in with the New

Jaebeom: If I Could Turn Back Time

"I'm not going"

"Come on, when are we ever going to have the same Friday night off again? and neither of us work tomorrow" Sungjin throws down the broom he was holding. He is making an excellent point, but also they could do literally anything else together. "just come with me, they have male strippers too, it totally caters to whatever sexuality crisis you had"

"Okay, first of all, it wasn't a crisis–" it totally was. "–second of all, if any one of my roommates was throwing themselves at you, you'd be having a crisis too, but especially Mark"

"Yeah whatever, I think I have more willpower than that." Sungjin bends down and picks the broom up, as Jaebeom scowls at him. It's not a matter of willpower. When Sungjin stands back up, he gasps as a customer comes into the store. "Okay, maybe if they were as hot as that guy, shit, do you think he's famous?"

Jaebeom looks behind him for a moment before turning his attention back to Sungjin. "Okay, so if my roommates are that hot, you'll admit I'm not weak, and that I don't have to go to some strip club to prove it"

"Yeah sure, you're on, but there's no way—"

"Jae, I didn't know you worked at this location" Mark sets the mineral water he had picked out on the counter, flashing Jaebeom a beautiful grin. Jaebeom doesn't look at Sungjin, but he knows his jaw must be on the floor.

"Yeah, for a while now, but I didn't start out here." Jaebeom scans the item and glances at Sungjin with a smug look on his face before he says: "Mark, you didn't come home last night"

"No, I didn't" Mark rests his elbow on the counter, chin in his hand, a gold bangle slips down his slim wrist. "Why? Did you miss me?"

He hears Sungjin's very sharp intake of breath and has to suppress a snort. Mark has to be playing this up, no way does he even care what Jaebeom thinks and to look so effortlessly flirty and wonderful? It's not impossible that he overheard them.

"Maybe, but really—" He stops short when the light catches on the bangle drawing his attention, first to the golden glint and then to a very purple bruise on Mark's arm. Mark quickly, but gracefully straightens out, tugging his long sleeve back down to his wrist.

"Really?" Mark prompts, as if urging him to move on, finish his sentence.

Without meaning to, Jaebeom reaches across the counter and grabs a hold of Mark's loose collar where he thought he saw some color, pulling it aside to see his collarbone has a similar bruise, Mark slaps his hand away, not kindly. In fact Jaebeom didn't think Mark could hit that hard. "Who did this?"

"Don't pry, Jae, it's really unattractive" Mark takes his receipt off the printer himself before turning on his heel and walking out. Jaebeom's legs itch to follow him, get an answer, maybe find whoever did that and put them in the ground.

No.

Jaebeom is really not violent, he's not.

Okay, so maybe his charges weren't only completely drug related but it was apart of it. And he's not violent, honestly. He didn't do stuff like that. And he's not in love with Mark, either, so don't even ask. He's just seriously protective of him.

"That's Mark? The Mark? Your little fuck buddy Mark?" Sungjin looks as winded as he sounds, carting a hand through his hair. "Holy shit, I think I'm in love"

"I told you, no one can resist him"

"But that totally doesn't count, there's hot and then there's that guy, just come to the club with us, it will be fun!"

"It'll be illegal"

"Don't be like that! Come on, you can just drink at the bar if you want, but come with us"