"Booth twenty-seven, one whiskey, and your company, sweetie," Solji chirped and minced away.

Just as Jeongguk thought that day couldn't get any worse, Solji appeared. Fucking sickening Solji. He was already so, so drained with everything that happened, and honestly, he didn't know how he was supposed to handle Solji too. All he wanted was to fling himself into his warm bed, curl up into a ball, and sleep for hours and hours.

He stood outside her booth and entered after she let him in. He set the drink on the table and perched on the couch, a fog of gloom cloaking his features as he gazed at the table in a haze.

"Don't have that face, baby. Entertain me." She giggled and sipped her drink.

"You know, I thought about it." Jeongguk fixed his gaze on her, giving her a slightly haughty look. "You can ask and talk about whatever you want, but I can talk about whatever I want too. So come on, Solji, let's talk."

"Excuse me? Where's your respect, kid?"

"I don't have any for you."

She made a sonorous noise that sounded crossed between surprise and fury. "V's beating wasn't enough to make you realize I can do whatever I want and get away with it?"

Jeongguk flickered an eyelid at the unexpected question and furrowed his brows. "What? You did it?"

"No, hun," she sneered, her distinctive sly smile creeping over her lips. "His boss did because he had the audacity to tell me what to do. No one tells me what to do. And I'm really disappointed that you complained about me. But on the other hand, it's so fun. You complained, and what happened? You gave V a beating from his boss. You caused it with your pretty little mouth."

Jeongguk wasn't sure if he understood what she just said. V told her off, she went to complain about it to his boss, and then his boss beat him up? And all of this because V wanted to help him?

"I tried." V's words from that day slammed into his head, and just like that, everything clicked. He tried to help me and he got himself so badly beaten because of... me. No, no, that can't be true.

"But everyone hates you. He did it for all of us, not only because of me," he spluttered, and oh how much he wished he was right. He wanted to believe with all his heart he wasn't the one who put V in danger.

"If you hadn't complained, I wouldn't have talked to his boss, sweetie. The kids here are used to me, but you being the new kid had to be a bad boy and make him ask me to not harass his employees. It's not harassment. I'm not even touching you!" A mischievous laugh sprawled through the air around them as she took hold of her drink and sand back, her cunning eyes gawking at the distressed boy across from her.

"I only asked him to not let you page me again," Jeongguk whispered in a maze. "And do you really think what you're doing is right? It is harassment if you're making us talk about things we don't want!"

"Oh, why are you so whiny? Why can't you just do your job and not ruin my night?"

"My job is to keep you company, not fulfill your sickening fantasies," he spat out, his voice heavy with hatred, as he scowled at her.

An aggravated, shocked expression burst onto her face as she couldn't believe that kid just disrespected her like that. "What makes you think I'll tolerate this behavior of yours? If you can't do what a customer asks, you're not doing your job properly, and that means you should get fired. Do you want to get fired?"

Did he want to get fired? He had to think about that for a while. Why was he putting up with everything when even V told him many times to leave? Why was he so determined to keep that job after everything that happened to him and V because of him? Was it really about the money anymore?

"I don't want to get fired. I'm just saying that if you can talk about whatever you want, I can do the same thing. We're people too, we have feelings, we matter. We're not objects you can play with. If we don't want to do something, you don't have the right to make us do it. This is not that type of club, and you're more than welcome to leave if you don't like it."

Solji stared at him with an amused smile and cocked a contemptuous brow. She gulped down her drink and tossed the glass onto the table in a relaxed manner, small pieces of glass scattering across it. "Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me to leave?"

"I just said that—"

"I don't care!" she bellowed, her eyes glinting with wrath. "I can't believe V is so useless he can't even find proper staff for the club he's running."

"V didn't do anything wrong!"

"Oh, but he did. He hired you. If you're a sassy little boy who doesn't know how to please his customers, you're useless here. Just like V."

"No!" he cried out as he shifted on the edge of his seat, anxious.

"Hmm, I think I just found your button, sweetheart." She laughed devilishly, clapping her hands in amusement. "It's cute that you care about your boss so much."

Jeongguk sighed as he dropped his head in defeat. "I just... don't want him to get hurt again."

"Then how about you just shut up and do what you're asked?"

"I still won't answer any inappropriate questions."

Irritation crossed her face as she looked askance at him. "You know what? Leave. You ruined my night." She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "But don't think you'll get away with this so easily."

Jeongguk rushed out of there, too daunted to even ponder over what she meant, and scoped the place in search of V. He only found Namjoon a while later when he exited a booth and scuttled to him. "Hyung, where's V?"

"I really don't know. I think he left."

"What? He never leaves before us!"

"What's wrong, Kook? Why are you like this?"

"Hyung, I screwed up... I screwed up... so much."

"Why, what did you do?" Namjoon asked as his brows clumped together in worry. "Jeongguk, what did you do?"

"I talked back to Solji. I made her mad. I think... I think V will—"

"Pay for this? Because yeah. Of course V will pay for this, fuck!" Namjoon exclaimed, attracting the other employees' attention.

"I'm sorry!"

"At least now it's even," Namjoon said in a hushed tone and sighed. "He screwed up your life, and you screwed up his."

"What do you—" The words stuck in his throat once he saw Wang approach them. He whipped his head down and inched closer to Namjoon unconsciously.

"Ah, Jeonggukie, I can't wait for next time." He chuckled as he reached out to pat his head, but Jeongguk jerked away by instinct.

At the same time, Namjoon snatched his hand, ceasing his actions. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, you can't touch our employees," he said with a fake apologetic smile as he released him.

"Well, aren't you a little overprotective now, Namjoon? I just wanted to pat his head and tell him what a good boy he is." Another wicked chuckle seeped through his lips as he glanced at Jeongguk, who had his head hung low. "But now that I think about it, he isn't," he said since it was obvious to him that Jeongguk had talked with Namjoon about what he did. "Either way, I still can't wait for the next time, although unfortunately, I have to go on a business trip. But don't worry, Jeonggukie. Next time I'll have a surprise for you."

He dragged his head up then and looked at Wang with worried eyes. Surprise? That can't be good, he thought, but he didn't have time to question him since Wang was already long gone.

Namjoon peeped at the younger who seemed to be in a daze. "Are you okay, Kook?" Jeongguk shook his head weakly, too exhausted to say anything. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you... give me V's number?"

"It's not a good idea to call him."

"I want to know if he's okay."

"He is. Don't worry about him. We still have a few hours of work, so try to focus." He patted his shoulder soothingly and gave him a small smile as he strolled off.

How can I not worry about him?

  
After a few more hours of work, Jeongguk went to change his clothes. He waited for the other employees to finish first as he sat on the couch with his knees tucked into chest and his arms wrapped around them. Without realizing it, his eyes fluttered closed and his head dropped.

He didn't know for how long he was sleeping when he felt someone shake him lightly and heard the call of his name. His sleepy eyes shot open and darted all around in fear. Once he recognized Yunho smiling at him, he let out a sigh in relief.

"Why are you still here, Kook?"

"Fell asleep. What time is it?"

"It's after seven."

"Fuck, well, I have to go."

"I can drive you."

"No, I can take the bus." He dismissed his offer with a wan smile.

"No, I don't mind. Let's go."

Too exhausted to argue and change his work clothes, he walked with Yunho towards his car and got inside. He told him where to go, and soon enough, Yunho started the engine.

Five minutes into the ride, Jeongguk kept glancing at him as he mused over the things Wang said. He wavered but sat straighter in his seat and laid his gaze on him. "You're gay."

Yunho blinked in surprise at his words. "What?"

"V is gay or bi too."

"What? He's not—"

"Don't try to deny it, hyung. I know you had sex with him."

"What the fuck? No one knows about this!"

"Well, I do. Who's Kang?"

"Jeongguk, how the hell do you know all these things?"

"It's not important."

"It is!" Yunho roared, making him flinch. "If Kang finds out we're gay, he'll kill us! Who the fuck told you all these things?"

"Just tell me who Kang is."

"Kang is... the leader of a gang. He owns a lot of clubs and bars around Seoul and not only. Practically, he is our boss. V is just running Hayan Night."

A gang? A fucking gang? What the fuck?

"How did V end up with him?"

"It's not my place to tell you anything, Kook. V wouldn't like that."

"Do you... like him?"

"I do," Yunho uttered, and his answer wasn't what Jeongguk had in mind or even what he wanted to hear, for some reason. "He was drunk that day. Partly, at least. I was driving him home when he started touching me. I didn't stop him because I liked it, and I knew V knew that too. So we ended up in my apartment and fucked. But it was exactly that for him. A fuck. I wasn't expecting anything more since no one can know we're gay. At least I am. V hasn't admitted it yet. I just thought that he cared about me, but... he doesn't. I was just another hookup for him."

Silence spread in the car while Jeongguk tried to take in everything he just said. Something awful coiled in his stomach as he analyzed his words that made it shrivel and knot. It just made him feel... sick.

"Jeongguk, how do you know these things?" Yunho just pulled over in front of his house and glanced at him.

"Wang."

"What?" His eyes swelled at his statement. "Jackson... Wang?" He noticed Jeongguk nodding his head and groaned, hitting the wheel out of frustration. "That piece of shit, fuck!"

"Why are you so angry?"

"He's my fucking uncle, that's why! How the fuck does he know these things?"

"Wang... is your—your uncle?"

"That's not important, Jeongguk! He fucking knows about me and V, what the fuck?"

"Of course it's important! He's your uncle! That disgusting—that awful asshole is your uncle!" Jeongguk yelled back at him, memories of what happened earlier that day returning unwillingly.

Yunho peered at him through narrowed eyes; his body shook as he held his hands together tightly, his eyes fearful and big. "Did he... Fuck, did he do something to you?"

"He knows me!" he howled with a choked voice. "He knows everything about me. He knows my—my father," he whispered towards the end, the last word coming out of his mouth with difficulty.

"What about your father? Why do you look so scared?"

He inhaled some deep breaths, endeavoring to calm down as he was too tired to cry again. "My father beat the shit out of me and threw me in the streets six months ago. No one knows about this, hyung. Only my mother and my two hyungs. How the hell does Wang know? Did my father tell him? And if yes, why would he do that?"

"Shit, Jeongguk, I don't know. I'm sorry that happened to you. You're so strong, Kook." He squeezed his shoulder as he offered him a palliative smile.

All Jeongguk could do was force a smile as he stayed silent for a spell. "But hyung, how does Wang know about everything?"

"I don't know that either. We'll go on a business trip tomorrow for a few days. I'll try to learn something."

"Just be careful. Thanks for driving me."

"No problem, Kook. Be safe."

With that, Jeongguk got out of the car and watched as he drove away.

The only thing he could think about was how long ago Yunho had sex with V, and he didn't even know why he cared so much about that.

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