Beneath the City ✔️

Names

The elevator was crowded once again, this time, all of us were packed in like sardines in a tin  with about twenty others. Come to think of it, I wasn't even sure what sardines were, I just remember Hearing about them once. I was relatively certain they were fish. Apparently fish smelled bad too, but I doubt they had anything on the elevator. The stench of sweat and alcohol was nauseating. I tried to ignore it by breathing in the scent of Jimin's sweater, as he stood directly in front of me. He smelled like soap, a comforting fragrance, somewhat flowery.

The elevator dinged, and we filed out. CL had agreed to meet us in the pub. We walked in, and once again it was overcrowded, with tobacco smoke and the scent of alcohol hanging low in the air. I looked around, trying to see if CL was here yet, but the dim lighting made it tricky to see any more than vague shapes in the haze of heat and smoke. I jumped sideways into Jimin as a heavily intoxicated man almost crashed into me. He put a hand on my waist to steady me.

'I think she's at the bar.' I heard Namjoon say in front of us. I looked towards where he was pointing, and could just about make out her silhouette. We walked over to her. She tilted her glass slowly, looking into it.

'I'll admit I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, need Nother job?' She inquired.

'Not quite.' Namjoon said

'Information.' I said. She eyed me warily, then began to speak.

'You know it won't be cheap.' She said slowly.

'What do you need back?' I asked.

'Depends on how much you want to know.' She responded, taking a sip from her drink.

'Who was the man you had us contact, V?' I asked.

'Bad luck,' she said, 'all I knew was his name, he didn't work for me.' She stated. I bit my lip, and looked up at Namjoon.

'What about Jeon Jungkook?' He asked. 'Who was he?' I tried to hide a smile. Trust Namjoon to come up with the good ideas.

'Again, it won't be cheap, the guy's hard to get to.'

'I can work for it.' I said. The guys looked at me nervously. This wasn't in the plan, but we couldn't spare the money. Jin opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. 'I need this CL, it's personal.' She looked at me and nodded. Then tilted her head like a hawk.

'A pretty girl like you could go for a lot y/n' she smirked. I shivered, and could see Jimin stiffen up in my peripheral.

'She's not for sale.' He glowered.

'No, but I've got someone who could do with a pretty lady for an event, nothing dirty.' I narrowed my eyes.

'What does it involve?' I asked. I could feel Jimin glaring at me, but I ignored him. CL had never given us trouble before, and she was unlikely to start now. She trusted us to work for her, she wouldn't screw us over on purpose.

'There's a party in three days time, he needs a date, and help eliminating an... issue, per se.' She said. 'You'll find out more when he tells you.'

'What do you guys think?' I aksed. They all looked sceptical.

'So long as you're safe, I don't see why not.' Jin said frowning. Jimin looked up exasperated.

'I don't think you're safe anywhere at the moment, your bounty did just go up, everyone knows what you look like.'

'That's not an issue,' CL interjected, 'it's a masquerade, no one will recognise her.' I let out a sigh of relief. Jimin beg

'I still don't think it's completely sa-'

'I can look after myself Jimin'

'Last time you said that you wound up lost in the Web without any shoes on!' He exclaimed.

'That's was not my fault' I spat. My shoes had been stolen after I blacked out in the Web, and I woke up with a concussion. 'At least I'm trying.'

'That's low.' He glowered 'You act like I do nothing!' He said beginning to raise his voice.

'All you do is follow me round, like you don't trust me to tie my own shoe laces!'

'Well excuse me for trying to protect you!' he shouted, glaring at me. I looked away, embarrassed.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude.' I muttered. I never meant to sound ungrateful.

'I'll guarantee her safety personally, Mr Jung is a good man, he just needs a hand.' CL said, dissipating the tension that had risen. 'And I've helped him out of tricky situations more than he'd like to admit, so he won't want to anger me.' Jimin and Namjoon were nodding next to me, and Jimin looked a bit more pacified.

'What does he want with her?' He questioned.

'Not for me to say.' She answered. 'You find out on the job. Take it or leave it.' She knocked back the last of her drink.

'I'll do it.' I said, and she handed me a cream coloured card, with a time and a place written in copper coloured ink. I turned it over in my hand, it felt unnaturally ornate in my grubby hands. This side said had the name Jung Hoseok written on it in elaborate cursive.

'You'll need it on you for when you get picked up.' CL stated.

'Like identification?' Jin asked.

'Exactly, and a get out of jail free card.' CL said, 'If you run into trouble, it should prove you're with him, and no one will cause you any trouble.' She added. I nodded feeling slightly more confident with this to help me out. I pocketed the card, but by the time I'd looked up, she'd already gone, leaving behind a faint smell of perfume.