The Beautiful Disaster (JK x Reader)

Part 1 ⚠️

"Red Flag (I)"

!THIS EP MAY CONTAIN MATURE SCENES!
!T/W: Blood, violence!

Everything in the room screamed that I didn't belong. The stairs were crumbling, the rowdy patrons were shoulder to shoulder, and the air was a medley of sweat, blood and mold. Voices blurred as they yelled numbers and names back and forth, and arms flailed about, exchanging money and gestures to communicate over the noise. I squeezed through the the crowd, following close behind my best friend.

   "Keep your cash in your wallet, Haeyeon!" Yeji called to me. Her broad smile gleamed even in the dim light.

   "Stay close! It'll get worse once it starts!" Hyunjin yelled over the noise. Yeji grabbed his hand and then mine as Hyunjin led us through the sea of people.

   The sharp bleating of a horn cut through the smoky air. The noise startled me, and I jumped in reaction, looking for the source of the blast. A man stood on a wooden chair, holding a wad of cash in one hand, the horn in the other. He held the plastic to his lips.

   "Welcome to the bloodbath! If you are looking for Economics 101 ... you are in the wrong place, my friend! If you seek the Circle, this is the place! My name is Jiho. I make the rule and I call the fight. Betting ends once the opponents are on the floor. No touching the fighters, no assistance, no bet switching and no encroachment of the ring. If you break these rules, you will get the piss beat out of you and you will be thrown out your ass without your money! That include you, ladies! So don't use your hos to scam the system, boys!"

   Hyunjin shook his head. "Seriously, Jiho?!" he yelled to the MC over the noise, clearly disapproving of his friend's choice of words.

   My heart pounded in my chest. With a pink cardigan and star earrings (up to your imagination), I felt like a nerd on the benches at a football game. I promised Yeji that I could handle whatever we happened upon, but at ground zero I felt the urge to grip her toothpick of an arm with both hands. She wouldn't put me in any danger, but being in a basement with fifty or so drunken college boys intent on bloodshed and capital,  I wasn't exactly confident of our chances to leave unharmed.

   After Yeji met Hyunjin at freshman orientation, she frequently accompanied him to the secret fights held in different basements of Seoul University. Each event was hosted in a different spot, and kept secret until just an hour before the fight.

   Because I ran in somewhat tamer circles, I was surprised to learn of an underground world at Seoul University; but Hyunjin knew about it before he had enrolled. Jungkook, Hyunjin's roommate, entered his first fight seven months before. As a freshman, he was rumored to be the most lethal competitor Jiho had seen in the three years since creating the Circle. Beginning his sophomore year, Jungkook was  unbeatable. Together, Jungkook and Hyunjin easily paid their rent and bills with the winnings.

   Jiho brought the horn to his mouth once again, and the yelling and movement escalated to a feverish pace.

   "Tonight we have a new challenger! Seoul University's star varsity wrestler, Jackson!"

   Cheering ensued, and the crowd parted when Jackson entered the room. A circular space cleared, and the crowd whistled, booed, and taunted the contender. He bounced up and down and rocked his neck back and forth, his face severe and focused. The crowd  quieted to a dull roar, and my hands shot to my ears when music blared through the large speakers on the other side of the room.

   "Our next fighter doesn't need an introduction, but because he scares the shit outta me , I'll give him one, anyway! Give a big applause, ladies and gentlemen! I give you: Jeon Jungkook!"