Taeyang could tell that Taehyung was not okay. His demeanour had changed completely in the span of a week, and jennie's awkward presence was barely helping it improve.

Taehyung was sulking hard, his bangs falling on his face as his eyes remained lowered towards his pair of slippers. There were visible dark circles beneath his almond shaped eyes and his clothing choices weren't the best either. Once in a while, he would lift his gaze up to stare at Taeyang, who's state was pretty similar to his own.

However, Taehyung couldn't help but feel self conscious. Taeyang looked manlier and more intimidating like this. Even his worst pair of clothes seemed fancy.

"Jennie, take your time."

Taehyung hated how Taeyang was okay with Jennie not speaking. Hadn't she taken enough time already, he would've considered Taeyang's previous statement valid.

"I-thank you."

Taehyung sulked deeper in his seat, hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and eyes roaming everywhere in frustration.

"Will you speak already?", he didn't mean it to come out harsh, but looking at the way jennie flinched, he knew his words hadn't been gentle either, "I love him, Jennie, please for gods sake, don't delay it any longer. Or, i'm actually gonna go nuts."

Taehyung sighed but didn't leave the eye contact from the girl, hoping his trick might somehow work.

"I wanted to become an idol.", Jennie smiled bitterly and looked down, feeling intimidated all of a sudden, "Have my own fandom, albums, records... awards", she trailed.

"I too was training in a company, where we were treated like the sun might never show up above our training rooms. Day after day, I told myself that the clock might turn and all my miseries would fade away. They didn't."

"I decided to quit. Maybe the worst mistake I had committed.", she paused, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, "It's not just a bunch of people running that racket, and i'm sure you might've figured it out by now. Their targeted individuals were the ones who weren't pleased with their lifestyles.", she met Taeyang's eyes, searching for the remorse they always held, "Lisa was the only friend of mine in that basement. She wanted to become a comedian."

Taeyang's breath hitched as he clenched his jaw and tried looking anywhere else but in her deep brown eyes.

"You forced her into modelling, where the diets were so strict, she barely saw herself going any further."

Taehyung tore his gaze away from jennie to look at Taeyang, "Are you okay?", he wasn't trying to be nice, he was genuinely concerned.

"Wasn't she with you Taehyung?"

Taehyung gulped and looked at jennie, nodding as he did so. "Was she not your senior? Had she not trained longer than you, or anyone in your batch?"

"Ye-", "Why could you not see that she was suffering? none of the trainees took over 6 years to get into their pleased platforms.", her question was directed to Taeyang, "I-", she snorted, "Their organisation is named 'owl', that holds an auction every saturday to sell their victims in the black market around the globe. If you're being sold, you don't know if you might be brought into prostitution or for the lab experiments. You just sit there waiting for someone to rescue you."

"I don't remember where they had brought me from, but I never got sold."

"We were kept in small cellars. So small that you can't sit properly without spraining your legs."

"The basement was filled with victims and a very pungent smell of their excretas. That place was-", she closed her eyes and began crying, "-horrible."

"I was probably the only one who had resisted by trying to kill myself more than twice. They tried to sell me off, but no one would buy a woman with so many ugly scars. I was lucky.", she breathed, sometimes the pace shallow, sometimes harsh.

"The last I remember, Lisa was bought into a science lab that performed illegal experiments on humans.", her sobs had died down by the time she found herself maintaining a stern eye contact with Taeyang.

"Where's jeongguk?", It was selfish for Taehyung to bring up Jeongguk and not share a word of sympathy with the girl, but right then, he could feel a sudden wave of panic washing him.

"The next auction would be tonight.", she spoke, "maybe you can find him there."

Taehyung's heart dropped.

_______________________

"What the fuck is this mask? and what's with the fucking dress code? This place is shit-", "Shut the fuck up Jeongguk!", Jimin hissed.

"ShUt ThE fUcK uP jEoNgGuK~", Jeongguk made a face that would make anyone want to punch him. Jimin resisted.

"I can't believe i'm doing this without any professional backup.", Jimin sighed to himself, looking around the hall in a way he might not seem suspicious, before turning his head back to the front, where a stage was located.

"There is a back up, don't worry.", Jeongguk smiled, "All we gotta do is extend this auction for as long as we possibly could."

"Please tell me what did you write in that letter?"

Jeongguk smiled courageously, "It's a little confusing and would require an above average iq individual to crack the words into a meaningful sentence, but i'm sure they'd come."

"Jesus christ, please protect me from these brainy individuals."

________________________

"What does it say?"

The man inhaled a drag before scratching his butt and turning the sheet upside down to find something, but the other side was completely blank, leaving him clueless.

The 25 year old drug dealer, louis, living in a small cottage in England, had received a letter from South Korea, that read, "Help?"

Forget filling the paper with information, Jeongguk had Couriered the letter to a wrong address.

That mother fucking piece of a nutcracker had got both, himself and Jimin, doomed.

______________________

Taehyung:

also Taehyung: