"Hello, boys." Rose greeted them as they stepped out of the large car to see no one else seemed to be walking around this place. It seemed to be a strip mall to Jin.
"Hi, Mama! Taetae missed you!" Taehyung pushed past Jin and almost tackled Rose with hugs, which she gratefully accepted with a half smile.
"I missed you too, Taetae. When did you get little, baby?" She mock-scolded him with one wagging finger. "You know you're supposed to call me when you do."
Taehyung pouted and tried to hide his face in her chest, mumbling excuses.
Rose chuckled and looked up to nod to Jessi and Evan. "You all are welcome to browse the store and keep an eye on each boy as we go from store to store with the rest of the guards."
"Of course, ma'am." Jessi grabbed Evans sleeve and tugged him away from their boss and her boys.
Rose turned back to all the boys with a smile. "You don't have to worry about any potential threats. I had the store cleared. You all can-"
Jungkook snorted. "How did you do that?"
Rose turned to him as the other boys collectively facepalms at the youngest ignorance.
"Jungkook," Rose began in a too sweet tone of voice. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't be interrupting me anymore?"
Jungkook took a small step back under her gaze before he folded and put his head down in shame. "Sorry. I-I won't do it again."
"Let's hope so." Rose put a gentle smile back on her face as she rubbed Taehyung's hair as he snuggled up to her for more attention. Jin felt Namjoon stiffen by his side at that.
'Maybe,' Jin thought, 'Yoongi isn't the only one who gets jealous of Taehyung and Hobi.'
"As I was saying," Rose started again, gaining all seven boys attention. "You all can get anything you all want with a budget each of course."
Jin opened his mouth. "U-um," he started, being sure not to interrupt her. "W-What's the budget?"
Rose turned her head to Jin and giggled which made him blush. "What? Are you planning on spending all my money?"
Jin shook his head furiously. "N-no! I-"
Rose laughed and waved one of her soft looking hands. "I'm just teasing, Jinnie." Rose waved to one of the men behind her. One handed her an envelope.
"Each of these untraceable black cards has 1 billion won on them. It will tell me when your limit hits and what your purchases were but I promise it will remain confidential. It's simply a security measure."
The boys nodded and accepted their cards and Rose shooed them away to explore the store. They each awkwardly took their own route.
The guards didn't follow them around or anything but Jin could feel them keeping an eye on him and Namjoon, as the younger dragged Jin to the tall rack of 500,000 won large shirts. Jin thought they were cute but they were in the boy's section...
What he really wanted was...
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Jimin walked around quietly behind Rose and Taehyung as he clung to her arm, touching soft designer fabrics between his fingers.
Every silk, velvet and plush article of clothing made his spine tingle and he looked at each price tag in astonishment. He could never have afforded even one of these shirts on his old job, not even with tips.
He spared a look towards his friend and felt himself furrow his own brow. Maybe Taehyung could have back then.
Ever since he'd been here, Jimin had learned things about Taehyung he'd never even suspected.
And then, the prostitution thing...
They'd never talked about it while being held by the Kazuyuki. Taehyung has clung to him the moment they were reunited and Jimin never found an opportunity.
But now...
"Have you not found anything you like, Jimin?"
Jimin felt his cheeks heat up at the way she said his name so gently. He hung the coat he had in his arms back up and shook his head. "Uh- no. I'll go look...over there. Sorry."
Jimin scurried off as Rose nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his back.
Jimin spent the next twenty minutes in the clearance section by habit - although even the clearance section was overpriced. His had picked out two pairs of skinny jeans and bright colored sweaters and t-shirts. He picked out a new pair of white shorts as well as a pair of blue ones. He was adding up the total in his head when he heard a little shriek and saw Jin standing about three racks ahead of him, next to Rose.
She was smiling deviously and Jin was blushing. He leaned a little closer to hear some of their conversations.
"N-no, I-" Jin began. "I just thought it was a cute sweater is all. I-it's for girls..."
Rose chuckled and put on of her hands on Jin's broad shoulders. She was looking up at him but with the way Jin blushed and shrunk into himself, you'd think she was ten feet tall.
"It's not possible to give clothing a gender. if you want the sweater, you can get it."
Jin hesitated and Rose grabbed the sweaters he had been staring at and handed them to him, holding eye contact. "Go try them on."
The slight command in her voice had Jimin thinking less innocent thoughts and he scolded himself as Jin scurried off. He looked back to the scene to find both Rose and Jin gone.
He huffed and turned to-
"I see you got the same sweater as Jin."
Jimin leaped out of his skin and almost tripped over the rack he had been snooping through.
Rose laughed softly at him as the store owner, the only other one in the store but the guards and them, turned and glared at Jimin playfully.
"I-I'm sorry..." he said pitifully. The store owner waved it off and went back to answering Namjoon's question about if she had ever seen a blue crab. He probably wasn't in Little space, he was just like that sometimes.
Jimin turned back to Rose and held up the clothes that hung over his arm. He felt like they were getting creases and that was honestly making him anxious. "Y-yeah, I-uh.." When he trailed off and didn't finish, he saw Rose roll her eyes.
"Want the sweater?"
"Yeah! I- I would like the sweater..."
Rose nodded and Jimin looked her up and down, noticing just know what she was wearing was all designer.
Thin black and white strap heels with ripped jeans and a long sleeve black sweater with a rose gold necklace. All pretty and expensive looking.
Jimin looked down at his small assortment. He pondered for a moment before opening his mouth. "When do you think..." he breathed in and out. "When do you think we'll go shopping again?"
Rose pulled up her jeans and checked a gold watch that Jimin had noticed - 'Jesus Christ' he thought. 'For a leader of a secret gangster group, she did not try to blend in.'
"We have plenty of time to visit other stores," She spares a few looks to the guards at each exit and entrance. "but, it may be a while. Even coming here today was a risk."
Jimin gave her a little gasp which made her smirk. "but, my security is air right. I trust that letting you all our for some fresh air wasn't a mistake and won't go wrong as long as you all behave and obey me."
Jimin nodded furiously. "Good." Rose smiled at him. She pointed to the lush dressing room in the back. "Now go try those on."
"W-What? Why? I know what size I am-"
She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the dressing rooms. "It's imperative to your safety."
Jimin raised an eyebrow but didn't fight against her. "How so?"
She stopped outside of the dressing rooms and released the boy. "Because if it doesn't fit. We'll have to come back and get another or have you fitted which could be another risk and put you in potential danger."
Hm. Good point.
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As Jin shrugged off the soft wool sweater, his brain filled with thoughts of how far Rose's little comment really went.
'It's not possible to give clothing a gender...'
Did she really mean that? And how far did that rule apply? Jin looked on the discarded curtain of clothes by the door.
A pink skirt. A cute skirt.
"Jin? Are you done?" Rose Called into the dressing room.
Jin sighed and took the clothes he had chosen into his arms.
'Maybe another time.' He thought wistfully.
Catching up with Rose he felt her take the clothes from him and look over them, making him blush for no reason.
"You choose pink?"
Jin bit one of his plump lips. "Um...It's...uhh-"
Rose's eyes narrowed in annoyance and in a split second, his chin was gripped between two manicured fingers. Jin let out a small gasp as he bent over to accommodate her height as she forced eye contact.
"Spit it out and do not stutter. It portrays weakness and indecision. Take a deep breath and speak."
Jin nodded as he averted his flushed face and whimpered. He took a deep breath and gathered his courage to make half eye contact with the woman in front of him.
"The s-sweater is a lot of money...I- I can get something e-else." He fiddled with his fingers.
Rose gently set one of her hands over his. "We'll work on the stuttering." She took his hand in hers and tugged him towards the cash register. "Come with me, Prince."
Seokjin internally squeals. Prince was a new name. She didn't call Hoseok or Tae or Namjoonie 'prince'. But she had called Jinnie 'Prince'.
Does that mean she likes Jinnie?
As the manager wrung up the clothes, Rose continued to hold Jin's hand and he was starting to get nervous. What if he was clammy or sweaty? That's gross, no one wants to hold a sweaty hand. He thought about pulling away to wipe it but he didn't want her to think he didn't like it.
He heard her mumble under her breath. 'Only five outfits...This won't do..."
The woman put Jin's clothes on hangers. "100294 won." She said with a small smile and a wink towards Jin.
Rose handed her the black card with gold trimmings on it and Jin would be lying if he said his stomach didn't leap a little bit. Wealth is attractive...
After accepting the bag, and not letting Jin hold it even after he offered profusely.
She led the young blonde man to the entrance of the store and Namjoon ran to him, in his little space now.
"Jinnie! Jinnie! I got some new shorts! And they're baby blue! Just like the sky like you showed me! And Ms.Rose said I could get some coloring books from the next store! It's so great!"
Jin smiles and straightened out Namjoon's brown fringe, making him whine and bat his hands away. "That's good, Joonie."
"Did you get new clothes, Jinnie?"
Namjoon tugged Jin way from Rose and talked his ear off about the pretty sweater Jin had gotten and if he could borrow it.
Jin looked back at Rose briefly on the way to the Toy Store as she walked behind the group, scanning her eyes among the area.
She made eye contact with him and winked.
And Jin decided that he liked her too. Just a little.
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I'm not a little but sometimes I want to be taken care of. like rn, I want someone to tell me that it's okay if I don't get any writing done because that doesn't mean I'm less talented. I want to be coddled a bit too. I come off as mean but I'm just sensitive and got sick of being called it.
anyway
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until next time -
♥️꽃