His Obsession ➸ Taekook ✓

- Fourth -

When Jungkook walked through the door into the artists' dressing room, he was immediately plunged into a darker, more intimate atmosphere. There was little light here, just a lamp on the ceiling, and the rest of the room was lit by the bulbs in the mirrors. There were numerous outfits hanging in the four corners of the dressing room, each more sumptuous than the last. And made to measure for each artist. Polar Night may have been a simple cabaret in the poor district of Itaewon, but Yoongi spared no effort. This cabaret was his life, and he was determined to prove to the world that his life was worth more than a $20 sequined dress.

Inside, everyone was in a frenzy. All the artists were women, Jungkook being the only man. And that was part of his success. Most of the dancers were getting dressed, some completely naked under Jungkook's disinterested gaze. And they knew it. One of them, who had just put on her dress, caught sight of Jungkook and smiled as she called out to him.

"Jungkook, you're finally here!" she exclaimed. "For a moment, I wondered if I wasn't going to have to replace you!"

Jungkook smiled amusedly as he approached her.

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm the singer here. Just dance, Suzy."

The young woman simply stuck out her tongue at him, before rummaging through the clothes hanging on the wall. Finally, she pulled out a pair of elegant baggy trousers and a white shirt, which she handed to Jungkook.

"Here's your outfit for tonight."

"Thanks."

He took the clothes and inspected them quickly. Honestly, they were magnificent. Great quality. And their whiteness was such that the young man was sure to be the centre of attention again this evening. But he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. The clothes were splendid, and he would surely never have found finer clothes himself. But... he didn't know, what he was feeling was complex. As if it wasn't him. As if this outfit wasn't meant for him.

"Is there a problem, Jungkook?" Suzy asked, seeing his hesitation. "Don't you like it? Or is it the size?"

Jungkook quickly shook his head and pulled the clothes tightly against him.

"No, everything's fine, really. I'll go and change."

"Oh, all right..."

He turned and prepared to undress, but his gaze was inevitably drawn to a mannequin in the corner of the room, on which was a magnificent dress. It was long, with bare shoulders and a high waist. And its whiteness was accentuated by a brilliant shine, attracting attention with its thousands of sequins, as if someone had taken the stars from the sky and placed them on this dress. Jungkook had never seen one so beautiful, it took his breath away. Whoever wore it would surely be beautiful.

"You're intrigued, right?"

Jungkook was drawn out of his thoughts by Suzy, who was also looking at the dress with a small smile on her face.

"It's really beautiful." Jungkook admitted. "Do you know who's going to wear it?"

To his surprise, Suzy shrugged.

"No. When he bought it, the boss forbade anyone to wear it. He said he'd reveal who it was for when the time came."

The young woman turned discreetly to Jungkook, who still hadn't taken his eyes off the dress.

"I think it would look best on you." she suddenly said.

The young man widened his eyes, taking them off the dress to turn them on Suzy.

"D-Don't talk rubbish, Suzy. I'm a man, I can't wear dresses."

Suzy frowned.

"What are you talking about? We don't care if you're a man, as long as the dress suits you! This is a cabaret; anything can happen here!"

But Jungkook shook his head and pointed to the shirt and trousers she'd given him a few minutes earlier.

"No, a man can't wear a dress. It's wrong. I much prefer this outfit."

Suzy wanted to protest, but Jungkook didn't give her the chance, moving away from her to change in a quieter place. Away from the sparkly dress.

***

Sitting in a corner of the room, which was plunged into darkness, Jungkook watched the show unfold before his eyes. His performance was the last of the evening, so while he waited for his turn, he enjoyed watching the other girls dance. Some were singing at the same time, but their real talent lay in the dance steps to which they had matched their dresses. It sounded silly, illusory, but to Jungkook it was perfect. They were beautiful and graceful, their petticoats twirling and flying, as if they were trying to recreate the grace of a flower with thousands of petals. Jungkook envied them so much, because they had this beauty that he lacked. Everyone here said he was the most elegant, that his charms had bewitched the most recalcitrant of men. But he disagreed.

These girls were absolutely beautiful, because they were fighting to live. They wanted to live so badly that they moved with all their might. They danced like there was no tomorrow, they gave everything to deserve that tomorrow they dreamed of. But Jungkook had no such will to live. He felt like he was dead. He felt like his insides were rotting, and that it wouldn't be long before they showed on the outside. He was like a ticking time bomb.

"Jungkook, it's going to be your turn soon." whispered one of the employees.

The young man nodded and hurried backstage. The dancers were already returning from the stage. They had spent over an hour dancing, performing one scene after another with the same smile on their lips. Suzy ran happily towards Jungkook. She was sweating profusely, but she didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, Jungkook could see it. He could only see it with pain. She looked undeniably alive.

"You were perfect, Suzy. As always." he complimented her.

The young woman's smile widened even more. She loved compliments, especially when they came from Jungkook. She had this feeling that the young man wasn't lying. That he didn't bother with such trivia when he was here. So when he complimented her, she smiled.

"Thank you, Jungkook. I'm sure you'll be perfect too. You're beautiful, and your voice is sublime."

Jungkook smiled back warmly. How could they all think he was perfect? He was so rotten, so ugly. He wasn't perfect. He was dirty and bad, but it was as if no one wanted to see it. It was almost... painful. He was ugly and his voice was wrong. Were they all incapable of seeing beyond appearances?

"I'll be off, then." he sighed.

Suzy stepped aside to let him pass, and the young man headed towards the stage. He didn't know whether he was hesitant, confident or even indifferent. He just walked, with a grace that seemed to be natural to him, but which he would have liked so much to get rid of. What he was disturbed him. He would have liked to be otherwise. But fate had decided otherwise.

He reached the microphone, which had been placed in the centre of the stage especially for him. All eyes were on the young man. They were all waiting to hear the voice of Jungkook, the "mermaid of Polar Night".

And once again tonight, Jungkook was going to give them exactly what they wanted.