V glanced back at him with a wooden expression, and their gazes met for spell. He detected the younger gulping and then turning around to grab the ordering device with shaky hands.

When Jeongguk pivoted on his heel, V was long gone. He slouched towards booth number fifteen and asked for permission to enter. He glided the curtain aside once it was granted, only to be met with a smirking Wang, who was reclined into his seat and had one ankle squared over his knee. Before he could say something, Wang's chilling voice reached his ears, sending hideous goosebumps through his limbs. "Six shots of tequila and you, baby boy."

Jeongguk could scarcely give a halfhearted bow before trudging back to the bar. That man frightened him, not so much because of his behavior, but because he knew everything about him while he hadn't even heard his name before.

"Kook, you're shaking," Chan pointed out as he placed the six shots on his tray.

"I'm okay. I just need a moment." Jeongguk's chest deflated with a long sigh as he pulled the tray closer and took it in his hands. He caught a glimpse of V talking to a customer as he headed to the booth, not failing to notice his intense stare on him. The eye contact was brief but galvanic, and he couldn't register what was hidden behind V's gaze.

After letting him enter, Jeongguk placed the shots on the table, and honestly, he dreaded to think what would happen in these next fifteen minutes. With reluctant, craven moves, he took his seat across from Wang, shoulders curving forward, hands gripping the edge of the couch.

"It's so nice to see you again. I can say that I missed you." Wang's tone was sickeningly playful, his eyes boring holes into his tense, anxious face.

"Can you tell me how you know me, please?"

"Ah, already pleading. You have no idea how much I like this." A wicked chuckle emitted from Wang's mouth as he grabbed the first shot. He chugged it down and wiped his lips with the back of his hand, sinking back into his seat with his distinctive smirk.

Jeongguk spectated with terror as Wang's gaze traveled to his lips, neck, chest, and settled on his thighs. He glanced away, throughout uncomfortable and humiliated, as he squeezed his legs together and clasped the couch ever tighter.

⚠Attention⚠
[|The next part has content that might be disturbing and/or triggering. Proceed with caution. It's a small part, and you can notice where it ends|]

"I'm here for only one reason, pretty. And that's not to give you answers," Wang said with a shake of his head and a low chuckle. "It's to touch what I wanted to touch for so damn long. You."

Pure dread ripped through every inch of Jeongguk's body and sealed his throat, cutting off air, his eyes staring in big circles at the floor.

"Why don't you come here?" Wang patted the empty spot on the couch next to him as he leered at him.

Jeongguk exploded out of his seat but didn't dare to make another move. His quaky hands were contracted into taut fists and his eyes still wide open. "You can't. It's against the rules."

A sinister laugh flew out of his mouth as he jerked his head back in complete amusement. "Do you think I care about that? I'm above these rules, Jeonggukie."

"No, you can't... You can't do that," he spluttered in absolute shock and made some clumsy steps towards the exit.

"Where do you think you're going?" The playfulness was now long gone from his tone, his expression clouded over with threat.

"You can't touch me."

"Jeonggukie, I didn't ask to touch you. I am going to. And you can't do anything about it."

"No!" He raised his voice, making the other groan in annoyance.

"Then should I tell V that you're a little gay boy?"

Hwasa's words came to his mind in a flash. "You can't let anyone in here know you're gay."

"Or should I tell your father that you're still defaming his name with being the little gay boy you are?"

The previous shock festered within Jeongguk, overriding every inch of him, as he turned around at a creep to lay his bulging eyes on him. "So you k-k-know my f-father."

"Of course I do. We're good friends, Jeonggukie."

"But how do you know me?" he growled at him, but only realized it when he heard something shatter.

"Raise your voice at me one more time, and I won't hesitate to kill you. And that would be a waste. We can have so much fun." The corner of his lips twitched into a crooked smirk. "Now, you better come here and shut the fuck up."

Jeongguk didn't know what to do or say. He was so scared about what would happen his eyes overflowed with tears in a heartbeat. Striving to control his sobs, he tottered towards him and sat as far away from him as possible.

"Come on, why are you crying, Jeonggukie?" he asked in a feigned soft, sweetish tone as he slithered closer.

"I don't want you to touch me." His voice, wrecked and hushed with terror, barely slipped through his constricted throat.

"I won't hurt you. I just want to feel your thighs. There's nothing wrong with that." Wang was now right next to him, his lustful eyes set on his daunted face.

Everything is wrong with that.

"You'll like it too. It will make you feel good. Wanted. Desirable."

It will only make me feel even more disgusting.

Wang pushed the table away and dropped to his knees in front of him. An impatient smirk tugged at his lips, his eyes flickering at the unholy sight of his mouthwatering thighs.

Jeongguk screwed his eyes shut once he felt his rough hands on each of his thighs, dangerously close to his crotch. Those hands burned his clothed skin as they fondled his thighs, feeling him up as much as possible. They moved at such a slow pace that those ten seconds felt like a torturous eternity for him. A disgusting low groan pierced through his buzzing ears as he sensed those hands reach his knees.

"Fuck, Jeonggukie." Wang threw his head back in pure bliss as he plopped down onto the couch again, the feeling of his thick thighs lingering in his hands.

Jeongguk felt nothing. He couldn't feel anything. His tears gushed out of his eyes unwillingly as he kept a frosty expression on his face. What did he just do? What did he just let happen to him?

"We still have a few more minutes, but you can go. You earned it, pretty," Wang said after a while as he grabbed another shot.

Jeongguk didn't say anything — he couldn't even if he wanted to. He didn't spare him another glance and pushed himself off his seat, his legs wobbling as he bolted out of there. He inhaled chest-swelling breaths, feeling as if he could breathe normally again. He wiped his face with his sleeve in haste and trod to the bar.

   
   
"Chan, I need a drink."

The bartender looked at him with creased brows as he finished making a cocktail. "You're working, Kook."

"Please, just... one drink. Something to make the burning go away."

The man behind the bar knew something was wrong, but he also knew Jeongguk wouldn't tell him anything no matter how many times he would ask. He poured some vodka into a glass and filled the rest of it with orange juice. He didn't make it too strong, but it would be enough for him to feel the bitter drink without affecting him.

"My regular." A deep voice was heard a moment later, and the noise of someone sitting on a stool next to him followed.

Jeongguk didn't lift his head. He clutched the glass with both hands, staring at it through his glazed eyes, and gulped down half of it. He erupted into coughs once he lowered his glass, feeling his throat burn. And it was exactly what he wanted, but the sizzling sensation on his thighs didn't subside in the slightest.

He didn't want to cry again, although he really felt like it. If he broke down again, it would only prove V right. It would prove he was weak, and he couldn't let that happen.

Chan handed V his drink soon enough, and he took a big sip right away. "What did he do?"

"Nothing."

"Are you going to tell me or should I ask him?"

"Back off, V. What I'm doing doesn't concern you," he snarled and guzzled the rest of his drink in one go. And again it seared his throat, but the burning on his thighs was much stronger. He couldn't possibly ignore it, and he knew it would remain there for a long time.

"Just tell me what he did," V snapped at him as he shot him a glance.

"You said you wouldn't care!" he exclaimed, his grasp around the now empty glass firming up. "Why the fuck are you asking me then?" he asked as he rose to his feet and took off.

V rammed his fist against the counter and surged behind him. He seized his forearm without warning and dragged him to the storage room. Only Chan was able to notice the scene since they were already close to the storage room, and Jeongguk didn't yell at him to stop this time.

V flew the door open and shoved him inside, causing him to stagger by his force.

"What? Are you going to choke me again?" Jeongguk's voice was surprisingly calm, and he maintained a poised expression unlike V's furious one.

A frustrated grunt burst out of V's mouth as he grasped a rack with numerous supplies and knocked it down aggressively, a smash booming throughout the room.

"Why are you so pissed, anyway?" Jeongguk, although he flinched, seemed unaffected seconds later.

"Because I'm your boss. And I need to know what he did. I don't fucking trust Wang. So just tell me, what did he do?"

"He did nothing." Jeongguk avoided eye contact, but he espied V nearing him with the corner of his eyes. "We just talked."

"You can't allow these people to change who you are." Suddenly, V was so close he could almost feel his breath on him. The words that rolled off his tongue rather bitterly made something rampage inside Jeongguk, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. "That's why I don't want you here. Because you're not made for this, and they will turn you into something you're not."

"It's already too late!" Jeongguk cried out in dejection, tears stinging his eyes all over again. "I failed Yoongi hyung. I failed him." He hung his head as his whole body shuddered with his sobs. "He—He told me to never let anyone I don't want touch me and—and I just—I just—"

"You what?" V gritted out, his expression dead serious. "Did he touch you?" He was met with Jeongguk's choked sounds as the boy struggled to breathe. "He touched you?" He watched as Jeongguk raised his trembling hand to wipe his face and then nodded his head so faintly he almost missed it. "He touched you," he repeated in his attempt to let it sink in, his gaze unfocused, empty.

"My—My t-thighs."

V didn't need to hear anything else. And honestly, he didn't want to. He fucked up that kid's already messed up life for what? For nothing at all. He stormed out of the room and stamped with clenched fists towards his booth.

"Yah, what the fuck?" Namjoon hissed as he popped up in front of him, blocking his way.

"Joon, let me go. I won't hesitate to punch you." V tried to free himself from his grip, but he didn't have much strength with yesterday's events.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere. What the hell happened?"

"He touched him!" he whisper-yelled, a churning of fury, frustration, and remorse lashing across his chest. "He fucking... touched him."

Namjoon sighed as he uttered some curses himself. "And where exactly are you going?"

"To fucking kill him, that's where I'm going. He can't just ignore the rules just because it's him!"

"But he can." Namjoon immobilized him once again as he attempted to leave. "You know that Kang won't do anything if it's about Wang. As messed up as it is, rules don't apply to him. You can't do anything. You can only report it to Kang, but we both know he will just dismiss it."

"Namjoon. I messed up. I screwed up his life."

Before anything else could be said between the two, Namjoon's eyes caught a certain figure walking inside, and if he wasn't frustrated before, he definitely was now.

V followed his gaze and spotted Solji going towards the bar where Jeongguk was sitting. He observed in depth as she smiled cheekily and started talking to him. "I can't... I can't deal with this shit," he breathed out as he retreated, shaking his head, and strode towards the exit.

Namjoon called his name quietly but loud enough for him to hear in vain. V didn't stop, and he could only sigh once he disappeared from his vision.

⚜✳⚜