Everything felt unreal. In one freaking day, he found V terribly beaten, a man he had never seen before knew a load of things about him, he found out that V was probably gay or at least bi, and that Yunho had sex with him. What the actual fuck?

He wanted to talk to Yunho after their shift, but he was too tired to think properly, so he settled on talking to him the next day, which came in a flash.

He didn't forget to apply the cream Yaesung gave him, although compared to yesterday, the bruises were a little better. Still visible, but faintly. After saying goodbye to Yoongi, who thankfully hadn't noticed his bruises since he wore another high-necked sweater again, he took the bus and went to Hayan Night.

He didn't expect to see V there, but a part of him wanted to believe that he'd be there. Or simply he wanted him to be there. He was worried about him, and he didn't even have his phone number or Namjoon's to ask how he was.

Once he entered the club, he trod to the usual room to change his clothes. What seemed strange was that there wasn't an outfit on the table for him as the previous days. He had arrived half an hour earlier too, and the other employees weren't there yet to ask someone what was going on.

He went back outside and looked around for a stretch. He noticed the cleaner walking towards him and sighed in relief. "Excuse me, do you know if Namjoon is here?"

"Oh, Namjoon isn't here."

"What about Jimin?"

"He's not here either." He halted and glanced at him above his shoulder. "V is here, though."

Jeongguk's face contorted into a frown. How could he be there after all this beating? How could he work after all this beating?

He pitched forward and scuttled to his office, his breath uneven, shaky. He raised his tremoring hand and knocked on the door twice. After hearing a faint 'come in', he gripped the handle but hesitated. He pushed his thoughts away and slid the door open.

V didn't raise his head from his laptop until he heard the door close. And once he did, he burst out of his seat, wincing in pain. "What are you doing here?"

Jeongguk couldn't utter a single word after glimpsing at his face. His right eye was swollen and bruised, as well as his bottom lip, and multiple scars were painted on his forehead, cheeks, jaw, almost everywhere.

"I asked you something."

Jeongguk lowered his head but remained glued to his spot, just two steps away from the door. "I work here."

"No, you don't. You quit, remember?"

"I didn't... mean it."

"Do I fucking care? Get the fuck out."

Jeongguk curled his upper lip inwards, slipping it between his teeth, still keeping his gaze away as tears beaded at the corner of his eyes. "Are you okay?" he spoke too quietly to be understood.

"What?"

"Are you... okay?"

V's rigid features mellowed at his question, his stomach clenching with something he couldn't register upon hearing his quivery, fragile voice.

As some seconds passed and the room was still swamped with suffocating silence, Jeongguk shot him a string of tentative glances, a tear trickling down his cheek. "I'm just asking if... if you're okay." With his whispering words, more tears spilled from his drained eyes, but he stayed unmoving, thinking V couldn't see them because of the distance.

V swallowed past his dry throat and managed a grave expression as he sank back onto his chair. "Jeongguk... Please leave."

"But why?"

"What do you mean why? Fuck, why do even want to work here after everything?"

"I need the—"

"There are so many jobs, Jeongguk! There are so many normal jobs that won't make you feel disgusting."

"I can handle Solji, I can take it—"

"Are you kidding?" he asked with a derisive chuckle. "You're weak. You can't possibly handle this."

"I'm not weak."

"You're fucking crying!"

"I'm crying because I was worried about you!" Jeongguk snapped at him with a choked voice. "You were lying on the ground covered in blood, bleeding, groaning, hurting, and I didn't know what to do. Everything was so scary and—and terrifying, and when Yaesung came, he said you will die if you don't go to the hospital, and you just—just passed out and—"

His incoherent rant died down when he felt two hands clasp his shoulders. He was so lost and frantic he didn't perceive V inching closer to him. They stood there as Jeongguk's body shook with his muted sobs, his eyes squeezed shut, and his lower lip tucked between his teeth.

V couldn't remember a thing from yesterday. He could only remember Kang's sidekicks beating him up, but after blacking out the first time, the rest was just a blur. The next thing he could remember was waking up in a hospital bed alone.

"You found me?" he asked, voice subdued and delicate, his round eyes zoomed in on him.

"You talked to me. You don't remember?"

"I don't."

"But... But you even—" Jeongguk forced his lips together and held the words he was about to blurt out inside.

"I what?" V questioned as he rucked his brows in confusion.

"Nothing, I was imagining things." He snorted and ventured to lift his head and fix his gaze on him.

Silence ticked on as they peered into each other. V's hands were still anchored on his shoulders, something that provided Jeongguk with a strange blaze of warmth and comfort. Just when he distinguished V's gaze softening on him, he whisked his hands away, causing him to pout since he missed his touch instantly.

"Jeongguk... About that day when we... when I, um—"

"When you almost choked me?"

"Fuck, don't say it like that," V trailed off as he jerked his head away from him.

"But that's what happened. And there's nothing wrong about it."

"Everything is wrong about it."

"I made you mad. I caused it."

"How can you be so... calm about it?"

"I don't know," he said with a sigh, but of course, he knew why. V just didn't have to know.

V observed him in silence as his mind floated back to the day Jeongguk had flinched when Hoseok tried to touch him. He wavered, unsure about unfolding his mouth, and glanced away. "Have you ever been abused before?"

V's question caught him off guard, his brows popping apart in agitation. "Why are y-you—"

"It's okay. It's okay to talk about it. And if you don't want to talk about it, it's okay too. I just want to know if it's happening now."

Silence rippled through the room once more as Jeongguk dropped his head, and V could only sigh because he knew something was definitely wrong with him.

"If I asked you who beat you up and why, would you tell me?"

"No."

"Then why should I?"

"Because I can help you. But you can't help me."

"Why? Why would you want to help me?"

"Because I know what kind of damage this can cause. Mentally, mostly."

Jeongguk cracked a small smile. "It's not happening now."

Before V could answer, there was a knock on the door, startling both. He walked past him and opened the door himself, only to be greeted by Namjoon.

"Fuck, V. What did that piece of shit did to you again—"

"Shut up."

Namjoon's brows knitted in a frown at his words, but when his eyes traveled behind him and spotted Jeongguk looking at them in bafflement, he sighed. "Sorry about that. Jeongguk, since you're here, I wanted to ask you something. I noticed that... Wang called you yesterday."

V tossed his head in Namjoon's direction, his expression darkening. "What? What did he want from you?" His alarmed eyes flitted to the younger boy.

"I didn't... understand," Jeongguk said with a small voice as he glanced between the two who stared at him, one furious, and one concerned. "He knew things about me. Things that no one should know. That no one could possibly... know."

"What things?" V rushed to ask.

"Things that no one should know," he repeated in a firmer tone, making it clear that there was no way he would tell them. "He also..." He gulped as he cast his mind back to what that man said. "He made some comments."

"Like?"

"He called me pretty. Stared at my thighs. And told me he can't wait for our talk tomorrow, which means today."

V slammed his eyes closed in irritation, his swollen eye aching at the sudden movement. "You should stay away from him. Fuck, you shouldn't even be here. Leave, now."

"No."

"Namjoon, drive him home."

"No! I need to know how he knows me. I need to know how he knows... everything about me."

"You don't know what he's capable of. If he does something, who will protect you? We can't be around and keep an eye on you."

"Jeongguk, he's right," Namjoon chimed in with a bitter smile.

"I don't want you to protect me."

V stared at him with a somber expression, anger fuming inside him. "Fine, do whatever the fuck you want, but I won't fucking care if you're crying again afterwards."

Jeongguk's shoulders sank with gloom mixed with slight vexation. "You never did, anyway," he drawled without making eye contact and shuffled out of the office.

V dug his fingers into his palms, his mouth set in a hard line. "I need something to break, fuck, I'm so pissed off."

Namjoon sighed as he turned around and grabbed a glass that was on the table. He passed it to him, and V didn't waste a second to smash it against the floor, far away from them. "Fuck." He groaned in pain as he clutched his stomach; he shouldn't even be walking yet.

"Better?"

"No."

Both sighed for different reasons, and V returned to his desk as Namjoon wordlessly exited the office.

 
Jeongguk found Jimin and asked him to give him clothes. Of course, he wore a high-necked sweater again, and thankfully, his dress pants weren't so tight.

What brimmed him with disturbing surprise was that Wang was there at ten just. He didn't even wait for V or Namjoon to meet him and accompany him to the VIP section as usual. The two of them weren't even there yet.

"Ah, the pretty boy I was looking for," Wang said, a smirk embellishing his face.

"Do you want me to get you something?"

"Tsk tsk, not even a proper greeting. You shouldn't be like this to me, pretty." He edged dangerously close, but Jeongguk took a hurried step back, knocking down a stool that was behind him. With his heart already blustering in his chest and trembling hands, he reached for the stool and put it back in its place.

"Don't be so nervous." Wang let out a devilish snicker. "You make me so excited, pretty. I can't wait to play with you and—"

"Mr. Wang." V shot out from the back and interrupted the two.

"Ah, V. What happened to your face? What did you do again?"

"Nothing that has to concern you. How about you take a seat?" He gestured towards the booths impatiently.

"Looks like you don't want me close to this pretty boy, V," Wang said in a taunting tone, his wild smirk never leaving his face.

"Well, you shouldn't be occupying the servers outside of the booths. Rules, remember?" he answered in the same way, leading the other's smirk to falter.

"I think you forgot something very important." He leaned closer with blatant intent to mock him. "Rules don't apply to me," he sneered and sent a wink at Jeongguk before he sauntered towards booth number fifteen that was away from the bar.

The two boys shared a stare, but not words. The tension surrounding them was thick and stifling, both able to sense it, but neither commented on it. V didn't even manage to walk away from him throughout when they heard his pager beep, and they both knew exactly who it was.

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Another update because I'm really excited about this book🤭