The Clandestine Us

Twenty-six

───── ❝ Mingyu's POV ❞ ─────

The room they brought us to looked like a private office—spacious, sleek, and soundproof enough that the muffled bass from the club outside was barely noticeable. Despite the number of people inside, it didn't feel crowded.

Jennie and Jisoo were slumped on the couch, heads tilted back, eyes closed, completely unaware of the tension thick in the air. Rosé sat beside them, visibly more alert, her fingers fidgeting in her lap as she stole worried glances at Jungkook.

Joshua stood near them, arms crossed, looking calm but observant. Meanwhile, Jimin was near Jungkook, brows furrowed, his leg bouncing slightly—a clear sign he was stressed.

And Jungkook?

Still pissed. His jaw clenched, tongue poking against his cheek, his fingers repeatedly flexing like he was trying to shake off the adrenaline.

I, on the other hand, was standing near the bouncers, not really sure if I was even supposed to be in this room. But I followed them in, and no one told me to leave, so here I was.

A woman in her early 40s, dressed in a sharp black dress and exuding authority, walked to the desk in the middle of the room. She let out a small sigh before introducing herself.

"I'm Lee Dahye, the manager and co-owner of this club," she said, scanning the room. "First, take a seat. This will take a while, and I prefer a peaceful conversation."

Jimin let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his temple before taking a seat in the single chair near the girls. Joshua settled into another single-seater beside him, while I hesitated before sitting next to Jungkook on the couch directly across from Jennie and the others.

Dahye adjusted her posture before continuing.

"As you all know, you're here because of the altercation that happened on the dance floor just minutes ago." She eyed Jungkook briefly before continuing. "And I honestly didn't expect celebrities to be at the center of it. Especially not those who booked most of our VIP and VVIP rooms upstairs."

The room remained silent aside from the quiet breathing of the two sleeping girls. Jisoo stirred slightly but didn't wake up.

The manager kept talking, explaining club policies, expectations, and how she really hoped this situation wouldn't tarnish the reputation of her establishment. She even went off-track, mentioning that she was a BTS fan and some other random information that had nothing to do with the situation.

I nearly zoned out.

Thankfully, Jimin—always the diplomat—interrupted her smoothly.

"Our legal team will handle everything," he said with a polite but firm tone. "If there are any formalities to settle, our lawyer will take care of them."

The manager pursed her lips but nodded, clearly satisfied that they were taking this seriously.

A few minutes later, the lawyer arrived, accompanied by additional security. The conversation between them and the club's management was brief, professional, and way out of my interest level.

All I knew was that the guy Jungkook punched had decided not to press charges or escalate the issue further.

Probably bribed. But honestly? I didn't care.

What mattered was that this didn't blow up into something worse. And that we could finally get out of here.

━━ •⩊• ━━

The party was still going strong, the bass vibrating through the floors as if nothing had happened. It was surreal—just an hour ago, Jungkook had thrown a punch that could have easily escalated into a disaster, yet here we were, walking out of the club's private office as if it had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.