"Hi."
Taehyung raised his head from the staring match he was having with his whiskey glass to look at the pretty bartender. Actually, he had noticed the man from the previous two times he came to this club. It was impossible not to.
For one, the man hadn't exactly been subtle about the looks he gave Taehyung every possible second he could. Curious. But at the same time, cautious. He was bold in one second, but also blushing in the next second while looking away. It looked rather endearing to Taehyung.
And two, the man must definitely be the prettiest human Taehyung had ever laid his eyes on. He should be grazing the front page of the top fashion magazines, dressed in those ridiculously expensive clothing brands and accessories. Not standing behind the bar in a club. Even if it is one of the top clubs in the town.
Noticing that the man is still waiting for a response, Taehyung tilted his head to the side and gave a small smile. "Hey."
"So.." The man seemed a little nervous. "What brings you here?"
Taehyung chuckled. He wasn't sure the man was trying to make a move on him or just casually asking. Either way, it looked cute. Specially with the way he bit his lower lip afterwards.
"A continuum of terrible choices."
The man giggled, and Taehyung could swear that his heart melted a bit. It must be what heaven's music sounded like.
"Well, you'd be surprised how often people say that." The man extended his hand for a shake. "I'm Jungkook."
Taehyung gently held and shook his hand. "Taehyung."
Another customer raised his hand for an order and Jungkook quickly gave a nod. "Gotta go. Enjoy yourself."
The bar area was a little crowded so Taehyung and Jungkook didn't get more than a few minutes at a time. They talked about mundane things. Favorite food and drink, pets they had, favorite movies.. whatever that came to mind at that time. But nothing personal.
It was past 2.00am when the place got less crowded. Jungkook's legs were hurting from standing for so long but he was used to it now. Nothing a warm water basin and a few hours of sleep can't cure. Luckily, his classes at the University start a little late tomorrow so he can sleep in a bit.
"Can I get you anything else?"
Taehyung tilted the glass in his hand, which was still about 1/3 full. "Nope, I'm good."
"Okiee.."
"Jungkook?"
"Hmm..?
Taehyung looked as if he was contemplating whatever he was about to ask. And Jungkook waited patiently. Taehyung finally sighed and looked at Jungkook.
"Do you normally talk to all your customers like this?"
It might have sounded like a random question but Jungkook understood the implications and the importance of it perfectly.
Now he had two ways to go from here. He can say 'yes', pretending he's a friendly guy who would talk to anyone. That's just how he is. Taehyung is nothing special.
Or.. he could go with the truth. 'No', he doesn't talk to anyone like this. He actually avoids talking to customers, because most of the time, his customers are either drunken fools or plain douchebags. If Jungkook was completely honest, this was the first time he had initiated a conversation with a customer. Ever.
Jungkook shook his head, a shy smile made its way to his face, as well as a slight blush. "No, this is the first time."
"Oh.." That brought another few seconds of thinking for Taehyung. "Why did you decide to talk to me today?"
"I don't know." Jungkook shrugged his shoulders. "I mean I saw you a couple of times before too. Figured life normally gives you three chances and I didn't want to miss the third one."
"Three chances?"
"Yeah. Three strikes and you're out, right?"
Taehyung thought for a few seconds again, his mind seemingly stuck in a faraway place. "Three strikes and out. You're absolutely right, pretty."
Jungkook blushed a bit more at the pet name and he turned to the other side. He kept himself busy with cleaning the glasses and hanging them, so that he doesn't have to look at Taehyung with his blushing face.
That's why, when Taehyung discreetly moved out from the bar area, Jungkook didn't notice.
The club was always loud. But the sound of the gunshots were louder.
The glass that Jungkook was wiping slipped past his fingers and shattered on the floor. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, as he turned toward the direction of the gunshots and saw two men laying on the sofa. Jungkook knew the face of one of them, the owner of the club.
And next to them, stood a man, whose face was covered with a red mask. Fully covered, but still recognisable to Jungkook. God knows he spent enough and more time drooling over those long veiny hands, buff shoulders, slightly messy hair, and that hot as hell mullet. Even without the coat he was wearing earlier.
"Taehyung.." A whisper slipped past Jungkook's lips.
And Taehyung slowly turned his head toward the bar as if he had heard it, even though it was impossible with all the chaos that was happening around him. Chaos that he created.
Taehyung knew he had to run. He had to run right now. But, here he was, frozen, looking at the pretty bartender.
Jungkook's eyes held a strange emotion. Was it fear? Hatred? Disgust? No, it was none of those. He looked at Taehyung with sadness. Worry. And what else was there? Taehyung had to watch for a few more minutes to understand that. Right. Disappointment..
Not because Taehyung just shot two people, but because Jungkook had accurately understood that he will not get to see Taehyung again.
The sound of people running was what alerted Taehyung of his impending danger. He didn't have time to dwell on the heartbreak of someone whom he just met.
So he ran.
___________________________________
Jungkook was tired. He had a tiring day at the University today and the bar was packed with people too. He couldn't even get a second of rest and has been on his feet for hours.
This new club was less 'fun and music' and more 'drinks and fights' type. Jungkook is pretty safe behind the counter, unless you count that one time where he almost got hit on the face by a chair.
Still, he had bills and rent to pay and the only thing he was good at except his academics, is mixing drinks. His previous work place had a good reputation for being one of the hottest places in town so it wasn't that hard for Jungkook to find another job.
Jungkook walked towards where he parked his bike, while trying to wrap his jacket even more tightly around his body since the night was unbelievably chilly.
He was thinking about buying some fried chicken today. He had a hard day, maybe his favourite food will be able to fix his mood. Not to mention that he has almost a full day of lectures tomorrow so he needs to have his energy back.
He was about 10 feet away from his bike, when a voice stopped him.
"Hey, pretty."
Jungkook stopped but he didn't turn around. That deep voice was not something he had expected or.. ehem.. hoped to hear. Hell, he shouldn't have even remembered it! Given that he had only heard it once in his life.
But yeah, stupid heart remembers everything.
There were sounds of footsteps but Jungkook still didn't turn. They stopped about a few steps away from him.
"Won't you turn around?"
Knowing that he doesn't have a choice, mainly because his stupid heart is screaming to turn and check the owner of that voice, Jungkook slowly turned.
There stood Taehyung, looking exactly like he did three weeks ago, except that his hair was brown instead of black.
"Hi." Taehyung seemed to be a little cautious too. "Is this okay? Are you scared of me?"
Jungkook shook his head. He's surprised but not scared. He knows he should, but something about the tender eyes of the other is not letting him feel fear.
Taehyung smiled softly at Jungkook's response. "So.. hi."
"Hi."
"Took me a while to find you. I didn't think you'd find a job in another club. Not after.. you know."
Jungkook raised his eyebrows at that. "What? After you shot and killed my previous boss?"
Taehyung's merry laugh rang through the night air, making it instantly much warmer. "Yeah, after that."
Jungkook shrugged his shoulders. "This is the only work I'm good at."
There was silence for a few minutes, where both of them just stared at each other, before Taehyung finally spoke up.
"Aren't you gonna ask me anything?"
"Not really my business, is it?" Jungkook's tone was genuine, and it made Taehyung feel a little warmer in his heart too. "Unless of course you want to tell me. I can listen."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Jungkook gave a small smile to the other. "I'm a great listener."
"Not here though."
Jungkook hummed in agreement. His heart was beating so fast as he anticipated and waited for Taehyung's next question.
"Your place or mine?"
"I live in university dorms."
"My place it is." Taehyung eyed the bike over Jungkook's shoulder. "Meet you at the exit?"
"Sure."
Taehyung gave another smile before walking away.
It took Jungkook few tries to put the key in to ignition, cause his hands were shaking from excitement. He stopped once he was out of the parking area, trying to find Taehyung and a freaking ferrari flashed its lights at him.
Jungkook followed the car to a high class apartment building in up town. Taehyung parked the car in the underground parking and gestured to Jungkook to do the same.
That night, in Taehyung's apartment, which is the penthouse by the way, they both talked about the important details of their lives, like their families or the nature of their jobs.
Never in a million years, Jungkook imagined his life to be tangled with one of the highest paid assassins of Seoul. But he couldn't deny, but it did come with many perks.
He didn't have to work in the club every night anymore. He didn't have to stay in the cramped up dorm, sharing his space with three other guys. He didn't have to count his pennies everytime he wanted to eat something good.
And he most definitely didn't have the impending worry about his future, for the first time in his life since he got kicked out of his parents house.
After begging for a few times and using the full effect to his doe eyes, Jungkook got to keep his Saturday morning shift at the pet care centre. Only because Taehyung knew how much Jungkook likes spending time with those cute animals. It was not a job, more like happy hour for the younger.
And even if his peers in university openly drooling over his boyfriend and calling Jungkook the luckiest sugar baby were some of the stuff that Jungkook would rather avoid, he could manage to live with it.
Being the boyfriend of Kim Taehyung was worth it.