𝑪 𝑯 𝑨 𝑷 𝑻 𝑬 𝑹 𝑻 𝑯 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬
"HAVE A NICE DAY." Venus offers a smile as warm as the macchiato she was handing off to the woman before her. She took it without so much as a word, eyes so trained on her phone screen that she barely bothered to even look at Venus before turning away to leave the cafe. It wasn't an unusual thing, most people who came through here were in a rush, especially at this time of the day.
The Mocha House was a fairly popular cafe located in the heart of Seoul. She had gotten a job at this cozy cafe about a year ago as a part-time job. At the time, they were severely understaffed so she was pretty much hired the moment she walked through the door.
It's been two days since she met Taehyung. All-day, he seems to haunt her, looking over her with the weight of his job offering to be his muse, like he was following her around everywhere she went and would only cease once he got his answer.
Venus considered it heavily. 60,000 won per hour was a lot of fucking money that could completely change her life. But in the same breath, she would be selling her body for him to profit off of. Millions of people would see her and that weight would be crushing.
"Kookie, can you make me a latte please?" Venus called over to her co-worker, Jungkook, the barista in charge of making all the drinks. He was propped up against the counter on his phone as there was currently no one to serve. Everyone was settled at their tables, softly chattering in the background of the peaceful scene.
The young man perked up, tucking his phone away into his back pocket. He had his long hair pulled back out of his face, tied into a half-up, half-down style. The apron tied around his waist accentuated the natural shape of his body. A wide smile tugged at his lips, infamously adorable and dimpled. "Of course, Noona."
Jungkook was a sweetheart. Being the youngest staff member, he referred to everyone strictly by their honorific if possible. He was especially scared of disrespecting Venus. She was obviously different from the rest of them but he didn't treat her as such. He tried his best and Venus appreciated it.
He placed the cup in front of her with a friendly smile. "Are you doing alright? You seem stressed." Venus was slightly quieter than usual. Jungkook wasn't the only one who noticed, Jin was the one who was initially worried about her and told Jungkook and Namjoon to keep an eye out for her.
It was just the four of them. Jungkook, the sweetheart. Namjoon, the overworked college student, Seokjin, the glue that holds them together. They're like a family and they look out for each other.
Venus forced a belying smile onto her lips only to make him feel better. She lifted her hand and gave a gentle pat to Jungkook's head. "I'm fine, Koo, just tired." She didn't want them to worry about her. "Can you man the counter for a little bit? I've gotta talk to Jin."
With a dutiful nod of his head, Jungkook took her place in front of the counter, allowing Venus to leave her station so she can go talk to Jin about the job offer plaguing her mind. She wasn't exactly sure which decision was the right one. The only person she could think to talk to was one of the wisest people she knew.
Most commonly, you could find Jin in the kitchen, busying himself with baking fresh pastries. He would hum soft, delicate songs to himself while kneading dough and mixing batter.
Everything about him was a comforting presence. There was something about the mature, father-like aura around him that made it so they were comfortable with coming to him with anything, including this.
"Hey Jin, can I talk to you for a moment? Venus caught his right as he was pulling the blueberry muffins out of the oven. He set the muffin pan on the counter and pulled off the red oven mitts and put them down. "Yeah, of course." He motioned her over, leaning against the stainless steel counters.
Venus tugged at her fingers, a habit of hers when she was nervous about something. It was a telltale sign that something was on her mind. Jin gave her his full attention. "What's up?"
"I got another job offering." She told him. "And it pays really well but at the same time, it's also a little out of my comfort zone." She'd rather not get into the details of it with him, only giving him the bare minimum information he needed to help her.
Jin sighed. "Well, how much does it pay?" He set the muffins aside to cook while he worked on preparing another pastry. Venus knew he was listening to her, Jin was good at multitasking so she continued.
"60,000 won an hour."
A pause came over him as he stopped working to look at her. "You're joking." That was the most reasonable conclusion to come to, that she was simply pulling his leg just for the fun of it, but when she didn't respond, his brows raised shortly. "That's a lot of money. Why is the job out of your comfort zone?" Any person in their right mind would take that opportunity without so much as a second thought.
"I'd rather not say."
Jin wouldn't force her to tell him if she wasn't comfortable. "Are you asking me if you should take the job or not?" Venus nodded sheepishly. "I don't know if it's worth it."
It was less of a financial dilemma and more of a moral one. How far was she willing to go for that type of money? To put her body on display and let him use it for profit was something anyone would hesitate to agree to.
"Do whatever is the most beneficial to you right now. If you really need the money, then take it. If the discomfort is too much for you to handle, then don't." They both know Seoul isn't a cheap city to live in. She had bills to pay and working minimum wage at a cafe part-time wasn't going to cut it.
Venus understood what she needed to do. She nodded curtly and thanked Him for his advice before walking back out to the front where Jungkook still stood at the counter, taking someone's order.
She had already saved Taehyung's number to her phone before coming to work but she didn't have the courage to contact him until now.
Her thumbs hovered idly over the keyboard of a fresh, new contact, completely untainted of a past conversation. Venus hesitated to type anything, second-guessing herself.
Just do what's most beneficial to you currently.
Me:
Hello sir, It's Venus. I'd like to take you up on that offer
She didn't expect him to respond immediately. He must be a busy man with many things to do, so she simply tucked her phone away into her back pocket as another customer made their way to the counter. She greeted them with a another warm smile. "Welcome to the Mocha House, what can I get you?"
Venus could feel her phone buzz in her back pocket while putting in the customer's order. She hadn't expected him to text back so soon. Maybe she just caught him at a good time.
After serving the customer and bidding them a friendly farewell before taking her phone from her back pocket to check the new text. It was indeed from her beautiful, mysterious stranger.
Taehyung:
That's great to hear, princess. We should meet to set terms and conditions for the contract.
Venus shouldn't be surprised, she was going to officially work for him, but she wasn't exactly expecting a whole contract to be a model for his paintings. It seems as though Taehyung read her mind right through the screen.
Taehyung:
It's not as scary as it sounds, I promise. I have time later in the day if you want to come over
He gave her his address, free for her to do whatever she so pleases. She could show up, she could back out.
She didn't back out.
-
Venus never felt more out of place than standing on the doorstep of Taehyung's home in Gangnam. Maybe The Red Room was a very, very close second but the knowledge that she'd be here alone with Taehyung was what placed it solidly in first place.
His house was a lot larger than the average Korean house, enough to be considered a mansion by some. Venus almost backed out upon seeing it, suddenly feeling embarrassed by her tiny apartment she calls home. But hopefully, with this money, she may be able to get herself a better setup.
She knocked on the door in three short raps before placing her hands behind her back and waiting patiently. She couldn't be sure that he would be home. He said later in the evening but she didn't know how much later. It was already 5.
Her overactive thinking was soon interrupted by the abrupt opening of the door. Instinctively, Venus's posture straightened. Her breathing seemed to catch in her very throat as her eyes landed upon Taehyung who stood in the doorway. His eyebrow quirked slightly at the sight of her. His eyes her overbearing, intense, but also enchanting and hypnotizing.
He looked like had just gotten off a long day of work, wearing a suit without the jacket or tie. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the veiny forearms that led down to his large hands. The collar of his blouse was left unbuttoned, exposing just a peek of his defined collarbones.
They stood in a long stretch of silence, only for it to be broken by the high-pitched barking of a small dog standing behind Taehyung. It wiggled its way past his legs. The little black and tan Pomeranian came bolting out the door. He ran around Venus's legs.
"Yeontan, inside." Taehyung moved to the side, his demanding voice captures the attention of the small dog as it follows the command of his owner and trots his way back into the house.
Venus couldn't help the giggle that left her lips. "He's cute." She didn't expect him to have such all dog, if one at all.
Taehyung smiled softly. "That's why I got him." He moved out of the way, opening the door wider to allow her access to his house. "Please, come in." He ushered her forward.
Venus only hesitated for a second. This was her last chance to turn away from this. Her last chance to make up her mind about this.
Carefully, she took a step inside.
*.✧ Kᴀʏs Eɴᴅɪɴɢ Nᴏᴛᴇs
This chapter took a lot longer to finish than I expected it to. I meant to finish it yesterday but I got a migraine and I ended up sleeping the entire day after I got home. But I finished it now, after taking the pacer test in gym so now I wanna kms. My lungs said absolutely not.
Anyways, here's today's TSA:
"I went to America for one week, just one fucking week because there was a gallery there displaying my art and decided that I am completely and utterly terrified of the people there. I had a one night stand with a girl who seemed normal at first. And when we got to my hotel room, she asked if she could play music. I didn't have a problem with it until some country bumpkin ass song came on. That was the most unbearable few minutes of my life."
-Taehyung
Thank you all for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed and I wish you all a wonderful day/night.
사랑해
~Kay ♡(ӦｖӦ｡)