•Lust of Innocence•

There was a silence. Not the uncomfortable silence that made Nari feel overwhelmingly awkward and flee the situation, but the type of silence shared between two people that are so used to one another that it is not necessary to speak. Never had she thought she could ever reach this point with someone. Sitting in a room, doing their own individual tasks with the heat of the sun emanating through the drapes of her living room window, with only a soft whisper of the air conditioning filling the void. She would often glance at Jimin, who was reclined against the couch with his phone in hand, staring at the screen and occasionally letting a light chuckle out at whatever he saw.

Nari was next to him, her legs folded under her as she was studying her notes, highlighting and jotting down information that she deemed useful for future reference. Jimin had stopped by to surprise her, saying he wanted to stay for an hour or so before heading off to work, which she found way too sweet of him.

Over the duration of the last few months since the party, their relationship had progressed tremendously. It was not easy for Nari to open up to the man, but he was very patient and understanding of her insecurities. It eventually became so easy for her to talk to him about anything and everything, and that spontaneity is what kept their spark alive. Emotionally, it became easier and easier to connect with one another, and that didn't worry Nari as much as the physical aspect when they had a mutual agreement on their committed relationship. Multiple scenarios coursed through her mind when thinking of this essential part of a relationship. It was difficult to not feel timid and shy away from the first touch, and it took a lot of time to get as far as they had, which never extended all the way, but they knew the finer details of one another. And they were content with that, for now.

In other words, they were happy.

In the midst of her work, her head started aching at the amount of information she was attempted to cram into her brain. Nari knew this was her fault, for her procrastination cannot be stopped and her boyfriend being next to her wavers her concentration a bit. She would glance at Jimin every now and then, especially when she heard a small chuckle come from him at whatever he was looking at on his phone. Ignoring the thought, she put the end of the pen on her lip, staring down at the textbook in an attempt to annotate the large paragraphs of information to make it easier on herself. She scrunched her eyebrows a bit, and after a few minutes, she heard a dramatic sigh next to her. Nari looked up with slightly wide eyes and saw the man with his head tilted, the side of his head resting on his hand, staring at her.

Confused, she asked, "Are you bored?"

He chuckled at her concerned face and replied, "No, I just think you're cute when you're really into your studies." Jimin also gave her a wink following his statement because he knew she couldn't take compliments well.

And he was correct.

Nari was blushing, but still scoffed at him flirting with her. This was her way of playing it cool, especially because compliments make her feel awkward. Letting out a long sigh herself, she closed her textbook shut and placed her writing materials back into her plushie pencil case, zipping it up quickly. The girl stood up from her spot on the couch, making Jimin raise a brow at her seemingly quick movements, yet he stayed in his same relaxed position.

Nari stared down at him and quickly asked, "I want tea. Do you want tea?"

Jimin couldn't help but laugh at her awkward proclamation on tea, but he insisted he wanted a cup as well. While she walked around the couch to the kitchen that happened to be connected to the living room since it was a small apartment, the man sat up on the couch normally and glanced at the cover of her textbook and open book of notes. He scanned the words she had written, noticing how complex some of the information seemed, and for many reasons, he felt a pinch at his heart that made his features drop in sudden sadness.

"I really envy you," he suddenly let out.

Nari had been on her tip toes reaching up to grab two mugs as he had made that statement, and she tilted her head in the process to take a glance at him while asking, "Huh? Why?"

He let out another long sigh, forcing himself to peel his eyes away from her study materials, slouching back into the couch with his eyes looking at the ceiling. Jimin tried not to be jealous of everyone's aspirations, but now that he was in a relationship with a girl who had a dream she was very close to achieving, he felt a bit small compared to her. Almost inferior. In the midst of his thoughts he explained, "You're working really hard to become a nurse and I'm just here, on my phone, looking at memes."

Nari chuckled as the water finished boiling, and she opened up two packets of tea while saying, "What are you talking about? I would much rather be looking at memes."

Jimin closed his eyes for a moment, his forehead crinkling as his depressed thoughts were beginning to surface. He forced himself to say, "No, I mean, I want a dream."

The tea had been seeping for a few minutes when Nari let her features fall a bit, her eyes focusing on the slight change in color of the water. In many ways, she felt as if her constantly bringing up college or her future job was actually hurting Jimin. Those thoughts always lingered in her mind, especially considering that she could never escape the shame she has felt ever since she treated Jimin like a nuisance for his job when they were first getting to know each other. Deep down, Nari was hoping he had forgotten about that, but she knows she surely hasn't.

"What do you mean? You have a dream," the girl said as she took the tea packets out of the mugs and strained them before throwing them away, "You're gonna be an amazing singer whose voice will touch people's hearts," she then picked up the mugs with both hands, "that's exactly what you told me before."

He rolled his eyes as he continued staring at the ceiling, his arms crossed in dismay as he replied, "That seems impossible with my current situation. It's just a stupid hobby anyway and I don't have the connections to even achieve something like that."

Nari gasped, feeling hurt by his words as she began walking towards the couch and exclaiming, "What is up with this negativity, Park Jimin?" She then reaches the couch, setting down the mugs on the coffee table, Jimin eyeing her from behind for a moment before saying, "That's just how I've been feeling."

He decided to close his eyes again for a moment before he felt a hand on his shoulder and a bit of weight pressing against him. Jimin opened his eyes in surprise and saw that she had situated herself on his lap, smiling softly at him. They stared at each other for a moment, his hands finding themselves on her slim waist. He thought this was the sexiest thing she has done to him randomly as she straddled him, but that thought quickly evacuated from his mind when her hands slapped themselves on his cheeks, squishing them and her saying, "You look like a baby right now. You're so cute!"

He grabbed her wrists, peeling her hands from his face before stuttering, "I— I was trying to vent to you..." The girl looked at him sadly for a moment before bringing up the fact that she did that to lighten the mood. Then her expression turned serious.

"Everyone loves an underdog," Nari started as Jimin stared up at her, keeping his focus on her face. She gently caressed his messy hair for a moment before continuing, "You're gonna have an amazing redemption story, I just know it. People with your work ethic seldom fail. Stay positive and keep working hard, okay?"

Jimin sighed, failing to even attempt to refute her claims since this is the exact positivity he needs in his life at the moment. Nari saw his features soften, relieved she had won him over again, though it wasn't too difficult for her. She then decided to make the mood playful by saying, "Plus, you're so fit because of stripping. When you become a professional singer, everyone is gonna love you!" He laughed wholeheartedly at that, putting his hands back on her waist. The girl then let out an exaggerated sigh and said, "Gosh, I'm out of breath from walking up the stairs. I should seriously work out to keep up with you."

At that, Jimin's expression turned seductively playful. He let his head rest further into the cushion of the couch, giving her a dark look with a slight smirk gracing his lips as he grasped her hips a bit harder and said, "I can teach you some pole tricks to gain some muscle. You... on a pole? That would be magnificent." He gave her wink.

Nari pursed her lips, feeling the tension as his voice got darker at the suggestive remarks he was making. She turned her head to the side in an attempt to hide her blush. However, she couldn't resist nor hide, especially due to the fact that she put herself on top of him and they were very close. This wasn't really anything new at this point, but physical contact with him still made her blush like crazy and it made her nervous. His choice in words did not help the situation either. Jimin took notice of her shyness, but he was not ready to stop making her feel nervous. In fact, he liked that he had that effect on her. Tilting his head to the side a bit, he used one of his hands to grab the back of her neck and forced her to look at him. When Nari saw his expression, she knew what he wanted and honestly, she was already feeling hot and bothered from how he was acting. It amazed her the amount of duality he had; one moment she was wanting to pinch his cheeks and bake him cookies to feel better, and the next moment he was making her feel shy.

Despite that, she leaned herself forward, letting the force of his hand on the back of her neck aid her in pulling her closer to his lips. They finally did, and as their lips began moving in sync, she felt his hands move up and down her torso, pulling her even closer to his body to add some fiction. Nari could feel her face heating up at the change in atmosphere, and she allowed her hands to caress his face then find their way into his already messy hair, earning a slight moan from Jimin that honestly surprised her. However, before they could continue their little session in hopes that it would turn into something more, a notification sound came from Jimin's phone, causing her to reluctantly pull away.

The man let out an aggravated groan and let one hand leave her hip and grab the phone that was laying on the cushion next to them. He checked it, seeing a text from Namjoon about how he was already a few minutes late and now Yoongi was probably going to kill him. Nari already knew he was running late for work, and said, "I guess you should go," she got off of him and plopped herself next to him, the two mugs of tea catching her eye, "And the tea is cold anyway..."

Jimin stood up, pulling on his jacket and putting his phone in his pocket. He grabbed the cold mug of tea, chugging it down and attempting to not show how gross cold tea was to him, then slamming the mug back onto the coffee table. He looked at her and said, "Thanks for the tea, babe."

Nari looked at him, shocked that he drank cold tea and said, "My goodness, you didn't have to drink it!"

His car keys made an ear-piercing sound as he picked them up and he said, "I didn't want it to go to waste." The man then leaned down close to her and gave Nari a peck on the lips. He was very reluctant to leave, especially because he was really getting into their little intimate moment, but the bills had to be paid somehow. He then bid her a goodbye, but as he was opening the door, he heard his girlfriend yell, "Drive safe, text me when you get to work!"

Jimin couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips at her concern.

•••

Thoughts of Nari lingered in Jimin's mind that made his heart feel full and added bounce to his steps as he approached the entrance to the club. He was so relaxed and refreshed from spending time with her that it did not bother him in the slightest that he was fifteen minutes late to his shift, which does not really bother him in the first place anyway because it was pretty common that he is late to nearly everything... unless it had to do with meeting up with his girlfriend. It reached a point that his coworkers coined the term 'I Jimined today' when they are late to something.

Upon entering the club, Jimin saw Namjoon sitting at the bar, eating his black bean noodles in a hurry. However, upon seeing the younger one late again, the taller man slowed down his pace because if his coworkers and boss seldom nag Jimin for being late, there is no reason anyone should nag Namjoon. The orange-haired man eyed the black bean noodles, making the older one furrow his eyebrows at him and pull the bowl closer to himself.

"Hyung, let me have a bite."

Namjoon's mouth fell agape at the disrespect, for the younger man did not even bid him a hello or ask him how his day was. All he cared about was the food... but that is how the younger ones normally are.

"Yah, what makes you think you are worthy? You know how I feel about black bean noodles..." he then picked up a chopstick full of noodles and was about to shove them in his mouth. However, Jimin hopped in the seat next to him and gave him a charming smile while placing his chin on his palm, staring at the older man with respect and adoration.

Namjoon's dark eyes glanced at him as Jimin said, "Just one bite, hyung. All I had was tea today."

Sighing in defeat, the pink-headed man dropped his chopsticks into the bowl and slid the dish to Jimin, rolling his eyes and saying, "Fine, have as much as you want, but only because you're cute. Eat well next time, yeah?" The younger one nodded and took a large bite of the food as Namjoon then asked, "What were you doing that you could only drink tea all day? Also," he glanced at his watch, "You're more late than usual... and I know it's not because you were doing your hair. It looks like shit."

At that moment, the second oldest of the seven-member group of friends walked into the main area, his face blank as he was carrying extra chairs one-by-one into the seating area where the poles are. However, upon hearing Jimin and Namjoon's conversation, he decided to stop and listen intently.

Deciding he wasn't going to eat all of his hyung's food out of respect despite how hungry he was, Jimin slid the bowl back to Namjoon and responded, "I was at Nari's place before I came to work. Her cooking isn't so great so I wasn't going to ask her to make me anything."

Namjoon chuckled, "Ah, that's why she only brings you take-out."

"That's her specialty," the younger man smiled at the thought.

Letting the curiosity get the best of him, Namjoon had to ask, "Are things going good for you two? You seem more energetic and happy since making it official." It had been a mere few months, but the older man could sense more maturity in his close friend. He seemed happier and more excited to work if it meant making more money to try and treat his girlfriend every now and then. In fact, Namjoon noticed him working even harder than normal, if that was even possible.

Jimin smiled a little more and said, "Oh yeah, things are great. Nari's a little less shy now, so that helps." Namjoon chuckled, saying how adorable that is and how glad he is that the princess has finally lightened up. She was always really timid around them and even he was starting to notice that she isn't so tense these days, as she would greet most of them with a hug, well... besides Yoongi and Hoseok. The younger man then whipped out his phone and exclaimed, "Ah, look at this picture I took," he then showed Namjoon a selfie of Jimin and his attempt at getting Nari in frame, but she was blushing and trying to cover her face. He then giggled and said, "She is so cute, hyung, I can't stand it sometimes."

As Yoongi was listening to their conversation, he grimaced in disgust at Jimin's words towards the girl. After pretending like he was positioning the chair to fit in perfectly with the set-up, he quickly wiped down the table with his dry rag and made his way towards them as Namjoon replied, "Don't forget, I'm the one who thought she was cute first."

Jimin narrowed his eyes and playfully snapped, "Watch it."

The pink-haired man shrugged and reassured him by saying, "Don't worry, sexy girls are more my type anywa-" but he was cut off when Yoongi slapped his white rag onto the bar top with a loud smack, startling both of the men. Namjoon looked to the side, seeing his hyung's blank, yet slightly irritated expression. His eyes then narrowed at the white rag as he said, "Is that thing your ultimate weapon or what?"

"Shut up," Namjoon was startled at Yoongi's sudden snap, and although he would normally brush it off, his statement was harsher than usual. The older man's eyes scanned both of them before grabbing the black bean noodles and throwing them out, despite the fact there was some remaining food left. Before Namjoon could whine about how he wasn't finished eating that, Yoongi snapped, "You've had enough time to eat, break time's over, get your ass in the kitchen and help the dishwashers clean the new dishes."

"But-"

"Now."

Yoongi's eyes followed the taller man's figure slouch as he stumbled towards the kitchen, his long limbs hitting a few chairs, making them move out of place. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration because he spent all of that time during their conversation perfecting the positioning of the chairs. He then decided to direct his attention to the stripper behind him, but noticed the back of his figure holding his duffel bag and walking towards the dressing room. Yoongi narrowed his eyes and followed quietly behind Jimin.

Dropping his duffel bag onto the ground, Jimin let out a sigh as he put in the combination into his little locker, not even noticing the older man behind him with his hands on his hips, something clearly bothering him. Jimin glanced behind his shoulder, jumping a bit at the change in atmosphere due to the fact that it seemed as though his hyung was clearly heated about something.

"Hi hyung," Jimin said as he finished inputting the combination and opened his locker, attempting to shove the duffel bag in it. He trusts his coworkers to not steal his precious items, but he brought a few snacks for himself and every time he puts them in his duffel bag without keeping it in his locker, the snacks seem to magically disappear. He presumed the culprit is Jungkook anyway. After slamming the locker shut with all of his might in order to make sure none of the contents spill, he turned his full attention to Yoongi, "Do you have the list of stuff I have to do?"

Ignoring his question, Yoongi asked with blank eyes, "Why were you late?"

Jimin raised his eyebrows before shyly rubbing the back of his head while responding, "Ah," he knows Yoongi isn't very fond of Nari but he would rather be honest than lie, so he continued, "I was with Nari."

Yoongi scoffed, "Of course you were. Clearly she's distracting you from your work."

The orange-haired man couldn't help but awkwardly chuckle before saying, "No, it was my fault. I kept myself there longer than I should have. You know how it goes..." he turned around to grab his sweatshirt from the bench and put it over his head.

"I used to know how it goes... and you did too before her," the older one trailed off as he spoke when Jimin's back was to him. He paused after putting on his sweatshirt, looking down at his feet in confusion, yet at the same time, there was redundancy because he also knew what his hyung was referring to. Turning around to face him with his face slightly contorted, Yoongi didn't back down when continuing, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Jimin was at a loss for words. This was something Yoongi hadn't brought up to him in a long time, and it truly messed with him that the mint-haired man would even compare the reason for his truancy to something from the past. Jimin shook his head and said, "What are you getting at?"

He crossed his arms, "Be careful about getting serious with someone who has no idea what it's like to struggle. You made that mistake last time, don't forget what it did to you."

Jimin's eyebrows furrowed and Yoongi took notice of the apparent anger that seemed to slowly display itself on his soft features. However, that was not going to waver him despite the slight regret lingering within him for making someone he cares about upset. At this point, all that mattered was proving a point and making sure his younger friend understands him. He was not going to let anyone hurt him again and the way in which he was going to do this was by being a hardass and showing him tough love.

Jimin scoffed in disbelief, "Yoongi-hyung, I hope you're not comparing Nari to her..."

"Well I am," Yoongi walked further into the dressing room, swiping his finger across the surface of a vanity to check for any leftover dust. He lifted his finger to take a look, flicking the very few pieces of dust off and looking back at Jimin, "A privileged girl like her who has everything laying in front of her can't possibly empathize with your struggles. It's happened before and you were left heartbroken."

The younger man could not believe what he was hearing. Normally his hyung thought out every word he says thoroughly, especially in touchy topics. Slightly raising his voice, Jimin said, "That's not why we broke up, you know what happened... how she was coming onto Seokjin-hyung behind my back. Nari isn't like that."

"How are you so sure, huh?" Yoongi then approached Jimin, making his expression clear that he was not messing around and he was going to force the younger man to listen. He continued, "Nari is getting pretty touchy with them lately."

"She's not like tha-"

"And it doesn't help that she questioned your life decisions before either. She may have fooled the others, but she's not fooling me. Even Hoseok is slightly suspicious." Yoongi saw the slight twitch of Jimin's eyebrow, his lips pursed tightly together as to not have a sudden outburst. He knew very well how scary it can be when Jimin gets angry, a complete opposite side to how he normally is. Either way, it was nothing for him to fear.

"You know what, hyung?" Jimin started, "If this is your way of protecting me because of what happened in the past, then your way is really fucked up."

Yoongi placed his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes at him, "How is it fucked up? Remember who took care of you when you were a mess after that breakup? You're the type of guy who wants the same girl for the rest of your life because your expectations of love are so unrealistic. And then you go and pick up girls who have been given everything in life," he saw the younger man's face beginning to turn red, but he kept talking, "I'm trying to look out for you because you are one of six people I care about in this world, don't forget what I've done for you."

"I don't want to hear it!" The orange-haired man huffed, not caring that he was raising his voice to someone who has authority over him due to the age difference, yet he continued on with his outburst by exclaiming, "I'm finally happy! I finally have someone else cheering me on! In a relationship, the other person is supposed to bring out the best in you, and I feel that with Nari! Don't fuck this up for me, Yoongi-hyung, I'm serious. You're the only one who is making shit up in your head about her. No one else thinks this way, so perhaps you should be the one checking yourself."

The older man tilted his head, poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue before saying, "Remember who you're talking to, Jimin." In many ways, Yoongi knew he was being drastic and judging Nari without first getting to know her, but it was because he cannot stand people who think they are better than others. And worst of all, he can't stand cheaters, and Jimin's past relationship ended because of those factors. It tore him apart because the younger man gets very invested in the people he cares about and gives what he does not have. It hurt to see him like that, someone he considers a little brother, and he has no idea how to protect him other than be harsh and criticize anyone that shows even the slightest bit of interest in him. It was not in his nature to coddle or nurture, he preferred to be blunt and logical, though Yoongi was starting to feel as if he was not using much logic in this situation. That was especially apparent by the way Jimin was fuming and looking at him with such distaste.

Sighing in annoyance, Yoongi continued, "Whatever," he shoved the piece of notepad paper with a list of tasks to do at his chest, Jimin reluctantly catching the paper as Yoongi said, "Get this shit done and do it fast since you were late."

With that, the older man left his friend in a state he had not anticipated, the lingering feeling of guilt bubbling in his chest.

•••

A few days has passed. Jimin occupies himself with his focus strictly on cleaning the club's dressing room that late afternoon. After a period of leaving it to be built up of dust, clothes, and products all over the place, it was easy to tell that the area needed to be freshened up the moment the dancer first stepped in. He preferred the place to be neat and feel welcoming, rather than messy and claustrophobic. As he puts away the hair gels and wipes the vanities clean, he hummed to himself a few catchy melodies that he'd memorized over time to make the cleaning more bearable.

He was so into fixing up the room that his hair was tossed in all directions from scrubbing the lockers and benches, plus the removal of his hoodie after sweating up a storm. He was in a black t-shirt, now wrinkled and slightly wet from wiping his face. He wasn't looking the best, but he sure was getting things done regardless of his seemingly unpleasant appearance.

In the midst of all the cleaning, there was an abrupt knocking at the door. It was enough to kick Jimin out of his focus, eyes darting towards its direction, and barely getting a word out as it opens too quickly for him to process. The first thing he's able to recognize is a handful of sparkly performance outfits on separate hangers. He then gets the full view of his coworker, Eunjae, holding them up excitedly for him to see.

"Hey, sorry for the intrusion. I hope you don't mind but," She greeted coolly with a smile as she walked closer, "Look what just arrived in my dressing room. Aren't they just so pretty?"

Jimin is completely awake by now. He slowly nods at Eunjae, his smile cracking just a tad, "A-Ah, they came just in time then. You wouldn't want to perform without a fresh outfit every so often." He said. The woman before him pushed her long hair back over her shoulder.

"So you've noticed," she says, raising a brow at him as her smile grows a little more.

"It's common among entertainers to keep themselves in the trend. I have my own style that's popular among the regulars here, but I'll still wear something new once in awhile. I'm sure you already know how all of that works, of course," Jimin spoke as he continued to pick some shoes up from the floor and stuff them in a few storage cubes on the side.

Eunjae's lips press together as she thinks for a moment. Her attempts to talk to Jimin are only at an aquatinted level. A business level, at most. She hopes to warm up to him more, but his way of conversing felt blocked off for her and it brought the girl's hope down. With some more thought and consideration, something clicks in her mind. "I know this is a little weird, but it would mean greatly to me if you helped me pick one to wear tonight. There's quite a few to choose from, but I'm confident that you have a knack for this kind of stuff!"

The orange-haired dancer paused. He looked down at the floor with a speck of confusion beginning to grow in his head, the sensation digging into his chest, yet he finds no reason to be feeling this way. He turns to look at her, "Anything you wear would be okay, honestly."

His words sparked a smirk to form on her face. Eunjae's eyes narrowed down at her options before pulling one from the rest out for Jimin to see. She whispered loud enough for him to hear, "How about this one?"

All strings. Hardly any coverage. A tight fit. All screaming for attention and definitely too much of it. At a strip club, it's expected that there would be partially-to-all-nude entertainers. However, their club in particular, although it's in the less-favored part of town, requires the standard outfit coverage for dancers, unless worn in a private session.

Jimin let out a sigh as he laughed to her sarcastically, "Haha...funny. But you know the rules. I suggest something that isn't as revealing. It's a small strip club, not the Playboy mansion."

"I was just kidding with you, silly!" Eunjae laughed, putting the 'outfit' at the very end of her pile, "I'm gonna throw one of the more appropriate ones on and I'll be back, because I wanna show you what I found. I'm not sure who's stuff it is but when we get there, I'm positive you'll be able to tell! Go back to your cleaning, then!" And she was gone in an instant.

Jimin didn't pay mind to her words as much, finishing up his tasks quietly as he basks in the comfortable silence.

•••

"Where exactly are we going, Eunjae?" Jimin asked as he followed the woman down the hallway. As the two entered the main room, he was quick to discover that all of the boys were cleaning around the bar and kitchen. They were in their own worlds as they washed dishes, wiped counters and mopped the floors. Not even noticing the red and glittery-looking bikini Eunjae had been wearing, the boys were as focused as Jimin was earlier. The pair walked across the vip section and towards the solo room. With the club stereo playing music in the background, it was hard to hear anyone without having to raise their voice a couple times.

"Eunjae," Jimin says aloud, hoping she heard him. The thick curtains were pushed wide open as the girl led him inside. "Can we make this quick? I gotta help Taehyung next with his schedule for tonight."

Long black hair flows around the girl as she spins to stop and look at him. It's a long stare, eyes growing with a fiery and determined gaze. Not wasting another second, she says, "You really like to care for others, don't you?"

Jimin stares back, his expression falling.

"Yes, always." He answered.

"Well then," Eunjae said softly, stepping towards him, "Let me take care of you for a change."

The moment flashed by in an instant. If it had gone slower, Jimin would have been smarter and ran out of the room towards his coworkers. He would have seen the next part more clearly if time were on his side. But how could he see that Eunjae's intentions were deeper than he thought? It's hard to tell what she is truly thinking especially when she suddenly moves the curtain close, hiding them in partial darkness, and he finds himself pushed down onto the sofa. It's hard to see her. Hard to recognize that he was this foolish into letting her think she could do such a thing with him. He sits in complete shock, and it didn't help that this half-naked woman was standing before his very eyes.

"Hold on, wait!" Jimin struggles to make sense of the whole situation, and it was setting off an alarm in his head. He needed to get out of this room. But he simply couldn't just shove the woman off and leave. He had some basic respect even if it meant slowly talking Eunjae out of thinking he was interested in her.

"I've been meaning to get this close to you for awhile..." Eunjae said, pressing her hands against the man's chest to prevent him from moving away. In her mind, she was unaware of the fact that Jimin was already in a committed relationship. Otherwise, her current actions wouldn't be speaking for herself the way they did. She didn't waste a second as she began to run her fingers along the lining of his black t-shirt, taking notice of his tousled orange hair.

"Listen, there's been a mistake on my behalf. I ask of you to please let us talk somewhere else that would be more appropriate." Jimin took hold of her wrists to keep her from going any further.

"This is the perfect place," Eunjae winked at him, "I actually wanted to talk about my feelings for you." There had been multiple times where she had felt butterflies in her stomach, and Jimin was the sole cause of it. The moment they were introduced, she was immediately interested. She seemed to fall even more with the way he spoke to her and guided her in the past month or so. She was under the impression that Jimin wanted her just as much. From the lessons, to the random conversations that didn't seem to last very long to her dismay. She was floating in the clouds, and it must have been too high up to see the ground.

She got closer, and Jimin released her from his grasp. He stood up quickly, trying to move around her.

"I think it's a little soon for me to confess like this, but I really feel that you and I are on the same page." The female entertainer blocks him once more, her voice sounding more excited as she fades away from the reality before her.

"I'm already-"

"-Feeling the same way?! I figured..." she interrupted with a smug expression, fanning herself with her right hand as she continued to scoot even closer in proximity.

  "Please listen to me!" Jimin takes ahold of Eunjae's shoulders, however he gets pushed back onto the sofa. Who knew her arms would be that strong? He thought to himself. It should have been expected, though. She's a stripper for crying out loud!

"It's okay to sit down, silly! No need to be so tensed up like this." The girl leaned over and whispered to him. Legs covered in a glittery lotion that shimmers under the dim light as Eunjae moves to sit half of her body on Jimin's lap. One leg straddling between his thighs, while the other is kneeling on the sofa beside him. She only tightens her hold on his wrists.

•••

Nari parked her car in her usual spot at the club, which sounds weird but the thought was something she would need to get used to for awhile. Her dark brown eyes looked like tiny pools of caramel under the sun's rays of light pouring into the car. She checked herself in her rear-view mirror before grabbing her phone, purse and a box of decor pieces that Taehyung had requested her to buy for the club. They were very much last-minute purchases, but seeing as she adored Taehyung and wanted to help the boys as best as she can in her last time of volunteering, she happily took the time out of her afternoon to get everything. Plus, she wanted to surprise Jimin after not seeing him for a few days. It all worked out.

She carefully carries the stuff towards the entrance, already hearing the music playing on the inside of the club. She adjusted the box in her grasp, using her one free hand to quickly open door. To her luck, the air conditioning hit her warm face and she felt a nice relief take over her body. Walking in and setting the box down on a nearby table, she noticed the first person before her.

"Noona!" Jungkook's eyes dilated at the sight of the girl. He wipes his sweatshirt free of any dust that may have gotten on his chest and arms during the cleaning, mumbling to himself of how horrible he looks in front of the familiar guest. Nari goes over to hug him, and with a few complaints from the boy about how messy he was as they embrace, she laughs. During the time that she's been volunteering and visiting the club for Jimin, her and Jungkook formed a better friendship with each other. It was like that for everyone else, however Hoseok and Yoongi are still a tad too far to reach.

"I bought some stuff under Taehyung's request so I came to drop it off and maybe see Jimin if he's around," Nari smiles, pointing back at the box. She looks around the large room, and didn't spot anyone until the kitchen doors are loudly busted open. She flinches at the unexpected noise.

"Wahh! These doors are new new!" A surprised Seokjin and an amazed Hoseok are both carrying boxes of liquor bottles towards the bar and set them down onto the counter. They did not seem to care too much about the fact that they almost broke their freshly new and installed kitchen doors, but they were full of energy for the night to come. Hoseok was the first to notice Nari's presence.

"Ah, good to see you, Nari." He bowed his head, sending a small and polite smile to the brunette. He pats Seokjin's back as signal to follow while he rounds the counter, approaching her and Jungkook. The taller man clapped his hands together at the sight of Nari, jogging over to embrace the woman happily.

"What brings your pretty self here? It's because you couldn't stand life without me, right?" He grinned as they parted from the hug. Hoseok rolled his eyes playfully beside him, "Yeah, ok sure. As if anyone can even stand one day with you."

"Say that again, I fucking dare you."

  "Looks like I've gotta - uh - change the music now! Since - uhm - it wastes energy! Yep!" Hoseok worriedly waves his hand to the three and runs off backstage.

Jin sighed and relaxed his shoulders, turning back to the confused young-ins and smiled again, "I'll be on my way as well. I've gotta prepare a face mask for tonight's performance. I'll come back in a few, okay?" He walks past the stage area and disappears around the corner towards the dressing rooms.

Nari and Jungkook slowly exchange puzzling looks before the younger decided to lead her to the bar. He steps behind the counter, "Would you like a refreshment?"

"I'll take a hard shot of H2O, please." Nari jokes, to which Jungkook lets out a giggle as he opens the mini fridge on the ground to grab her a cold water bottle. This time, the kitchen doors open once again with two more employees walking through together. Nari takes a sip of her water before putting it down to greet Namjoon and her most favorite person in the world, Yoongi.

"Princess Nari is in the building, that's right!!" The salmon-haired man announced out loud in English with his arms thrown up in the air. Yoongi swiped the hand-towel from his back pocket and smacked it against the taller's chest, "Quiet down!"

Namjoon backed away from the elder and rubbed his chest from the pain, "Okay, uh...totally not necessary!" He whined.

"And so was your yelling. We're even now so keep it that way." Yoongi demanded.

"Hello to you both," Nari bowed her head kindly, "I'm sorry for coming without notice. Taehyung asked me this morning to bring some decor for the club and I had some free time today to pick them up. I hope that's alright." She brushed her hair behind her ears nervously.

"Of course, it's alright! Any time, you are always welcome here, and you should know that!" Namjoon assured her happily. Yoongi just stared at the girl questionably before his mind went to another thought. He decided to continue his curiosity. "So you just came for that? Or were you going to see Jimin as well?" He asked while stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Thank you," Nari said to Namjoon before looking back to Yoongi, "And yes, that too. I thought it would be nice to say hi to him while I made this quick trip. It's been a few days since we last met up." She explained politely. The mint-haired waiter nodded his head at her response.

  Seokjin comes back into the main room with his face-mask neatly set onto his skin and his bangs pushed back with a hair band. He holds a bag of potato chips in one hand and his phone in the other. He stops in his tracks and looks up from his device when everyone goes quiet to stare at him. He pursed his lips with sass, "Um, can I help you all with something?"

  Namjoon crosses his arms, "Actually, you can. Have you seen Jimin?"

Taehyung suddenly emerges from the kitchen, eyes wide with confusion for the group of people standing around the bar. He realizes once Nari is in view, and sighed with relief.

"Perfect! Thank you for coming so quickly!" He calls over the music. Nari bows her head to him in greeting as she goes to grab the box of decor for him. Namjoon takes it from her grasp gently and winks to signal that he's got it. Taehyung points towards the backstage area and the pink-haired man follows the direction to put the stuff away.

"Thank you again, Nari. I didn't think you'd be able to show up that fast with your busy schedule!" Taehyung was very impressed with her and made sure to show his gratitude for her effort. Nari waved her hand, "It was no issue for me. I would love to help with anything I can."

  Seokjin patted his face mask to adjust it, then realized something. "Guys, I haven't seen Jimin in awhile. He wasn't in the dressing room when I walked in earlier."

"The boy didn't know she was coming so he's probably around cleaning the place. I'm sure this girl can look for him herself if she wanted to." Yoongi was sharp with his words as he took a seat at the bar with Jungkook. Seokjin sighed and sat down with them, continuing to munch on his chips and type away at his phone.

  Awkwardly, Nari decided to walk around the club while she waited for Jimin. Since the renovations were done recently, she never got the chance to see everything and wanted to give herself a small tour to pass the time.

A few minutes in, Nari is on the other side of the main room, and her eyes come across an area with only a curtain covering the entrance where a door would normally be. The woman pays no mind to the mystery room as she walks past it, but she immediately froze.

Slowly, she steps backwards and leans over to peak inside the barely-lit room, and she sees two people conversing, almost intimately. She was not able to tell what they were saying with the music in the background, but it was enough for her to realize the situation. It took a shot at her heart, and the air was punched out of her lungs. She tears the curtain open aggressively and her questions were no longer needing an answer.

   Jimin and Eunjae were both caught horribly positioned at the wrong moment. Nari's eyes wandered to Eunjae's outfit, to the interlock of their legs, to their hands, and to Jimin's tousled hair. The female dancer immediately pushed herself off of the man and stood there quietly when she realized the damage she had done. Jimin watched as Nari's face frighteningly stayed looking calm, but he knew better. When he tried to get up and explain, his girlfriend held out her palm to stop him, slowly shaking her head. The music in the club had finally stopped playing, resulting in a dead silence. Everyone saw, and that made the moment worse for Nari. She stared at his messy appearance and saw his expression was paling.

  "I thought I would stop by to drop off some stuff for Taehyung and then say hello, so I waited for you..." She clears her throat. Her eyes then swelled up with tears threatening to escape, "But it seems that you're busy."

Jimin's heart drops, "Nari, hold on a second, we—"

"—I don't want to hear it, Jimin!" She screamed at him, her face burning red with embarrassment and her eyes were no longer bright and warm. Only darkness and a rainstorm circling her pupils. She runs past everyone and into the kitchen, where she pushed through the back doors and let herself fall against the wall beside the dumpsters. She could not believe what she witnessed, and the fact that everyone else had to see the commotion that she created made her head spin.

Covering her mouth to prevent any noises from echoing, she let her emotions pour out through her tears.

Nari was very shaken up, her eyes beginning to feel inflamed from the tears pouring out at such a fast rate, and she had to attempt to catch her breath. She was not in the condition to drive at the moment, especially since it was the middle of the day where traffic was going to be hectic. Even in her condition, she was not going to risk her life or other's lives. She had to calm down first. Besides that, the scene played out in her mind, and Nari had to cup her mouth with her hand to keep from disturbing others with her sobbing. Many questions were spiraling through her mind.

What did I just witness?

Why were they doing that?

How could Jimin betray me?

Was I not good enough all this time?

Repeating those questions to herself over and over again, Nari's cries got softer as she relaxed her shoulders against the dirty wall, and continued to stare blankly at the other side of the ally.

The guys had been standing near the hallway when they all saw Nari storm out. They watched her figure, wide-eyed and seemingly frozen in confusion at her sudden outburst. It was when Jimin followed after her and Eunjae closely behind him that they all understood. It was the girl's suggestive outfit and Jimin's disheveled and pale form that made it clear what was going on. Once Nari had sped past the five men, Yoongi being on the other side of the room but having seen everything, Jimin jogged after her. Taehyung and Jungkook were quick to hold him back from reaching her as she fled the building, Taehyung's expression showing seriousness while Jungkook looked bewildered and confused.

"Tae, let go, I—" Jimin spoke quickly but was cut off when Taehyung pushed him back with his hand on his chest. The orange-haired dancer looked completely frantic and disheveled, yet somehow did not have the will to push his best friend away. He slouched his shoulders in defeat, looking down at his feet and mumbling incoherent words to himself.

Jungkook put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder, attempting to ask the older one what to do, but the taller man quickly said, "I'll handle this," he turned to his best friend, "Jimin, come on, let's go talk somewhere." Taehyung then threw his arm over his shoulder, leading them into the dressing room while everyone else awkwardly looked at one another feeling as if they were completely lost.

Eunjae had stood to the side, watching as Taehyung and Jimin walked past her, and she quickly pieced together what she had done as she said, "I'm— I'm so sorry, I didn't—," yet she was still at a loss for words. Seokjin had approached her, gently grabbing the woman's shoulders and taking her to the opposite part of the room, away from everyone else, especially Jimin. He softly repeated words of reassurance to her in hopes of calming her down because he, and everyone else knew, she made a mistake.

Yoongi slowly walked towards the remaining men, a banana in his hand he was meant to have as a snack before he heard Nari's sudden outburst and the events that followed. He noticed the awkward silence between Jungkook, Namjoon, and Hoseok, and was about to speak before deciding to also take part in the silence, clearly unsure of what to do like everyone else.

"Should someone..." Hoseok started, glancing at each of his friends before continuing, "Maybe go check on Nari?"

They looked to Jungkook, whom had the closest relationship to the girl besides Jimin, and he cleared his throat before saying, "I can try talking to her, but I don't have much experience in this stuff and I don't want to upset her more..." his voice trailed off.

Yoongi rubbed his temple in frustration, then suddenly felt a sense of responsibility as the oldest one amongst the four. He let out a long sigh before saying, "I'll go. She went out the back doors, correct?"

Namjoon's eyebrow raised, his voice filled with apprehension when saying, "I think so, but Yoongi-hyung... are you sure it should be you?"

Ignoring the question, the mint-haired men left the three to themselves, walking towards the kitchen doors. Without skipping a beat, he then barged through the back door, looking in front of him at the outdoors before a sitting figure to the side caught his eye. From there, the man saw Nari sitting on the ground, sniffling with tears running down her face. She did not even spare him a glance, yet the sudden presence of someone else made the girl put her face in her hands in an attempt to cry in privacy. There was a small tug at his heart and Yoongi couldn't take his eyes off of her, taking in her pathetic and defeated figure. He felt shame and regret for having been rude to her all of this time despite not ever attempting to get to know her, especially now that she is near him, completely vulnerable to her emotions at the moment.

However, he did not know the full story, and he needed to hear what exactly happened before pointing fingers at anyone. Rubbing the back of his head in awkwardness, he looked down at the banana he had been clutching onto, then glanced down at Nari.

Clearing his throat, he held the banana out to her because he assumed food would make her feel better, "You, uh... want this?"

Nari peeled her hands from her face, only to be greeted with a kneeling Yoongi and a banana close to her face. She took notice of his expression, from his pursed lips to his slightly fallen expression. Understanding he was just trying to help, Nari's voice cracked when she softly replied, "No, but thank you..."

Feeling slightly offended she rejected such a kind offer from him, he straightened his back, looking around the empty ally to think of what to do. Food wasn't going to help, so what was he supposed to do next? Jimin was always the best at comforting people when they are sad, but he clearly is not the best candidate at the moment. Glancing back at Nari, Yoongi then looked to the sky and mumbled a curse, followed by a, "Am I really about to comfort this girl?"

Nari had turned her ahead away from the older man after politely declining his offer, until she felt a figure seat themself next to her. Despite the fact Yoongi was the only other person in the ally, it still shocked her to see him seated closely next to her as a means of comfort. She was unsure of what his true intentions were or why he, of all people, would choose to come out here. Yoongi shivered to himself at the fact that he is sitting on a dirty ground with his dry-cleaned khakis, but chose to let it go. There are more important things to worry about at the moment. He saw Nari look towards him in confusion, then looked down at her lap, not crying anymore, but her expression still sunken and her eyes red and puffy.

Yoongi fiddled with the earring on his left ear before asking with hesitation, "Are... are you okay?"

Nari had to let the question sink in for a moment before replying, "I... I don't know what just happened." Yoongi rose his eyebrow at her, keeping his focus on the side of her face. She seemed just as confused as everyone else. Nari continued, "One moment I was looking forward to seeing him and the next..." another tear fell, "I saw her on top of him, and-"

The man looked to the side in question, playing the scene out in his head of how long Jimin had been gone for, how Eunjae was nowhere to be seen when they were all working. He was especially replaying the argument he had with Jimin a few days prior with Yoongi accusing Nari of being a potential cheater, and now it was as if the tables turned and he was being a fool this whole time. The man knew how judgmental he always was of the girl, rolling his eyes every time he saw her timid self walk into the club, and grimacing when Jimin brought her up during their meals after work. Irritated with himself, Yoongi let the back of his head hit the wall behind him.

"Was I..." Nari trailed off and looked at Yoongi, "Was I just not good enough for him?" The man whipped his head at her question, looking her up and down while she continued, "I was always feeling insecure around him because I thought he was too good to be true. How could I, of all people, deserve him?"

Yoongi's mouth was slightly agape. He had everything wrong from the beginning. This whole time he assumed Jimin was the one who had the potential of feeling insecurity from being with a girl who, seemingly, was much better off than him. There was no reason for Nari to feel insecure around someone who was a mere dancer, someone without a hopeful path to follow, yet it seems that was exactly how she felt. It was then that he realized the reason Jimin had been happier with her and denied all allegations of her possibly leading him into another heartbreak, was because Nari saw something in him no one else did... and she was the one left heartbroken.

Closing his eyes, Yoongi grimaced when saying, "I'm a fucking idiot."

Nari looked at him questionably, wiping her eyes for a moment before studying his irritated expression and wondering how her sorrows had anything to do with him. Yoongi opened his eyes and locked his with hers. He then explained, "This whole time I thought I was doing something to protect Jimin from you, but you're the one who is hurt."

"I don't understand—"

"I'm just really sorry," Yoongi cut her off and she looked at him in apparent shock at his words, but he ignored her and continued, "I'm a dick and I've been a dick this whole time. But I'll fix this... somehow."

The girl gave a sarcastic chuckle, "There is nothing for you to fix," she then frowned to herself, "What's done is done. But it means a lot that you care."

At this point, Yoongi didn't know what else to say to her. Instead, he stood up, causing Nari to watch his movements in confusion. He held both hands out to her as a way to aid her in getting up from the ground. She took them, stumbling a bit as she emerged from her seated position due to the fact that her sadness seemed to make her feel heavier than usual. Once she was off of the ground, Yoongi let her go and said, "This shitty place isn't worth crying in," he looked around in distaste before saying in a more reassuring tone, "Let's get you to your car. You should go get a nice meal or something, yeah?"

Nari was very confused as to why the man was showing her such care, but she brushed it off and simply nodded as Yoongi walked closely next to her to her vehicle. It was good she wasn't looking at him, because Yoongi's expression was not a pleasant one.

Min Yoongi was pissed.

•Lust of Innocence•

•••~ Hello everyone, Ash here! We know it has been a while but hopefully we still have some readers out there that are still hoping for new chapters. I apologize for the delay!! Anyway, please stay safe in these trying times, everyone!

•••~ Milly here! I'm sorry for the long ass wait, guys. I hope this chapter makes up for the length of time that has passed! Thank you for reading! Next chapter is hopefully soon!