❈ piano lounge

@✻ ⋰ seokwoo k. if it weren't for the natural gravitational pull and the history of intimacy between the two, selena just might have been intimidated by the way seokwoo towered over her upon standing up, but that wasn't the case at all. in fact, she leaned into his touch, the warmth of slender fingers around her chin igniting a fire beneath her skin. a normal reaction, she would note, as his touch always left a trail of fire begging to be put off by a pair of hands, specifically his. she blinked up at him with round brown eyes that had previously began to fill with despair and concern, her own digits accepting his with a delicacy that failed to fade away, regardless of who she'd become.

to be honest, selena wasn't much different than she was before. all that had really changed was her occupation and the fact that she was stuck here, within this lounge. on the outside, she liked to believe that she remained classy and sophisticated even if that part of her within had died the moment she stepped into this place. if she were to be honest, perhaps she wasn't ready for what she was walking into. anyone else would be prepared for the acts they would perform or take part in when becoming an employee of a place like this, but naivety, distress and desperation prevented her from being properly prepared. instead, selena often found her reflection in the mirror disgusting and a disgrace to everything she used to stand for. a disgrace on her family name, even.

it's a good thing she wouldn't return herself to her family, selena supposed, and that she was so far from home that they wouldn't be able to find her - even if they tried. and yet somehow, here seokwoo was, her long lost love who (in the past) failed in the face of fate. it was true, she ran from him and left her problems in his closet, and perhaps it was a selfish decision, but maybe in another world she picked her family. in this world, she would have picked him every single time. yet, the fear of the repercussions haunted her dreams, scratched at the back of and tightened it's hold on her neck until she could no longer breathe. so, there was no other choice than to simply run, and make no decision at all.

she saw it then when he straightened up, a hint of a smile that remained within her dreams. a smile she would normally encourage with murmurs between kisses and muffled laughter. the corners of her own twitch in response, fingers remaining interlocked with his own as she turns to guide him down the halls without another word. what would she say? how much she's thought about him every day, dreamed of them running into one another? how this is what she wouldn't have imagined how they reunited to be. she's nervous, it's a fact. nervous of possibilities, regretting the choice she had made in the past to leave him behind. so nervous that her fingers gently tremble against the door knob as she encourages it open only to turn her head to look at him with a faint smile.

"well, this is it. make yourself at home.”

@✾ ⋰ selena g. The problem with being confronted with Selena was, that it not only confronted him with his first love and a kind of feeling he hadn't allowed himself to feel in literal years, it also made him remember who he used to be. It made him remember his younger self, the one who had been idealistic and had dreams of a better world where he would be worthy of her love. Seokwoo, at one point, had hoped to be exactly where he was now, rich and successful - but the context of that had been completely different. Back then, he had wanted those things, only to make her happy. To be able to provide her with that life she was used to. With a comfortable life by his side.

Life had turned out to be very... very different for him. And he couldn't really tell if he was ashamed because of it, if he was ashamed to reveal to her what he had turned out to be, or if he was really just /angry/ at her for no reason at all. Or so many reasons. He couldn't tell and for the fraction of a moment, he only felt scared.

But when he slowly got up from his chair, towering over her by an obscene amount, slowly lifting his hand to curl his fingers around hers, his hand was calm, the way he gripped her hand both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. "Nothing can ever heal me anymore, Selena", he whispered, even as he leaned down just a tiny bit, his free hand sliding beneath her chin to tip her head back so they could lock eyes again. "But maybe... we can at least understand each other a little more. Or find that closure you wanted. I guess I owe you at least that much."

When he straightened up again, there was the slightest hint of a smile on his lips, his eyes losing that sharp, furious edge as if he couldn't help it, as if the sight of her alone was enough to smooth over some of those scars that had been carved into his flesh and his soul over these past few years. Most of them weren't even her fault and he knew it. But it was easier to blame someone else, than blame himself.

"Lead the way, then. I'll follow."

@✻ ⋰ seokwoo k. selena couldn't help but notice the change in seokwoo's demeanor as he gazed at her. his eyes, once hardened by resentment, now held a glimmer of recognition and something more, something that tugged at her heartstrings. she saw the man she had once loved, buried beneath layers of hurt and anger, and it made her heart ache. she had longed for this moment, for the chance to reconnect with the person who had once meant everything to her. as she looked around the crowded place, the cacophony of voices and clinking glasses making it difficult to have a private conversation, an idea formed in her mind. she knew that they needed a quieter, more intimate setting to truly talk and heal the wounds of the past. her offer was spontaneous, driven by a resurgence of feelings that she had believed were lost forever.

"seokwoo," selena began softly, her voice tinged with warmth and longing, "i know this isn't the right place for us to talk about everything that's happened. it's too loud, and we need a chance to really understand each other. would you be willing to come with me to my room? it's free of charge, and we can have some privacy there. i think we both need that, don't you?" her heart raced as she spoke, and the weight of her past choices and their shared history hung in the air. her fingers brushed a loose strand of her dark, wavy hair behind her ear, and her round, doe eyes searched his face for a hint of acceptance. there had been a time when their connection was so strong that they didn't need words to understand each other. she had thought that what they had was forever.

selena's heart swelled with a mixture of relief and anticipation in regard to his words. his words held the promise of a fresh start, a chance to possiby rekindle their connection, even if it wasn't the same. she nodded in agreement, her eyes never leaving his. "i understand. let's go to my room, then. we have a lot to talk about, and i'm willing to listen, to understand, and maybe... to heal." with those words, she extended her hand towards him, an invitation for him to take a step toward the private refuge where they could lay their hearts bare and find the answers they had both been seeking for so long.

@✾ ⋰ selena g. It was strange, how looking at someone you loved once, conjured up memories that felt as if someone had taken them to twist them into something ugly, something that hurt. It wasn't like Seokwoo hated her, even after what had happened between them. Even after he had gone through the better part of his now adult life, blaming her. Trying to hate her. He had been /trying/ to hate her and for a while, he was sure he had succeeded. And now... now he was looking at her and all those feelings came rushing back in like a tidal wave, sweeping him up with the waves of memories and once-upon-a-time dreams. Because although things had changed, she looked just the same. Her dark, wavy hair. Her round, brown eyes that always said so much more than her words ever could. And there had been a time when Seokwoo was sure he was able to read her like an open book. Now, he wasn't sure if he had ever been able to.

"I...", he started, only for the sentence to fizzle out and fall flat, his words failing him for the first time in years. He always knew what to say. Always knew what to do. But now, faced with her resignation, her defiance to accept that he was angry at her for something that had happened so long ago... he was failing. He couldn't function at all, caught in a game of tennis between his anger and the logical side of his brain that knew that those harsh feelings were born out of a desperate need to find an explanation for what had happened to him and his father.

"Not here", he shook his head after opening and closing his mouth a couple times, his entire face bleeding with regret and tension, even as he managed to look away from her and place his glass back on the counter, before he heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his forehead. "If I tell you about it, I can't do it out here where it's loud and crowded. Those things... are for you and only you to hear. And nobody else."

@✻ ⋰ seokwoo k. selena's patience was beginning to wane as she listened to his bitter words. she had come over to him, hoping for some closure, a chance to mend the broken pieces of their past, but his anger was making it increasingly difficult to have a productive conversation. she could feel her own emotions building up as she struggled to contain her frustration. she took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure. her voice, however, carried a hint of exasperation as she responded, "seokwoo, i came to you because you wanted to talk, i want to figure this out, not to rehash the past and assign blame. i know i left, and i'm sorry for the pain it caused you. but you can't hold me responsible for my family's choices or the consequences of our actions. we were both young and foolish back then."

selena's eyes bore into his, a mixture of sadness and determination in her gaze. "i can't change the past, and neither can you. but we can choose how we move forward. i'm willing to face the consequences of my actions and learn from them. if you're not ready for that, if you're only interested in pointing fingers and holding on to anger, then maybe we should just leave it here. you're not my paying customer, seokwoo, and i'm not obligated to give you my time if it's only going to be filled with bitterness and recrimination."

she sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly, her anger giving way to a sense of resignation. "i thought we could at least find some closure, some understanding, but if that's not what you want, then i won't force it. i've lived with my own regrets, and i've accepted my part in what happened. it's up to you now whether you can do the same." selena's voice held a note of finality, a plea for him to reconsider, to let go of the anger that seemed to consume him.

"if you don't think that i understand the aftermath, then please, feel free to educate me."

@✾ ⋰ selena g. It hurt, in the strangest of ways, to be reminded of the love he had felt for her at one point in his life - and in turn also be reminded of the excruciating pain it had caused him to stand there and have nothing left anymore. She had turned her back on him when his life had been falling apart and instead of facing the storm together, she had taken the easy way out and had left him to deal with the consequences. She didn't know about it. Didn't know the downfall of his family and the darkness that Seokwoo had sold his soul to, in order to survive. In order to be the powerful one with no care in the world. To be the one to destroy lives, instead or being destroyed. Never again.

But still, it hurt. Because he had loved her and his feelings had been real and they had been innocent in the worst way possible. And for a split second, that impossible life flashed before his eyes, even if it was nothing more than a mirage, conjured to reality inside his mind by the sight of her tears.

"I don't need to forgive you", was what he chose to say, very slowly so, exhaling a sigh that made his entire body shake with it. With remnants of old emotions nearly forgotten and gone with the sands of time. "You don't need me forgiveness, either. Perhaps I should even be thankful, no? You haven't really changed at all, if you think I blame you for the consequences of /our/ choices. But I have every right to feel as if you're to blame for what happened to my father. And I had to deal with it alone."

He shook his head, scoffing as he turned his gaze away, a bitter smile on his perfectly shaped, liquor stained lips. "I should be grateful. After all you did teach me that I can love and you also made me realize that my life is better off without love. I survived heartbreak. So I can survive everything else. Is forgiveness really what you would want? We never even got closure and you're already talking about forgiving each other without being aware of the aftermath of it all."

@✻ ⋰ seokwoo k. selena's anger bubbled to the surface, the accusation in his words like a dagger to her heart. it was a pain that had never truly dulled, and now it resurfaced with a vengeance. she couldn't sit idly by and let him twist the past to suit his anger. her voice trembled with a mix of sorrow and frustration as she retorted, "seokwoo, you can't blame me for the consequences of our choices. we were young, in love, and we made decisions together. it wasn't just me who took those risks; you did too. you can't conveniently forget your own role in all of this."

she leaned in closer, her eyes locked onto his with intensity. "i never wanted to leave you. it tore me apart, and i still feel that pain every day," she confessed, her voice wavering with emotion. "i loved you so much that i couldn't bring myself to choose between my family and you. they would have destroyed me, and i didn't have the nerve to choose you over them." her place remains steady as he leans in, because she's not frightened by him. not one bit.

tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. she wasn't going to let him see her break down. "but that doesn't mean i deserve to be belittled or 'bought' like some possession," she said, her voice quivering with a mix of sadness and frustration. "you might have changed, seokwoo, but you can't buy the love we once had. it was real, and it meant something. it still does, no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise."
she wiped away a stray tear, her gaze never leaving his. "i never wanted to hurt you, and i wish things had turned out differently. but we can't change the past, only learn from it and hopefully find some closure." she sighed, the weight of their shared history heavy in the air. "i hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, or at least understand the choices i made, even if you can't condone them."

she finds herself fidgeting with the edge of the wooden bar, taking her lower lip in between her teeth and gnawing until it was raw. god, how much she had missed him all this time - but it was not this man that she missed. he was different, cruel in comparison to whom she'd fallen in love with. this presence does not resemble the one that spent nights making love in the garden with her, one that was warm. this was cold and sent shivers down her spine. for once, she wishes she could deny him his wishes, and perhaps she would even have ability to do so now before exchanging money for whatever services he would want from her.

@✾ ⋰ selena g. 'And I loved you.'

A couple years ago, when something that was still good and just was still holding on to life, Seokwoo would have been happy to hear those words. It would have healed a wound that had been opened up in his chest all those years ago, would have turned it into nothing but a silver line on his soul. The way it had happened, though, had instead left behind a scar that was ugly and twisted. Selena hadn't only left him behind, she had left devastation and destruction in her wake. And Seokwoo wasn't the same anymore. What would have healed him, a while ago, now only served to anger him.

And yet he listened to her, almost patiently, leaned back in his seat with one elbow propped up against the bar so he could support his cheek with his palm, the other hand always turning his glass. Round and round it went, like the carousel inside his mind, that he was patiently watching, waiting for his turn to ride.

"That is interesting, to say the least", he sighed then when Selena has finished her little, impromptu speech, but his voice held nothing but carefully constructed neutrality, his glass finally tipping against his lips, clear liquid drained completely in a matter of seconds before the crystal tumbler slammed down on the mahogany counter. "You know, for a while I thought you might have felt bad for walking away. But then again, why would you? You have no idea what you did to my family."

He chuckles, low and dangerous, the polite facade he usually reserved for clients and colleagues slowly melting away as he leaned forward, pinning her down with his gaze.

"What you need to understand, Selena, is the fact that you made the best decision for yourself and nobody else. Fate didn't decide to drop me like a hot potato at the first sign of trouble. You did. Fate doesn't exist and it's nothing more than a sorry excuse for people to justify their poor behavior and judgment. /Fate/ isn't what made me as successful and perfect at what I do, now. I did. Do you still want to tell me that I'll always be a huge, significant chapter of your life? Because you're something I can simply buy now, darling. That's the reality we live in now."

@✻ ⋰ seokwoo k. selena watched him, her heart pounding like the distant beats of a forgotten song. the past had a funny way of resurfacing when you least expected it, and here it was, staring her right in the face. she knew he had every reason to be bitter; after all, they had both been young and hopeful, with dreams that seemed attainable back then. life had unfolded differently, but that didn't mean the emotions had dissipated. the memories were still etched into the corners of her mind, and there was no denying the significance of his presence.

he wasn't her client, she didn't have to listen.. but because of their history, she sits just as he tells her to. "only because it's you," she nods. her gaze met his, a mixture of nostalgia and regret playing in her eyes. "of course, i remember you," she replied softly, her voice laced with a hint of sadness. "how could I forget? you were a part of my life, and i... i loved you." the confession hung heavy in the air, a truth she had kept buried for too long. but he knew before, as those words had been spoken so many times despite it being in secret. her expression shifted from the nostalgia and melancholy she had been feeling moments ago to a touch of offense. it wasn't so much the words he had used, but the condescending tone that stung. to him, she had a name and had never expected to have been referred to as her work title.

she knew it had been a while, but to her, it felt like just yesterday when they had been inseparable. "it's only been a few years," she continued, watching his fingers curl around his glass. "i could never forget you, not entirely. you were a huge, significant chapter in my life, and you always will be." selena sighed, her eyes drifting to the people dancing and the lingering. "but sometimes, we have to make the best decisions for everyone, even if it means walking away from the person we love." her voice carried the weight of experience, as if she had replayed that decision in her mind countless times.

she couldn't deny the lingering feelings, the embers of a love that had once burned brightly. "and i still have feelings for you," she admitted, her words almost a whisper. "and I always will. but life took us in different directions, and I had to accept that." selena took a deep breath, looking back at him with a mix of longing and resignation. "i hope you can understand, even if it doesn't make it any easier. sometimes, fate has other plans for us."

@✾ ⋰ selena g. There she was. The person he had once thought he was in love with and had at one point imagined a life with. When he had been younger, feeling that first hit of the drug called love, he had thought that they were endgame. Maybe they would be married by now, two kids, a house in Gangnam, a dog or two. 'Baby I'm yours', at one point. And it had turned into bitter resentment, sitting like acrid smoke in the back of his throat, clogging up his senses. Realistically speaking, he knew that nothing had been her fault. They were nothing but kids, back then and things never turned out the way one imagined them. But still. Logic aside, she was probably the one person that ever came close to capturing his heart fully.

"So you remember my name", he scoffed with a shake of his head and something that was akin to an eye roll, his gaze flickering down her body and then to the glass of liquor cradled between his long, eerily steady fingers. "Apparently not long enough for us to forget each other's names, Selena. What a funny coincidence."

He gestured to her, ice cubes clinking inside the glass, then at the club around them, one corner of his mouth tilting in a joyless smile.

"Seems like our dynamic has tipped, no?", he stated then, voice no more than a silky purr. "Take a seat. I think I'm in the mood for some entertainment and company of a /Pearl/."

Oh, how the mighty fell down so violently.

@✻ ⋰ seokwoo k. dancing at the lounge was one of selena's ways of escaping reality, a way to let her emotions flow through the graceful movements of her body. It was an escape, a haven, a world where she could be anyone but herself but also anyone that a client would want for her to be. as the music pulsed and the colorful lights painted patterns around her, she felt a sense of liberation that her ordinary life couldn't provide.

tonight was no different, or so she thought, until a fellow server discreetly tugged at her arm, pulling her aside. confusion clouded her mind for a moment, wondering what could be so important that it warranted interrupting her performance. but when the server whispered seokwoo's name, her heart plummeted, and a wave of anxiety swept over her.

she hadn't seen him in years, and the mere mention of his name sent a jolt of fear through her. their past had been a tumultuous one, filled with intense emotions and unresolved feelings. she had left that chapter behind for a reason, trying to move on and build a life that was free from the complications he brought into it.

yet here he was, at the lounge of all places, and her initial instinct was to avoid him. to pretend she hadn't heard the server's words, to continue dancing and hope that he would just disappear like a ghost from her past. but she knew that wouldn't be possible. with a heavy sigh, selena took a deep breath and steeled herself for what lay ahead. she knew she couldn't hide forever, and that avoidance would only prolong the inevitable. gathering her courage, she nodded at the server and followed them, her footsteps feeling heavier with each step. tall stiletto’s clank with each stride taken forward, hands attempting to shield the white button down that was partially ed from her dance, and sat atop the black mini skirt and tights she donned. as she approached the bar where he sat, she couldn't help but steal a glance at him. he hadn't changed much, and that familiarity sent a shiver down her spine. more beautiful than before, but as beautiful as ever, he thought.

nervously, she greeted him, her voice barely above a whisper, "seokwoo." the word felt strange on her tongue, as if she were speaking a long-lost language. she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes just yet, but she had already taken the first step in confronting a past she had long tried to forget. “it’s been a long time..” she brushes her long strands to tickle her lower back instead of her front.

@✾ ⋰ selena g. To say it had been a stressful week would have been an understatement. This had been, by far, one of the most aggravating weeks of his life - and it was only Wednesday night. When Seokwoo decided to visit the Venus Lounge, it wasn't necessarily because he was in need of company, but more because he really... /really/ needed a drink. Or two. And no phone service, thank you very much. He needed to get away, be distracted for just a couple hours and empty his mind far enough for him to be able to forget about the ever growing stack of paperwork on his desk.

He hadn't imagined - not in a million years! - to spot a familiar face across the room, honestly. Perhaps, he thought to himself while nursing an obscenely expensive glass of gin, it was his exhaustion playing tricks on him. But... on the other hand, he had never exhausted himself to the point of downright hallucinating.

It had to be her.

She hadn't changed much, perhaps grown into her features just that tiny bit more that changed her from the girl he knew to the woman he thought he'd never see in person. And so, with a curious, almost cruel little smile, he asked one of the servers to fetch her for him, eyes never leaving her form, half shrouded in golden light and shadows. He really wanted to see if she had changed. And if she had, how much. Had their power dynamic shifted? Had it tipped in his favor. Oh, God must be a cruel being for flipping things upside down just like this.

@✾ ⋰ seungcheol c. Jungkook probably should have seen this coming-

But they say hindsight is 20/20, and Jungkook's been at a solid 20/30 for the past five years.

"It's fine- Sooyeon, you can go," Jungkook grits his teeth, lips tight as he grimaces through a smile; he's got one hand wrapped around, anything but friendly as he digs his nails as hard as he can into bare skin but- Seungcheol's grip is iron. There's no getting out of this. Jungkook comes to the realisation as Sooyeon casts one final guilty look before she's scampering back out into the lounge, no doubt praying for her life; Jungkook would, too, if he were in her position. Except he's not.

He's trapped.

There's a beat when the swing doors finally close, and Jungkook unloads all of his fury on Seungcheol. "Why-" Smack. "Are you-" Smack. "doing this!?" Perhaps it's the panicked adrenaline buzzing through his veins or Seungcheol, at some point, had loosened his grip just enough, but Jungkook twists, his palms slamming into Seungcheol's chest between each grunt, desperation leeching out of every pore.

It's bad enough that he's being hunted by a psycho(affectionately)- but now he has one more ruined shirt to add to his throw-out pile, and he's ing cold. His shirt sticks uncomfortably against his skin, Seungcheol's insistence on touching him just causing more wine to drip all over his body and clothes- entirely on purpose, he'd guess. The other man seemingly having no qualms about avoiding getting his own clothes filthy.

"Let me go, !" He bares his teeth, snapping at Seungcheol, looking- and feeling- like a caged animal.

@— ✾ ⋰ jungkook j. The air feels thick, and Seungcheol wonders if Jungkook is choking on it like he is. Maybe it's anger that the other forces himself to swallow, but he would rather bet on arousal, that thin, silver lining still glinting between them. It's the fishing line and Jungkook has the hook buried somewhere deep in his throat -- all that is left to do is pick up his prize before the struggle spills unwanted blood. Not that the pearl would ever complain about getting to be a little bit rough with somebody he's usually not allowed to even mark - but he's playing a different sort of game right now.

Crimson lips lift around stifling silence to say something - probably another provocative remark - but both their attentions are snatched by an untimely entrance. Seungcheol recalls enough about the face to remember that she was a regular, but not enough to be unresentful about the intrusion, narrowed glare turning for the first time tonight onto somebody else. She doesn't fall into his clientele crowd but if there were questions about the guard dog's reputation, he doesn't mind answering them directly with action rather than words, body already leaning dangerously over in a quiet threat. The words she squeezes out are more than unpleasant but of course. He has no plans on letting anybody snatch away Jungkook when he's close enough to taste.

"The Saint-Julien? Ah, that would be on the second shelf near the bar, sweetheart." Seungcheol's voice is anything but warm, the deep, throaty purr frigid despite the knife's-edge smile he has half-plastered on his lips, fangs grinning dangerously. "I'm sure our dear rabbit would love to help you, but-" All it takes is a well-placed leg, sweeping across the other's hurried movements, taking care to oh-so-accidentally knock over the pitcher that he had set near his arm. But of course they couldn't let anything touch a precious customer, so down it all goes across the unfortunate Jungkook who just so happened to be traipsing across, a firm arm wrapped precariously around his waist.

"-But well, it appears we've had a bit of an... accident. I am sorry, but leave poor rabbit with me, be a good girl and fetch it yourself, won't you?" He leaves no time for a refusal, fingers drenched in red liquid already pushing past soaked cloth, pressing insistently against heated skin. "I'll be sure to clean up, so keep this a secret, hmm?"

@✾ ⋰ seungcheol c. [] the one i'm going with -> alternatively a staff or client wanders in and asks either of them for a drink and kook uses it as an excuse to escape but cheol takes the chance to shove them causing it to spill

Jungkook starts, looking around the kitchen until his eyes lock with Seongcheol. His lips twist, disgusted, and he looks away when the other mocks him from afar.

Jungkook can pretend all he wants; he knows precisely what Cheol is referring to, and it's ing infuriating.

He feels hunted, his body half turned from Seungcheol, adrenaline buzzing through his veins like he's preparing to run far, far away- but where? There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, but why does he even want to hide? He feels genuine fear, not entirely uncommon around Seungcheol; Jungkook has come to find, but this blend of simmering anger, confusion, arousal?, it's a thick fog settling into the crevices of his mind, making it hard to even think.

Jungkook eyes a row of pans to his left, wondering if it's worth just clocking the everliving out of Seungcheol so that he can leave; he's squinting over his options when the kitchen's saloon doors bang open; both Pearl's attention briefly distracted by the newcomer. She's(Sooyeon, Jungkook remembers) not immune to the viscous tension in the room, only taking a few steps into the room until she's realised she's unwittingly walked into a trap, eyes flicking between the two of them, mouth dropped open as she's trying to decipher what's going on.

Strangely, Jungkook resents Sooyeon from coming in, but more importantly, he's thanking the kindness of the universe for granting him this reprieve.

"Um..." Her high-pitched voice breaks through the awkward silence, and Jungkook finds he can breathe again, exhaling softly, lungs burning. "I was looking for Jungkook-" She says, gesturing to him, "Kookie, we can't find the St Julien from Château Leoville; Henry said you might know where it is?"

Yes! Escape!

"Yes!" He squeaks, hopping like he's standing on hot coals, "I know where it is, I'll show you!" Go, go, go, he thinks, vowing silently that he owed Sooyeon his life for letting him get away from Seungcheol.

@— ✾ ⋰ jungkook j. It takes a lot for Seungcheol not to stop Jungkook. It wouldn't be difficult, really. He could stick out a foot and trip him like a sullen school child if he really wanted. Or shove him fully against one of the cold walls. It would be so so simple to say everything and give in to his desires right now-- but that would be against the point of this entire excercise. And he was never one for self-restraint, but still. There was a grudge and a bet on the line and the only thing he would hate here would be to lose.

(It wouldn't really be losing, maybe. They'd still end up where he pictured, but he still feels like he has something to prove with the way that he'd been put out the clothesline and hung up to dry. The more Jungkook struggles, the better.) He swallows back the deep rumble building low in his throat, pinning the other down with a fever bright gaze until they graze past each other again, watching with some sort of twisted satisfaction when his rabbit jolts back like he's been burned.

This time the door he pushes out is not the same one but an opposing exit in their labyrinth, skirting around pearls and staff alike with a sort of distant focus, anticipation drumming in his ears. Seungcheol picks up a crystal pitcher of wine as some pretense of working - would be bad if he was caught before he has the proper chance to drag Jungkook away and all that - and has the vague thought somewhere in his hindbrain to thank that it wouldn't be strange strolling about the lounge sporting something stiff. Not that he has the capacity to care about what a client, or even his handler would say at the moment.

His chosen prey is still where he'd last left him- poor thing, shivering alone in the kitchen. The difference now was that Seungcheol no longer bothered to conceal himself when staring, blatantly dragging his gaze across the body with unhidden interest. Carmine lips curl at the discovery that he and Jungkook seem to make at the same time, letting the wine jug clink a little too loud against the marble counter. He knows Jungkook will look - won't be able to refuse him, dragging out the vowels in mouthing a silent 'need help?' across the aisle even though he's already moving, leisurely stationing himself to block the remaining exit back into the dim safety of the lounge itself.

@✾ ⋰ seungcheol c. Jungkook hates how he shrinks under Seungcheol.

They may almost be the same height, but Cheol feels so much taller than him right now, crowding into his personal space.

And why does he do nothing about it?

There's no other way to describe it- but it felt like millions of spiders were crawling down his neck and back, his skin erupting in goosebumps as he shivers, yet again, curling in on himself, almost as if he needed to protect himself. He needed to get out of there; he was done with this, all of it.

"Just-" Jungkook starts, but his tongue is thick in his mouth, and he has to try again, "Just leave me alone." He eventually mumbled, averting his eyes and pushing past Seungcheol, knocking shoulders with him, but he didn't care.

Jungkook stormed past a window, and he chanced a look- pupils dilated, lips swollen from when he'd bitten into them(when had Jungkook done that?), he looked an odd mix of terrified, confused and aroused- Jungkook looked back at Seungcheol and skittered when their eyes met, running back out into the restaurant and to where he'd previously thrown his apron.

He could catch his breath out in the darkness of the Piano Lounge, leaning his weight on the counter and one hand coming to clutch at his neck as Jungkook took deep, shaky breaths.

He can still feel the heat of Seungcheol's hand on(correction: hovering above) him, burning into his skin. Jungkook massaged the spot, his mind fogging over as he remembered how close Cheol was, caging him in like an animal with nowhere to escape, his presence overwhelming... He'd be too powerful to fight against, Jungkook thought, his gaze unfocusing as his mind ran wild. Seungcheol could probably do whatever he wanted, and Jungkook wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. He touched his lips gently, imagining how it might feel to have Seungcheol's teeth biting into them. Would it be gentle? No, Seungcheol wasn't like that. He'd nip, and chew, and tug, until Jungkook was bleeding and gasping for air, for more, for him to stop-

Oh, that was so exciting-

Jungkook didn't realise how deep in thought he'd been until the kitchen door opened behind him, startling him back to reality.

".." He muttered, petting his beating heart and looking around to see if anyone had caught him daydreaming.

His brow furrowed as he felt something, and he looked down, moving his hand. Oh, for s sake.

His s were hard.

@— ✾ ⋰ jungkook j. Seungcheol can practically see the gears turning in Jungkook's head as he tries to figure out the situation he's found -- no, that /Seungcheol/ has put in him. It's cute, actually. There are very few things that he ever wants with the rabbit- and it hurts a little to think that he is so far down the priority list that none of the brutal rejections have made a lasting impact. A shame, really. But he plans to correct that today. If he can't write himself into his mind he'll carve a mark into the body instead. (Which is all the most fun anyways.)

The way Jungkook is glaring makes his throat dry, swallowing roughly around the idea that he wants to eat up the one in front of him instead. The way he is being allowed way, way into the boundaries of personal space feels like a quiet acknowledgement that Seungcheol is right- that there exists a Jungkook that wants this, maybe even more than he himself does, and they just needed a little time to dig it up.

There is still carnal desire dripping out of his smile, growing only a fraction darker after conceding a step and a half of space. (He knows he has the upper hand, likely, if it ever comes down to a grapple. But he doesn't want to pounce, he wants to see his target come begging to him instead.) The night was still long and his game plan was executing flawlessly, no need to change things up by being impatient. He can be good enough to wait for a treat.

Seungcheol holds his hands up in a mock show of innocence, though the way his teeth flash and glint suggest all the otherwise. He doesn't need hands to lean close again, invading what little protective room he had given only a second ago. Canines close around a pierced earlobe -- not hard but enough to leave the fuzzy impression of teeth ringed in pink. " You know-- I would beg to differ. Look in the mirror and you'll see how much you're begging for it. But whatever the princess says, I guess."

@✾ ⋰ seungcheol c. Jungkook isn't aware that he's moving until he feels cold brick behind him; starkly different from the intense warmth in front of him, he involuntarily shivers.

He's still pissed, maybe even more so now. Seungcheol's patronising lilt aggravated him. Jungkook knows that the other man isn't scheduled to be working in the lounge this week, so either he's purposefully away from wherever he's meant to be, or Seungcheol requested a shift swap. Jungkook isn't sure what's worse, but he wouldn't past the other to pull a stupid act like this.

There's always a reason, though. Cheol didn't just 'do stuff' for the sake of it. Right now, Jungkook's convinced that's too annoy him specifically.

"No, I don't want you to do anything except. Go. Away." He hissed, though Jungkook didn't actually do anything to push Seungcheol away.

He's even more annoyed when his stomach swoops under Cheol's finger; Jungkook is painfully aware of his body short-circuiting, freezing, and then he's shoving Seongcheol back with both hards- not hard enough to make him go back more than a step or two but it gives Jungkook the space to breathe. He in a breath and sidesteps away, arms crossed.

Jungkook's also just really ing confused because where the hell has this come from?

"Back off, Seungcheol," Jungkook's frustrated that it doesn't come out angrier; instead, he sounds tense, like an over-wound instrument about to snap. "Whatever it is you want, I'm not in the mood."

@— ✾ ⋰ jungkook j. It had been weeks since Seungcheol’s seen any more of Jungkook outside of terse, snappish exchanges. Read: He’d been unable to touch Jungkook. For. Weeks. And by god that was annoying. There was a chasmic gap between their popularities and workloads; that was fine, whatever. He preferred the allowance to slack off whenever he wanted anyways. But watching Jungkook perform without permission to taste a piece for himself was like being chained in front of the dinner table- a forbidden meal just out of touch with nobody there to truly savour it. The good thing was that he never minded a cold dinner so long as he got to eat.

The thought had been crowding his head for a while now- he had let it settle and mature, canning up the flashes of skin and breathy moans from deep in his memory to chew on as a snack in the mean time. It’s the long game he plans to play; watching the rabbit wind himself up over invisible tensions until Seungcheol is sure that he would break at a single touch, maybe less. He wants to be the one to do the breaking. Wants to see that uppity attitude fall apart in his hands all over again—.

It would be difficult to lift his gaze away from Jungkook even if he wanted to, but he has no plans of following through even if commanded. It’s so easy to see that the other knows he’s there, can feel the weight of his gaze crawling up and down. Good. He wants to be seen.

He can’t suppress the smug tilt of his lips watching the other fumble through things that would normally excel at, exactly like a small furry creature knowing it’s within the hunting grounds of a predator. The wobble and clink of empty glasses has him perked up behind the bar counter like a dog to the whistle- he doesn’t mind being a slobbering beast in heat if it’s Jungkook underneath him; anyways. By the way, Seungcheol vaguely wonders if kook knows how similar his angry and aroused faces are- the same dilated pupils, the hitched, shallow breathing. A pretty image that he enjoys enough to let himself be shoved around even if it doesn’t actually do anything to move him from where he’s materialized in the empty corridor.

“I,” Seungcheol’s voice is a low, amused purr, brushing his hand against splayed fingers and then reaching to hover ever so slightly above Jungkook’s chest - not moving, not touching, just letting the heat of his palm steep through the thin white shirt. “Have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s no rule that says I can’t be here, right? I’m working, just like you are.” Pressing even closer, he cuts off the distance between their bodies and the cold utility hall wall one step at a time. “Feeling threatened, little rabbit?” Canines glint in the low light, lips spread into a predatory smile. “I didn’t know you cared so much. Or is it that…” Eyes flash suggestively, finger dipping low to press against the other’s sternum. “…you want me to do something?”

@✾ ⋰ seungcheol c. @✾ ⋰ eunwoo c. Jungkook's been a little.. frazzled lately.

A little meaning: a lot.

And lately, meaning for over a week now.

It was ok. He was ok. Everyone had their off-colour weeks, and Jungkook was lucky to work in a space that allowed him to work out his frustrations how he liked; where Jungkook struggled was that no matter what he did(or who he did), he just couldn't seem to shake this overwhelming sense of worry. It showed, too, which was of absolutely no comfort to him. Jungkook thought that maybe he was dealing with it relatively well, but then along came Eunwoo(that - he thinks with loving frustration), pointing out shadows under his eyes and tension wrinkles on his forehead.

Jungkook had had a tough week, ok? Well, Eunwoo had chirped, you still look like , you've got a pimple on your nose.

He'd nearly choked the life out of Eunwoo in that moment.

Jungkook would generally be ok with just powering on through this rough period until he got over it like he usually did, but that'd sent him spiralling. His expressions were tight, his charm forced, and it was obvious that he couldn't hold a decent conversation tonight at the piano lounge like he usually could.

Except for the ing shadow.

Not a figurative, depression, babadook-inspired shadow. A literal ing shadow. Jungkook had been feeling eyes on him all week, but whenever he tried to find out who it was, the feeling would disappear. Until earlier that day, when Jungkook had managed to catch a glimpse of his little follower and boy, had he seen red.

Seungcheol, that little ing , getting on his nerves for the last time. He was somewhere in the piano lounge, Jungkook knew; he could feel the other man's eyes boring holes into him as he fumbled from table to table, forcing small talk with patrons that he couldn't care less for and it. Was. So. Distracting.

He was getting edgier by the moment as it seemed like Cheol's presence didn't seem to go away. If anything, it got more intense. It culminated when Jungkook nearly dropped his tray of empty glasses when heading back to the bar. By then, he had snapped and marched off, hurling his apron into the bar and muttering that he was taking a 5-minute break. He entered the kitchen and headed straight for the utility corridor out the back, fingers rubbing violently together.

He felt a presence behind him, and Jungkook whirled, practically foaming at the mouth at the sight of the younger man. "What the is your problem?" He seethed, storming up to Seungcheol and shoving him in the chest, "Why are you following me around?"

Actually-

"You know what, no, stop," He said, putting up a hand and averting his gaze, his eyes squeezing shut. Jungkook didn't care; he just wanted it to stop. "Don't answer, just-" His hand closed into a fist, trembling as he tensed, then let go, fingers splaying in Cheol's general direction as he snarled at the younger man.

"Can you, please!" Jungkook stressed, " off and let me work."