•Lust of Innocence•

  In the midst of the traffic and crowds of the lively city of Seoul, Hoseok was the first amongst the employees to enter the establishment with a box of cords in his hands to set up before the night becomes hectic and also a few tracks he was hoping would be approved to play for the night. He always had trouble getting the boss to appeal to his beats but he was still hopeful nonetheless, staying true to his stage name.

As he was setting up the equipment underneath his DJ system, the boss of the establishment entered the main area and caught sight of the person he was hoping to see. Watching him do his work for a moment with his arms crossed, the older man spoke up, "Yah, kid." Hoseok was startled by the unexpected call and jumped up, hitting his head from underneath the DJ table.

Trying his best not to tear up from the blooming pain on the top of his head, he stood up straight and gave a 90 degree bow to his boss, earning a satisfied look from the older man. He then said, "Come to my office, I need to discuss something with you."

At the mention of a discussion, Hoseok's heart rate sped up. Due to the renovations taking place soon and with all of the chaos that has come about as a result of the change, anything can happen at this point. Although his boss said no one would be cut from the establishment, he was still wary. Budget cuts happen all the time and perhaps he doesn't contribute as much as the rest for him to be fired. Or maybe he was overthinking and there was a scandal amongst the staff. He cursed himself in his mind for jumping to conclusions so soon.

As the two men entered the office, the smell of cigarette smoke was strong in the air due to a recently used cigarette still releasing it's toxins in the air from the ashtray it rested on. The older man sat down in his swivel and folded his hands in front of him while staring down the poor soul. He could tell the younger fellow was on the verge of sweating profusely. He couldn't help but smirk at that, for intimidation, power, and money were what the old man wanted to achieve the most.

His observations were clearly correct as can be seen from Hoseok's shaky and clammy hands and the way he would look at the room for an easy escape route if need be. Chuckling at his employee's antsy form, he said, "Calm down, kid. I just need to talk to you about your promotion."

His expression immediately softened to confusion and he stuttered when replying, "P-Promotion?" The boss smirked and explained, "Yes, promotion. I know you make tracks for the performances and that's not required in your contract. Since you work so hard to maintain a suitable atmosphere for my strip club, I think it's only fair your pay gets raised."

Hoseok couldn't fight the toothy grin that approached his lips at the mention of the pay raise. Excitedly, he exclaimed, "Thank you so much, sir! I will work hard!" He then bowed to his boss and left the room, feeling like the accomplished man he is.

•••

  It had been later in the evening when Nari was sitting comfortably on her couch with a textbook and her notes near her. Since she spent a good chunk of her time with Jimin, she needed to catch up on her studying routine. Just when she was about to flip the page of her textbook, her smartphone rang. It startled her for a moment because she was so immersed in learning, but the girl nonetheless picked up her phone and checked the caller ID.

Her lips twitched into a small smile and her hands became slightly shaky at the man that was calling her. Exhaling sharply, she answered with a shy 'hello' and anticipated his next response, which was, "Hey there! How are you?"

Even if it was a simple greeting, she still became nervous but nonetheless said, "I'm doing well. What's up?" There was a short pause after her words but Jimin sighed and said, "Well, Hoseok got promoted at work and to celebrate, he's throwing a party."

"He got promoted? That's great! Tell him I said congrats." She heard Jimin chuckle on the other side of the line and he replied, "Or you can tell him yourself?"

Nari's dark eyes slightly widened at where this was going and she became more shy and played with the hem of her shirt when mumbling, "I don't know..."

Jimin had persistence in his tone of voice when saying, "I need a date to that party and the only girl that's been on my mind is you... and I want to see you again." The brown-haired girl couldn't stop the blush that flushed her cheeks at his words. He was smooth, she'll give him that.

Biting her lip in a contemplative manner, she looked around for a moment while saying, "I don't have many clothing options for something like that." He chuckled cutely from the other line and replied, "Don't worry about that, Nari. Anything you wear will look good on you."

The woman almost dropped her cellular device right then and there. She seriously needed some fresh air or some way to make the butterflies stop from fluttering obnoxiously in her stomach. She fanned her hand to stop the heat from rising to her cheeks even more than before. Gulping, she replied with a small and awkward, "Um. Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

•••

  The evening grew warmer and the breeze picked up some speed the closer the hour rolled towards the nighttime. Trees rustled softly and their branches tangling together with the wind. Nari patiently waited outside on her doorstep, pushing her hair back behind her ears as she sees Jimin pulling up slowly at the curb in front of her house. She takes one last look to check her purse, making sure nothing was missing; such as her phone, wallet, house keys, and some lotion. Walking towards the car, she smiles when Jimin jumps out the driver's seat to open the passenger side door for her. She always found that little gesture sweet.

While on the way, the silence wasn't anything weird or particularly wrong, however, the feeling digging in Nari's chest went wild. She was anxious, her thoughts begging to sound excited and hopeful for a good time at the party, but she was not used to going out. Not like this, not with a guy, not to any place she wasn't even familiar with. She knew her life was going to be adventurous in many different ways, and seeing it come so soon and abruptly didn't give her enough preparation. Like every person in the world, life was full of little surprises.

"This party..." Nari smoothed her hair around her finger, turning to look at Jimin, whom had his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes focused on the road, "What kind of food is being provided?"

The orange-haired man chuckles and takes a short glance at the girl beside him, "I guess whatever his friends ordered. Usually, pizza, beer, and chicken are popular picks among other options. This isn't his house, though, so I can't confirm anything." He informed her, humming to himself as he turned into a neighborhood street and slowing down the car to the maximum speed limit. Nari sits back in her seat, now fiddling nervously with her fingers and her seatbelt. "You mean his party is being hosted by someone else?" The brunette questioned, her curiosity growing more by the second. Jimin smirked at the reminder of the property's owner, "More like a group. They're roommates solely just to throw big parties. Once our friends heard Hoseok was getting promoted, they made it their goal to throw him some type of celebration, and what better way to have fun than a party?"

"I don't know," Nari awkwardly laughed, "Watching a good show can be pretty satisfying sometimes, right?" She was watching Jimin nod beside her. "That's very true. Unfortunately, I can't really watch anything at my place. Maybe one day we can go to the movies together and sneak in some snacks."

Nari's nerves suddenly relaxed at his response, her chest felt warm hearing how positive he was despite his situation. If she had to choose between money and happiness, without a doubt, she would go for her own happiness. After seeing this man and getting to hear more and more of his story as they spend time together, she was absolutely sure of it.

"We're here," Jimin whispered, "Looks packed just from the outside with all the people on the front lawn." He pointed towards a fairly large house on the left at the very end of the block. When pulling up in front, the amount of vehicles already parked on the street are tightly close together, hardly any room for Jimin to fit into. Nari helps in searching for a spot a bit farther away from the house, pointing to an open curb twenty feet from their position and Jimin thanked her with relief and a high-five.

 
  •••

Nari stays close behind the orange-haired man as they entered through the back gate of the house, holding onto the sleeve of his jacket and keeping her purse secure with her other hand. The music blasting from two amps in the backyard vibrates in their ears, people pushing and waving past them as they merged their way towards the door of the house. Jimin made sure to constantly look back to see if his date was okay and not lost in the sea of drunk and dancing people in their twenties. A few were under-aged, of course...but that wasn't their business.

Inside the house, the air seemed calmer, which meant that the people who actually knew the owners personally were allowed to chill, play, and hang out wherever they pleased. "Much better," Jimin sighed, turning to face Nari and gesture towards the living room couch for her to sit down, "Would you like anything to drink? Maybe a snack? I think they've got some stacked somewhere."

"Water for now, please." The brunette nodded while taking a seat, smiling up at him. She watches Jimin scurry off to the kitchen in the other room, his hair flopping with every footstep. She fixes her blouse and checks her phone for any notifications, noting the time and keeping her posture neat. Nari wasn't used to this kind of situation, for starters, and so "relaxing" wasn't a word she knew well in her vocabulary when in a place where people could literally break anything in sight with just four servings of beer in their stomach. Although she occasionally watched films where crazy parties were the life of every college student, she found it hard to believe that someone, or people in general, could do this on a weekly schedule as if it were a part-time job. At some point it would have to be tiring, she thought.

  There she goes again, overthinking little things that had nothing to do with her.

Before she could stress herself any longer, Jimin was a savior and came walking in from the kitchen with two cups of iced water for her and himself. Nari thanked him and examined the cold drink in her hands. Sipping from the red solo cup, she could feel her nerves begin to finally relax. Jimin leans a bit closer to speak over the music, "Let me know if you need anything else. I found some juice pouches in the back of the fridge beside some wine bottles. Jackpot!" He threw her a thumbs-up.

"Certainly," Nari joins in, "I'll grab a few later for sure." She places the cup down on the coffee table and folds her hands together. "So what exactly do you do at a party when your definition of 'fun' is reading sad novels and eating pizza on a Saturday night?" She smiles as Jimin begins to laugh harder at her question, enjoying the view of his perfect teeth and the way he leans back on the couch, holding his stomach. Her heart practically leaps out of her chest when he calms down and locks eye contact again. "Because you're not big on drinking or anything involving danger, I'd say sticking to the indoor video games or dancing is pretty fun. I'm sure we can figure it out. My buddies have something for everyone to enjoy."

"Speaking of buddies," Nari furrows her brows, looking around, "Where are your coworkers? Did they come too?"

"Yep! Now that I think about it, they should be in the basement playing video games. Would you like to say hi?" Jimin suggested.

"I don't see why not, although I am not too certain about Yoongi. Is it really okay?" Nari suddenly felt chills spreading across her arms and over her back just from the thought of the mint-haired waiter. Jimin chuckled, "He'll be fine. Hyung would have to go through a bunch of stuff just to avoid you, and last time I checked, he's too lazy for that kind of effort. Let's go."

As assured, Nari follows with her water in her hand, Jimin's palm in the other. Down the hallway on the right side, Jimin leads the girl to a door, opening it and checking inside to see if the light in the basement was on. He nodded, turning to Nari, "Watch your step while going down, we don't want you getting hurt."

Both walked slowly to the basement, the sounds of laughter and conversations beginning to grow louder as they neared the room. Nari is met with five men surrounding a couch in the middle of the surprisingly well-decorated basement. Everything was clean up to the whole situation in front of the television screen, where the boys were located. Hoseok was still nowhere in sight. Jimin cleared his throat, "This is the police! Put your hands up now!"

Everyone shrieks, Yoongi slowly kneeling to the ground with his beer in hand, Jin and Namjoon freezing in their spots on the couch with their controllers, Taehyung and Jungkook were the only ones that stood up to throw their arms stiffly into the air and shut their eyes for impact. Nari's giggle startled them out of their fear, all men turning around to see the couple smiling widely at them. Yoongi rolls his eyes at the pair, sarcastically smiling, "Great."

Jungkook gasped, bowing respectfully to the girl with a calmer smile, "Hi Noona!" and quickly grabbed a chair from the side for her to sit down next to the couch. He patted the seat awkwardly as a gesture for her take it. "W-When did you guys get here?"

"Not too long ago, I'd say about eight minutes at the most." The brunette pursed her lips in thought as she sat herself down. Jimin took a long look around the room as he approached the boys to give them a quick handshake, "And Hoseok-hyung? Is he around?" He felt puzzled.

"He's somewhere in the backyard with Mark-hyung, said he wanted to join the party games that are starting soon." Taehyung replied, offering Nari some of his potato chips, to which she accepted with a smile in return. Taehyung had mentioned going upstairs to use the restroom and jogged up the steps back to the main floor. Namjoon restarted his and Jin's game, staring at the screen as he said, "Man, last time Hoseok went to a big party, he almost got arrested after running away from all the disasters he and his friends caused from drinking too much."

At that moment, the others exchanged long and quiet looks with each other, Nari's eyebrows knitting together in confusion, "But is there a chance he'd do it again if he's drinking here?" She asked. Namjoon laughed at first, but when the question sank deeper and deeper into his head, he almost dropped the controller and looked at a nervous Jin beside him, not caring if he was losing the game. "Did you tell Hoseok he couldn't drink?"

"I don't really remember if-"

"GUYS! HOSEOK AND BAMBAM JUST BROKE THE NEIGHBOR'S FENCE AND WINDOW TRYING TO SKATEBOARD OFF THE ROOF!" Taehyung yelled from upstairs, running down and tripping on the last few steps only to fall onto on his knees and scrambled right up from the floor, huffing as he threw himself at Jimin for support. His face was pale and he was growing with more fear as the noises from upstairs began to sound like people panicking.

Yoongi sighed, "So that's a no, then."

"You can't be serious, right?" Jimin asked, shaking the younger in his arms. Taehyung panted, trying to pull them to the stairs, "We need to leave! They already called the police! If the cops find us all here with underaged drinkers and smokers, let alone idiotic grown ass men vandalizing other properties, we'll lose our jobs!"

"Well not to ruin the mood or anything," Jin intervened, "but I don't think the authority will care to force us into turning in our stripper licenses. I mean, there's not much to lose already from that point, am I right?"

"No one is getting fired here," Namjoon rolled his eyes, "Boss Man-nim needs us no matter how many things we've already broken before. You think he's gonna drop you? I'm the one with the highest record of shattered beer bottles. Us getting interrogated by authorities is nothing compared to him being pissed about my mistakes." He crossed his arms together. They could all hear the people yelling and jumping over furniture upstairs, Nari getting up to hold onto the nearest person's shoulder, which happened to be Jungkook, and concentrated on keeping her breath steady.

However, Jungkook didn't even have asthma, but the sudden physical contact from Nari was enough to send him to his death day ten years closer as he slightly jumped in her grasp.

"We literally just got here." Jimin rubbed his temples, his frustration stressing out his thoughts.

"I know, it's annoying, but we'll have to reschedule for now. Here's the plan," Namjoon announced, gathering everyone together, "We're gonna get out of here. The boys have two exits in the house besides the back gate and front entrance. Because Nari is a student and needs her record as clean as possible, Jimin is taking her out from the kitchen's back door. It will lead you guys out front and you can get to your car quickest from there. Yoongi, Taehyung and Jin will grab Hoseok from the crowd and escape through Jinyoung's bedroom window on the far side of the house. Jungkook and I will try to blend with the people making a run out from the front door, seeing as the police will be raiding the backyard first and we can get our car out from the lot. Sound good?"

"But I don't want-"

"Thanks for agreeing, Jin. Now let's dip!"

Everyone piled towards the staircase, Nari purposely put herself last because she didn't want to slow anyone down if she ran out of breath trying to hurry up the steps. When they all made it to the hallway, Jimin was first to grab his date's hand and pull her to the living room. With everyone prancing around in all directions, he tried his best not to let Nari get pushed over and guided her around the room to enter the kitchen. Jimin reaches the door as Namjoon had mentioned, but stopped suddenly in his tracks once unlocking it. He pried open the fridge and stretched his arm to the farthest back, grabbing two pouches of juice.

"For the ride." He smiles cheekily and takes ahold of Nari's hand again to bring her outside.

The police sirens startled everybody on the front lawn, about three vehicles blocked the right hand side of the street, the officers already getting out to investigate. On the other side of the house near the garage, Namjoon and Jungkook were already in the car together and pulling out of the driveway. Nari could almost hear the elder trying to calm down Jungkook since the boy was driving and his face was frozen with fear. Nonetheless, they made it in time to leave before one of the officers could stop them.

Jimin's car was across the street on the left side of their view, but to run without getting chased was a fifty-fifty chance of survival, according to overdramatic analyzation and statistics in Nari's head.

The orange-haired man looked back at the brunette, smirking, "Run?"

Nari grinned, tightening her grip on his hand. She inhaled a shaky breath, adrenaline pumping throughout her body as she nodded her head and gulped, "Run."

•••

As the cold, brisk air hit Nari's skin at such a speed that her eyes watered and her nose began to have a rosy flush to it, she had a sensation deep in her chest that sparked a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Her eyes glanced down at the hand that clasped onto hers so tightly while she ran with the man in front of her. He looked back to give her a reassuring smile and despite the chaos that surrounded them, she grinned back at him. This feeling of excitement was foreign, yet the sensation felt so right in the presence of the man next to her. Taking risks and being adventurous was not something the woman was used to, yet it didn't feel as wrong as she expected it to.

Their pace picked up once the two saw Jimin's car up ahead and he swiftly took out his keys, aggressively clicking the unlock button. Despite being in such a hectic situation, he still made the chivalrous gesture to open the door for his date. Perhaps she could have thanked him, but her nerves got the best of her and Nari hopped in before she could even spare him a glance. Once she was comfortably seated, the adrenaline had faded and her chest felt heavy, making it almost too difficult to breathe.

Once the man entered the car, he took notice of the state his date was in. Her eyes were shut tight, hand on her chest, and her breaths were short-lived. The paleness of her face was too apparent and his features softened at her condition. Realizing that they weren't moving at 100 miles per hour like she had expected them to be going at this current situation, Nari peeled open her eyes and whipped her head at Jimin, only to be met with his gaze full of worry.

Despite being uncomfortable with the way her breathing was and the heavy feeling in her chest, she whipped her head to the window and felt even more pressured by the police lights that reflected into every inch of the car. She turned back to the orange-haired man and stuttered while exclaiming, "S-Stop staring at me and," she panted before raising her voice an octave higher, "Drive!"

He widened his eyes and immediately put the key in the ignition, slammed his foot on the brake, and pulled the gear shift into drive. The swing of the car off of the curb startled Nari and caused her to grab onto the safety handle on the ceiling of the car while keeping her hand on her chest to calm herself down. The sound of a siren behind them was apparent and Jimin looked at the rear view mirror, mumbling a few curses that caught Nari's attention.

Turning around, she spotted the police car close behind them and by then, it felt like her breathing had stopped. The nerves and anxiety she felt were weighing down on her and the run she had earlier made it worse. Tearing up a bit, she quietly panted while saying, "Fuck, Jimin. I-I can't..." he bit his lip and glanced at her while pushing his foot more on the gas to gain speed.

He recalled a similar situation happening with Nari when they went on a date and she ran around too much. The man is smart enough to know that the running plus the car chase that is currently taking place was not good for her, whatever her situation may be. Seeing a red light approaching, he glanced around and found a familiar back road. Not bothering to put his turning signal on because he's an honest to God badass, Jimin calmly said, "We are going to take a detour to my place for an easy get away. Hang tight, okay?" He placed his hand on her knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. That physical contact was enough to make her look at him and nod her head.

After making the turn and making four more sharp turns, the red and blue lights seemed to have disappeared. It felt almost too easy to have gotten away so quickly, but Jimin assumed the cops in that car were called for a different dispatch, making him and Nari insignificant to their job. Glancing at her, he noticed she wasn't freaking out as much anymore and he smiled while saying, "I think they're gone, but let's still stop by my place just in case so you can rest for a bit." The brown-headed woman turned to him and gave him a small smile to show she was alright and that she was grateful for his hospitality.

•••

On the elevator ride up to his apartment, Jimin kept telling her nonstop about how his place was nothing special and that it was too small, even for him. His apologies were sporadic and Nari had to grab his hand in reassurance and say, "I don't care about how your apartment looks." He sighed in relief from her words and gripped her hand tighter.

The constant physical contact the two had made Nari truly question what they are. Were they even in a relationship? Simply testing the waters? She had never been close to a guy like she was with Jimin, but neither of them made the attempt to actually talk about where they are or any future plans. The girl assumed they were perhaps just on dating terms, but quiet honestly, she felt like she wanted more. Being close to him and not knowing where they stand was almost like torture to her. Hell, they never even reached the confession stage where one would use the 'like word.' Was it even right for them to hold hands if that point was never reached?

He had the looks and charms to swoon any girl and just the way he looked at people made him a magnet for both sexes. Nari considered herself to be relatively attractive, but in the lively city of Seoul, beautiful women roamed the streets in every corner. She couldn't help but feel insecure, especially when they were in no way official.

Jimin glanced down at her for a moment just before they reached his floor and saw her contemplative expression. The way her eyebrows were furrowed and her blanked out expression made a small smile approach his lips. Using his free hand, he lightly flicked the side of her head and she winced while rubbing the spot, glaring at him and exclaiming, "Yah, what was that for?!"

He merely chuckled and as the doors of the elevator opened, he replied, "You were spacing out. How dare you do such a thing when you're in the presence of this," the orange-haired man used his hands to refer to himself with a small smirk. Nari blushed furiously and marched out of the elevator on her own, leaving Jimin to laugh by himself while slowly trailing behind her. Having no idea which door was his apartment, she continued walking, but a hand grabbed her wrist and she was pulled towards the man next her. He swung an arm around her shoulder while unlocking the door with a key and she couldn't help but maintain that pink flush on her cheeks.

The first thought that crossed her mind was what Chae-Rin would say seeing her best friend so close to an attractive guy and entering his apartment. The hypothetical dirty remarks her friend would say made Nari's face feel hot and she started fanning herself just as Jimin opened the door. He saw her nearly sweating and her breathing was slightly off, making him let go of her and grab her shoulders, saying, "Oh God, are you having an episode again? We didn't even use the stairs!"

She furiously shook her head and stuttered while saying, "N-No, it's just a little hot, that's all..." her dark eyes avoided his and he immediately pushed her inside while saying, "I'll turn the AC on, okay?"

Stumbling inside, her gaze wandered around the small apartment. Jimin was definitely right when he said there was nothing special. The door led right into the small kitchen with one countertop, the living room had one small sofa and an outdated TV on a chipped entertainment center, which had a desk full of papers and a laptop right next to it. To the right was a narrow hallway, which she assumed had a bathroom and his bedroom. The walls were a gray color and there was only one window in the entire apartment. Despite the chilling atmosphere, the place was very tidy and clean.

As she was still glancing around, Jimin was behind her, messing with the thermostat. He glanced at her and he blushed a bit in embarrassment at how she was looking at his living situation. It had been so long since he even brought a girl into his home, but it wasn't like they cared about how he lived. Nari was different and her opinion was important to him, and he hoped she didn't feel uncomfortable.

He took of his jacket and folded it to put on the counter, still glancing at her every now and then. Rubbing the back of his neck, he awkwardly went to stand by her and said, "I know, this place sucks, right?" She turned her head to look at him and saw how embarrassed and strained he looked. Her features softened and she replied, "It doesn't suck. You have a stable roof over your head and that's all that matters, right?"

The man stared at her in shock for a moment and he felt so relieved at her response. Nari was definitely something different and even though she made a mistake in the past by judging him, he could tell she was genuine in her reactions to his lifestyle. He was so grateful for that beyond recognition that he could kiss her at this very moment. With that idea suddenly crossing his mind, his eyes trailed down to her lips for a moment. He was so close to making an impulsive move, but his phone rang from his pocket.

Internally groaning, he checked the caller ID and said, "It's Jungkookie," he looked at her again and continued, "I should take this, so please sit down and rest a bit. I'll be back." He went into the narrow hallway and Nari held a confused expression. She rubbed her flushed face and softly mumbled, "Why was he looking at me like that?"

Ignoring the speed at which her heart was beating, she ventured into the living room and looked at the few pictures that hung on the walls. They were mostly of his co-workers together in which they took silly photos together. She was even surprised to see one picture of just Jimin and Yoongi together. Narrowing her eyes at it, she scoffed, "That guy knows how to smile?"

Shrugging, her eyes wandered to the desk that had the opened laptop and numerous papers scattered along it's wooden surface. Nari felt guilty for snooping but she couldn't help but take notice that a music software was on the device and music sheets were so blatantly sitting there. Picking up one of the papers, she read a bit and felt like the words were familiar to her.

"What are you doing?"

Nari loudly gasped and turned towards the source of the voice. It was obviously Jimin and his eyes were trained on the paper that was in her hand. His expression didn't look mad, but it didn't look amused or happy either. She winced at him slowly walking towards her and grasping the paper a bit tighter in her hand, the girl shakily asked, "S-So do you do music, or-" but she was cut off by the look he was giving her.

Jimin lightly grabbed her wrist and gently took the sheet out of her grasp, while staring right into her eyes, making Nari feel as if her heart was going to explode out of her chest. With her wrist still in his hand, he slowly backed her up to a wall, making her feel suffocated by his closeness. He let go of her and his hand slowly trailed to her cheek, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face and tenderly keeping his eyes trained on her. The gaze he had on her made her look up at him nervously, and she gulped.

•Lust of Innocence•

•••So I'm sure you all hate us, rightfully so of course. But here's a super long chapter for ya! Hope you guys enjoyed it~

•••So sorry for the long wait, everyone! Hopefully we can update much more for you guys to enjoy! Questions and comments are appreciated!

•••Now here is another silly conversation between the two of us to lighten the mood:

•••We also can't forget the tragic event that happened a couple weeks ago, so we both want to say; Rest In Peace, Jonghyun. You did well.