Tainted || liskook

Tainted [16]: deep end

The repetitive music that blared through the speakers was loud enough to make Jin flinch in mild annoyance. Along with the sea of withering bodies dancing underneath changing fluorescent lights that he had to forcibly push through to squeeze himself a decent amount of space at the bar. The club was loud, filled with intoxicated people, and pulsing with energy. Annoyance was, as far as annoyance goes, had only remained on the premature level that tested his tolerance. No, what was grating his patience and the remains of his sanity was the absence of his partner during an important interlude.

Jin cringed.

He wasn't one for theatrics as the linguistic nuance was only reserved for Hoseok though Jin had to agree that patience had never come easily for him. Patience was a pseudo band aid that was used to smack on children's wounds when their desires were denied by horrible adults. It was instilled and planted, practised by the general norm to blend with the authoritarian majority that immediately decides the way of living the moment one was born into the world.

And like parasite-infected zombies, they lived and died in accordance with the set of rules. The code of conduct created by humans.

But what about people with norm-deviant tendencies? Should they conform for the sake of peace for the same very people that discarded them without a passing thought?

A shove of a slim elbow hit his ribs and this time, Jin didn't bother to subdue the snarl on his face as he shoved the other girl back. He ignored the ugly curse that left her overly-glossed lips and almost expected her to instigate further with a full-confrontational fight because his skin was still burning with annoyance and his fingers were itching for a brawl. Somewhere at the back of his mind he could hear the intrusive, shrilly voice of his mother reprimanding his lack of courtesy towards young ladies. However, young ladies would have the implications and characteristics of poise, grace, and class, three of the important factors the rude bitch outed judging by the thick make-up on her face and the short fabric of her dress.

Not that Jin was any better, but he didn't claim to be the perfect gentleman.

He ordered himself a whiskey neat once he obtained the bartender's attention and fell back to reality as he propped his elbows on the table, purposely elbowing the bitch once more for good measure and scanned the club with little interest. It was still early, too early, for proper action and the third floor Wang told him about before has yet to open. Jin took a large sip of his drink with ease, enjoying the alcohol burn trailing from his throat to the bottom of his stomach. Being consistent with sobriety was the least of his worries when his partner was thirty minutes late.

Thirty-five minutes now that he checked his wrist-watch.

Patience, was indeed, something he didn't have after all.

If it was a fatal flaw, it was certainly a belief Jin couldn't bring himself to agree with for the sake of being passive to retain false truce. Agree to disagree has never sat well with him. It was no wonder he was always sucked into fights because of his reckless and tempestuous streak, not that he had any qualms in playing the role of the antagonist. If tonight went south, he'd just have to wait and see where his temper takes him. The addition of Namjoon could lighten up the unfortunate circumstance though whenever Jin succumbed to one of his tantrums the possibility of him recognising friend from foe was low.

His mentor was a smart one, playing his weakness to their advantage which had ultimately made him the sacrificial lamb in the group. Two years in prison had taught him a lot of things. Being in a war with oneself and being distrustful with everyone else had taken its toll and day by day his hope for a better future had depleted. But no matter, he wasn't living in his past. His new objective had turned into a driving force that fuelled his burning desire to seek revenge in the most vicious, blood-thirsty way no one has ever known and seen before. And Jin was sure as hell that he was going to deliver the last blow.