By the time Jeongguk finished his shift, he was exhausted to the core.
Not so much physically as mentally. Although five other women requested his company and maybe some of them asked uncomfortable questions, it wasn't as bad as it was with that fucking old hag. No one could compare with her — she was a whole other level of disgust and bawdiness no one could reach.
He didn't talk much to V after what happened, and honestly, he didn't want to. At all. If he disliked him before, he fucking loathed him now. Jeongguk could tell he was rich. Everyone could tell. And he didn't want to lose a customer? What difference the few drinks she was buying could make? He didn't have a clue about why V was acting like he would lose millions if he were to lose her as a customer.
She was an awful person who was making everyone uncomfortable as Jeongguk figured out later when he talked with Jeongin and Jisoo about what happened. They had never seen a worst sickening behavior like hers before.
And apparently, the questions she asked Jeongguk the first time was nothing compared to what would follow in the next sessions as Jeongin said. He knew that filthy witch quite well now, even though he wasn't serving in the VIP section every day.
All Jeongguk could think about was how worse could it get, but apparently, it could get a lot worse by the things Jeongin said. There was no getting out of her uncomfortable questions. The only thing he could do was stall and buy time so those fifteen minutes could pass with as few questions as possible.
🥀
"Hey, Kook," Yoongi said with a small smile as he entered the house. He just got back from work and found the younger curled up into a ball on the couch, watching some dumb TV show, wrapped in a thick blanket. He couldn't help but chuckle at the endearing sight; Jeongguk was cute almost all the time, but he wouldn't tell him that. "You okay?"
"I'm good, hyung, you? How was work?"
"A little boring, but maybe because I couldn't wait to return so you can tell me how your work was."
A flash of anxiety surged through his chest as he shifted in his seat. Yoongi knew him better than anyone and lying to him never ended up well. But he couldn't possibly tell him the truth. "It was okay, tiring and hard, but okay."
"Really? Nothing bad happened?"
"Yeah, nothing bad happened."
"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything." Yoongi knew something was wrong. If he was okay, he would be smiling, but instead, he seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment.
"Yes, it was just hard to keep up, and I was sleepy all the time." He didn't venture to look at him. If Yoongi knew what he did, he would be disgusted just like Jeongguk was with himself. He let that woman harass him, and he was going to let her do it again.
"Kook, why are you like this?"
"It's just that... my boss was a little harsh on me, that's all. It's not a big deal."
"You want me to talk to him?"
"No. Things will get better. I'll get better at this job, and everything will be fine."
"Okay then. If it's too much, you can quit. Don't forget that." He patted his shoulder, earning a small smile from Jeongguk that didn't really reach his eyes.
"Thanks, hyung."
Soon enough, it was time for Jeongguk to go to work, and reluctantly, he did. The ride with the bus was boring as always, but he arrived in no time since there wasn't that much traffic that day.
He remembered to use the intercom to enter the building and everything went smoothly. He bowed his head to some of the workers who were already there and made his way to the room to leave his things and change his clothes.
Surprisingly, the outfit that was on the table wasn't the same as yesterday. With furrowed brows, he grabbed the clothes and strolled off to the bathroom.
Well, the pants weren't so tight this time, and thankfully, he felt comfortable unlike with yesterday's outfit. He was just hoping he wouldn't sweat because the white dress shirt would stick to his body, and he really didn't want that to happen.
Fully dressed now, he made sure to have his phone with him and walked outside.
"Hey."
"Hey, Yunho." He was a little surprised to see him there so early. The regular club usually opened an hour later than the VIP section and closed an hour later as well. "You're here early."
"I'm in the VIP section today." Yunho espied his smile fading and couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry. I'm used to it. Are you okay, though? You weren't here when I finished my shift. Didn't you help with the closing?"
"I did. We just finished earlier."
"Really? It usually takes even more than an hour."
"V told me to leave in like half an hour."
"You can't possibly be done with closing in half an hour, Kook."
Now that Jeongguk had his sleep and could use his brain to think properly, they weren't anywhere near done when V told him to leave. They still had a lot of tables to clean up and things to organize. And what was really odd to him was that they removed every single rug, but that was a job for the cleaning crew and only.
But something was definitely going on with those rugs. Their movements were slow and careful as they rolled them and then carried them somewhere Jeongguk didn't know. He couldn't realize it yesterday, but now that he thought about it in depth, everything about last night was weird.
"Don't dwell on it." Yunho said with a smile since the other stayed silent for a while. "Were you okay?"
"Not really. There was one customer that was... There aren't even words to describe her."
"Let me guess, Solji? I know that bitch well."
"Everyone hates her. Why does V let her come here?" Jeongguk asked, frustrated, a small pout surfacing on his lips.
"It's not that... easy."
There was a moment of silence as Jeongguk eyed him with curious eyes. "You said... Yesterday you said that you didn't tell me everything about it. What is everything?"
"I was reckless. I shouldn't have said anything. I'll lose my job if I say more. I'm sorry, Jeongguk. You don't have to worry about it, though. Knowing or not doesn't affect you." He reached out to caress his biceps, offering him a tender smile.
Jeongguk broke into a smile too at the sweet gesture. "I trust you," he whispered as he placed his hand above his.
"Good, bun. You should."
"Bun? As in bread?"
"No, you dork." He gave his shoulder a playful nudge. "As in short for bunny."
Jeongguk's brows bumped together. "Bunny?"
"Yeah, you didn't know? You look like a bunny."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes!"
A mild cough infiltrated their senses then that eradicated their chuckles, and as Jeongguk was startled by the sudden noise, Yunho rolled his eyes.
"You should have changed by now. Preparations start in five minutes."
"Yes, boss." Yunho's jeering tone caused the silver-haired boy to huff and Jeongguk to nibble his bottom lip in an attempt to suppress his laugh.
A thick silence poured between them once Yunho left, but Jeongguk didn't do anything about it. He thought that V would leave at any minute, but surprisingly, he stood there, gazing at him with an expression he couldn't comprehend.
"You okay?"
V's question caught him off guard, and he believed he was hearing things for a second. He had no right to ask him that. He was the one who could do something about that disgusting bitch, and he chose to ignore it.
He snorted, glancing away from him. "You don't care, anyway."
V raised an unamused brow at him. "I think you forgot who you're talking to."
His sharp tone wiped out every ounce of his confidence and made him self-conscious real quick. "Sorry," he murmured, still looking anywhere but him.
"Know your place, little bun."
"With all due respect but"—his voice came out quaky and small, and right there he knew he should have just kept his mouth shut—"you should know your place too."
"What?" He shot daggers at the boy who seemed rather calm and collected, but he didn't know his heart was doing flips in his chest by his anxiousness.
"I'm just saying that you don't get to ask me if I'm okay. You don't... have the right."
Something highly electrified floated in the air around them as V was left dumbfounded at his words. He bored holes into him, his jaw clenched, and his whole body as stiff as a rock.
"All done." Yunho emerged from the back and interrupted whatever was happening. "Let's go."
"Jeongguk, go first," V said sternly as he broke eye contact.
He peeped at him once more and ducked his head as he slouched away from the two.
"Another lecture for me, boss?"
"Just shut up!" he exclaimed in a blaze of fury, taking him by surprise.
"Wow, what's wrong with you?"
"You were flirting with him, huh? In this club, seriously? Are you stupid?"
Yunho raised his eyebrows at his question as a smirk sprawled on his lips. "Are you angry because I was flirting with him or because I was flirting with him?"
"Me being angry has nothing to do with this. I'm just asking to see if you're really stupid or you just don't care about what I've said."
"Said what? To not flirt with boys?" V darted him a knowing, vicious look, but Yunho knew he was right. "You're not the one to talk, V. I see you flirt every day. Are you that stupid or you just don't care about what the big head has said?"
V banged his fist against the counter, an exasperated grunt flying off his mouth that made Yunho jolt and gasp in shock. "Get the fuck out."
"What? V, come on—"
"I said get the fuck out! You're not working here today."
"Yunho," Namjoon called as he neared them. "Leave."
With an apologetic frown, Yunho shuffled off, leaving the two of them alone. He knew he shouldn't have talked to him like that and couldn't help but feel awful about it.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
V dropped his head and stared at the floor, his breath still uneven by his infuriated state. "Tell Jimin to call Yeosang. We need another server," he said, indifferent, and stepped aside, but Namjoon extended his arm to block his way.
"You're too worked up right now to do anything. Why don't you go to your office to cool off for a moment?"
"I'm fine, Joon."
"Either tell me what's wrong or go to your office." Namjoon's voice was strict, leaving him no other choice than doing one of those things.
Taehyung slammed his eyes shut as he sighed in frustration. "I hate that piece of shit who dares to call herself human. I hate Solji so fucking much."
"Why so suddenly? She was always the same piece of shit, though."
Taehyung raised his head to look at Namjoon, but his eyes traveled behind him where a certain little bun was standing. He was far away from them, but V could discern he looked like a lost puppy as always.
"She just pissed me off yesterday. No reason." He perceived the younger approaching them and averted his gaze. "Look, I'm fine really. We need to start the preparations."
Namjoon nodded, and they headed towards the VIP section. "What is it?" he asked the black-haired boy who peered at them, confused.
"We need to start the preparations."
"We know, we're going now. Come on."
"Wait, where's Yunho?"
"He had to leave. Another server will fill in for him. Don't worry about it."
Things were going well for the time being. V exited the VIP section alone and then came back with customers, accompanying them to their booth, and stayed with them for some time before doing it all over again. Namjoon did the same, but not as frequently as V.
When V returned once more, Jeongguk spotted him walking inside with the woman he never wanted to see ever again. He tossed his head down, afraid of making eye contact with her.
"What do you want to drink?" V asked once they sat on the couch.
"My usual. Oh, and call the hottie. You know, the youngest one."
"Solji." V endeavored to stay calm. He loathed that woman so much. "You're one of my best customers, but I've told you many times to stop harassing my employees, and you just don't want to listen."
She snickered, totally unaffected by V's words. "Did he complain about me? Damn, I thought we had a great time together."
"Stop harassing my employees. You can talk with them, but not about your twisted thoughts. I don't run this type of club."
"Well well, I think you forgot your place, V. You're just a sidekick for the big head. I'm sure you wouldn't want me to pay him a visit and tell him that you're complaining about me," she challenged, her distinctive sly smile flashing up onto her face.
His fingers curled into tight fists as he felt rage burn inside him. "Pay him a visit, Solji. I'm tired of your blackmail. This is the last time I'm telling you to not harass my employees, and if I hear you did the same shit today, I'm cutting all connections with you. I'm tired of your shit." He sprang up from his seat, and oh how much he wanted to slap her when he heard her sinister laugh.
"The big head will never let you do that, hun. I'll make sure to pay him a visit, though, don't worry."
His body grew so tense with anger it began shaking slightly as he stormed out of the booth, leaving her there laughing in amusement.
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