Set Me Free

Chapter 6.5

Author's Note: This chapter is an additional section written from Yoongi's POV. It contains quite a bit of triggering content (I kept it as PG as possible.) If this stuff is gonna upset you then PLEASE just skip this. You won't miss any huge story points and I totally get it.

Yoongi didn't really know where he was going when he ran out of the apartment, he just knew he couldn't be there. Suddenly every inch of your shared home hurt to look at; the memory of every kind word or affectionate look had a gloomy cast over it. The realizations hit him like bullets to the chest. Every time you'd shared something with him had simply been charity. Every sweet bit of praise you'd given was an act of pity. Every time he touched you, you'd been uncomfortable.

How could he have been so stupid? He felt humiliated and ridiculous for reading too much into the situation. How could you ever want someone like him? He was just someone's throw-away. Pathetic. Broken. Dirty. Worthless. The words played on repeat in his head and with each loop he sank further into himself, into the pit of self-loathing you'd barely managed to pull him out of. How could he ever face you again like this?

He sat on a bench and pulled out his phone. There were 12 missed calls and 19 messages from you already, and as he looked Jimin called. He set his phone face down on the bench next to him, leaned his head back, and looked up at the sky. How could he feel so awful on such a beautiful day? Just another reminder that the world didn't care about him; no one did, really. And why would they?

"Kitty?" A man's voice pulled him from his thoughts, the familiar voice making his blood run cold. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you." Yoongi lifted his head to find Kwon Hyunjoong standing before him. His voice dripped with honey, but Yoongi knew all too well the venom that lay just beneath the surface. He didn't say anything, just dropped his eyes to the feet of the man before him.

"Nothing to say? You've caused me a lot of trouble, kitty. Your clients miss you. And me, I've been lost without my favorite toy." Hyunjoong stepped forward and placed a hand on Yoongi's shoulder. Far from a friendly gesture, his fingers dug into Yoongi's flesh so hard that if he didn't have the protection of his jacket Hyunjoon's nails would've broken the skin. Yoongi winced, but didn't dare pull away.

"Did your latest whore get bored already? Women can be so fickle with their pets, you know."

"She isn't-" Yoongi started to protest but stopped himself when the hand gripping his shoulder moved to his neck, grabbing a handful of hair in the process.

"Look what she's done to you," Hyunjoong said, observing Yoongi's hair. "I told you to keep your hair dark. Dying it like this is so... tacky." He gestured with the hand full of hair, tugging it painfully. "But I guess you were always cheap by nature, huh?"

Yoongi's muscles practically vibrated with the instinct to flee, but years of conditioning told him things would only be worse if he tried.

"I guess it's time for you to come home, kitty. She doesn't want you anymore. But I'm sure I can find some use for you." Hyunjoong gripped the back of Yoongi's collar and pulled him to his feet, dragging him toward the open car door. A voice in Yoongi's head—a voice that sounded very much like you—screamed at him to run. But his whole body felt numb, as if he was watching this whole situation on a TV screen. So he didn't fight. He didn't fight when Hyunjoong pushed him into the back seat of the black sedan, or when Hyunjoong climbed in behind him. And he didn't try to escape when the man behind the wheel drove away.

The Eclipse Club was on the south side of town, in a seedy area known by most for its bustling night-life. Those familiar with the area knew what really happened there. The neighborhood was a den of hybrid trafficking and exploitation. From the escort services, to the strip clubs, to the fight rings and illegal auctions, the hybrids that ended up there were at the end of the line. Few hybrids ever truly escaped the life the south side created for them.

As they pulled up under the familiar neon sign of the club, Yoongi doubted he'd ever leave again. He'd lucked his way into freedom and safety once, and it was unlikely he'd get another chance. The two men in the front of the car led him down the alley and to the side entrance, Hyunjoong followed at a leisurely pace. They shoved him through the door and Yoongi caught the twisted, almost childlike delight in Hyunjoong's eyes as he planned what was to come. Even before they crossed the threshold Yoongi knew where they were headed. They wove between wait staff, bartenders, and hybrid dancers in their signature barely-there uniforms. Several familiar faces looked at him with wide eyes, recognizing him.

"Su-" a girl with rounded black ears barely stopped herself from calling out his name, or at least the name the club had given him. All his friends' eyes were full of pity even as they tried to avert their gaze. Finally, they arrived at a heavy metal door. Hyunjoong stepped forward, unlocking it to reveal a set of concrete stairs. He gestured for Yoongi and the guards to enter first. Yoongi's feet refused to move, so the guards ended up half dragging, half carrying him down the steps.

At the bottom Hyunjoong unlocked another door, and stepped into a large, nearly empty, room. The walls were made of cinder block, bare fluorescent bulbs illuminated the space, and the concrete floor had drains in it so the room could be cleaned with the hose coiled in the far corner. Yoongi trembled as they pulled him to the center of the room. Hyunjoong gave the guards a nod, looking vaguely amused. They tugged at his jacket and Yoongi cooperated, knowing they'd just tear the garments away by force if he didn't. His stomach lurched in revulsion as Hyunjoong watched. The chill of the room sank through to his bones as he stood in his boxers. There were chains bolted at various increments around the floor and one of the men shackled his ankle with them. The guards stepped away as Hyunjoong approached.

"Kitty, you've really let yourself go," the man purred, running an appraising hand over Yoongi's stomach. In his time with you he'd managed to gain back a decent amount of the weight he lacked. His ribs no longer showed so starkly through his skin, and he even had a little bit of extra fat over his tummy. Hyunjoong pinched at the flesh and tutted disapprovingly. One of the guards circled to Yoongi's back and as Hyunjoong nodded at the guard Yoongi braced himself for the blow. The lash bit into his skin and tore at the scar tissue he'd built over years of abuse.

"Look how fat you've gotten. Did she like that? Really, kitty? Did she want a kitty or a pig?" Hyunjoong prodded at Yoongi's stomach again before throwing a punch that knocked the wind out of him and brought him to his knees. Another nod, another blow. He already felt drops of blood springing from the lines the lash carved in his back and thighs. "Have you forgotten everything I taught you, kitty? You have to stay pretty for me so I can play nice. You know I can play nice when you earn it." Hyunjoong cooed softly, as if he was offering some great mercy, not just another form of torture. The man raised a hand and the guard continued, delivering strike after strike until Yoongi was curled on the ground, breaths coming so painfully he heaved.

Hyunjoong crouched in front of him, grabbing his chin and yanking it up so their faces were less than an inch apart. "Why'd you do this to yourself? If you'd just been a good boy we wouldn't be here. You know I don't enjoy this any more than you do." Even as he said it a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. He looked Yoongi's face over appraisingly, then glanced at the long scars and fresh wounds marring the pale skin of his back.

"You really are so pretty, kitty. I'll enjoy having you back. That is of course, if you're going to be good. You will be good now, won't you, kitty?" Yoongi averted his eyes even as Hyunjoong's hand forced him to remain face-to-face with him. Hyunjoong's grip tightened when Yoongi didn't respond. "You'll be good, right?" His breath reeked of cigarette smoke and traces of alcohol and Yoongi nearly gagged. But he held it back and instead nodded obediently.

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy," Hyunjoong said with a laugh. He ran a hand through Yoongi's hair as he stood, only to give it a vicious yank that knocked Yoongi back on his heels.

"Twenty more, then bring him to my office. We have some catching up to do," he said, already walking away. Yoongi held his breath for the next couple of strokes until the soundproof door closed behind Hyunjoong. Only then did he allow himself to scream.