Enigma || Park Jimin || [BTS Idol/Gang AU]

Y/N's P.O.V:-

Jackson warily walked before me, eyeing the surroundings even more cautiously than I did. His protective shield that subjugated me beneath, I couldn't but sneer under my breath. I wasn't needed to be protected, rather if chances came and worst things happened, my shield would work better than him and would protect him instead like inferior going superior, only if he knew that but okay.

The greater section of what the place what it was called, Cheongyangni 588, was abolished to a deserted place with a bigger construction site at a side inactive at the moment, covered under a big blue polythene cover. We were moving along the line of a rickety footpath at the side with tip-toe steps, no one should be watching or discerning us in this dim red-blue and black darkness. Jackson seemed to know this place better, actually a lot. Lack of presence of enough lights didn't pay him difficulties as he advanced quite swiftly escorting me by side.

"See that red-light door screen?" He pointed at the front direction. Red and pink garish neon lights flaunted over the rectangle glass piece, cursive bold nameplate bickered at the darkness around with its entity, the name it held, Seacrets. "That's our place," said he.

"Now you're gonna stay with me." Like holding a kid who had just got lost and found, he protectively gripped my wrist and held it within his jacket as if I were the kid who would be lost again. I stifled a laugh, back in those days, he had been, just the same.

"Jackson, you don't seriously- I know it's a strip hotel living in the abandons, okay?" I mocked his puerile attitude, "Not that no girl ever comes to a strip club, you are acting like people inside will-"

"It's. Not. A. Normal. Club, Y/N." He spoke with an intimidatingly deep tone as to chastise me for my relaxed current self, "You know nothing about this place, do you? There's a history, a reason why the whole area was banned like this."

That gravy pitch of his voice which I was never acquainted with left me startled. I shushed myself and looked at his eyes questionably. What was exactly up with this whole dadgum thing? And then, how was Jungkook connected with all of this?

The red cross on the door flashed upon receiving a push. The duo of us slowly took a pace inward. The 'welcome' sign tilted, the noise of the booming speaker inside reached our ears, which had no trace of existence just a foot away from that lighted door when stepped outside. Secrets of who-knows-who came here to indulge youthful l.u.s.t, secret of that cryptic BTS member who was gone for two years from his home. Seacrets. The name surely had a success.

The foyer decoration was awing, bright and showy but definitely enticing. The front deck held two skyscr.a.p.er suited guards standing on both sides, a facade of indifference from the face. A polished archway paved to the inside leveled with thick carpet, an alignment of LED colorful lights emblazoned the ceiling, it looked nothing like of a restricted zone but the reception of a nice, cozy hotel to welcome their guests. A girl was sitting behind the table at the corner, legs pulled over resting above the desk and a magazine held her attention unwaveringly. Lacquered murderous red nails and same red hair had flames ongoing in the buns above her head. Jackson knocked on the table, on the second time, she shifted her eyes.

"Yes? What kind of service are you looking for?" The way she articulated that was leaver of a cringe, her banal voice whispered in an overly honeyed seductive manner especially directed to the male standing beside me. She might have taken us to be customers from the appearances, "Show is for twenty each, an hour costs thirty, if you want full night then-"

"A room." Jackson interrupted, "One hour."

"Available," She scrupulously stripped both of us with her vigilant examining eyes, especially me from foot to head more than once, I c.o.c.ked my eyebrows to stipulate a 'what?' at her briskly moving up and down orbs, she smirked at that and replied. "Never seen a girlfriend brought here before. An hour would be enough?"

"You oughtta care?" The male exasperated. She looked back at him, smiling, "I will be making the reservation. Do you have any early booking or some sort?"

"No."

"Okay." Her fingers continued to move on the keyboard. I leaned down, relaxingly propping against the desk and casually asked, "Is the manager here?"

"Yes. Did you require any special? I can make a note of that."

"Johnny, is he available?"

"Let me search for his name." I knew he wouldn't be available, Johnny was Jungkook's former name when he was here, what Jackson had told me before coming here. I needed to see the reaction of her face if she was familiar with the name. "Are you a new worker? I never saw you here before." I asked.

"Been here for a couple of years," she cursory answered swiping through the screen before her, after a while, replied, "Sorry. No Johnny works here."

"Can you look for Jungkook then?" Jackson had done the asking before I could stop him. The girl shook her head again, "Jung- no. There is none by that name." She replied quite fast, not requiring even a second. A face can hide whatever clicked in the brain, but the eyes can't hide, like hers the exemplary, which had attained a sharp gaze with the name uttered that the porcelain pale face concealed.

"You didn't need to do a check to know that?" I asked.

"I am familiar with whoever works here, even so," The pause she took before replying next debunked her words, it was certain now, "No, no Jungkook is here either. Are you sure that's the name?"

"But he did work here."

"I can't find his name. We have other specials-"

"Thank you. Just see if we can talk to your manager." I husked annoyedly. The girl nodded, "I need the names."

Names... I sidelong glanced at Jackson, he said to the girl, "Make it on my name. Jin Seok."

"I will talk to our manager. This way."

Smells of gin and oom inebriated the breathable air. I whispered to Jackson, "Is this gonna work?"

"I don't know." He gently shook his head.

"Don't give a negative now." I stood up, walking around the room. There was a rosy scent in the atmosphere, dim lights cast a shaded pink aura. I tapped on the walls and planted my ears on them to see if I could hear something. Jackson, lying idly on the bed was eying my actions, "What are you doing?"

"Exercise."

"It's called the invasion of privacy," He said, "You might not too like everything you hear."

"Yeah, and there may be HIV on that bed you're lying on." There were faint mutters from one side, unhearable. On the other side of the wall, only a low audible conversation caught my ears.

"I will talk to the boss, I need my whole pay, Jung Woo!" A woman's yelling.

I opened the room's door and peeked outside. The corridor was empty. A couple of rooms with stamped doors similar to ours had been on each side of it, not sient at all.

"Did I do wrong revealing that guy Jungkook's name before the receptionist?" I heard Jackson say, "You seemed not to like it."

"You shouldn't have had," I said, "But the way that girl reacted, I think she was definitely familiar with the name. I was planning on something else, but let's see what will happen."

"No, you did this last time too~!" I heard the same woman's voice again, this time clearer and neighbor. With nothing but curiosity, I peered at the side room.

Behind the dancing curtains to the half-open door, a woman stood, black stripy rave rompers invitingly embraced her curvy svelte figure. Harness stuck with her ribs to h.i.p.s. Her lips as red as blood bawled at the other person, black hair was tied to a messy ponytail and a veil was upon her innocently gorgeous face, so anomal to the profession she took; no man could resist that melody of beauty she provided, l.u.s.t or love of attraction, whatever you would give it a name. The guy was obscured, denied every time with her speaking.

"Hye Rin, I am giving you much more than you deserve already," He yelled.

"Seriously? I have been working overtime and hell, have you ever tried these outfits on for 7 hours a day~"

I moved away from the door and walked back to the room. Jackson, bored with lying down this whole time, finally sat up and stared at me coming in and pushing the door.

"How long has it been?"

"Fifteen minutes." He replied. I said, "I checked the outside, there's no one. The girl must be back at her table and settled now. Let's go."

"What are we gonna do first?"

"Check the innard and ask the workers. There must be someone-"

"Excuse me?" I almost jolted. The door was pushed half-open, a person invaded in and stood, one hand still on the doorknob. I presumed, it was the manager.

"Yes?"

"You two?" He came in and sat down on the couch before us, "Have been looking for Johnny?"

"Yes. The girl said she couldn't find his...name." I was a bit off guard with the sudden invasion and direct approach of the guy, getting a hint that this might not turn good. Yet acting along, I thought, would still fulfill a reason for which we were there.

"He is unavailable."

"When-"

"He had quit."

"Quit??" I posed a histrionic crestfallen expression, "When did he?"

"It's been years, miss." He exasperated, was suspicious by that tone, "Why are you looking for him? And how did you know his real name was Jungkook?"

Jackson, thank you. I shot a secret glare at the boy at my side, then purchased a small smile, "He had told me before. I was...his regular once."

"What is your name, mi-"

I quickly stood up, "Wait, Jinnie, did you forget about our work? We should leave now lest we should get late." The person also stood up, almost blocking our exit, "Please, wait. You can't leave yet. There's a few stuff we need to discuss with you-"

"Jin Seok!" I grabbed the male's hand and rushed to the doorway, past the surprising small hall of bodyguards gathered around the doorway. All were too startled to take further actions.

Reaching a far and safe point of the hallway, Jackson whispered to my ears, "We could ask him about him."

"He came running like that upon hearing that we knew Jungkook's actual name and came here looking for him, he was gonna held us for who-knows-what motive, you find it great, not it?" I gritted my teeth, "Thank you for revealing the name before and exacerbating the whole case. Now, how will we find out about Jungkook, mister?"

"Jungkook?" A woman's voice chirped from beside us. We looked following it, it was the same woman who I saw in one of the rooms before, still now in the same ensembles.

"You two are looking for him?"

"Do you...know him?" I suspected if she would react the same as the manager before and inform him about us but nothing like that happened. Instead, her eyes gloomed to a dark tint, "I did. He was a close friend."

Jackson's eyes lit up, mine did too. I observed the woman, there was something about her, an aura which assured me that it was her who I needed, and it was her who would get me to where I could meet my answers. That I could trust her.

"Then..." I gallantly took the risk, asking directly, "can you please help us? We are here to know about the time when he worked here."

"Please wait." She went back to the same room and came out changing her outfit to a one-piece dress. Fixing her net gloves, she motioned at the front direction directing us to proceed.

"He used to call me Rin noona. He looked so much like my lost little brother, it felt like I had found him back," a smile summoned her lips in reminiscing of the time, "But his life in his hellish place was terrifying,"

"What had happened?"

"He was held against his own will. I can recall when he first came, with that one man. He was undeniably handsome from that young face, boss thought he could get some cash outta that so he bought him."

"Bought?"

"Yeah," She nodded, "Don't exclaim at that. That's how most of the teenage workers here came. Unlike us, we work at our own will for money, but those kids who have no identity, without parents; if they ever catch the eyes of the delivery men, their lives are doomed for the rest of their breathing time."

Delivery man... "She is talking about the trafficking chain," Jackson whispered at my ears.

"Boss's trick indeed worked. The number of female clients increased, all of them wanted that one boy. He tried to escape a couple of times. After that they held him locked in his room at nights when it was offtime. He cried, squealed to let him go but..." Tears trickled from her eyes to utter the genuine form of affection she had held, very next moment she hissed, "On top of that, that wretch bitch of his, if I could garrotte her on first sight, there would have been lesser sins committed on earth!"

"You mean his wife?"

"Yes. I heard the owner runs a lot of businesses aside to this, and that woman is the main one who manages the hotel business. She is the reason the place is still now on even though most other places are banned by name."

"What did she do?"

"What did she do?!" She growled, "Ask what she didn't! Damn f.u.c.k.i.n.g bastard witch! She has her eyes on every single male in the building. And then that time with Jungkook...ah! I don't even want to recall! Sweet Jesus, please have mercy to this earth!" She hid her face behind her palms.

"What did she do?" I asked again, growing impatient. She looked up at me, "She...that s.l.u.t..." sigh escaped her lips.

"Jungkook was so frail and naive, that's why only the worst things could happen to him...' She shook her head massively, and added,

"She r.a.p.ed him...every night."

No word could sputter out of our mouths at what she said, tongues unviable. Hye Rin cursed at herself, "I swear if I could get him out of this place, I would donate my soul to God. But thank Almighty that his friends did."

"Friends?"

She nodded and continued, "Yes, that one incident I remember, everyone here remembers. There was a breakout at the hotel. We thought it was the police or something. Our manager helped us hide at the distinct rooms while the VIP clients were escorted out from the back door. It was a group of four that came and took away Jungkook. They brandished weapons, a fight took place with the guards, two girls were hurt and few guards died at their hands. But thank God they could escape with Jungkook from here safely."

"Did you see them?"

She shook her head in reply, "No, not that clearly. But I know I never saw any of them here before, also never with Jungkook. Maybe they were not even his friends, but who knows? At least he was out of this cage and that's excellent."

I processed her words in my brain, taking all the information in and piece together in one place. Next, I summoned a smile and thanked her, "You have been such a help."

"Do you know where Jungkook is now?"

I paused, "Yes...he is my friend."

"Take care of him well and tell him that his Rin noona still now loves him," She smiled sadly, "I wish I could meet him...but that would just remind him of the horrible past days, and I don't want that..."

I smiled at her. No matter what, this woman before me had a heart made of pure love for this one guy who she didn't even know well, yet had him like her own brother.

"Just give him the love I would. That would do my work." I gleefully nodded at her.

"Wow..." Jackson finally decided to speak, "That was..."

"Informative. I think I am getting to it well now," I smirked to myself, "Step by step."

"Getting to what?"

I shrugged, "Nothing. Let's go."

"I don't get it Y/N." He jogged to catch up till my pace, "Why are you digging deep about this idol?"

"Long story, I will tell you about it later."

"Well, I am free now. Why later?"

"Yaarrgh!" I disheveled his hair playfully, "Curious mind of a journalist. Thanks for the help, I owe you."

Next stop: Seoul Arts High School.