"I see potential in our partnership and that's saying something." Kim Jennie perfectly imitated the low, rough voice of her husband. "What a load of bull! Jisoos fucking Christ, he didn't even bother coming home last night!" She snarled into the mouthpiece of her smartphone, her mood darkening by the second.

It had been almost three weeks since the wedding and everything was going well for Jennie, save for her marriage.

In truth, she can count on one hand the number of times she caught sight of Min Yoongi in the last 18 days of living with him in a ginormous penthouse in the heart of Yangcheon District.

Jennie was too busy to think much about Yoongi's absence at first.

Before they left NYC, the 21-year-old donated many of her clothes to charity because it was impossible to bring them all to Seoul. Hence, during their first week of marriage, she was rather preoccupied with shopping and organizing her couture acquisitions just in time for the new season.

In the second week, she finally memorized the daily routine of her husband; he leaves the house before she wakes up in the morning, does God-knows-what all day, and then comes home when she's already asleep at night.

However, she still thought little of it because she was completely engrossed with her little project of redecorating the whole penthouse itself. The place just looked too much of a bachelor's pad for her liking.

When she told Yoongi about her plan of making their residence homelier on one of the rare times that he was home, she had taken his disinterested response of "knock yourself out" to heart.

She deemed her project a success; she went over the top with their flat's new cozy minimalist design that was just her style through and through.

Then, Jennie only truly felt the lack of companionship in her marriage when the third week came rolling in.

She tried reaching out to him, but even her simple dinner invites were always turned down because he was too busy with mob business. The guy was clearly a workaholic.

For days, she would only hang out with the two middle-aged housekeepers who would visit the penthouse every other day to clean and do laundry.

It didn't help that the rest of Blackpink were missing in action, too. Jisoo was also busy moving into her own condominium unit. Chaeyoung, on the other hand, was back in NYC for two weeks to take care of some business. Then, Lisa — who was temporarily staying in one of the penthouse's guestrooms — was preparing for her audition to get into Korea National University of Arts.

Hence, her only company was good old Netflix. She watched anything and everything from BoJack Horseman, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, La Casa de Papel to Narcos. But even her attempts of distracting herself by binge-watching her favorite shows couldn't last forever.

She heard the amused chuckle of Jisoo from the other end of the call. "Calm down, Beyoncé. Your new husband does run a fucking mob so maybe he was busy extorting a poor fellow and just making Satan proud last night..."

"You're not helping at all."

"Well then, why don't we just go out tonight to take your mind off Yoongi?"

"I'm not in the mood for that."

"When are you ever?" She heard Jisoo heave an exasperated sigh. "Regardless, Chaeng just got back in town so we'll hang out tonight. Pick me up at my new place at seven."

"I don't have a choice in here, do I?"

"Seriously though, Kim Jennie, when did you ever have a choice on anything?" Jisoo quipped.

Jennie gasped. "That was a low blow, you hateful bitch!" The older girl laughed so hard that she actually sounded like a dying hyena.

"Just get back at me later!" Then, the eldest hung up on her.

•••

The Pied Piper was the place to be for guests who were looking for a sophisticated and ultra-exclusive nightclub in Seoul. Renowned for being the toughest place to get into at the capital, one will find the most famous and affluent A-listers in its premises.

The elite club was also famous for featuring the biggest names in the world of EDM today including Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Steve Aoki, Tiësto and Skrillex, among others.

Most importantly, it was being managed by Kim Seokjin and, unknown to the public, owned by Bangtan, too. After their dinner in an Italian restaurant, the club was Blackpink's next destination for the night.

Kim Jennie just parked her Panamera outside the club when she caught a glimpse of her bodyguard— whose name was apparently Kim Mingyu — in her side mirror. The red-haired mobster was busy typing away in his phone while leaning against a black van behind her car.

He was industriously following the four of them behind all night; she could only imagine how boring his job was. In all honesty, she actually felt bad for the guy.

"Hoseok oppa isn't replying to my messages, but he told me earlier that he will be here tonight." The youngest quipped in as they exited the matte sedan and made their way to the entrance of the establishment.

A tall door attendant in a smart suit, who was in charge of the guestlist, greeted them at the door. "Good evening ladies and welcome to the Pied Piper. Name, please?"

"Oh no, we are not on the guestlist but we know the manager." Jisoo beamed.

The attendant chuckled, "I'm afraid everyone knows the manager, madam. Unfortunately, I cannot let you in if your names are not on the list."

"But, you see, my friend here is the one and only Kim Jennie," the eldest smirked, "and we're her army of skanks."

The attendant's eyes visibly rounded as he gazed at her. Then, he profusely apologized and ushered the girls inside the nightclub.

Jennie took in the interior of the Pied Piper; neon blue LED lights brightened the two-story club and the loud bass from the in-wall sound system seemed to rattle up the whole place.

Her gaze moved up to look at the spectacular high ceiling which was decorated with top-notch architectural embellishments. Also, the bottles after bottles of booze displayed on the long bar were calling her name.

The whole place just exuded lavishness and indulgence. No wonder, the club was already packed with party-goers even though it was just ten-thirty in the evening.

The girls were led to the VIP section on the second floor of the establishment. Their booth was quite spacious and had a balcony that gave them a great view of the ground floor.

Leaning against the railings, Jennie watched the expensive-looking people grind against each other on the dance floor. She didn't want to admit it, but Jisoo was right; she needed to take her mind off of Yoongi. And that was exactly what she was going to do for the rest of the night.

•••

The youngest watched the unnie line in utter amusement as she sipped from her glass of pink grapefruit mojito, her favorite.

Her older half-sister was uncharacteristically intoxicated already so early in the evening, all thanks to Kim Jisoo — the self-proclaimed demoness herself — who handed Jennie shots after shots of tequila since they arrived at the nightclub an hour ago.

Lisa was glad to be able to relax even for just a little while. She absolutely needed to de-stress after weeks of confining herself in a dance studio, just perfecting her audition piece to get into Korea National University of Arts' School of Dance.

It had been an absolute nightmare trying to convince her father to let her study dance. She even enlisted the help of Jisoo's father — God bless his kind heart — to her cause.

Hence, the 19-year-old could only cry tears of joy when Kim Sanghoon finally let her pursue her dreams. But, there was one condition, she needed to have a double major in both dance and business.

Lisa, despite her inability to comprehend anything that was math-related, was desperate enough to agree with the stipulation. She couldn't afford to fuck up her audition. It was all or nothing now.

Like her sisters, Lisa was feeling a bit buzzed herself. Glancing at her smartphone, she read the new message from Hoseok informing her that BTS was already on their way to the nightclub. A soft smile crept on her face.

•••

Park Chaeyoung was standing by the balcony of their VIP booth when she noticed Jung Hoseok join her best friends on the dance floor. The three girls — even Jennie who tends to be uptight most of the time — looked like they were having such a great time tonight.

Lucky them, she briefly thought as she took a sip of her dry Martini in complete boredom.

It was not like the party was dull: the club's drinks, music, and atmosphere were of international standards. The Pied Piper actually lived up to its hype.

The problem was her, partying the night away was not her scene anymore. She didn't know when it started happening: when things she used to like doing became a bore to her.

"What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" A soft, melodic voice uttered from behind her, making the girl turn to look at the newcomer.

"Jesus fucking Christ," she grimaced. This night just took a turn for the worse.

Standing in front of her was the cocky bastard who she regarded as the most infuriating member of BTS.

Jimin. Park.

Chaeyoung gave him a condescending look. She tried to make it clear with her facial expression and body language that she wanted to be left alone. But apparently, the guy was dense as fuck.

"I would ask you if you're enjoying the party. But, obviously, you're not. Hmmm... doesn't compare to the ones in New York?" He jested.

Chaeyoung was having none of his bullshit.

"Look, just because you helped me get out of an awkward situation with my ex three weeks ago doesn't mean we're friends."

"Ouch." The blonde mobster chuckled, not the least bit unfazed by Chaeyoung's remark. "You wound me, Rosé. And here I thought, we were the best of friends."

"I told you to stop calling me that." Blatantly looking at Jimin from head to toe, she took notice of his black Versace button-down polo shirt, Balmain skinny jeans, and off-white Alexander McQueen shoes. The guy actually had good taste, but she would rather die first before admitting that to him or anyone else.

"Like what you see?"

"Oh, yes. You got me, Park Jimin. You're just oozing with sex appeal. Why you gotta make me want you so bad?" Chaeyoung said, her words dripping with heavy sarcasm.

The blonde's caramel eyes twinkled with amusement. "You're sure good for my confidence, babe. I'll give you that."

The girl groaned, "can't you see that I want to be left alone?"

Jimin pouted his famous plump lips. "Why? Is it so bad that I like talking to you?"

"You must be a fucking masochist, then, because I'm only capable of throwing insults at you all night long."

"Maybe, but just for you, babe. Only for you," he winked.

"I'm flattered." She deadpanned, her patience for the mobster was running low. "But seriously though, what do you get for constantly harassing me like this?"

The mobster smiled so big, his pearly whites were practically blinding her. "I want you, Rosé. Simple as that. So why don't we get out of here and I show you a good time?"

She stared at Jimin for a solid five seconds before finishing her drink in one gulp. Chaeyoung was ready to commit murder right then and there.

End of Chapter 8