Taehyungs POV
The Blue Ocean and The WaVe.
These two places are quite popular for many things. Its food, the service, and the ambiance; however... what it was truly known for among the elite set of persons was the secrets these two places kept. Secrets of course, that pulled strings among the society.
Unfortunately, I myself have been wrapped up into it. This world of the sinful and unjust; playing with puppets on a string.
Women, sex, lust, parties, alcohol, fast cars, luxurious trips, money; honestly..., you name it...I've probably experienced it. I was brought into a world that many would dream of having. But as time went by; I wanted out.
Unfortunately, I was trapped in this sick twisted world of the high society. Yet, to be honest; ...I blame no one but myself for this.
And I'll tell you why.
Jin and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. My family and his are extremely close. So close that you would think that we were related. Our last name's being the same didn't help our case when we told the truth of us not being siblings. But as time went along we just rolled with it; and decided to call each other brothers.
Even so..., Jin and I are very different.
Jin was born with a silver spoon. Meaning he was born into a very wealthy family.
During my high school years Jin was always someone I looked up to. He was popular among his peers and of course with the girls as well. Even though we were in different grades; he'd always look out for me saying I was like a younger brother he never had. Growing up with Jin, I'll admit was some of the best years of my life.
He showed me a different side to living many of my peers would kill to experience. Although, to tell you the truth; what I cherished the most was spending time with him. It was never about the materialistic things he offered me.
Because he was like the older brother I never had.
Once Jin graduated; I became good friends with both Jungkook and Jimin; who were much closer to my age group. We were also in the same class and luckily we all ended up at the very same university.
But, who knew years later; we all would have ended up in the same place. Three young male escorts who are currently working under Jin's management.
I can still remember that dreadful night. That very awful night where pretty much everything for me; turned to shit.
2 years ago
"Taehyung! Taehyung!! TAEHYUNG, WAKE UP!!!" I could feel my body jerk as Jin shook me harshly. "WAKE UP DAMN IT!!" He shouts. My vision was blurry as I tried to regain focus.
"Wha-...what's going on? What's wrong?" I ask Jin; seeing him step away from me as he held his head with both hands in an alarming manner.
"Fuck...fuck..." he mutters and I wince at the sound of ringing in my ears.
I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that my throat was now dry and I was behind the steering wheel of Jin's car. My memory was foggy; the last thing I remembered was leaving The WaVe for its official grand opening and right away I knew I had way too much to drink.
"Taehyung...you..." Jin says and I exited the vehicle with weak legs; barley able to hold my ground.
"Jin...what's with you? Where are we?" I ask him. Looking onwards to what seems to be an empty road.
Guided by the street lights to where he stood, I looked at Jin who was now looking at the front end of the vehicle. His face was pale and his eyes looking dull as night. Scanning his face I could see a bruise upon his forehead and my judgment seemed clear.
"...Jin?" I call his name; my mind ultimately fearing of the worst.
Slowly turning my head in his direction, my heart wrenched at the horrifying sight before me.
Losing my footing, I staggered backwards and collapsed to the cold ground. My body was shaking and I was now in full on incredulity of what I was seeing.
This is a dream...I must be dreaming! What the hell happened?!
"J-J-J..." My lips quivered, unable to break a sentence out. "H-how...did I hi-?"
"...Yes...you did." Jin answers and my heart sank. "I shouldn't have let you drive. Shit! This is my entire fault! Fuck, how could I have been so stupid?!" Jin cursed, and then looks at me.
Shaking my head; I tried my best to make sense out of this nightmare.
"How...wha- I don't remember-
"You were too drunk, Tae! But I still let you..." Jin pauses as he paces back and forth from the man's body and to me. "...He came out of nowhere! It happened so quickly. Don't you remember?!" Jin shouts and breath hitches in my throat.
"I...I...can't." My eyes began watering looking at persons limp legs. "I can't remember anything...I didn't...I couldn't. This is a joke, right? Right!? " I ask in panic; disbelieving any of this was real.
"Does this look like a joke to you, Taehyung!? You're telling me you seriously can't remember anything? How drunk could you possibly be?!"
"I...I..." Tears now began to stream my down my cheeks as I looked over at the still body. "I think I'm going to be sick." I say quickly turning on my hands and knees; retching from the consumption of alcohol and the sight of the man all mixed into one.
"Shit Taehyung..." Jin expressed in revolt looking away from me. "Get up. We need to fix this now. This person is still alive."
Hearing this I turn to look at Jin; wiping away at my jaw with my sleeve.
"He's not dead? Then we need to call an ambulance." I say staggering to my feet.
"Are you kidding!? Do you know what that will do to you? What that would do to ME especially?! We call no cops, no ambulance, absolutely no one." Jin says and my eyes widen in bafflement of what was coming from his mouth.
I watched as he approached the body and bent down on one knee to check his pulse. The person's white shirt was now tainted with blood and I could see he was losing more.
"He's still alive. So were good for now."
"G-Good?! Good?!! I just hit a guy! His leg looks like its broken! He's still bleeding for Christ sake! He needs an ambulance Jin! He needs help!" I shouted running to the car to grab my phone.
"Don't you dare call anyone!" He shouts coming towards me.
Jin quickly slams the car door pushing me away from it and then grabs the collar of my shirt pulling me towards him.
"Let go! Are you crazy?! We need to help him!" I say struggling from his grip as he yanks me; sliding me further down to the side of his car.
"Listen to me! Do you know what will happen when you call them? Huh!? You go to jail for driving under the influence of alcohol. Even more time will be added since you hit a pedestrian. Everything you worked for in this life will vanish before your eyes Tae! Your parents will also suffer the consequences."
"It would be even worse if we hit and run! There might be cameras on these streets. We can't just leave him! He could die!!" I shouted with the last bit of energy I had within me.
"I didn't say we were running." Jin says letting go of my shirt collar. "You're my little brother; remember that. Regardless of our relation; you're a Kim just like me. And I told you; I'll always have your back. Remember that. You don't belong in Jail...neither do I. I have great things planned for us in the future and I'll be damned to let this accident ruin it all for us. Now; do you trust me?" he asks and all I could think about was the man I hit who was now slowly dying.
"...I do...but Jin. Will he li-
"Do you trust me Taehyung?!" Jin asks again, interrupting me. "It's a Yes or no answer. That's all I'm asking."
"...Yes. ...I trust you."
"Good." He says, gently patting down my shoulders. "That's my bro. Now, I know a guy who can take care of situations like these. Everything that happened tonight will be nothing more but a bad dream. And to answer your question; ...yes...I'll make sure he survives. However; ...you cannot breathe a word of this to anyone. If any information gets out Tae I cannot guarantee his safety...or yours. That's how serious this situation is. I will protect you...; this is why I need you to trust me." He asserted.
Jin's words...I will not lie...scared me. But like the intoxicated fool I was that night; ...I trusted him.
I wanted so much to believe him. I wanted to know my so called brother had my back like he always did ever since we were kids. So..., I gave him my word.
With a pat on my cheek I watch Jin as he walks over to the man again. He pulls out his phone then proceeds to make a call.
"Go sit in the car Tae. It's late and I know you're tired. I'll drive you home in a minute." He says to me as if everything that just happened was normal.
For a second I was hesitant, but seeing Jin point at me and then to the car with a stare so cold; ...I did what I was told.
I could see him scoping the area as he talked on his phone and in my mind I tried to source every bit and way to convince myself I was doing the right thing for all of us.
"It's me...I have a favor. I hear you're good at what you do. Just name your price and I'll wire that exact amount to you." He spoke over the phone as I watched him through the windshield glass. "Any witnesses you ask? Heh, absolutely none." Jin smiles at me and my blood suddenly runs cold.
At that very moment; Jin looked unfamiliar to in my eyes.
But...
He was my brother.
He was my best friend.
He always had my back and he always protected me. So...; how could I not trust him?
"I trust you..., Jin."
Little did I know the Jin I knew back as a child...was no longer the same person I knew now.
_____________________________________________________
Current Time
Before the incident
At the
The Blue Ocean
"Hey, Taehyung....? Yah, Kim Taehyung!"
"What? ...What is it?" I ask and Jungkook looks at me tilting his head to the side.
"Wow..., you've been really out of it today. Are you okay?" he asks and I sigh washing my hands as we chatted in the men's room.
"I don't know. Something just feels off. I'm not sure what it is exactly."
"Is it still about the conversation we had this morning? About you not wanting to work like this anymore?"
"Maybe..., I just...I don't feel so good. Maybe I should have just taken Ah-In straight home. But Jin insisted I treated her to dinner and now she wants to go to The WaVe right after." I say gripping the sides of the sink; watching the automotive faucet turn off itself.
With a pat on my back Jungkook clears his throat, grabbing my attention from my own personal thoughts.
"Listen...about Ah-In...I wasn't one hundred percent honest with you." He says and I turn to face him.
"Honest about what?"
"So...I didn't really do a background check on her. She was actually a previous and reoccurring client of mine. I didn't want to tell you because...I didn't want you to start feeling guilty that she switched and requested you instead. I knew if I told you, you would give up the job so...I didn't."
"Jungkook...."
"Hold on, let me finish. I know you Taehyung, all too well. You're my best friend. And I can see that something serious is bothering you. And I only wish you would tell me. I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you're completely honest with me."
Looking at Jungkook I sigh. There was no way I was risking telling Jungkook about the things I've done. Even though he knew this part of my life...I wasn't ready to reveal it all.
"...You can't help me. I wish you could but you can't. I need to sort this out myself." I say walking away from him and Jungkook quickly strides to the restroom door and blocks it.
"If you think for one second that I'm going to let you walk out that door without letting me know what the hell you're going through, then your sadly mistaken."
"Jungkook, our clients are waiting."
"Let them wait. Our friendship comes first. So...what's it going to be? If you want to stay in here all night I can play that game. Now tell me; what's with you?"
This is the first in the longest time I've seen Jungkook this serious. There was no way we were leaving this restroom without me telling him what was truly happening to me.
"...I'm scared..., okay."
"Scared? Tae, what could you possibly be scared of?" He asks and I shut my eyes in remembrance of everything I've done up until now.
"I will never live a normal life. Not after everything I've done."
"Taehyung...if this is about what we're doing; were not the only ones. Lots of pe-
"I'm not talking about escorting Jungkook. This is the least of my problems."
"I don't understand. Your talking is circles. Why won't you jus-
"I will..., I'll tell you. I promise...; just not tonight. If I tell you now, none of us will be able to leave this room and both of those women will contact Jin letting him know we never returned."
Jungkook was silent for a while. I wasn't sure what was truly going on in his head as he stood there looking detached. Fixing the watch on his wrist he nodded and agreed with my request.
"Fine. I'll let it slide for tonight. But this conversation isn't over." He states and I heave a sigh of relief. I was in the clear for now. "And here I thought things were getting better since you made a new friend." Jungkook commented and I softly scoff. "But seriously..., you say you want to live a normal life; however you won't be able to hide this part of you forever Tae."
"I know." I responded; the least bit excited about it.
"I really want to know truthfully; because you were so disgruntled about it when I brought it up. Would it really be that bad... if Y/N found out? If so...what would you do?"
Hearing Jungkook's question made me realize how much I wanted to be able to protect this part of my life I shared with Y/N. I just wanted a safe space.
"......The day Y/N finds out that I'm an escort...will be the day I'm done with all of this. How could I face someone who finally see's me... as just me? Having the smallest shred of hope of living normally; and for it to get shattered? I don't think my mental state could handle it right now. Where would I even start to convince her why I'm even doing something like this in the first place?"
"...I understand. Believe me, I do. So let's not let that happen then." Kook encourages me. "Besides, ...she has no way of finding out unless you yourself tell her. I don't think you have anything to worry about. That shred of hope is still standing Tae." Jungkook smiles at me and the weight on my shoulders mildly feels at ease.
How stupid was I to believe...
How would I know? I could I have known?!
The universe really has a funny way of dealing me cards. And what a shitty hand I'm always dealt.
End of Taehyung POV