•Lust of Innocence•

Nari had a warm smile plastered on her face when she opened the door to her apartment and spotted her best friend and her beloved fiancé, Min-Ho. He always had on a cheeky grin every time she saw him, which made her happy, considering he would be marrying her best friend and they would have a special bond connecting them for the rest of their lives. At least, she hoped so. Maintaining her genuine smile, Nari ushered the two to come in. Min-Ho gave her a slight bow in respect for welcoming him into her home.

The man smiled sheepishly at her and rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "Sorry for barging in here without notice. Ms. Bride-To-Be here couldn't wait to talk about flower arrangements with you and she dragged me here for a third opinion. I would've come by earlier with her, but apparently you two went 'stripper hunting' for tomorrow's party," he looked down at Chae-Rin lovingly and Nari noticed the look of lust in his eyes.

She internally sighed, but nonetheless chuckled reassuringly, "Don't worry about it! Your wedding is next week so it's best if we get this done now instead of dragging it on until the last minute. And I must say, I respect you for not being a jealous fiancé," she closed the door as the couple slid off their shoes and made their way to the couch.

He nearly laughed when he responded, "I'm not worried about it. She knows her boundaries, I trust her."

Nari had to smile at that. Once Chae-Rin was seated, she reached into her expensive purse and took out a pamphlet. "I went to every floral shop in the city and this place has the best arrangement of flower batches," she handed it to Nari.

Her companion curiously took it out of her hand and opened it, while saying, "They're just flowers, why would you need to go to every store in Seoul?"

Min-Ho chuckled and replied, "She's very meticulous about the wedding details. I couldn't possibly begin to understand why."

Chae-Rin grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers together, snuggling close to him and saying, "I want this wedding to be perfect."

Nari glanced up at the two while looking through the pamphlet and she pursed her lips together uncomfortably. She ignored her own awkwardness as she mumbled, "I think we should do white lilies."

The bride-to-be glanced at her friend and playfully scoffed, "This is a wedding, not a funeral. Geez, you always make things depressing."

Rolling her eyes, Nari scoffs, "Then what do you suggest, flower expert?" Closing the pamphlet and leaning back on the chair. The older woman placed a finger on her chin delicately to mock her friend and after a few moments of thinking, she said, "How about red roses? They symbolize unconditional love."

Nari shrugged, "It's a typical flower in weddings, so I suppose it would make sense," she looked at her friend's fiancé and asked, "What do you think, Min-Ho?"

His eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before clearing his throat and replying, "I guess-" he was cut off when a notification sound came from his phone. He looked at both Nari and Chae-Rin before politely saying, "Excuse me."

Min-Ho checked his phone quickly and released a sigh of dread. Looking at his soon-to-be wife apologetically, he said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Work needs me to help with something."

Chae-Rin pouted, her voice laced with the sound of a child, "Fine, but please return home soon." Her eyes were wide with hope as the man stood up. He softly smiled at her and pecked her on the lips delicately before saying, "I will, love you."

Chae-Rin gave him a cheeky grin, "Right back at ya!"

Nari couldn't help but gaze at the scene before her. They were so infatuated with one another that she couldn't help but wish that she was in her best friend's place. Having a significant other you can rely on and express genuine love to is probably one of the greatest experiences to have. She almost felt deprived of it, but Nari knew that this was the consequence of achieving a goal where distractions were forbidden.

The sound of the apartment door closing brought her back to reality and she looked back down at the closed pamphlet, peeling it open and glancing down at the choices, "So, uhm...red roses it is then?"

Chae-Rin looked at her best friend and titled her head, eyeing the girl's solemn yet envious expression closely. Ignoring what she had just been asked, she didn't hesitate to question her back, "How sad are you?" And waited for a response closely. Nari looked up from reading and gave her a confused look when simply asking, "What?"

"Ya know," the bride-to-be got up from the chair across from her and sat next to the girl, "You never put yourself out there and give a guy a single chance."

Nari sheepishly chuckled and put the pamphlet down, staring at her friend, "You know very well that I would if I could, but I have my studies to think about...not pleasing some helpless guy."

Chae-Rin shook her head disapprovingly, "No, that's not how a relationship works. You have to have a balance between pleasing yourself and pleasing your significant other," her eyes gleaming in thought of her fiancé. Stubbornly, Nari ignored her friend and went back to reading, but Chae-Rin nudged her, "Yah, we need to talk about this."

Not taking her eyes off the pages, the brown-headed girl replied, "I don't need a guy to be happy."

The engaged woman crossed her arms in defeat, "If you say so. I guarantee that if I weren't the one who saved you that day and instead some cute guy, you wouldn't be acting the way you are right now."

Looking up at her friend in realization, Nari gently laughed, "You still remember that?"

Chae-Rin's eyes widened at her surprisingly, "You don't? You could've died that day!"

"Ah, but I didn't," she smiled, "Besides, I haven't had an asthma attack since then. I'm fine now."

There was a glint of realization in Chae-Rin's eyes when she exclaimed, "Wait, wasn't that the first time we met in middle school?"

Nari turned to Chae-Rin and smiled in nostalgia, "You're right."

She couldn't help but recall the events of that fateful day in middle school. She was only in her sixth year while Chae-Rin was in her eighth. Nari could distinctly remember wanting to join the track team, but she was forbidden from it because of her parent's fear of her getting an asthma attack. The stubborn girl she is didn't listen to a word they had said, and decided to stay after school hours and run around the track to practice.

Even though Nari could feel her breathing slowing down and her throat closing in, she didn't care and kept running, motivation flowing through her veins at the thought of being able to join a team she was aiming for. She unfortunately collapsed in the track field that day, gasping for air and reaching out to the ground to have some kind of grip on something.

That was the only time she felt like she was going to die alone with no one beside her. Luckily, a girl two grades above, whom was apart of the track team at the time, had the bright idea of practicing and found the suffocating student on the field. Chae-Rin was quick to call the ambulance at the time and basically saved Nari from dying of an asthma attack. Since then, Nari and Chae-Rin became the best of friends, even with the age barrier between them.

Despite the tragic incident, the two smiled at each other as they recalled the memory.

. . .

"I am not wearing this," Nari stated, crossing her arms.

It was the next night, meaning it was the night of the bachelorette party. Chae-Rin was holding up a hanger with a tight black dress hanging from it. The expression of utter distaste was left on her facial expression as she scanned the outfit.

"You have to," Chae-Rin stated, putting the hanger down and smoothing out her own tight fitting dress that didn't have any trouble showing off her long legs and cleavage, "This is a party with a hot stripper. He's gonna show some skin, so you should too."

She eyed Nari's current attire with an expression of disapproval. All she wore was a simple button up blouse and a black skirt that flows. The classy looking girl shook her head, resisting the dress chosen for her and muttered, "I keep it PG, unlike someone."

Black, curly hair swooshed around Chae-Rin's flawless and bare shoulders, "I can assure you that tonight will certainly not be PG." she winks, wiggling the dress in Nari's face.

The brown-haired woman rolled her eyes and quietly smoothed out her skirt. She shrugs, "I strongly refuse to wear that dress, so stop trying."

Chae-Rin pouted in defeat, but cleverly reached for Nari's blouse and loosened a few buttons with satisfaction. The faintest bit of cleavage was showing and she smirked, "There, that's a lot better."

Nari glared at her behavior, but the bride-to-be only laughed it off and grabbed her wrist, excitement gleaming in her eyes. Dragging her to the door while snatching their purses, "Come on, the girls are waiting. We have one hell of an event to attend."

. . .

As if the night couldn't have been any darker, Nari slowly drives into a parking spot and inwardly curses the lack of light to see the road on their way there. Her car's headlights were fine, but somehow it was just too dark within the area of the strip club. She turned the ignition off, looking at the cheerful girl in the passenger seat, "We're here. Now you can go crazy, but cross the parking lot safely. Nobody needs to get run over."

"Okay, Mom. See you after school then," Chae-Rin shook her head, rolling her eyes as she proceeds to take off her seatbelt and fixes her purse on her shoulder.

The two scramble out and the car's locked securely with Nari's keys. She tends to her clothes, feeling comfortable despite seeing her friends waiting at the entrance all dressing like prostitutes. But she didn't judge much, it was just the way they felt comfortable within their own bodies. Chae-Rin pulls her over and greets the bridesmaids with hugs and weird hyena-like sounds as she laughs when they shower compliments on her beauty. After all the girly screaming and glances from the security guards, the women walk in making sure that their name was on the reservation list.

They were led in and immediately, Nari notices the gust of cold conditioning air leave her body and starts getting goosebumps over her arms from the heated temperature and the thick smoke of weed being passed around. All of her friends cheered as Chae-Rin was given a small tiara showing that she was a special guest of the night. Her sparkling jewelry practically blinded everyone's eyes when the crown was added. Nari was quick to recognize the minty-haired waiter, his locks were more neatly kept than when she last saw him, nonetheless his expression was still the same. He seemed to drag along a coworker of his, also recognizable only without the beanie this time.

"I'm Yoongi, don't ask me for anything unless you're tipping me." He stated aloud over the people in the large room.

The girls exchanged questioning looks before they see him pulling the other guy at his side, "This is your waiter, Juan Cock—"

"It's J-Jungkook—"

"He'll be taking you over to your booths and serving you tonight. He's not good with the ladies, so with all due respect, be harsh on him." Yoongi nods, pushing the shy guy forward and eyeing Nari harshly as he slings his wash cloth over his shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

Nari's eyes go wide, but she had to clear the awkward air as Jungkook was staring at the ground and sweating profusely with his notepad. She pitied him a little, so she gently pats his shoulder, causing him to jerk back. She pulls her hand away, "Sorry, but I'm sure you remember me from the reservation signing, right?" She gives him a gentle gaze, hoping that she didn't startle him too much. He scratches the back of his neck and pulls on his hair a little, "Yeah."

"Awesome," the brown-haired woman says, "We'd like to be seated now. Can you please lead us over?"

After having to push through all the people partying, Chae-Rin was feeling the electrifying vibes of the pounding bass of music and she dances while walking over to their reserved booths. A large table was placed before their seats along with Jimin's stage on the other side of it. The bridesmaids cheer once seeing the laid-out alcohol along with a 'Congratulations Chae-Rin!' poster on a stand beside the table. All gathering together and choosing their spots to sit, Nari ended up getting a separate chair for herself so that she didn't have to move passed the girls if she needed the restroom later on. Jungkook shook as he lifted his notepad, encouraging himself to speak aloud.

"We have some special bridal beverages here for you along this table. These came with the reservation package therefore you all have free drinks tonight. Please enjoy yourselves. A-Are there any questions or requests before I go grab some snacks for you?" He almost squeaked. It was bad enough that Nari was dressed like she was going to a business meeting, but she raised her hand and Jungkook nodded to acknowledge her. "Water for me, please. I've got to drive the bride back tonight so no alcohol for me."

With his best smile, he scratches down the order and dashes off.

...

"You're up in an hour, did you read over the forms?"

Jin, another entertainer in their building, had been touching up his hair as he looked at Jimin through the mirror's reflection. The orange-haired man dropped his bag on a bench beside the lockers, staring down at the ground. "Yeah, I can't leave work until they're all gone. So that means late shift tonight."

Jin's gaze shifted from the mirror to Jimin as he turned to him. The man's expression held dread. Curious, Jin asked, "You nervous?"

Jimin looked up at him from staring at the floor, his gaze slightly holding sadness, but he perked up a bit in respect for his hyung, "It's not that I'm nervous, I just wish I didn't have to do this."

Jin couldn't help but stare at Jimin for a moment before offering a sweet smile and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Trying to ease his tension and nerves, Jin said, "Look on the bright side. The pay is excellent and you have beautiful women fawning over you."

The orange-haired man lightly smirked at that and touched Jin's hand gratefully, "Thanks Jin-Hyung," the older man felt a sense of pride at cheering up his younger co-worker, for he partially understood his financial struggles. Jin looked back at the mirror, lightly touching his soft locks as Jimin opened his locker.

Halfway through unzipping his bag, Jimin glanced at the doorway once he saw a presence approach. The man gave him his signature bright smile that could make any woman's heart flutter, "Jimin-ah! I need the playlist for tonight. This bachelorette party is big money and it has to be perfect," J-Hope expressed delightedly.

"Ah," Jimin began as he reached into one of the side pockets in his bag and took out a flash drive. He extended his arm to hand it to J-Hope and said, "I composed it myself with some help from Yoongi," J-Hope's grin widened as he took the flash drive from Jimin's fingers.

He stared at the flash drive for a moment before excitedly saying, "I can assure you that this will be perfect. Work really hard, yeah?" Reluctantly, the younger entertainer put on a fake smile and replied, "Of course."

J-Hope exited the dressing room and Jimin took out his outfit for the night, which consisted of leather pants and a black tank top that he would eventually be tearing off during his performance. He lifted up the grey sweatshirt that he was wearing and also the t-shirt underneath, revealing his toned torso that he knew every woman at the party would be drooling over. Jin noticed the hesitant expression still plastered on Jimin's face and he sighed once more, feeling pity towards the younger man. After putting on the black tank top, he looked up at the ceiling and heaved a long sigh.

"I got another eviction notice today," he closed his eyes at the thought, almost fuming over the overall situation. Jimin sat on the bench and bent over his knees, putting his face in his hands. Jin sat himself beside Jimin and placed a hand on his back.

Jin waited a few moments, allowing silence to take over the room, leaving Jimin in his own thoughts until he said, "Just think, tonight will earn you enough money to pay off this month's rent. Just stay focused and have that money be motivation for you."

Keeping that bundle of cash that he'd be getting in mind, Jimin looked up and said, "I'll do my best."

...

"Nari~" Chae-Rin slurs, her appearance looking a little under the sober side. Her maid-of-honor was enjoying her bottle of water until she hears her name being called repeatedly. She turns her head, "What's up?"

"We ran out of drinks! Go get Juanito...Mosquito...that Cock dude, yeah?" She leans against the table with her arms waving out.

Her friends agreed and were all now begging her to fetch the multi-named waiter. She sighs, standing up and fixing her blouse before scooting through the people dancing and throwing money everywhere. The music is numbing her ears slightly, but she was growing used to the loud noise as she approached the bar's counter.

It was then that Nari noticed the pink-haired bartender from before, whom was pouring a glass of wine for a woman and giving her a dimpled smile. She looked to the other side of the bar and noticed another bartender. She recognized him from yesterday, but she didn't get a chance to talk to him. He was using a white rag to clean the bar top, using circular motions to rid the bar of any spilt alcohol.

Once Nari was close enough, she smiled and said, "Excuse me?" He looked up at her and gave her a gummy smile at the sight of her. She continued by asking in a louder tone due to the blaring music that shook her ear drums, "Have you seen our waiter Jungkook?"

Before the bartender could open his mouth, the pink-haired man scooted close to him, nearly pushing the poor bartender out of the way and saying with a gentle smile, "Ah, I was hoping I would get to see you again. What do you need?"

Once again, Nari blushed furiously at his smooth words, but lucky for her, the dimmed lights hid her flushed cheeks, "I'm just looking for Jungkook. He's our waiter for the party."

Namjoon snickered as he placed the glass of wine that was in his hand on the bar top and he looked at her, scanning her face for a moment before saying, "He's one lucky Kookie to have the honor of serving you and your friends." He still looked at her even after saying that. How could one be so flirtatious?

Nari snapped out of her questioning thoughts when she felt a presence next to her. She turned to the side and saw Jungkook eyeing her hesitantly. He looked down at the floor and said, "I-I'm sorry for the wait. What do you need?"

She smiled gently at him, hoping that he would look her in the eye so he wouldn't feel so uncomfortable, "The princess of the night ended up drinking up all of the alcohol before the performance even started. Do you mind getting us some more drinks and snacks, please?"

Jungkook looked up and glanced at her, attempting to not smile awkwardly and he nervously replied, "Y-yes, of course." Nari slightly bowed her head in respect for his service. As she was about to walk back to the table where her friends were seated, she could here Namjoon scolding Jungkook for his timid behavior towards her.

•Lust of Innocence•

•••Ash here! Thanks so much for reading the new chapter. Milly and I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing it. Criticism is well appreciated and if you have any questions, feel free to ask us. See you in the next chapter!