HELLO, DARLING | JIKOOK ✔

16 || I COULDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE

Jimin is speechless. He's unable to find the words suitable enough to describe his confusion, maybe even betrayal. Hopefully it's written well enough on his face. He's slack-jawed and his eyebrows are knit together.

"Jimin," Iseul says. It isn't a question, more of an observation. She seems just as shocked as he is. And she looks totally different, straying entirely from modest work attire.

No longer is she wearing a pair of light wash denim jeans with some sneakers and a blouse. Iseul is sporting heels and from head to toe, she's clad in leather. Her cleavage is showing and her bust is enhanced, pushed up. Jimin is used to seeing her with light makeup, but it's dark and it sharpens her naturally soft complexion. She doesn't even really look like herself.

"What are you doing here, Iseul?" Jimin questions. "Have you been lying to me this whole fucking time?" His bite intensifies.

"No. Jimin, listen, please." Iseul reaches out to touch Jimin, but he moves back. "I shouldn't have kissed you that day. I confronted Jeongguk because I wanted to know why you've changed and what he did to you. I was surprised when he opened up, I actually found what he does interesting," she mumbles, guilty.

Jimin is staring at her, dumbfounded. He can tell that she's being sincere, yet the truth doesn't hurt any less. Especially considering she knew what was going on, way before he ever did.

"You did what to him?" Iseul and Jimin both turn to their right, attention beckoned by a callous tone.

Jeongguk is messing with his dress shirt sleeves, rolling them up to his elbows while he glares at Iseul. The woman shrinks under his gaze and takes a step back, wounded by the peril in his eyes.

"N-nothing, I... it was a mistake! I swear!" Iseul is grabbed by her wrist promptly and she nearly stumbles over as Jeongguk starts to pull her away. Jimin follows behind eagerly, but he doesn't say anything. Suddenly he starts to get lost in the crowd, but he spots them vanish behind a corner. He's fighting his way through for a minute and finally manages to catch up.

As soon as Jimin turns the corner, at the end of the hall, Iseul is being pulled into a familiar room - Jeongguk's chamber. The door doesn't close, it stays wide open which makes the submissive's heart race. He reaches the entrance and finds Iseul pushed up against the wall with two hands circled around her neck. Her face is a shade of red, contrasting heavily with the pallid colour of her slim body.

"Jeongguk, put her down!" Jimin shouts, but the man doesn't listen. Jeongguk is persistent, everything else is totally blocked out but his anger, driving his violent actions. So much so that her feet begin to lift and the tips of her heels graze the floor.

Jimin can feel the adrenaline seeping from his pores. Jeongguk is in some kind of trance, he can't simply be pulled from it by a mere shout. He nibbles anxiously on his ample lip. His eyes flit from Iseul's oxygen-drained face to Jeongguk's eyes, and manages to find some courage. He walks up to Jeongguk and he slaps him.

It's as if time slows. Iseul is being lowered to the ground. Her feet scrabble for the floor and as soon as she locates leveled ground, she doubles over and she coughs, she wheezes and struggles to catch her breath. She clamors for the entrance of the bedroom and leaves the door open.

Jeongguk is very slowly turning to face Jimin with a hard-bitten expression and a raging, stinging red mark on his cheek. The slow pivot of his heel has the latter stupefied and trembling where he stands, attempting to uphold his resolve. But with each step Jeongguk takes toward him, he takes one more step back until he's caged in against a wall, breathless and shaking.

Jimin's legs are shifted apart by a knee nestling between them. He whines quietly when his crotch is brushed and hands are placed on either side of his head. He peers up at Jeongguk and his lips are so close to his own, they graze, but his eyes are dark and they're challenging.