#interaction tbd

⠀⠀ hanok-styled buildings carve out the weathered roads of hongok-dong— a neighborhood where survival feels etched into the cracked pavement and chipped facades. during the day, the streets hum with the rhythm of necessity, almost every corner uttering a story of struggle and deprivation. but when the low murmur of evening settles in, parts of the district transform, cloaking their shoddy edges in a vibrant tapestry of neon lights and pulsating energy.

⠀⠀ even after the sun disappeared behind jagged silhouette of rooftops, the day’s residual warmth lingered in the concrete and brick like a stubborn fever. a dense humidity clung to je-oh’s skin as he plodded towards home, his pace unhurried beneath the dull glow of streetlamps. his path well-worn and routine. yet, as he approached the corner of his quiet street, a faint, insistent tremor in his pocket broke his stride entirely. with a sigh of resignation, he fishes out the pink flip, thumb flicking it open to reveal a single notification:

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ✉️ soon cheol - there are enough girls. don’t come in 2night.

⠀⠀ je-oh’s eyes traced the message— a small mercy wrapped in neat black text. ❝—lucky me. ❞ snapping the device shut, he returns it to his pocket before lifting his other hand to study the water-filled bag he carried. inside, a lone goldfish drifted, its fins gliding in slow, fluid arcs. ❝ you still need a name, ❞ he murmured as he resumed walking, voice barely rising above the soft crunch of his footfalls.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀* * *

⠀⠀ once je-oh stepped inside the single-story house, a thick, motionless heat enveloped him—stifling in a way that made the air outside feel almost forgiving. nonchalantly, as if accustomed to it, he slipped off his slides at the door and headed to his room, where a fishbowl sat underneath the window. he crouched before it, carefully untying the bag’s knot before gently pouring its contents into the glass container. as the goldfish slipped into its new home, it darted through the water in a frantic swirl before eventually settling, its tiny form hovering weightlessly.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ BZZZ ! BZZZ !

⠀⠀ the familiar vibration rattled against his hip again, but this time, he didn’t hesitate to ignore it. instead, he stands up to nudge the window open, allowing the barely cooler air to trickle in. another insistent pulse followed seconds later. despite knowing it was inevitable, he resisted, but only for a moment, until the vibration was accompanied by an airy ringtone.

⠀⠀ reluctantly, he retrieved the cell with a muttered curse before answering. ❝ what .ᐣ ❞

⠀⠀ ❝ cut the attitude— the hell you doing anyway .ᐣ you know you’re supposed to answer your texts. ❞

⠀⠀ je-oh rolled his eyes. ❝ i was taking out the trash. thought i’d do some cleaning since i have the night off. ❞

⠀⠀ ❝ yeah, about that— come in. someone’s requesting you. ❞

⠀⠀ it’s not that important, but he’s curious enough to ask ❝ who .ᐣ ❞

⠀⠀ ❝ does it matter who— just get your ass down to the club. ❞

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

⠀⠀ overhead, blue and purple rays illuminate the expansive club, drowning the dance floor and bar in a mystical light display that coordinated itself with whatever house song played. on the second floor were several vip sections that were closed off by thick black curtains which also deafened the clamor just slightly. && in place of the darting lasers were hanging lamps that pulsed between different colors. despite the contrast in ambiance, the vip rooms still buzz with electricity. drinks & drugs were generously passed around the room, jeoh the only one not partaking in either. he barely has to feign intoxication, the incubus seated in some corporate hot shot’s meaty lap, listening to slurred english that was spoken into the shell of his ear; a voice like a creaking floorboard, raspy and strained.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ‘ come home with me, beautiful. i’ll order room service in the morning. ’

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ out of sight, jeoh freely rolls his eyes, masking any other signs of annoyance by digging the tips of his fingers into nondefined shoulders. ❝ you know how to take care, 오빠 ( oppa ), ❞ he replies, pronunciation stilted.

⠀⠀ a grunt is given in response before laying a firm smack to jeoh’s bare thigh prompting him to retract from the older male’s lap. a line of white substance & a shot of expensive liquor later, goodbyes are finally gestured, jeoh using the brief distraction to send a text.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ [ sms: jong-seok ] leaving club

⠀⠀jeoh helps the man out of the club and across the street to the hotel they planned to stay for the night. unlike the shabby places jeoh could normally afford, they’re greeted like royalty once they step inside, dark hues glittering as they take in the hotel’s opulence. furnished in dark woods, plush area rugs, marble pillars & crystal chandeliers. the man’s arm tightened around his shoulder, dragging him back from his daze, lips flashing a salacious smile as he was guided into the elevator.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ( 💭 : sorry grandpa— should have visited your grandchildren this weekend. )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀* * *

⠀⠀ the intoxication from prior ingested substances became overpowered by arousal, and jeoh able to stimulate & enhance it until it unnaturally debilitated him into a pliant state. jeoh was seconds from sucking what was left, pausing while a frown impressed onto twin flesh, absorbed in brief disappointment for how depressing his life had truly become. as much as he had a disdain for rich assholes like this, he still wouldn’t have chosen to murder the guy. his kind could survive off natural arousal alone, but the free will to live as such was been hijacked by some piece of shit loan shark who knew their way around black magic.

⠀⠀ before he could realize what was happening, a stranger burst into the hotel too & forced his body into a position of submission— it hadn’t been so much the man himself than the weapon he wielded and pressed flushed against the column of his throat. there was only so much thrashing he could do without harming himself or worse, getting killed, but it didn’t seem to ease the swirl of panic that rose from his gut and into his throat.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ❝ nothing .ᐟ we were just having fun— ah .ᐟ ❞ he whines, eyes squeezing shut as he cowers under the weapon, trying to mask behind fear while also releasing pheromones that intended to affect the man above him. ❝ you’re hurting me— please. ❞

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓 〔 @voraxiia 〕

⠀⠀ je-oh hunched forward, trying to escape the harsh glare of the station’s fluorescent lights and the quiet scrutiny of soft, brown eyes across from him. his gaze, half-lidded & bloodshot, drifted in and out of focus as he wrestles with the fog of intoxication he couldn’t fully shake. he typically brushed off any fear of unwanted police attention and rarely indulged in the ‘party favors’ offered by clients. but tonight had wedged him between a rock and a hard place.

why won’t you let me help you .ᐣ

⠀⠀ the words didn’t register at first. when they did, they pried enough of his attention for him to lift his head, brow cocked in faint skepticism. je-oh glanced around; the office was nearly deserted, except for one other officer he recognized as a colleague of the man in front of him. ❝ i don’t need help. ❞ a lie, though one he clung to since he it was foolish to trust this man, no matter how gentle he spoke or seemed.

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓 〔 @lured-into-wonderland 〕

⠀⠀ the restaurant is bathed in soft, warm lighting that complements the beige walls adorned with posters and framed contemporary art. fragrant scents of sizzling meats and spices waft through the air, blending seamlessly with the earthy undertone of freshly steeped camellia leaves. in contrast to the soft murmur of voices and clinking glasses, je-oh and nunnally sit in silence, the weight of their conversation so far eased only by the soju they share.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ i’m not drunk enough for this.

⠀⠀ je-oh hears her and, already holding the soju bottle, refills his own cup before extending the same courtesy to her. despite rarely drinking, especially in his current line of work, je-oh allows himself to indulge in the moment. after all, rehashing old wounds was depressing enough, but at least the pain is shared.

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓 〔 @regensia 〕

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ‘ see that man .ᐣ go over and introduce yourself— offer your company & do whatever he asks, ’ soon-cheol instructed, index finger pointing towards a stranger who sat at the end of the bar, nursing a full glass of liquor, seemingly disinterested in well, anything.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ jeoh sighs before quipping, ❝ fine. ❞ gaze falls whilst hands fix at his shirt to adjust anything that may have been out of place from being jostled to the club mid-afternoon. all of that for this bastard .ᐣ must have been important. . . ( 💭 : huh. ) he steps towards the stranger, though shoulder is gripped and he’s pulled back abruptly, jeoh’s rathe obedience plenty reason to be suspicious.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ‘ don’t pull any funny shit. you got it .ᐣ ’

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ❝ i won’t— ❞ jeoh knows better, but he jerks his shoulder away despite, slightly surprised that he wasn’t backhanded but then again, if it could be helped, it was avoided to punish the workers in public. so he takes the *gracious* response with a nod before beelining for across the room, flanking the man’s right side before slipping onto the barstool & waving over the bartender. he pivots in his seat, resting an elbow on the (thankfully) unsoiled bar, chin in hand. ❝ you look like you could use some company. ❞

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ i’m here for business. not pleasure.

They would not mind her being here. At least so she hoped. But Nunnally expected she would be forbidden clearly if that was the fact. Given her…hmmm…history. Perhaps no-one would care if she hired someone now. Or perhaps they would. She now knew it was better to ask. At least if she wanted to be safe. She and people working here were not that different. At least not as much as they might seem. She was also a thing. An object to sell if needed. Perhaps to a different buyer, but still. Not that different. Now she knew better than six years go.

It was then when she noticed him.

“Jeoh…?” – her lips whispered. But that was impossible. Could he still be here? Would he talk with her? He was someone who back then Nunnally would call a friend. But now? Did he know? Did he know who she was? Did he see when they took her away? Her father…her uncle… She tried to remember, but she could not. But she decided to give a try. She walked to a man who seemed familiar.

“Jeoh…is that you? It’s been a long time…”

“What are you doing here?” – oh that was a stupid question. She knew that the moments she said it. He was either one or another. There was no room for many others. Well, although she was here, so perhaps the question was not that irrelevant.

⠀⠀ ❝ your ass better be home when i drive by later or you’ll be in for a beating when i find you, ❞ soon-cheol drunkenly shouted after the raven-haired prostitute, lifting his glass of liquor to stained lips. asshole had gotten sloshed a hair after happy hour tonight & while jeoh wasn’t rarely able to walk home alone, the other had no intentions of driving him back when he had l freedom to be three sheets to the wind & flirt with any young piece of tail that drifted into his orbit. certainly enjoying a night without president koo to keep them in line. mistakes like these became few & far between, but soon-cheol was an addict & fundamentally, an idiot.

⠀⠀ in response, he gave quick gesture of his middle finger before he pushing out into the muggy night air.

⠀⠀ the reverberations of the club’s music now overlapped with the faint clamor of the district’s streets. jeoh walked along the dank, dimly-lit alleyway, mostly keeping to himself, but also paying some observation to the remaining animals that were still being lured in by sin & lust.

⠀⠀ a voice with a melodious lilt, that almost resembled wind chimes, called his name, enough to capture his attention. head tilted slightly to rest eyes upon a stranger that approached his left. an eyebrow raised in confusion, delayed familiarity finally clicking into place. nunally.