𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘

88 | uncovered

Jungkook's POV

The Golden Closet is unusually vacant tonight. Older men that linger on the age range of thirty five and forty are sitting in small groups sporadically in the large room.

Music is blaring mercilessly from the speakers, as the strippers that are on stage, sway their hips rhythmically before performing their special acrobatics on the pole. Even the air seems lighter than usual since it's not that crowded, the scents of saccharine and piquant fragrances in combination with musky perfume are making me dizzy. Purple lights flash on stage, intensifying the contrast with the women's shadowed bodies and their shiny lingerie. The platform where the strippers are performing is lit up and the brightness illuminates on their skin.

Some of customers in the room are businessmen with their sharp suits and Rolex watches. You can tell apart the rich folk from the common folk from their clothing. One of the guys that is sitting on the couch on my left, is wearing a fake Rolex and yet he's trying to play it off as the wealthy dude that knows well how to please.

We both know that that isn't the case.

He's the type of guy who thinks that the length of your dick is as many as the zeros on your bills. And he's playing it off as the wealthy guy, when in reality he's flat broke.

Golden bands are shining on the men' ring fingers. So, they're married too. At least some of the men had the courtesy of removing their rings, but then again, the majority of the males in this room are no longer bachelors, yet they so desperately yearn for the life they once had, before all the additional responsibilities crept in once they sealed the deal the second they got married.

You only need to take one look at their faces and you can immediately tell that those men are totally out of it. They are literally bored out of their minds with the endless cycle of routine that is their life. Waking up, having a million things to do with so many different people, only to spend countless hours away from the few significant people in your life.

Apparently, when you're a money maker, you can't seem to realize how time can just slip off your fingers in a heartbeat. Every single drop of your time and effort that you spend on your profession is money. And there are times when that money doesn't even go in your pocket.

Everybody in this world is goal oriented, everybody has a purpose. We work hard every day to make a living and yet even when we finally earn enough to cover all our needs, we still continue to crave for more. And then, the more we work, the more time we need to spare-massive portions of our lives that we can never take back no matter how much we try, so why even bother trying to be successful when all we are gonna do is throw our lives away for mere numbers?

Money can get to people's heads so fucking easily. It's the perfect brainwashing tool and almost everyone succumbs to it. Take these strippers for example, none of these women actually want to be here. Elena certainly doesn't want to work here, but she doesn't have a choice because she needs to make quick money. If I could help her out of this place, I would, but I am in no position to offer her a helping hand. Especially, since I fucked things up between us once again.

In a society where money is the main source of power, many surrender to what most consider shameful or degrading in order to earn it. And given the circumstances these women are in, I don't consider what they do as shameful. They're simply doing what they have to do in order to survive.

I have Elena to thank, for making me understand that.

All the things I did to her several months back make me sick. I was ignorant for a long time and she opened my eyes. Things were going so perfectly smooth over the last few weeks and now I just had to push her away because of my insecurities.

I called and texted Elena over the weekend, but she never contacted me. She's probably still pissed at me. However, she didn't even come to class today and that's a little concerning, because Elena doesn't like being side tracked. When I saw her empty seat next to me in the auditorium, my first thought was to drop everything and go to her apartment, but then I figured that it would be better to let her cool down. Showing up at her place uninvited would be too overwhelming and the last thing I want to do is aggravate her further.

Which is why, I'm at the bar in the Golden Closet, waiting for her to appear on stage. A stripper with a red wig and the most slinky pink lingerie I've ever seen, is making her way  towards me, but I simply avert my glance from her inviting cleavage and wave her off, as I wait for Elena to show up. I will recognize her regardless of the attire she's in tonight.

I want to make things right again. I need to apologize and give her the answers she needs.

But I have to find her first.

Time goes by in a flash and she's nowhere to be seen. The women on this night shift are older than her and none share the grace and poise that Elena has.

Now, that is starting to stir the worry in me.

Scratch that, I've been worried the entire day, yet I decided to listen to my brain instead of my gut.

Fuck.

Maybe she's running a little bit late—or she's currently getting ready at the back. I need to find the manager of the place and ask him whether Elena—no, Eye Candy will be on stage tonight.

I get off my seat and my eyes fly all over the place in search for the guy that collects the money and when I finally spot him, I dash towards him not caring about the strippers I run into.

"Hey, is Eye Candy gonna be on stage tonight?" I ask straightforwardly and the short man just glares at me.

"It's been a while since the last time I saw you here." He remarks and I look at him strangely. "How come you decided to swing by?"

"I just—well is Elena even here?" I ask, my voice coming out a little harsher than intended.

But the manager shakes his head. "She called in sick earlier, so you won't be getting any tonight." He grins.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't even try to deny it boy. It's obvious what you and Elena were doing in our private rooms."

What the hell?

The manager continues rambling, "Come on dude, we ain't got cctvs for nothing. Besides, the boss had a good time examining the footage. And since you two are somewhat friends, he sure will mock you the first chance he gets." I look past him at the stairs that lead upstairs to his office and the short man shakes his head. "Don't bother, he's not here right now."

So, Seokjin is back. "How do you even know I'm friends with Seokjin?"

"I've been working here for a while, you know." He says and right when I decide it's time to leave, he adds, "Anyhow, if you're so set on seeing Eye Candy perform, make sure to see her before the week is up."

I turn to him. "Why?"

"Because, she's probably gonna stop working here."

short chap bc I wrote it on my phone~

dynamite is such a beautiful song with its own sound and I love it so so much