stealer.
"Hyunjin? You good?" I snapped my head to the side to see Seungmin walking over towards the fitting room with Chan in toe, a large bundle of clothes held in the older's arms.
"Uh, yeah. Just dandy."
"Alright, well . . . I think we have a pretty good selection for you to try on. Want to start?"
I blinked before making my way towards them, and Chan handed me the clothes before pushing me into a weird closet-like room. He closed the door behind me wordlessly, and I huffed. "If you wanted me to stop acting so gay you could have just told me. You didn't have to put me back in the closet."
"Just try them on."
"Fine."
I hung the clothes up on a hook before removing my shirt, the rustling of fabric being the only sound that filled the mostly empty store. The Chanmin duo were probably sitting on the arm chairs right outside of the fitting rooms, and I found myself feeling awkward with the lack of sound.
" . . . So, any plans for tomorrow?" My lousy attempt to fill the silence thankfully went unignored as I adorned the first shirt, and I observed myself in the mirror before grabbing a pair of pants I thought would go with it.
"We have another . . . task, in the evening." It was obvious Chan was talking about a mission, though he was probably hesitant to call it that in such a public space. My dramatic gasp was very audible through the thin door, though I didn't bother to actually look offended since they wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
"You're completing a task without me? I thought we were a team! I thought we were a family! Like the Justice League, or the friend group from Scooby Doo! Anyway, how does this look?" I interrupted my own dramatics to open the door, and I showcased one of the outfits Seungmin had picked out.
The puppy tilted his head with an assessing gaze, and his brows furrowed in distaste. "The colors look good on you, but the shirt is too long. I would suggest Changbin could hem it for you, but we shouldn't buy clothes we have to alter unless we're thrifting."
I blinked. "Changbin can sew?"
"Yeah. He also cross stitches."
"That's so cute!"
"Don't tell him that or else he'll mope about it for a week."
I shrugged before turning to Chan, and he gave me a bubbly grin. "I like it."
Seungmin rolled his eyes before motioning me back into the changing room, and I closed the door behind me before starting to change into the next combination. "So this mis- I mean, task. Is it dangerous?"
"It should be rather easy, and it won't take too long. But don't worry, we asked Changbin to stay back so you aren't lonely."
"Aw, you hired me a babysitter? That's so thoughtful."
"He's not there to babysit you, he's just there to keep you company. Besides, Felix said he should take it easy for the next couple of days so he can recover fully before attempting any more . . . tasks."
"Recover? I thought he was doing fine?" I failed miserably at hiding the concern in my voice, and I shook my head before throwing on the next shirt.
"He is, but Felix just wants to be cautious. And it's not like Changbin is opposed. He got really happy when Felix suggested he stay back with you."
I snorted. "Seriously? Because I'm just so awesome or because he wanted another day off?"
"He isn't exactly sad about missing out on such a boring task, but I'm fairly certain the reason he got such a stupid grin on his face at the idea was because he wanted to spend more time with you."
I found myself caught off guard by Chan's words, because never in a million years did I think Changbin, or any of them for that matter, would be so happy at the thought of spending time with me. I shrugged off the small spark of hope as I chuckled dismissively, and I started to tug on one of the multiple pairs of pants that Seungmin had selected.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"It's not ridiculous." Chan's voice grew a lot more serious at my dismissal. "Changbin really likes you, Hyunjin. He talks about you all the time when you're not around. About how strong you are, and about how cool you are at practice. And how you always play off of his humor. He seems to think really highly of you, but he struggles to admit stuff like that."
I froze as the air seemed to leave my lungs, and my heart clenched.
He thought highly of me? He thought I was cool?
My eyes stung a little as I found myself smiling like an idiot, but apparently my silence was concerning to the others, because Seungmin spoke up in a rather soft voice.
"Hyunjin? Everything alright?"
"Oh! Yeah." I blinked away the tears that had started to gather in my eyes as I finished buttoning the pants, and I breathed in a composing breath before opening the door. "What do you think about this one?"
Seungmin gave me a quick look of worry before scanning my outfit, and he nodded in confirmation. "It's good. You should get it."
"Alright. Chan?"
I turned to see the Australian giving me the same bubbly smile from before, though this time it was paired with a thumbs up. "I like it."
I blinked, starting to grow a little unsure about trusting his opinion, but I shrugged it off before once again stepping back into the fitting room.
I started to undress before grabbing the next set of clothes, though this time I dressed in comfortable silence.
I once again stepped out to get their opinion, and Seungmin scanned my outfit with a calculative gaze. "The pants are good, but the shirt is too baggy."
I nodded before once again turning to Chan, and as expected, he still offered me a bubbly smile. "I like it."
I guess I was happy that he was so supportive, but his feedback wasn't exactly helpful.
"Chan, you know I'm not gonna be offended if you don't like one of the outfits, right?"
"But you make everything look good." I was so used to Changbin's flirting that Chan's comment didn't faze me, but the innocent smile on his face showed it was meant to be kind and not flirtatious.
"Chan, buddy. I know I look good in everything, but not everything looks good on me. There are some things that even my handsome face can't fix. Now give me your honest opinion."
He looked down at my clothes with pursed lips, brows furrowed in thought as he finally prepared to give actual criticism.
"The color of the shirt makes you look washed out, it bunches up weirdly around your shoulders and back, the buttons are too distracting, the sleeves are way too long, and you look like you just escaped the 60's." Me and Seungmin blinked simultaneously, a matching expression of bafflement on our faces as we regarded the once again bubbly leader. "But I like it."
I blinked. "I really doubt you do, but uh . . . thanks for your feedback?"
—---------------------------------------------------------------
We ended up going to three different stores before the Chanmin duo were satisfied with what I got, though I guess technically it's what they got since they paid for it. I felt a little bad when I heard the total, but repeating 'seven trillion' in my head really helped me not give a shit.
Chan ended up carrying all the bags despite my multiple offers to carry them myself, but I ended up giving up when I noticed how happy Chan seemed about it. He carried the bags with ease, a charming yet somehow goofy smile plastered to his face whenever we made eye contact.
Seungmin on the other hand was the only one perfectly content not carrying anything, and he led us towards the tech store with a noticeable spring in his step. Me and Chan followed along in a comfortable silence, though I was quick to end said silence when I spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd.
"Tilda?"
She perked up at the sound of my voice, and she scanned the surrounding area before lighting up upon seeing me. "My солнышко!" She once again fell into her habit of speaking Russian around me, and she quickly made her way towards me with a bright smile. "What are you doing here?"
Chan and Seungmin thankfully stopped when they noticed that I had, and they eyed Tilda with curious expressions. "Some clothes shopping. What about you?"
"I got a job here as security!" Her eyes fell on the Chanmin duo once they rejoined my side, and she lowered her voice slightly as she turned to me. "Are these guys your sugar daddies?"
I opened my mouth to say no, but nothing came out as I tilted my head in thought. I shrugged. "Kind of."
"You know Russian?" I turned to see Chan staring at me with wide eyes, and I smiled before nodding.
"I'm multilingual."
"Really? What languages? Or is it only English, Russian, and Korean?"
"That's a secret." He seemed unimpressed by my unwillingness to share, but thankfully didn't pry as I turned back to Tilda.
"I'm sorry, друг, but I must get going. We have some more things we need to do, and they have a busy day tomorrow. But it was lovely seeing you."
I let out a startled yelp as she pulled me into a tight hug, but I was quick to hug her back before she let go.
"Another time, then." She ruffled my hair before melting back into the crowd, and I turned back to Chan and Seungmin with an innocent smile.
"So, computer?"
—----- To Be Continued —-----