Somehow in between their (ice and groundbreaking) conversation and their current ride back to Soul, they had been dragged into Seojjog Police Headquarters. This was because Lalisa decided to jump into Gyeonggu River 'for a nice swim' when it's (apparently) strictly forbidden to do so. Whether she knew about it or not was not the point.

No, the point is that it was Jungkook's first time of ever being in a police station, held in question by an authority figure, and felt so afraid for his future that he almost peed in his pants. Thankfully, they were let off with a fine and a warning, so he managed to run to a restroom really quick.

Lalisa didn't seem fazed by it though. If anything, she had shown only a glimpse of emotion and that was of anger. The way she left the officer looked like a grudge had been placed for eternity and up until now, not a single word had left her pretty lips. Jungkook might be a little (or a lot) overwhelmed by the 'trouble' they had caused (as well as Lalisa's moody vibe) so he decided to stay silent. 

Since they wasted more than half a day at the station, they only reached Heulin around seven in the evening. She parked in an almost-empty lot at the back of a grey-painted house, with a small signage that (fittingly) says 'Outlaw - Staff' on the only door present and Jungkook started to worry again. Is it...safe?

When he got down before her, she flinched - surprising him too. "Fuck - I forgot you were there!!"

She...forgot...that I was behind her? Like...the whole time? The entire one hour - how is that even...my hands were around her! How is it possible that she -

"Sorry! My head's someplace else," She laughs and he forgot all about it.

Following into Outlaw from behind her like a little puppy in love, he only managed to tear off his gaze once he got inside. It's only half past 7 but the place is already filled with people across all age. He realized then that Outlaw is actually somewhat of a bar...only bigger! And livelier...and definitely louder! It is nothing like the (only) 2 bars that he had visited back in Geum. 

"What uh...what is this place?" He had to shout a little close to Lalisa.

She kept walking straight and only stopped to turn once they reached the bar counter. "Only Heulin's finest nightclub. Since you wanted to dive into the dark and dangerous, Jungkook-ssi...I guess you can call it your lucky day," She leaned up a little to whisper close to his ear and the sultry voice almost has him expired.

A nightclub...I read about it, yes! But from other countries – I didn't know we're allowed to open one here? The play of colorful lights in the dark space blinds his vision briefly. Women dancing vulgarly on 4 poles on a set of podium in barely-there outfits made him shy so he focused his eyes on Lalisa. Only Lalisa.  

It seems that she's a regular here since she's now chatting and smiling with the bartender about something. What are they talking about - God, I wish I could make her smile like that! Does she like him or something because a grin that wide is questionable! Maybe she told him about the rough day she just had...maybe they're laughing at me - Then she turns to him and says,

"I'm hungry, let's go eat!"

. . .

On their way up the stairs, he can't stop staring at her hand that is clasped onto his. He probably glanced up once or twice but the gentle sway of her hips is...much more testing than just her hand. His thumb is probably shaking for wanting to brush on her skin, and it takes a lot of strength not to just do it. 

The space upstairs is probably just equally big but unlike the opened area, there are walls compartmentalising each rooms. He doesn't know what these rooms are for as Lalisa guides him into only one, where a little girl is sitting on a 6-seater dining table. 

"Ji-yoon-ahh..." Lalisa's tone sounds cute.

"Lisa unnie!!" The little girl got off the chair with a beaming smile, running towards Lalisa and giving her a tight hug.

"Where's eomma?" 

"Eomma..." Ji-yoon tip-toes around Jungkook, eyeing him with a curiosity before leaning out to look into the halls. "Eomma!!" She suddenly shouted. 

Not a minute after, a girl came in - about the same age as Lalisa and him but shorter. "Haistt I thought the place is burning! Why are you shouting -" She stopped when her eyes landed on the stranger in the room. 

Oh hey...wasn't she with Lalisa before? At the café? "Hello. We've met -"

"I thought you said you didn't know her?" The tone is accusatory, as if implying that he had lied.

"He didn't. Now he does," Lalisa answered on behalf. "Jungkook - Jisoo, Jisoo - Jungkook. Unnie, you got food?"

Wow...she really do hates wasting time, does she? And what are we even doing? Can we just go into someone's place and ask for food? I have money...I can buy her a nice meal - I'm prepared to buy her a nice meal! 

"Lalisa-ssi...I can buy us dinner," He fidgets.

The two looks at him before at each other. "Okay. You can pay to Chu unnie then," Lalisa said almost nonchalantly and Jisoo chuckled. She then proceeds to sit next to the little girl again.

"Don't worry bout it, Jungkook-ssi. She likes it when I cook for her,"

Oh...good to know it's by choice then! Jeez - how many times can I embarrass myself in front of this girl, really?? 

. . . 

"How's the food, Jungkook-ssi?" Jisoo asked, just as he's done wiping his mouth. 

"It's very delicious, thank you," He smiles and dips his head politely. The bowl of bibimbap is now clean and his stomach feels satisfied. 

"Did she starve you today?" She chuckled and he can't help but does the same. It's a fact that this is the first real meal he's gotten for the day. They were munching on snacks earlier by the river and a police station is not exactly a place with a buffet! "Since she lets you hang around her...you know that you need to tell her things. Or else she'll just keep doing whatever fits her best,"

Oh...noted! Jungkook glanced by his shoulder, to the girl who's sitting on the carpet with Ji-yoon. She is talking animatedly while the little girl is drawing-slash-mumbling. "I don't mind...I didn't feel that hungry before anyway," He sighs a few laughs back to Jisoo. "How old is your daughter, Jisoo-ssi?"

"She's five this year. Talkative little bean, isn't she?"

Five...how old is Jisoo? She looks young - too young to already be a mother -

"She said you're her classmate?" He nods. "But you didn't know her before? Did you just got into Jinsil or something?" 

Ahh...here we go! "I uh..." He started to rub his palms across his jeans, a force of habit for when he's sitting nervously in front of someone. "It wasn't like...I uh...I sit at the front, most of the time and uh..."

"Relax, Jungkook-ssi...this isn't an interrogation. In a way, it's good to know that you didn't notice her before. Means she didn't lie," Oh...so all this while, she never wanted to be noticed? "Let's face it, could be harder for her to manage if she stood out among you Soulites,"

A lot of things are bothering him when it comes to Lalisa, and what makes it harder was the fact that he has no one to share it with. Despite her appearance, Jisoo does sound like a mature woman...so maybe I can ask her instead? 

"Is it because she hates us?"

Jisoo laughs slightly. "Her hate-list is long, Jungkook-ssi...but I don't think she has all of Geum in it. She's just..." Her eyes diverted onto Lalisa. "A little sick in the heart..."

What? What does she mean by that? "She's sick?" How sick??

"Aren't we all a little sick? Well, maybe not you...or your kind..." 

Oh...so it's a figure of speech - jeez...does everyone from Heulg speak in vagueness??

"It's definitely a surprise that she brought you here. She never brought anyone here,"

"It's because she uh...she forgot I was on the bike with her," He chuckled to himself, embarrassed to be admitting this so openly. 

Jisoo's expression changed into one of awe and he wonders if it surprised her as much as it did to him. "She never lets anyone ride with her either,"

He felt the sun rising in his chest. "She's very hard to get to. I think she feels bad that I almost got my face broken in front of her before, that's why she lets me on,"

"A Soulite in a fight? That should be on the news, shouldn't it?"

"No, no...it's uh...it's here actually. I bumped into her at a store and um..."

"So she's the one in the fight?" Jungkook clipped his mouth, unsure if he should even say this much. "That's much more believable!"

"Does she do that a lot? Get into fights, I mean,"

"She gets into whatever forces her to get into, Jungkook-ssi. She's not a bully, if that's what you're asking,"

"No, no! Of course not -"

"You look like an honest man. And since you're trying...there's something you need to understand about her, Jungkook-ssi," She leans forward and her voice had gotten softer, for some reason. Nevertheless, Jungkook's determined to pay attention. 

"She's been on her own for a while...so she's used to fending for herself. Most of the locals nearby know not to bother her...cus she has a black belt in jujitsu and she grew up with the hobby of kickboxing. She might not look like she could hurt you, but most men here have the scars to prove it. So if you're planning on getting her close just to break her later, you should know that the hate-list really do exists...and she can really hurt you back. Physically...and mentally,"

. . .

With every little facts he gathered about the girl, Jungkook treats each like a successful achievement, only to be unlocked by him. He now knows that one of her only 2 friends (in her own words) owns Outlaw.

Kim Jisoo (who Lalisa calls 'Chu unnie' in a super-cute voice when she asks for some kind of understanding on anything) has provided him a fairly good introductory insight in understanding Lalisa better and he appreciates it so much.

The elder was (understandably) sceptical about Jungkook when she was first introduced, but he is now dubbed Lalisa's friend and bodyguard for the night so yes, Jungkook is taking the role seriously. 

After their dinner (and Lalisa's 3 mimosas) upstairs, Jisoo insisted for the two to 'go dance or something' because her husband showed up. Jungkook is still trying to figure out why the sudden tension appeared behind Jisoo's smile and Lalisa's rolled-eyes, but the thought is slowly dissipating.

Still in a state of amazement over the entire ambiance of wildly (insert, passionately sweaty) dancing people, Jungkook can't help but agree with her sentiment of how unfit he is to be in this part of town. He was here when the sun was still out before and although he felt cautious about his surrounding at the Boba store, it's nothing compared to this.

Rough-and-tough-looking men seems larger-than-life, passing in and around this place as if they have a weapon of some sort tucked underneath their shirts. They look like they have a purpose for being here and he's pretty sure that other than drinking the night off, it's eyeing (or catching) the alluring, inviting females.

Jungkook already spotted 8 pair of eyes on his girl (yes, he calls Lalisa his girl now because Jisoo dubbed him as her bodyguard), so he can't help but watching only her – dancing all by herself in the middle of the dance floor. Good to know that she wasn't an enigma only in Geum!

She came back to him for the third time (thankfully) and he smiled (foolishly).

"Why are you still here, Jungkook-ssi? Heulg has cabs. You know you can leave anytime...I haven't tied you on a leash yet," She smiles back...slyly.

A leash huh? "Just trying to learn you," There must be a reason why Jisoo asked me to protect her. Would she get into trouble if I'm not here? What kind of trouble...a fight? Or a man? I wonder if there are any guys in here who is carrying her scars around...like what Jisoo said -

She took the beer that he's holding and with a lingering stare, she licks the lip of the bottle...and sips on the liquid, where his mouth had been. It dries his throat instantly.

"And what have you gathered so far?"

He saw the flick of her tongue, just slowly reaching her upper lip – please...please don't kill me just yet!

"That you're um...you're probably the most..." He stutters, trying to find what words even fit to this beauty before him. "Interesting...interesting girl I've ever met,"

"Interesting?" She cocks an eyebrow, looking so amazingly hot that he began questioning if he's even a good guy for having wild thoughts about her. "Doesn't sound much of a praise..."

Shoot – I should've gone with beautiful! "I um...I have a world full of compliments... but you hate clichés..."

She smiles, seemingly happy with his answer (thank God!). "I forgive you,"

"Sorry?"

"I forgive you for not knowing who I was. Does that make you feel better?"

He laughs down to his feet, feeling embarrassed. "I'll probably sleep a little better, thank you,"

"Glad I'm able to help. You don't have to be so careful all the time, Jungkook-ssi. I don't bite..." He squirms. "...not out in the open, anyway," Oh God –

"You um...you look amazing out there – your dancing, I mean," He tries to change the subject because his neck had gotten hold of the heat. "Is this your type of fun, Lalisa-ssi?" Looking out to the wild crowd, his senses are mostly focused on how their elbows had met on top of the bar-top. But he plays it cool. "Drinking by the river...going swimming whenever, wherever you want to – I know you enjoyed that. And since movie dates isn't your thing...is this your thing?"

"What if it is?" That clipped tone of hers cautioned him...as well as the partly vague answer.

We are not alike...maybe a little, maybe at all. She doesn't care about living on the edges of danger...while I'm constantly being put on edge within her presence! How will this work? What drove me this far, really? 

He turns to her and found those pretty, round eyes staring at him – seemingly understanding what goes in his mind. She expects me to give up...she expects me to walk away before anything even starts. That can only mean that...

She cares. She doesn't show it, but she does. The disregards over his constant stares and sending him back all the way to Geum when she didn't really have to...I mean, she could've just left me be lost in this town with an almost broken face but she didn't! And she gave me chance...maybe it's over pity but I'll take it!

"Then I'm happy that I'm here," He smiles and she cocks an eyebrow.

"You didn't look that happy at the station earlier...thought you ran the second we got out,"

Aishh... "I was scared for a while there...I didn't want you to get into any trouble. But also, it's my first time getting arrested," He laughs down to his drink that's still in her hand, embarrassed to be cornered out like this. "Sorry I couldn't be of any help back there,"

She held her stare for a while longer and when she leans closer, Jungkook honestly thought that she might kiss him – "Dance with me if you're sorry,"

. . .