Alyssa

Alyssa never liked the dark.

It's shallow, and hides secrets. She doesn't know what's hiding there and what could attack her any moment. She worries at the lack of control when theres no way for her to see things.

Walking through the damp alleyway, she sighs, only quiet enough for herself to hear.

Her boots splash in puddles of water that reflect light from the neon lights hung on different balconies overhead. Moonlight shines on some of the unlit ones.

Some lights flicker, and a few make creaking noises in protest to the bad fixing work done.

Alyssa stops at the door near the end of the alley, looking down and pulling her hood tighter over her head, covering her bangs a little more. All ten of her fingers glint when the light hits the various rings she wears on them.

Her outfit's a simple black hoodie and cargo pants with sneakers. Helps her blend into the dark.

She knocks once. Twice. Puts her hand back in her pocket, looking at her feet. She awkwardly shuffles around, hearing two people mumble amongst themselves. Half a minute passes, and she's about to knock again before the door bursts open.

Alyssa looks up, barely blinking before an arm wraps around her waist, the other muffling her mouth, the man lifting her off her feet and pulling her into the dingy place.

She kicks her feet around, reflexes kicking in. The guy lowers her onto the ground, and she relaxes.

Just as the guy is about to speak, she uses her foot to hook it behind the other man's knee, jerking backwards and knocking her head onto his face in the process. The two fall to the ground, the man taking all the impact.

He lets go, and Alyssa stand up, her hood falling off. She pulls a switchblade out of her pant pocket, clicking the button to release the blade, and points it at the guy.

Her green eyes roam around the place, taking in the dim white lighting, an almost blue hue surrounding the place. It's like the lighting one would see in a morgue.

They're in a narrow corridor, another door at the end of it, behind Alyssa. The walls are covered in posters and CD's are taped on for pure aesthetic.

She looks at the guy again, his face more in focus now. A bruise is forming on his nose where she hit him, his brown, almost doe-like eyes on the switchblade. He tries to get up but Alyssa beats him to it, stepping forward.

"I'm here for business with the pawn shop owner." Is all she says, voice smooth like velvet, her korean accent almost perfect despite her not looking the part. Her french-style bangs flutter with the movement, rest of her bright red hair pulled up in a bun.

The guy who'd tried to man handle her stands up and dusts the shoe print of her sneakers from his pants. He has broad shoulders and a quite good figure it seems, apparent from the tight black t-shirt and cargo pants he wears. He towers over her, despite only being a few inches tall. Alyssa looks into his eyes, her gaze piercing, jaw set.

"J?" he asks, eyes still on the switchblade. He doesn't trust her, it seems. Thankfully Alyssa knows what to do.

Alyssa shrugs. "Don't know his name, all I know is my prescription's for charcoal cough syrup."

'The prescription's for charcoal cough syrup' was the "code" for when a pawner had an incredibly rare item to pawn off. She'd gotten it after bribing one of the punters who had showed up to watch her racing games. It was a simple trade. He got a front row seat to an incredible show and Alyssa got access to one of the best underground pawn shops there were.

Whoever the owner was, he always had a fair trade, or so had Alyssa heard. And according to her tip-off, he was a sucker for expensive antique jewelry, so she had exactly the thing that would get her the 18 million won she needed.

The guy's shoulders relax. Only an insider could know that code, so it seems like a normal situation to him.

"Okay," he says, gesturing to the switchblade with his head. "you gotta hand that in, Ginseng, and any other weapons you have. It's rules. You get it back after the deal is done."

"Who the fuck you calling Ginseng?" she shoots at him. "You're not my friend and you won't be. Stay in your limits."

He rolls his eyes, smirking. His lifts his right tattooed arm, palm open. Alyssa grunts and hands him the switchblade.

"I want it back," she tells him.

"You'll get it back, I'm not a liar. Now follow me."

He walks forward, footsteps light despite his bulky build. Alyssa follows him, putting her hood on again.

The door creaks loudly as it opens, and walking inside, she's met with what would be an average drug dealing dumpster in the Korean streets.

Following the bulky dude with his hair in a man bun and eyes too baby-like for his build, she keeps her eyes down. Can't have anyone recognizing her from anywhere.

There are tables in every corner, all stacked with numerous drugs and weapons, and stolen goods, it seems like from the way they glint under the light. They pass multiple rooms, all labeled by a piece of paper which has the room names written on in elegant handwriting, some words from the Busan dialect. Girls and boys of different ages with different dressing styles loiter around, mainly smoking or sitting on couches with their phones in hand.

Taking a turn towards a more inner corner near the end of the room, there's another door, which unlike other ones, is a dark blue color.

The guy knocks twice, Alyssa standing behind him, obstructed from view due to his tall frame.

The door opens, and a guy of the same height opens the door, brown almond-shaped eyes peering at them. Licks his lips, moving to take a look at Alyssa, his black hair pushed back by a bandana.

"Who's this, JK?" he asks, and JK turns back to look at her before answering.

"Some chick who wants to trade with J. Reckons she's got valuables." The new guy stares at Alyssa for a beat longer before letting them in, and JK puts a hand on her back to push her ahead. This room has dark blue lights to accompany the same ones as outside, which making it more difficult to make out things.

"Hey, J. This is, uh.."

Alyssa quickly speaks up, looking up but keeping her hood on. "Alyssa. I need to sell off an item I think you'd be interested in."

J turns around, a cigarette between his plush lips. A tad bit shorter than JK, he's still taller than Alyssa, who's five-foot-six.

He's incredibly pretty for a guy, with darling puppy-eyes which have a slight siren-like pull to them and soft pillowy lips that adorn his face.

Alyssa feels her neck warm up at how his sultry eyes rake down her figure. He puffs out smoke, cheek hollowing, and licks his lips, making them gloss naturally.

His outfit is less basic compared to the others. A white button up, black dress pants and a black vest with silver chains layered on top, he has quite good fashion sense. The black fingerless gloves and the way his hair is parted to the side with an undercut just adds to his appearance.

J waves around the hand he's holding the cigarette with, and JK immediately leaves, not before keeping Alyssa's switchblade on the table beside the sofa.

At least he's a man of his word.

J turns his attention back to Alyssa. Walks over to the same table JK put her switchblade on and sits on the spinning-chair behind it. He gestures for Alyssa to sit down on the chair the opposite side of him. Stubs out his cigarette as she obliges.

"So, you say you've got something valuable?" he says, and Alyssa finds that his soft voice has the same siren like pull his eyes do.

"Yeah."

Alyssa reaches into her pocket and pulls out a vintage Lady-Datejust rolex, something she found at a thrift store years ago, but knows it's worth the money.

J straightens up at that. Recognizes the watch line instantly.

"18 million won. No less." she says, placing it on the table, and J picks up a magnifying glass to look at any imperfections it might have. Spots a small scratch on the wrist band  

He scoffs, biting his bottom lip between his teeth and shaking his head. "18 million? That's too much for this."

He ponders over it again, studying the diamonds in place of time-indicators and how the dial reflects light easily. It is in pretty good condition, but 18 million is too much for a simple Lady-Datejust.

Alyssa's eyes have now adjusted to the dark, so she can see better. Spots his eye makeup, subtly smokey with eye liner. Realizes it's part of why his gaze is so seductive.

J looks back up at her, reclining back, crossing his leg one over another. "I can do 15 million if you throw in a diamond or two."

Alyssa shakes her head. "I cant."

J sighs. Spots the way her rings glint in the light.

One of them catches his attention.

"Is that a Grain de Café?" He sits up a little too straight.

Alyssa looks at her right hand, following his gaze. Her middle finger adorns a pretty white-gold ring, its links shaped like coffee beans, embedded with brilliant-cut diamonds.

It's a gift from her grandma.

Alyssa nods, taking it off and inspecting it.

"Cartier or Van-Cleef?" J asks, resting his arms on the table, interlinking his fingers.

"Cartier."

J looks at the ring and back at her.

"I'll give you 18 million for that ring."

Alyssa pauses and turns to face him.

"I can't sell this..." she trails off.

J leans back in his seat, pulling his chair closer to the table and picking up the watch again. Makes a tsk sound.

Speaks in english for once, and Alyssa thinks she never wants to hear that again or she might as well bend to his every whim. "It's either the 15 or the 18 million, darling. Take it or leave it."

It's a fair trade, she knows that. But she doesn't want to lose a ring so important to her.

But she also does need the money. March ninth is in two days after all.

"I'll do you a deal," Alyssa says, straightening up and moving closer to the table, korean perfect. "take the ring and give me 18 million, but keep the ring safe. I'll buy it back."

"You know the prices rise after being sold don't you, princess?"

She disregards how he keeps calling her sweet pet names. Figures it's a scheme to seduce women to get what they want. Simple business. Hot men who are smooth talkers get what they want around here.

But Alyssa isn't easy. "I'm aware." she says.

J contemplates the offer for a few moments, before pushing the watch back at her and holding out his palm for the ring. He observes it through his glass, its pristine finish making him almost salivate.

"I'll wait 2 weeks. No more." Is all he says, and Alyssa nods.

"I want cash though, right now."

J pockets the ring and smirks. "I like when a girl knows how to do business."

He reaches for the walkie-talkie on his table. Presses a button and speaks into it.

"Hobi, get here with 18 million won please, we have a beautiful lady with a gorgeous deal to make."

Alyssa pointedly looks at her nails.

A few minutes pass, and a bag thuds onto the table, making Alyssa look up, shaking her head to get the bangs out of her face.

She stands up, opening the duffle bag and counting the stacks, checking the money for authenticity. J lets her do it with no complaints.

Once she's happy with the money, she slings the bag onto her shoulder, nodding.

"I'll take my leave. Keep the ring safe, J."

"I will, Alyssa."

Grabbing her switchblade, she lets J walk her to the outside corridor, his boots clicking on the tiled floors.

"See you soon, Lys." is all he says opening the door, but theres a certain softness to his features now, in the less harsh white lighting.

Why he's calling her nicknames? She doesn't know. But she hopes it's just his flirty nature and nothing more.

Alyssa doesn't want to linger on it though. The crime work in Korea is filthy, and she has no interest in getting entangled with a low-life gang. She's happy with the street racer life.

"See you."

Half-jogging to the end of the alley, she wastes no time in getting into her car, revving her engine and driving out onto the silent streets in full speed.

J lingers at the door, having watched her walk away till the end of the street.

Reaching for the ring and clutching it in his pocket, he fiddles around with it.

He doesn't know what it is about her, but he has a feeling he'll be seeing her more often from now on. 

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

a/n: hi yaalll here with an actuall bookkk!!

and its alley cat jimin 🤭

props to @NotEvenEstella for giving me the idea and helping with the title i love you wife!

now, this is my first time writing something like this so it might not be my best work but i thpught lets experiment yknow? so we shall seeeee

it's a gang AU with slight racer core lmao

thanks for reading till here i love you guysss xx

and my oneshot book already has more than 100 readsss?! yall are insaneee i love you guyssss xx 

thanks for the support :>

anyways p.s: the cover is a placeholder i know it sucks i'll change it soon trustt

and i'll try my best to be consistent with the updates too! thanksss

remember to vote, comment and add the book to your library <3