four years have passed since jeongguk left him. four years have passed since jeongguk's death. but taehyung refuses to acknowledge that.
he has gripped too tightly onto this dream that jeongguk is still his, that he's strayed away from his friends and family. as of now, taehyung has no form of support. they care, but not in the way taehyung needs it too. he needs jeongguk. it's just not the same, if it's not him.
and he knew jeongguk wouldn't be happy, seeing him stand in front of a shady strip club called eden's garden — if the purple neon sign indicated anything — preparing for his new job, but he was. since jeongguk wasn't here, he couldn't stop him and neither could anyone else.
taehyung entered the vivacious club, swarmed by bodies, immediately hit with the scent of alcohol, sweat, and weed, overwhelming him. he could feel the bile rising in his throat, but forced it down. for jeongguk, he reminded himself, this was to find jeongguk.
somehow, he had wormed his way to the back of the club where the manager was waiting for him. taehyung was surprised to be greeted by a handsome male, around his age, with a charming smile gracing his features. he expected someone much more intimidating... maybe along the lines of a guy who wore a belt of guns and a harsh glare. "kim taehyung, right?"
thankful that he had not encountered such, the blonde smiled back, eased by the man's easygoingness. his worries about mistreatment disappearing from the back of his mind. "yes, sir."
the man chortled, "no, no. you can drop the 'sir', dohwan is fine." he smiled broadly, nodding towards the man beside him that taehyung hadn't taken notice of until now, "anyways, if you're ready for work, you can talk to jimin and he'll get you ready for tonight."
taehyung bowed gratefully, "yes, s— i mean dohwan."
the male, jimin, wrapped his hand around his wrist delicately, guiding him towards the dressing room. he began searching through a rack of luxurious lingerie. jimin took turns holding the hangers up to his body, trying to find the best fit for him. taehyung spluttered, cheeks glittering with embarrassment, "w-wait, am i supposed to wear t-that?" gesturing at the white lacy babydoll that didn't leave anything to imagination. for heaven's sake, a dusty rag would cover more skin than that.
jimin gave him a funny look, "why do you look so surprised? you're a stripper, aren't you?"
taehyung shook his head so adamantly, jimin thought his neck would snap, squeaking, "no! i thought i would be a waiter or something! but stripping? that is definitely not a skill i'd list on my résumé! i can't do that! "
at this creases grew between jimin's eyebrows, as sympathy took over, "i'm sorry, taehyung, but i don't think you have much of a choice."
poor taehyung looked like a frightened deer in a lion's den, which in a twisted way — he was, "what do you mean?"
jimin hesitated, surveying their surroundings, making sure they were clear of eavsdroppers, before speaking in a hushed voice, "dohwan puts on a front, and a damn good one at that. he's one of the youngest mafia leaders, and doesn't hesitate to kill. the moment you quit, there's no telling what could happen to you. yo— one of my dear friends walked out one day and i haven't had contact with him since. fuck, i don't think he's even alive at this point."
"i don't know for what reason you came here, but this is no place for people like you. you won't survive a night with your kind of job. whatever dohwan said you were going to do, he lied. as a stripper, you're going to be forced to do..." a shudder ripped down jimin's back, "... many things. you can't help but obey, because if you don't..."
"i'm basically dead meat," taehyung deflated, shrinking in on himself. all he wanted to do was gather some clues as to where jeongguk could be, and already he's gotten himself into this mess.
this is for jeongguk, he reminded himself. for jeongguk. if this is what it'll take to get back the love of his life, he'll do it.
