•Lust of Innocence•

Nari was scratching her head in thought, scanning over the many brands and prices of cleaning supplies that laid out not-so-neatly on the shelves before her. Her deep chocolate-colored orbs kept trying to choose between dish soap and sponges, but her mind could not decide. Thinking and trying to remember if she already had these things, it was creating a minor frustration in her head.

"Wahh! I knew I should have made a list..." She muttered sheepishly, slapping her cheeks twice to get ahold of herself as she walks off to the next isle. Cereal was always on her mind due to the fact that she pretty much eats it every morning like a spiritual ritual. She would have liked to cook normal meals, but her medical studying had pushed aside the extra time for that hobby.

Being at the store early in the morning during the week was a mandatory thing as well since she had a busy schedule, but she was off and had some time in the evening to carefully look through the new cereals and granola bars stacked up on the shelves around her. The things she bought had always been cheap; never the overly expensive and quality type of foods, so when she found mostly snacks made for children, it didn't bug her to easily pick some out for herself.

Wearing a soft pink tang-top with spaghetti straps and some blue yoga pants accompanied by a pair tan-colored sandals had really meant she wasn't trying to impress anyone. She was at the store, so she was positively sure that no one would care if she mismatched and looked typically unkept. Her messy bun and makeup-less face just added to the fuel. With a red plastic basket hanging off her arm, she was making room for more necessities when she suddenly heard someone softly clear their throat behind her.

"Nari?"

The voice was slightly familiar to her ears, but she had not remembered clearly of it. Spinning around as she yawned, her eyes widen and her mouth instantly shuts. Cheeks sporting a rosy color and ears burning red with embarrassment, the woman found herself feeling like complete trash when she saw him.

Jimin stood close by, eyeing her curiously as if to check if it were actually her he had just called to. His lips curve upward as he clarified her response, facial features brightening when he chuckles, "Ah, so it is you."

  Nari feels bubbles of confusion arising in her chest, along with an uncomfortable heaviness weighing on her back. It was like she changed into a whole new person, not knowing how to reply nicely or even say a word at all in this situation. Her jaw clenched as she realizes that her current attire really didn't help either. While she was mindlessly dressed like a clown, Jimin's grey sweatshirt, black basketball shorts and matching running shoes had magically made him look like some sports model compared to her. He didn't seem to have the brand-type of clothing, but nonetheless he was practically gorgeous in her envious mind.

"Er...H-Hi..." Nari waved quickly at him, almost dropping her basket to the floor. The orange-haired man glanced at the cereals she picked out, titling his head and smiling wider while pointing at them, "You like Fruit Loops too?" There came a small laugh, so sweet and innocent-like. It was almost as if there had been a child taking advantage of his voice, but it was somehow so appealing to hear such soft laughter to Nari's ears.

"I-well-uh yeah. They're like...cool and fun to eat. Rainbow stuff...I just love eating them a lot. But like I don't have an obsession or anything-I don't like them that much-but they're really great. Fruit Loops could be my life if you know...I ate them more often...aha..." She blabbed, very aware that she just made a fool out of herself. Now he thinks I'm insane...Nari internally slapped her face and smiled awkwardly up at him.

Jimin rose a brow at her, nodding when he finally understood. He shuffled on his feet for a bit before also grabbing a box of the same cereal. "I'll take your word for it," he chuckled again, "These are one of my favorites."

   By now most people would be more comfortable in engaging a conversation, but Nari found herself staring at the ground with thoughts of self-consciousness wrapping around her arms like a sweater. She wished that she'd have something more appropriate to be wearing in front of Jimin, because people who work like him usually have a good sense of fashion, or so she thought in her own opinion. She felt like he judged every piece of her clothing, all the imperfections she spotted on her own shoulders, the frizzy hair tangled up on her head.

"Well it was really nice running into you here." Jimin rubbed his hands together, unable to continue the conversation. He wanted to know what else she was interested in, what else they could possibly have in common other than some box of Fruit Loops. The bright lights above them flickered just faintly, aromas of cardboard, strong soap, cheese, and raw meat can be easily scouted walking around the grocery store. Nari took note of the smells and even the dusty shelves that had unpopular brands of stuff sitting on top on them. Her eyes dared not to meet those of Jimin's, afraid that she'd be seeing judgment written all over his expression.

  "Y-Yeah."

  Without another word, the two parted into different directions, disappearing in other isles to continue on with their lives.

   Only this time it just got worse when they ended up meeting again in the hair product sections of the store. Jimin had already been standing there trying to figure out which was the cheapest shampoo to get that was worth cleansing his hair. Nari had stumbled upon the sight of him and tried her best to avoid any visual contact with him as she reached out to her usual bottle of conditioner and a smoothing spray that held a soft scent of peaches. Jimin had not failed to spot her near by, warmly grinning to himself as he finally picked out a product. He was about to walk off to let her be, but something clicked in his mind.

"Uhh Nari," he whispered, uncertain if he should even speak to her at this point when she looked like she could run off at any second. The girl froze, her baby hairs sticking out from her nest of thick brown hair. She hesitantly lifts her face from the products, turning over her attention to the man beside her.

  Jimin tried not to scare her, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm glad you're still here," he said. "I almost forgot to mention that someone in your party had left a diamond necklace at our building two nights ago. I had just remembered that I was going to contact you about it to see when is a good time to retrieve the item." He rubs the back of his neck, biting his bottom lip nervously.

Nari's first thoughts were questioning the mysterious person who carelessly left such an expensive piece of jewelry at the club, but her mind shifted to her best friend, Chae-Rin. Her shoulders dropped and her eyes narrowed in disappointment, muttering, "That drunk idiot."

She turned to Jimin, forgetting about the way she had dressed and focused more on the item that was left behind. "I guess I can stop by tomorrow to get the necklace. I swear that girl cannot be responsible for her own stuff when she's under the influence of alcohol. Really sorry for the trouble." She bowed her head, a sincere apology from her heart. As she stood straightly, she adjusted her top's straps and pressed her lips together. The orange-headed man runs his fingers through his messy hair, then cheekily smiling, "No worries. We've kept it safe for you guys so stop by when you have time, especially if it belongs to the bride-to-be." He informed. Nari exhaled in relief, clutching her basket.

Unconsciously, the two walked beside each other, and moved on grabbing the rest of their necessities. Finally being able to hold small-talk, the brown-eyed girl swallowed hard as she tried not to get too close to him. That night when she first encountered Jimin, she'd been thinking about what he had said and how he treated her. There was lots of confusion and a wave of unknown emotions running through her, so rare and hard to detect in her mind. A storm of stuttering words and an uncomfortable greeting of a handshake had her wondering what kind of person Jimin was.

He was a stripper. No sugar-coating needed. He was someone who entertained hormonal women and even men for a living. He was gifted with good looks and that was how he took advantage of it?  She thought. How pitiful. To her, he wasn't horrible, but the way she had seen him act that first night had a big impact on what she had as a first impression of him. Right now, she didn't feel comfortable at all even with how respectable she was to him and the same treatment she surprisingly received back from the guy.

If it weren't bad enough, there had been only one cash register open and she followed him along to purchase their stuff. The lady eyes them both and sensed the very thick and intense awkwardness running around them. It was awfully quiet and Nari couldn't help but to whimper softly when it was her turn to get her stuff scanned. Jimin wasn't too far away to watch the girl stand in discomfort as he adjusted his bags on his wrists. He was extremely worried that he was pestering her by speaking about the other night. He had to, though. It was worse when Nari had carried her bags out of the store after paying and Jimin offered to carry them back to her car. She couldn't deny that they were heavy, so she reluctantly let him just to get it over with. He smiles once again.

  "I'll see you tomorrow." The way that those words smoothly rolled off of his tongue sent chills down Nari's back and over her arms. There was a numbing sensation that electrocuted the air between them. The woman nods anxiously, watching Jimin graciously gesture a 'goodbye' as he walks off with his things. Nari goes around to get into her vehicle, exhaling as she plopped and sunk down in the silent space.

"Tomorrow...."

...

The vehicle jolted as it came to a stop in the narrow parking space. Heaving a sigh of dread, Nari turned to her friend and said with a finger pointed strictly at her, "Stay put, I'm not expecting to be in there long and I know you'll be a distraction."

Crossing her arms and pouting like a child, she whined, "But I want to see the hot stripper too!"

Rubbing her temples in utter annoyance at the women next to her, the brown-headed girl replied, "This is exactly why you're not going in there with me."

"Ugh, you're so lame," Chae-Rin scoffed with distaste present in her tone as she used a shooing-like motion with her hand, "Just get out of my sight already."

Stopping herself from replying with a snarky comeback, Nari reluctantly got out of the car, closing the door after. Her steps were slow-paced, for she didn't like the idea of coming back to this specific place after the crazy night she had. It wasn't until she was at the clear glass doors that she gulped and reached for the handle. The inside looked almost normal with the strobe lights not activated and the scent of weed and sweat no longer lingering in the air around the club. The place would've almost looked normal if it weren't for the stripper poles.

Taking a quick look around, Nari desperately tried to find that bright orange hair, but to her dismay, that color was nowhere to be seen which caused slight irritation to invade her emotions. She was hesitant when she took another step into the club, closely eyeing the area around her.

"Ah, so you came back to see me again. I'm flattered," a deep voice nearly made her jump. Nari turned her head to the side to find who the voice came from and immediately blushed when she saw the flirtatious pink-haired man, whom was giving her a dimpled smile and cleaning the inside of a martini glass from behind the bar. The woman chuckled as she walked towards the bar and placed herself near him. "I'm actually here to pick up a lost item."

Namjoon stopped cleaning the glass and puckered his lips in disappointment as he said, "I'm hurt."

Rubbing her arm awkwardly, Nari cleared her throat as she replied, "Sorry, but have you by any chance seen Jimin? He has the item."

The bartender's eyes slightly widened at her reply, but nonetheless said with slight disappointment laced in his tone, "Jimin huh? That's unexpected, but no, I haven't seen him."

Before Nari could respond, she saw movement from the corner of her eye and she suspected Namjoon saw it too, for he turned to take a look at whatever was going on. Her dark eyes widened at the strange sight before her. A man with a box-like smile had a wine bottle on the top of his head and he had his arms out to the sides to maintain balance. Has this childish man gone completely insane? Is he even human? So many incoherent questions wondered through out her mind as she stiffly watched the scene before her.

His eyes gleamed at his fellow bartender as he said, "Look at this, Namjoon-Hyung!" The man's voice was soulfully deep, but it was as if a child had taken over his body and controlled his actions. It was very strange to say the least, but she also felt a playful vibe radiate off the man which felt somewhat refreshing.

All the pink-haired man could do was sigh and place his hand on his forehead in complete and utter disappointment, but it was as if seeing something like this was nothing new to him. Nari could feel anxiousness rise within her at the idea of the expensive bottle of wine falling from his head and crashing on the floor, until a mint-haired man grabbed the bottle from his head and darkly glared at him, making the younger bartender look like all the air had been sucked out of him from the sight of the angry waiter.

"Taehyung, you dumbass," he started as he placed the bottle safely back onto the bar top and turned back to him, his eyebrows furrowing strictly, "Do you not realize how expensive alcohol is? You're acting so careless." Yoongi stared him down, almost as if he caught his own kid taking part in a bad act.

The man frowned apologetically and looked at the floor as he replied with sadness lingering in his tone, "I'm sorry, Hyung."

Yoongi heaved a sigh and was about to leave until Nari caught his attention. He rolled his eyes and bluntly asked, with a hand placed on his hip, "What the hell are you doing here? We're closed." She was slightly taken aback at his painfully straightforward words towards her. What is this guy's problem?

Namjoon snickered as he said, "Now Yoongi-Hyung, that's not how you treat a beautiful woman." The waiter didn't take his eyes off Nari when he harshly said, "Shut up." She looked at Namjoon in surprise and he simply gave her a sheepish smile, as if telling her it's something he's used to.

The brown-haired girl furrowed her eyebrows at his attitude when she said, "I'm-" but was cut off when the bartender butt into the tense conversation.

"You don't have to answer to him," Namjoon reassured with that velvet-like voice of his, giving her a slight wink and keeping on his dimpled smile.

With an emotionless stare, the mint-haired man said, "I'm your Hyung, watch what you say." That made the bartender purse his lips obediently and not mutter another word.

"Yoongi-Hyung, I-" another man approached, but was cut off when the owner of the deep, yet delicate voice stopped in his tracks once he spotted Nari. His face immediately turned red and he stuttered when he looked to the floor, "Y-You're not here to complain about my bad service, are you?" He fiddled with his fingers nervously, desperately trying to avoid the woman's gaze.

Namjoon shook his head at the younger man as he muttered under his breath, "You're hopeless, Jungkook." That earned him a slight glare from the younger waiter, which nearly made Nari giggle.

She chuckled at him reassuringly as the women replied, "Not at all, I'm here to see Jimin. Have any of you seen him?" The girl stared at each one of them, hoping for any sign of knowing in their facial expressions.

The four employees each silently exchanged looks, which Nari took as a negative sign that neither one of them had a clue of where he was. Jungkook finally had the guts to say something as he asked, "Why are you here to see Jimin-Hyung? Are you two..."

Her eyes widened and she held up her hands for him to stop and defensively exclaiming, "No, no, no," she quickly responded, "He-"

Once again, she was cut off when the sound of someone randomly beat-boxing made everyone turn their heads to the voice. All of them glared at the man who resembled that of a horse, for he interrupted the girl. The man stopped when he saw all five of them looking at him with irritation and he straightened his posture with his eyes slightly widened, "Uhh, sorry."

Nari closed her eyes in frustration and sighed at the dreadful situation she is being put under at the moment. At this point, she wanted to see Jimin more then she ever thought she would.

...

The orange-haired man stared at the jeweled object that dangled from his hand as he held it, thinking about giving it to the girl. The diamond sparkled beautifully from his hand. The man wondered how much this piece of jewelry cost. He didn't realize how dazed he was until he felt a presence next to him.

"What's that?" The voice curiously asked as he eyed the necklace.

The familiar tone made him come back to reality as he cleared his throat and placed the expensive necklace back into his locker gently. He turned to Jin and replied with a small smile, "A girl left it here the other night. She's coming by to pick it up."

Jimin noticed the gleam in his fellow entertainer's eyes as he smirked and narrowed his eyes mischievously at him, "A girl huh? Is she pretty?"

The younger man gave an exasperated expression as he whined like a child that got candy taken away from him, "Ah, Hyung! It's not like that."

Jin lightly laughed at Jimin's defensive behavior and he leaned against the lockers, crossing his arms and eyeing him curiously for a moment before asking, "You sure?"

Rolling his eyes, he replied without looking at him, "I met her last night. You always jump to conclusions." Jimin looked at him and gave him a subtle glare.

Jin shrugged, "With my looks, it's easy for me to get women, but as for you," he slapped a hand on the orange-haired man's shoulder, "it's a bit more difficult." Even with his blatant words, he gave the younger entertainer a sarcastic, yet reassuring smirk.

With an expression of shock, Jimin playfully gasped and dramatically placed a hand over his heart, "That hurt." The older man laughed and bid a goodbye as he left the dressing room, leaving Jimin to go back to sorting through his things. He was surprised to see Jin walk back into the room with a worried and unsure expression plastered on his sinfully handsome face.

"Jimin, uh..." He started and pointed behind him, making the orange-haired man tilt his head in confusion, "I think she's here."

His dark eyes slightly widened as he didn't hesitate to jog out of the dressing room and into the main area. He stopped when he saw five of his co-workers crowded around a girl at the bar, her face and body language emphasizing her awkward charisma. Jimin lightly chuckled and walked towards the bar, making everyone including Nari turn towards him.

She felt like something was caught in her throat as she looked at him. He was obviously in the process of getting ready for today's performances, for he had on a tank-top and leather pants, but no make-up yet. He looked at the five men and said, "Are you guys harassing the poor girl? I wouldn't have expected my Jungkookie to take part in this."

Jungkook gave him a disgusted look and Yoongi once again rolled his eyes and plastered on his usual emotionless, yet pissed off expression, "Finally, you're here. She's been looking for you." Yoongi didn't even attempt to mask his utter annoyance at the overall situation.

"Right..." Jimin trailed off and looked at Nari apologetically, "Sorry about the wait." He slightly bowed at her in respect for his mistake.

She shook her head and replied, "It's okay, really." He gave her a warm smile and ushered for her to follow him. With reluctance, she obeyed and stared at his back as he took the lead to the dressing room. Why was she being so tense around him? She already knew he was kind, yet she just can't handle being around an entertainer like himself. The two entered the room and Jimin delicately picked up the necklace from his already opened locker as Nari eyed his every move, taking note of his gentle nature.

"Is this it?" He asked as he gave her a moment to scan the object. Giving him a grateful smile, she replied, "It is, thank you." She grabbed the necklace from him, her fingers slightly touching his as she let the expensive piece of jewelry fall into her grasp. Nari gave him a slight bow and she said, "Sorry for the trouble. I appreciate you doing this."

The orange-haired entertainer smiled cheekily at her, showing his eye-smile, "It was no problem." He couldn't help but playfully tilt his head at her awkward aura.

The brown-headed woman uncomfortably chuckled as her eyes wondered around the dull dressing room. While doing so, she muttered, "Right, so... I should probably get going."

Jimin rubbed the back of his neck nervously, too shy to look her in the eyes and replied, "Yeah, I'll walk you out." He used a 'ladies first motion,' allowing her to exit the dressing room first. She nodded and left the room with him, unsure of what to say to him. The woman was relatively surprised at how polite he was being. Was this common amongst entertainers like himself? It was a risky question to ask, but she simply couldn't wrap her head around it. As Jimin walked alongside her, he caught a glance at Jin and noticed the elder man winking at him, causing him to shake his head defensively.

Namjoon took notice of the two heading towards the exit and he gave Nari a wave and another smirk, "Come back and see me." The man winked flirtatiously at her. She blushed at his comment and waved back awkwardly. From behind her, she heard Yoongi's deep voice say, "Thank goodness she's leaving, now get back to prepping."

Nari scoffed at Yoongi's words towards her and without thinking, she asked herself aloud, forgetting Jimin was right beside her, "What's his problem?"

Jimin looked at her as he opened the door for the girl and asked, "Who, Yoongi?"

The light breeze hit the two of them as they slowly walked into the parking lot. Nari nodded, keeping her eyes on her vehicle as she bluntly replied, "Yeah, he has the worst attitude I've ever been confronted with."

The entertainer chuckled at her words, "He just doesn't like being here this early." The man tried his best to reassure her, even though there is no excuse for his co-workers ill-mannered behavior.

"Right..." She trailed off, not believing a word he was saying about that mint-haired man. As they were closer to approaching Nari's vehicle, she saw Chae-Rin looking out the rear view mirror at them through the opened window. The excited and eager expression of her friend did not sit right with her, so Nari knew she needed to make this quick.

Stopping a little ways from the car, she looked at Jimin and quickly said, "Okay, thanks again, bye!" Not sparing another glance at the man, she nearly ran towards the car, but stopped when she saw Chae-Rin open the car door.

"Oh no..." Nari muttered under her breath as her best friend hopped out. "Wait!" She ran towards the brown-headed girl and grabbed her arm, making her follow Chae-Rin. Nari tried to free herself from her friend's grasp but failed to do so due to her surprisingly strong grip. Jimin turned towards them again and widened his eyes questionably at the familiar woman. He could vividly remember her from the night of the bachelorette party, especially her unconscious figure.

"Are you free next Tuesday?" She anxiously asked. Nari's eyes popped out of her sockets, for she knew what the bride-to-be was getting at. She looked towards Jimin and dreadfully waited for his response. A part of her really wanted him to say he was busy, yet the other part of her felt a bit of disappointment at the idea.

The man looked up, thinking about his schedule in his head before responding, "I am." A small smile crossed his full lips, for he had a guess at what he was about to be asked.

Chae-Rin glanced mischievously at Nari then looked back towards the stripper, moving closer to him with her friend still in her grasp, "This girl needs a plus one to my wedding. I know she's not much to look at, but wanna join her?" The younger girl glared at her friend for saying that, but her mouth fell agape at his response.

"I'd love to," Jimin warmly smiled at her. Nari couldn't help but stare at him in shock. Was this really happening? Did a stripper just agree to go with her to a wedding? The idea was too unbelievable for the woman to fathom.
Shyly, he unknowingly bit his lip and asked, "Can I have your number?"

The older woman nudged Nari and she uncomfortably coughed and shakily replied, "O-Of course." She moved closer to him and took out her phone, creating a new contact, then handing the handheld device to him in order to punch in his number. Jimin sent himself a text using her phone to retrieve her number and cheekily returned the phone. There was a glint of excitement in his eyes that Nari took immediate notice of.

"I'll pick you up," the orange-haired man playfully winked at her, which caused Nari to blush many shades of pink. She timidly nodded in response and he looked down at the paved ground before once again meeting her eyes and softly saying, "See you soon." That three-worded sentence left Nari frozen as she watched his confident posture and muscular figure strut happily back towards the club.

"Great! See you then!" Chae-Rin yelled towards the man and grabbed Nari, skipping happily towards the car. The brown-headed girl couldn't help the blush that lingered within her cheeks as she recalled what had happened moments earlier, but then she remembered her best friend right next to her and gave her a dark glare. Entering the car, the two sat down and buckled their seat belts. Chae-Rin was expecting the car to immediately start so she could feel the cool air conditioning hit her heated skin, but instead her friend stared at the wheel, lost in her own thoughts.

She eyed Nari cautiously, wondering exactly what was going on in that timid mind of hers. Placing a hand on her shoulder shakily, she whispered, "N-Nari."

The girl slowly turned her head towards the other and with an emotionless expression, yet a dark tone, she bluntly said, "I'm going to kill you."

•Lust Of Innocence•

-Hey, Ash here. Milly and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments and criticism are greatly appreciated and thanks for reading!