It was another successful night for Hoseok as he performed a new dance routine he had been working on for the past few weeks, he was able to put it on display tonight. He served as the opening act for the main stage and was proud of himself. Most people would see him as how he is when he's on stage, confident and bold, not only due to his dance moves but his outfit choices as well. He uses the stage name, Wonho, professionally at the Venus Lounge not wanting anyone to know who he is. Off stage, he's Lee Hoseok, quite different from his on-stage persona, he's more shy and reserved usually keeping to himself even with his fellow employees.
After his breathtaking performance, he showered and freshened up making his way towards the nightclub for some drinks. Having a couple of drinks was one way to reward himself and unwind but with alcohol also comes the chance for his on-stage persona to come out causing him to become more social, flirty, and many times as well. 3 drinks down already and he was feeling a bit lonely wanting someone to take him away and give him a great time or maybe even be the one giving them a good time. Maybe someone might come his way.
Jungkook just about has a heart attack when a hand comes flying out of nowhere, and, much to his disappointment, his drink ends up as collateral damage, smashing into pieces. The hand he'd been holding the glass with curled into his chest, his lower jutting out in a pout as he stared forlornly at the alcohol staining the carpet.
(Would it be weird if he got on his knees and it out? Yes, drunk Jungkook, that would be ing weird- he thought.
Damn. He really wanted that drink, though.)
"Kai, sweetheart, what're you doin'?" he slurred, stumbling after Kai, his fingers twisting clumsily into the fabric of his shirt in some semblance of keeping his balance.
Stepping out into the silent service corridor almost gave Jungkook whiplash from the pounding bass in the nightclub, but it wasn't the emptiness that made Jungkook nervous, it was the look in Kai's eye.
He swallowed thickly, some clarity cutting through his drunken haze, "What's goin' on?" Jungkook asked again.
"I- I don't know-" Kiwoo was sweating profusely, even more than he was in the club, his eyes darting between Jungkook and Kai; fear was written all over his face, though Jungkook couldn't understand why. What he did was understand, though, was that Kai was ruining his chance at getting a really, really ing good tip.
"There, there," Jungkook hushed, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing it across Kiwoo's greasy forehead, the other man leaning into his touch until he remembered that they weren't alone, and suddenly he was pulling away "I dunno what(he glanced at Kai, eyes sharp and very much asking 'What the is your problem?') my colleague here is thinking, but I'm sure there's an excellent reason for it." He spoke through his teeth, almost hissing out the end, surprisingly eloquent for somebody whose tongue felt like lead in his dry mouth.
He grabbed Kiwoo's hand and tugged him back towards the nightclub, uninterested in what Kai would say.
Jungkook was not going to let this tip get away from him.
"Come on, baby, let's go back inside. You can get me another drink."
another day, another dollar. or so that was how the evening began as kai poured drinks, chatted up dull drunkard clients trying to distract him from his shift, wiping off spilled alcohol and god knows what other fluids from the countertop every few minutes. it seemed it'd be an average boring night at the club's bar until he recognized a familiar face from the depths of the darkness; it was jungkook cradled in the arms of a stranger, surely a client of his, already appearing to be as ed up as one could get. eyebrow raising? of course. it wasn't any business of kai's to be butting his nose into and ruining whatever money was coming kook's way though, drunk or sober. so he remained silent yet vigilant as the hours ticked on by.
by then it'd grown so late that there were only a few stragglers left lingering around the club. slowly but surely there were none begging him for just one last shot, leaving him in peace to begin cleaning up his station and closing out the bar until the next sorry had to come serve the whatever-the- o'clock morning drinkers. once more dark eyes scanned through the crowd; some still enjoying the dance floor, others making out at the booths after one too many strong mimosas, and... kook. again. still there, now worse off than before as he looked nearly dead unconscious and slumped over like a corpse. then the stranger, fumbling through their pockets to retrieve something dubious. kai couldn't quite make out what it was, but as soon as he saw the man drop it into the martini he knew it couldn't be anything good.
suddenly he was frozen in time. all he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat skipping over itself with fright. all he could feel was blood pumping through his veins, the sharpness of his nails digging into his palms as he balled his hands into tight white-knuckled fists. it no longer felt like he was watching a friend about to be taken advantage of. it felt like he'd been taken back in time, a young babyfaced kai treated as nothing more than a toy for others play with at their leisure. even in their line of work, this wasn't right. it wasn't okay. somebody had to do something for 's sake.
before even realizing what he's done, the pale bartender rushed with all his might over to where jungkook was tipping the edge of the glass against his lips. "nein! don't drink that!" the words weren't merely shouted out in desperation. they came like a hungry wolf's growl snarled through gritted teeth as kai's once sparkling puppy eyes were now shrouded in darkness. his gaze piercing like a dagger as it plunged through the client's... no, wait, this disgusting predator's ugly mug. the shattered glass was spread all over as deep crimson droplets trickled down kai's hand. he still hadn't realized, nor even felt the pain, of the drink he broke while grabbing it from jungkook's hand and clutching his grasp so tight it cracked into a million pieces. none of it mattered.
"let's talk outside, shall we?" those were the only words he had for the monster who felt so entitled to take what didn't belong to them, using his bloody tattered hand to grab the client by his pristine white collar. "you too, kook. you deserve an answer from this pig after all." red painted the fabric in little pools as kai dragged the man out through the back exit that led to a small closed off alleyway behind the club. it was kept private and away from the public's general access, simply an outdoor space for throwing out all the accumulated trash from within the club. which is exactly what kai was prepared to do; take out the ing trash.
@✻ ⋰ changkyun i. swirling the glass between delicate fingers, sana watched the remaining puddle of wine running up and down its walls before bringing it up to her glossy lips, emptying the remaining alcohol in one sip. the taste warm and full, rich. she closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to get lost in the low bass vibrating from the speakers and the red wine on her tongue. trying to distract herself from the fact that her friends ditched her at the very begining of their night out to go makeout with some random men.
she slowly opened her eyes again as the dj starts to play a new song, blinking while her eyes adjust to the dim, colourful lights. purple and red are dancing across faces and sweaty bodies, reflecting off their glasses and expensive jewellery as she watched them swirl over the dance floor, some pressed against the cold walls, tongues shoved into mouths.
the moment her ears register the familiar voice of elvis crespo and the sultry salsa beat, sana found herself making her way towards the busy crowd, hips swaying from side to side to the addicting rhythm. it was almost like she was in some sort of trance, feeling of loneliness and boredom forgotten within the first tact of her favorite song. her body worked on its own, red satin dress following the motions of her feet slowly rising up her thighs - all of her movements sensual and languid, mimicking a tide. suddenly there's a pair of mystery hands ghosting up her silhouette, a strong force holding her so close that she could smell the man's perfume through the thick cloud of smoke that wavered through the club's air - he smelled nice, deep and rich of wood and a little vanilla with a dash of tobacco. low vibrato sending shivers down her spine making her arch against the broadness of his chest. she could tell he was a good-looking gentleman with just his voice alone, tone deeper than the darkest seas words smoothly rolling off his tongue. "dance some more with me and you will get an answer to your question." sana purred, head lolling to the side and thin arms coming up in the air before slowly trailing down her own figure, chest pushing foward with the roll of her shoulders. ready to perfom a show for a complete stranger.
@✾ ⋰ sana m. Changkyun decides to end the day by heading to the nightclub with a couple of his acquaintances from the studio. They were a tight pack, always offering collaborative ideas to each other, and having the same idealistic plans for fun. The only thing that differed from each other was their level of alcohol tolerance. While they swayed on each other's shoulders in a drunken daze, the photographer was the only one who could adequately hold his liquor.
It was the fifth shot of the night and he was feeling great. The ambiance of the club wasn't anything new. People grinding on each other as the DJ blared music that made them move sensually. He actually enjoyed the music and the drinks there. Sending a kudos to the DJ with a nod of his head, his raven eyes strolled onto the dance floor seeing if there were any interesting or new faces. Alas, his orbs stopped at a certain brunette.
No, the color didn't look natural, but it suited her. He was more interested in the way her hips moved in sync with the rapid latin beat. A woman like that couldn't possibly come to this club alone. Changkyun was almost mesmerized by it. So, taking a last swig from the drink he ordered, he arches his brows at the bartender to take care of his friends before making his way over to where the woman lured him in like a siren. How does a woman do that without acknowledging his presence? He couldn't find the words to answer his own question. Brushing aside sweaty bodies, the male makes it to her atlas. Her stature is short and petite, but still hypnotizing.
Changkyun lays a palm to rest on the swell of her hips, picking up the rhythm she dances to as they move in sync. quick, rapid, but still keeping the atmosphere playful as the lyrics banged in his eardrums like thunder. Pressing his chest to her back, a taunting smile ever so casually graces his features. "You always dance this well, stranger?"
It probably happened somewhere between losing the feeling in his face and stumbling out of the booth, Jungkook thinks, leaning very casually against a wall, his head tilted back. He probably seemed as if he were deep in thought- eyes glassy, chewing on his right thumbnail and his left arm folded across his body- or simply loitering around to kill time.
Just looking at him, you wouldn't have thought he'd about to be .
He winces when there's another sickening crunch, his stomach lurching, but he doesn't look at the vicious scene next to him. Not yet.
Jungkook would probably lose his stomach, maybe his clothes, he doesn't know; it's all very confusing right now. What he does know is the broken martini glass that catches his eyes every so often sits by his feet from when it'd been pushed out of his hands. He also knows that he'd been fortunate to avoid being roofied again. And that Kai- sweet, little Kai- was on the verge of murdering a client.
Jungkook wasn't going to stop him. Not yet, anyway.
After all, he was too busy trying to remember what had happened- and to keep the budding panic attack from overwhelming him.
So, yeah, he thinks, his bicep being squeezed painfully by his left hand, that's probably when it happened.
◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦◦
He felt hot.
No-
Jungkook felt happy. Or was it inspired? Maybe it was ... Whatever it was, Jungkook was euphoric: good food, great company(read: rich idiots to weasel as much money as he could out of) and fantastic drinks- oh, the drinks! Whoever was behind the bar tonight was on fire; Jungkook had been thinking, each cocktail was perfect to a T, the soda-liquor ratio's on point, and man was Jungkook feeling good.
Actually, he felt a little sleepy.
It was hour six into a twenty-four service, his client returning to hire him for the day after a (rather successful, Jungkook thought) escorting date earlier that month. Jungkook had been surprised to see Park Kiwoo again; although the man had tipped graciously the last time they'd met, he didn't give the impression that he'd be back at the Venus Lounge. It was disappointing at the time. Jungkook had clearly remembered being eyeballed like a piece of meat and the innocuous hand brushing against his all night, and Kiwoo wasn't entirely unhandsome. But he had a lot of money to spare, not having blinked as Jungkook quoted him an absurdly high fee, so Kook had been feeling a little generous that night if it meant a good tip.
But so far, all they'd done was sit and talk and only start drinking in the last two at his own behest.
Jungkook was a great talker, a fantastic talker even, but Kiwoo was so /boring/, that even he struggled to maintain the conversation. But perhaps he'd been overzealous in wanting to get through the appointment faster, coaxing his client to buy drink after drink, hoping that a bit of alcohol would get him going. But while Jungkook went through the stages of buzzed, tipsy, drunk and now borderline pissed, Kiwoo held his liquor like a champion.
(He wouldn't know this until later, but Kiwoo had been pouring his drinks into the potted plant behind him all night.)
He'd gone to get another round, leaving Jungkook to slump over and bury his head in his arms, giggling as he his unfeeling tongue across unfeeling teeth, the floor tilting sickeningly below him. His heart was beating to the music- could hearts do that?- and he forced himself upright, swaying almost to the point of toppling out of the booth, not wanting to seem like he was falling asleep. He wasn't falling asleep, he swears! Jungkook's eyes were just tired, yeah, just his eyes!
It was a bull lie, though, as he struggled to keep them open for more than a few seconds, his head propped up loosely by his hand, but even then, it wasn't doing much to help as his head kept drooping, threatening to smack onto the table.
Ugh, he felt like he was gonna throw up.
Jungkook rubbed his eyes, face scrunching as he shook himself awake, smacking his lips. Where was Kiwoo? He thought, looking across the dance floor, squinting through his blurry vision. Oh, there he was; Jungkook smiled, accepting the drink held out to him, thanking Kiwoo graciously as the older man slipped back into the booth. He lifted the glass to his lips to take a sip when somebody called out his name- a coworker who wanted to introduce him to her client- and Jungkook pushed his Martini away, forgetting that he was with his own client as he chatted with other Pearl.
Honestly, Jungkook had no idea what Kiwoo had said to him, only that the older man had tugged his sleeve mid-conversation and said something about 'privacy' and 'quiet'. He'd stopped listening to the man when he'd been distracted by his coworker, and it was way too hard to focus when he was busy trying to stop the room spinning in loops.
He shrugged, mumbling some agreement, and let himself be tugged out of the booth, stumbling over his feet. Oops, his stomach rolled, and Jungkook quickly pressed his hand against his mouth, swallowing bile that threatened to spill over. His still undrunk Martini was shoved in his hands, and Jungkook wasn't the type to let a cocktail go to waste, even if it was probably the one to tip him over the edge.
