✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

Jungkook is still a nervous wreck as he continues to wait for his date on the steps. Granted, he did not think he'd have to wait so long considering the party is at her parents' estate. Offering both you and Taehyung anxious smiles every now and then, Taehyung warns you that he'd rather you not talk to him. He says that knowing you and Taehyung are there is enough reassurance for him.

Maybe it's the natural protector in you, or it's your own nerves for entering the intimidating building, but you can't help but ache to talk to Jungkook. If it weren't for your boyfriend's relentless whispering in your ear, or gentle nips at your skin distracting you, you're sure you'd be just as much as a mess as Jungkook.

Another few minutes go by, Jungkook now abandoning his straight posture to sit on the quartz steps as he continues to wait. You and Taehyung exchange a look of worry, a horrible thought crossing both of your minds at the implications of Sora's lack of punctuality. Too immersed in the negative, neither of you seem to notice the slim silhouette dressed in emerald green with long, blonde hair and porcelain skin gracefully approach the man.

Sora plants herself next to him, a small smile on her lips when Jungkook continues to stare out into the driveway like a hawk, completely unaware of her presence.

"Jungkook-"

"Holy fuck!" He jumps, startling her and you and Taehyung who finally notice her.

"You came," she beams, biting her lip in an effort to conceal her giddiness.

Jungkook's entire face flushes and he's quick to reach up and cool his reddening ears as he faces her angelic face. "Y-Yes," he clears his throat, "I did, indeed."

Taehyung lets out an obnoxious snort at his best friend's lack of cool, prompting you to pinch his arm like a mother scolding her toddler for being too loud. Sora's eyes flit to meet yours and she quirks a brow. You've never been too good with faces or names but she looks very familiar to you. She frowns and you tilt your head in confusion. Before you can say anything, Jungkook subtly waves you two off and Taehyung wraps an arm around your waist to guide you inside.

When you look back, Sora still stares at you now slowly shaking her head as you two enter.

Weird.

"Your house hasn't changed," Jungkook attempts to initiate a conversation. Sora can tell that he isn't aware of how childish they look seated on the steps of such an elegant building.

She allows her smile to escape in its entirety, cat eyes glazing over the guests eyeing them suspiciously as they trickle inside while Jungkook silently admires her side-profile.

"My mom would have an aneurysm if our guests weren't gawking as they walked in. She loves to brag."

"I remember," Jungkook nods, a pang of hurt in his stomach at the memory of Mrs. Young boasting about her successful daughter's studies thousands of miles away each time he'd visited.

Sora senses his apprehension, heart dropping at the man's pensive stare. She couldn't tell if Jungkook still loved her. But she knows he feels something. Even if it's pure hatred for her, she never wants to leave Jungkook out to dry again. And with the looming date of her return flight for England approaching by the second, she hopes she won't have to.

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

"Taehyung!" Mrs. Young practically squeals in delight, immediately cupping your boyfriend's cheeks and kissing him right on the lips. "I'm so happy you came!"

You don't even have time to react before a swarm of older ladies adorned in luxury brands and sparkling jewelry begin to crowd your boyfriend for hugs and kisses. You can't blame them, you'd be the same way.

"Oh you have Venus' eyes, just look at them," you hear one gush.

"And Ron's jaw," another one chimes in, "look at that thing! You could grate cheese on it!"

All you can do is chuckle as everyone continues to swoon over Taehyung. Not that you're particularly complaining because something else has completely nabbed your attention. The house interior is so gorgeous, you're in awe. Sage walls draped with beautiful tapestries encompass you, creating a peaceful ambiance. Golden chandeliers hang from the ceilings, illuminating the rooms like tiny suns. Embroidered couches and cushions invite you to relax on them everywhere you look along with the dozens of hand painted vases sitting on mahogany tables scattered around. You feel like you're inside of a museum, not someone's home.

You glance back to see Taehyung is still drowning in aunties before going back to admiring. For a beat you decide whether to go back and help him but decide against it when you see a line of servers leave a room with silver trays full of steaming goodies.

Taehyung's a big boy.

Following the scent like a bloodhound, you find yourself stumbling upon a grand dining room with a table that could easily sit 30. A table currently covered in treats and drinks that have your mouth watering. To say it's difficult to keep your appetite at bay is an understatement, because suppressing the urge to load every single melon ball and deviled egg onto your plate and scarf it down is harder said than done. But the last thing you'd want is to meet Taehyung's father with a bloated face.

"Can't decide?"

The question snaps you out of your pity and you let out a breathy chuckle.

"I want everything."

"Then eat it," it responds, a toned arm coming into your line of sight to reach for one of the fruit tarts you were eyeing. You watch as the woman stuffs the tart into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks as she munches on it like a child. She shrugs her shoulders, motioning for you to do the same and it's enough to encourage you to follow.

"Never seen you before," she grins as she watches you dive back in for another, "you look like you weigh more than a feather so you can't be a Young. No offense."

"None taken," you say in between chews, "I actually came with someone..." She arches a brow when you trail off but only because you're staring so intently at her face. Her round eyes and sleek bob strike you as familiar. She's not wearing a dress as flashy as any of the other girls here, just a pair of slacks and a long coat yet she still exudes the same amount of elegance.

"Are you having a stroke?"

"N-No sorry," you smile bashfully at her lack of filter, "I just...I feel like we've met before."

"Rika!" A voice booms, followed by a tall, handsome man snaking through guests to reach you two.

She rolls her eyes, cursing under her breath before putting a tart back. "Damn it."

"Rika, where the hell have you been?!"

Rika's scowl immediately fades into a fake smile when she turns to meet the man's face. She forces out a chuckle before slapping lightly at his shoulder. "Yugyeom, whaddya mean 'where have I been?' Save your little spiel, I know this is a business party. I know we have to make good impressions on the guests for the firm. I just came to get a bite and I ran into my old friend..."

She nudges you a bit and your brows jump in surprise as you catch on.

"Y/N, pleased to me you," you introduce yourself, holding out your hand for his to shake. He doesn't return the gesture which catches you off guard. Instead his jaw goes slack, mirroring Rika who turns to face you with an incredulous look.

Finally catching his breath, Yugyeom starts, "Sorry, did you say-"

"Y/N?!" Rika finishes, much less polite and much more ardent, "as in the waitress?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Any confidence you had previously built about being amongst such luxury comes crashing down as the two continue to gawk at you. You remember the two now amongst that group of Taehyung's friends you'd served at Bang's a couple of months ago. You're happy to recognize a few friendly faces but you're not too sure the feeling is mutual.

"T-Taehyung invited me," you answer meekly, not having the sense to wonder if the question was rhetorical or not.

Rika whips her head in the direction of the entrance, attempting to burn through the crowd of women with her gaze alone to shoot your boyfriend a dirty look.

"Taehyung invited you," Yugyeom clarifies, still facing you even as he reaches over to turn Rika's head back.

"Yeah...well sorta. He was a little iffy about it. Maybe because of what happened with my own mother but, who knows. I served you two at Bang's, didn't I?"

"Yes," Yugyeom replies, still a bit shaken by your nonchalance, "I'm Yugyeom and this is Rika."

"I should put a fork in trust fund's neck!" She shouts, alarming you and guests around.

Unfazed, Yugyeom shakes his head and waves her off. "Ignore her, she's psychotic."

If it weren't for the enormous pit in your stomach, you might've enjoyed the two's banter. The vaguely remind you of Yoongi and Uma. Man, you wish the two were here. You suddenly find yourself missing that night of blissful ignorance when all you had to worry about was avoiding Taehyung and that other creep. And then you realize...

"Didn't you guys have a friend? The tall one with the voice?"

"Lucas," Rika grumbles.

"Oh yeah," Yugyeom nods, "Mr. Kim heard about what happened at the bar that night and dismissed him. We weren't too thrilled about the inconvenience."

Rika scoffs, waving his nonchalance off. "Speak for yourself! The guy was a walking slime ball. Mr. Kim was just waiting for a reason to throw him out."

You narrow your eyes at the specific honorific being thrown around.

"Taehyung's father fired him?"

"Mr. Kim doesn't like anything that could bring unsavory publicity to the company. Any possible scandals, or skeletons in anyone's closets are checked, thoroughly. You should see the type of background checks he ran on my financial advisor position."

"Oh my god," Rika groans, rolling her eyes, "I'm the freaking head analyst, imagine how long it took for ME!"

You nod in understanding, popping a melon ball into your mouth as you take in the information. Whether it was to save his own company's ass or not, you can't help but feel a bit elated that Mr. Kim at least recognizes a sexual harassment liability. That's got to count for something.

Just as you're about to continue mingling, your boyfriend emerges from the crowd. With his dark hair much shaggier than you remember, he hesitantly walks over to you three. You can't help but giggle as you notice the smears of lipstick staining his cheeks while he straightens the cuffs on his blazer. He shyly meets your eyes, his lips curling into an even shyer smile when he realizes he wasn't able to hide what his aunties have done.

"These two bothering you," he asks, failing to break eye contact as he secures his arms around your waist.

You shake your head with a grin. "No, we were just talking."

"Someone else should do some talking."

You hear Rika say something followed by a yelp, but when you turn all you see is Yugyeom's nervous smile and Rika holding her foot in pain. Taehyung wears the same puzzled expression, but instead of investigating he simply tucks a wavy curl behind your ear and leads you away from the two.

"It was nice to see you two again," you wave.

"Yes, you too!" Rika waves back, forcing a smile along with nervous chuckles spilling from her lips. When the two of you are finally out of sight, she sighs and whips her head in the direction of Yugyeom's pained expression.

"We're not gonna stop him?!"

Yugyeom frowns, eyes flitting over to the corner where you two just turned. His lips part for a moment, as if contemplating something, but they quickly shut as he shakes his head.

"You know what would happen to us if we tried. It ain't our fight."

"Good thinking, Yugyeom," a third voice chimes in, patting Yugyeom on the back while sending a sinister smirk toward Rika. "As for you," Kai regards her, enjoying looming over her small frame as she stares up at him with rage, "why don't you just stand there and keep that pretty mouth shut? You're good at that."

"I'd rather shove my foot up your ass you power-hungry PIG!" Rika spits, earning nothing but a satisfied smile from Kai knowing just how she'd react. "You really hate Taehyung so much you'll just sit back back and watch the girl he loves get hurt?! Where's your humanity?!!"

Kai moves away from Yugyeom, slicking back his dirty blonde hair as he gravitates closer to her delicate face until his full lips are only a hairs breath from her own.

"Love isn't real," he whispers, relishing the way her black eyes impossibly darken a few shades at the sight of him, "she won't learn anything she doesn't already know about baby Kim. After tonight, trust me, she'll be thanking us."

Steam is practically blowing out of Rika's nostrils by the time Kai finishes. Her cheeks burn crimson as she huffs, every fiber of her being begging her not to give into her immediate instincts. But as she continues to stare incredulously at his smug face, perfect skin, hollow cheekbones, honey eyes and all, she can't help it.

Rika swings at Kai.

It's no surprise when he catches her fist, twisting her arm and body so that now her back is flush against his chest to de-escalate a possible scene. When no one seems to pay the three any mind, unsurprisingly so since the ordeal has nothing to do with their money, Kai shoves Rika into Yugyeom's arms.

"Take care of your pet, Yugyeom."

Smoothing out his now wrinkled red blazer, Kai saunters back toward the grand staircase for his exit. However before he can, a small wince catches him off guard. He tilts his head ever so slightly just to catch Rika rubbing her sore wrist. For a millisecond, the corners of his lips twitch and his dark brows furrow before Rika notices him.

Clearing her throat, she allows her rage to reappear as she calls out to him.

"So what are you waiting for? Why don't you just end her suffering now?"

Kai sighs condescendingly, grinning maliciously as he meets his associates' curious eyes.

"There's still a party to enjoy."

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

sorry to drag out this party scene so much :) but they've been my favorite things to write so...