when night falls i am your escape
a sequel / prequel to sanctuary! ( as requested by @athenakyle )
The dull sound of rhythmic knocking against a wall has Jisook stopping in her tracks, a tray of dirty dishes in her grasp.
“I’d keep walking if I were you,” Sanghoon says, fixing his glasses, a leather portfolio tucked in the crook of his arm. “Miss _____ has Master Jeongguk over again.”
Jisook sighs.
“I just did the laundry,” she mutters, walking off.
Sanghoon lets out a terse chuckle in reply, checking his watch.
“Ah, the Chairman and his wife also informed me earlier that they won’t be home for dinner tonight,” he calls out to Jisook. “They’ll be dining with the rest of the board of directors. Miss _____ will be dining out with Master Jeongguk also, so do let the rest of the staff know that only a light supper will be needed when they return, Jisook-sshi.”
“Thank you, Sanghoon.”
Sanghoon bows his head as Jisook disappears into the kitchen, the sound of her shuffling slipper-clad feet growing distant.
The rhythmic knocking eventually stops, and Sanghoon arches a brow at the sudden quiet, looking up from his diary, page half-turned. A few beats later, the door to your room opens, and you emerge in the middle of tying the silk belt of your robe around your waist, hair in a messy bun atop your head.
“Afternoon, Sanghoon,” you greet, lazy smile stretching across your lips. “How you doin’ today?”
“Good afternoon, Miss _____,” he replies, bowing his head. “I’m well. Thank you for asking.”
“Want anything from the kitchen while I’m there?”
“No thank you.”
“Okie dokie. Enjoy the rest of your day, okay?”
“I will do my best, thank you.”
〰️
Jeongguk yelps when something cold hits the small of his back, clicking his tongue as he pushes himself up off his stomach to sit against the headboard, taking the beer you’re holding out to him.
“It honestly surprises me that I’m allowed inside here every time I come over,” he says, taking a sip.
“Why?” you laugh, reaching into your bowl for a strawberry.
“Uh, ‘cause you’re one of the richest people in the country, and me and the hyungs literally have diets consisting of ramen and discounted kimbap. We are not the same, dude.”
“No one’s complained yet.”
“I don’t think your staff would complain. Maybe talk about you behind your back though.”
“Jeongguk, you’ve seen Jisook. She nags me more than my actual grandma. She would not hesitate to call me out.”
“True. She has such a cold stare sometimes. I can come over here horny out of my mind, but then I see her and I feel like my balls shrivel up and die in an instant.”
“Gross.”
“Well. I could be rich soon though. I hit five hundred thousand followers on Soundcloud within twenty four hours of those photos coming out from that dinner. And then seven hundred and fifty thousand followers on Instagram not long after. Kinda scary how quickly people can find my shit. You didn’t even promote me straight away.”
“Your nudes will be next,” you joke.
“Pfft. Please. You say that like it’s a bad thing. My nudes are spectacular.”
“You know who I bet would love to see your nudes? What’s-her-face. Hara? No, Hana.”
“Oh, Jesus. Don’t,” Jeongguk groans. “I thought her seeing you with me would force her to give up, but now I feel like she’s gotten worse. She keeps blowing up my phone.”
“You gave her your number?”
“Nah, nah. She’s been messaging me on Instagram. I bet it’s because of your ‘statement’.”
“What about my statement?”
“You said I was a ‘close friend’.”
“Well, what am I supposed to say? ‘Jeongguk’s my fuckbuddy. He’s got my favourite flavour of dick!’”
“Aww,” Jeongguk coos, hand pressed to his chest. “I’m touched.”
“Yeah, well, you can touch yourself on your own for the rest of eternity if you keep that up.”
〰️
“Hi, excuse me, um… c-can I get your autograph?”
You look up from your menu to see someone standing a few feet away from Jeongguk, holding a notebook close to her chest as she waits nervously for an answer.
“Yeah, for sure,” Jeongguk says, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows at you briefly before taking the notebook from the girl, scribbling his signature on a blank page before bowing and watching her walk off. “Look at that. I’m famous.”
“Congratulations,” you say, nonchalant as you turn your eyes back to the menu.
“Damn, you really live like this? I could get used to it.”
“You say that now. Wait ‘til you’re getting followed into the bathroom when you go to take a dump.”
“How much do you think I could sell my shit for now that I’m famous?”
“I dunno. Ask Hana. I bet she’d be the only one crazy enough to buy it,” you say, looking up from your menu again to grin.
“Shut up.”
“Are you ready to order, Miss _____?” a waiter asks, stepping up to the table with a small notepad.
“Mmm, I think I’ll have truffle linguine,” you say, setting the menu down on the table.
“Of course. And for you, sir?”
“Uh… I’ll have the tenderloin steak with the cream potatoes, thank you. Medium rare,” Jeongguk replies, smiling.
“Excellent. We’ll have it over right away.”
“Thank you.”
“Damn. The perks of being rich.” Jeongguk leans back in his seat, hands on the back of his head. “I really could get used to this.”
“Don’t get too cocky, Jeon,” you say, taking a sip of your wine. “It’s not a good look on you.”
“You know what is a good look on me?” You look over your wine glass. “You.”
“God.”
〰️
“How were your meals tonight?” the waiter asks, collecting you and Jeongguk’s empty plates.
“Amazing. Send my compliments to the chef,” Jeongguk says, smiling. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
“Would you like some dessert? Coffee?”
“Oh man, I’m stuffed.”
“Just the bill, thank you, Minwoo,” you say, reaching for your drink.
“Of course,” the waiter says, bowing his head before walking off with the empty dishes.
Jeongguk reaches into his back pocket for his wallet as you finish off your wine, counting out his money before slipping it into the small leather folder the waiter sets down on the table.
“What’re you doing?” you ask, amused; Jeongguk looks at you, confused.
“Paying?”
“Why?”
The crease between his eyebrows grows deeper as he furrows his eyebrows, saying, “because I asked you to come to this restaurant with me? Wait, hold on, I’m confused. Am I missing something? Should I not be paying?”
“No, it’s just… most people would be making me pay, that’s all,” you say, shrugging your shoulders.
“Please,” Jeongguk scoffs, proceeding to put his money in and shut the leather folder. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am not like most people, sweet cheeks. Also, making you pay makes it seem like you’re my sugar mommy or some shit, and that feels weird as fuck.”
“Oh, eww. You’re right.”
“Come on, let’s go. I need a smoke.”
〰️
You can feel the floor of the club pulsing beneath the soles of your heels, walking over to your usual table with Hyemi and Sora on either side of you, paying no mind to all the heads that turn your way. The rest of your friends cheer and wave when they see you approach, making space for you three in the booths.
The drinks easily come and go, and eventually a bunch of you end up on the dancefloor, nodding your heads and swaying your bodies to the sound of the music, laughing and fooling around as you always do.
One by one, you friends drift off, returning to the tables or leaving with a handsome stranger, until only you and Hyemi remain on the dancefloor – but even she looks like she’s one song away from disappearing from your side.
As you anticipate, just as one Jay Park song ends and another starts, Hyemi has her fingers entwined with an unfamiliar face, and she turns to look at you with an apologetic smile before wandering off. You let her go with a casual shrug and a smile, unbothered because you’re used to this routine now, knowing the fun is only yet to start now that you’re no longer surrounded by your friends.
It’s now that others will gain the courage to approach you, no longer resorting to fleeting glances your way—as if they weren’t being completely obvious in doing so—but using their alcohol-fuelled bravado to make their way closer to you on the dancefloor, until eventually, someone will sidle right up to you, hand on your waist, department store jeans pressed to the back of your tailored Prada dress.
“Hey.”
Like clockwork, you feel a hand come to rest on the small of your back, and the air around you briefly smells like whiskey, cigarettes, and clean laundry.
“Jeongguk,” the stranger says, guiding your hips to sway in time to his.
“_____,” you reply, smiling to yourself.
“Knew that.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Surely everyone here does,” Jeongguk says, chuckling.
“You’d be surprised.”
“No way. They’d be insane to think you’re just another pretty face. Are you having a good time so far, _____?”
“Sure am, Jeongguk. How ‘bout you?”
“Me? Oh, I’m fuckin’ petrified.”
“What?” you ask, laughing as you turn around, Jeongguk’s hands wrapping around your waist as you rest your hands on his chest.
(You’re excited to find that his chest is beautifully firm—almost rock solid—beneath your palms.)
“Oh, definitely.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, I’m not sure if you’ve got bodyguards watching you from afar. If I move my hands an inch lower, I could be tackled to the ground and banished from the country for laying a hand on probably the richest twenty-something year old in Korea.”
You throw your head back and laugh, the sound barely drowned out by the loud music.
“I don’t leave the house with bodyguards all the time,” you reply, grinning.
“Ah. A wild child, huh? I’ve heard that too actually.”
“Is that right?”
“Yup,” Jeongguk says, emphasising the last syllable with a pop.
“I’m surprised the tabloids are reporting the truth.”
“Oh, so it’s true? Oh, I like that.” Jeongguk grins when you laugh again. “So. What do you usually do on nights out, Miss _____?”
“Well, that depends on what you usually do on a night out, Mr. Jeongguk,” you reply.
“Hmm. Well, I’ll usually down a few drinks, dance next to a pretty girl, get slapped in the face before she tells me she has a boyfriend, and be on my merry way, crashing on my third secondhand mattress to the sound of my roommates fucking their boyfriends.”
“Sounds like a great time.”
“Eh. Could be better,” Jeongguk replies, shrugging. “Maybe havin’ the balls to dance with one of the richest people in the country will change my fate.”
You hum, barely audible.
“Or maybe this is the part where I slap you and find another hot guy to go home with.”
“Well if that’s the case, at least I can say I tried. I think I’ve done a lot better than that table on my left who’ve been staring at you from the moment you stepped foot on the dancefloor.” You turn to look off to the side, snorting when a cluster of guys startle and turn away from you before any of them can meet your eye.
“Story of my life,” you say, turning back to look at Jeongguk.
“It’s not too late to rewrite it, sweet cheeks,” Jeongguk says, winking. Smooth! “Unless, of course, you were planning on leaving with someone else.”
“Considering you’re the first person to come up to me, I think the gold medal is going to you tonight.”
Dramatically, Jeongguk swipes a finger under his eye.
“I’d like to thank my mother, my lucky lighter, and Jack Daniels.”
He takes your hand and leads you off the dancefloor, no complaints when you detour to your table and grab your things and wave goodbye to your friends who watch on with wide eyes as you leave with your arm hooked around Jeongguk’s.
His friends do the same, it seems, if the way he juts his chin out with a smug look on his face is anything to go by, ignoring the frantic waving to try and get his attention as he walks you to the door. He does, however, humour them with another wink just before he follows you out with a hand on your lower back, paying no mind to the ping of his phone when you’ve both exited the club.
“So. My place or yours?” he asks, waving down a taxi.
“Yours, s'il vous plait,” you reply, running your fingers through your hair. “My place is swarming with people and paperwork right now – probably the whole reason why I came out tonight actually.”
“That sounds so fun.” Jeongguk chuckles, opening the door to the taxi and holding it for you. “After you, sweet cheeks.”
“Wow. A gentleman.”
With a shrug, he waves you in, before climbing into the taxi after you, quoting the address of his apartment to the driver and leaning back, shoulder pressed against yours.
“So. What’s it like being filthy rich?”
“Eh,” you reply, shrugging. “It’s got its pros and cons.”
“Cons?” Jeongguk repeats, eyebrow raised. “That’s hard to believe.”
“That’s what everyone says – until they get a taste of the life, that is.”
“Hmm. Can’t relate. I get excited when I get a new follower on Soundcloud and Instagram, or when I can afford three cups of ramen instead of my usual two. I bet you barely notice followers flooding in – or even eat cup ramen.”
“Well, I can’t say cup ramen is a staple in my diet, but even I can’t resist that stuff. Just means I’ll have to do an extra session of hot yoga to get rid of all that excess sodium.”
“Hot yoga, huh?”
You look at Jeongguk, who stares off into space with wide eyes, totally distracted by what you’d just said. You laugh loudly, shaking your head.
“God, you’re such a… guy.”
“You said ‘hot’ and ‘yoga’ in the same sentence, and I am but a mere mortal,” Jeongguk replies, hand on his chest.
The taxi slows to a stop in front of an apartment complex, and you watch, intrigued, as Jeongguk hands his money to the driver, before stepping out and rounding the car to open the door for you.
He leads you up to his apartment, but without warning, he pauses, hand on the keypad of the front door.
“Shit,” he mutters.
“A problem?” you ask, amused.
“Yeah, I just remembered neither me nor my roommates cleaned up before we left.”
You shrug, saying, “doesn’t sound like a problem to me.”
“Oh, it’s a problem. How dare I invite a goddess into a trash can of an apartment?”
“Are you like this with everyone you sleep with?”
“Well… the guys and gals I sleep with don’t usually have a net worth of a trillion Won…”
You laugh again, shaking your head.
“You can open the door, Jeongguk.”
“Alright, alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Jeongguk punches in the passcode and pushes open the door, turning on the lights and kicking aside stray shoes in the doorway to make a clear path to walk through.
“Honestly,” he says. “I’d say shut your eyes and let me carry you to the bedroom, but I can’t even guarantee my room is any better.”
“This isn’t bad,” you say, scoffing as you look around at the expanse of the apartment, unbothered by the old takeout boxes, empty soda and beer cans, crumpled loose papers, and the remnants of rolled joints and cigarettes in ashtrays around the living room. “You made it seem like a junk yard.”
“I don’t know if you’re just saying that, but I’m not gonna push it,” Jeongguk says, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling, before motioning to the door of his room. “If you so desire, your Highness, your throne awaits just over there.”
“Weird. Your lap is right here,” you say, nonchalant as you kick your heels off and put your bag down on the sofa, before walking over to Jeongguk’s room.
“Oh,” Jeongguk groans, fist pressed to his lips as he watches the way your hips sway, nodding to himself before eventually chasing after you.
〰️
Taehyung whimpers softly as Yoongi bites gently at his neck, punching in the passcode without pulling away.
“Hyung,” Taehyung moans, toeing off his shoes, hands fisted around the lapels of Yoongi’s shirt. “Hyung, wait. What’s that noise?”
“Huh?” Dazed, Yoongi lifts his head, eyes squinted in concentration as Taehyung takes the opportunity to nibble at the shell of the elder’s ear, fingers curling around his belt loops. “Is that… I think that’s Jeongguk.”
“Jeonggukie’s home already?”
“Oh fuck, Jeongguk! Yes! Yeah, right there. God!”
Frozen, Yoongi and Taehyung stare off into space as the apartment fills with the sound of moans and groans, jolting in surprise when Jeongguk’s bedroom door swings open.
Panting, Jeongguk frantically crosses the apartment completely naked, stopping dead in his tracks when he notices Yoongi and Taehyung standing in the doorway, staring at him. He jerks his head in a nod, chest still heaving as he grins.
“Hyung, I’m grabbing some condoms from your room,” he calls out.
They watch silently as Jeongguk disappears into Yoongi’s room – and Hoseok’s room, for good measure – before returning to his own room and kicking his door shut, and it isn’t very long before the sounds return.
“You wanna just… watch a movie?” Yoongi mutters, sighing.
“With the volume turned up very loud please, hyung,” Taehyung replies, nodding solemnly.
“I guess I’ll text Hoseok to warn him in case he plans on doing anything with Joon then.”
〰️
“Christ, you guys wanna turn that down?” Jeongguk says loudly, wincing as he stands shirtless and in a pair of sweatpants against his bedroom doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, lit cigarette held in the corner of his mouth.
Yoongi and Taehyung look at him, eyes narrowed, even as Yoongi’s thumb mashes the volume button on the remote.
“What the fuck were you doing in there?” Yoongi asks, frowning as he holds his lit cigarette to Taehyung’s lips. “I know you’re loud, but Jesus Christ, Guk.”
Jeongguk shrugs, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
“Did you kill her?” Taehyung asks, exhaling. “Have you just fucked someone to death? I’m telling you right now, we will not be your accessories to murder, Jeon Jeongguk. I’m telling the police everything.”
“I’m sure I can settle any lawsuits that might come from tonight.”
Yoongi inhales sharply, dropping his cigarette into the ashtray on the coffee table as he coughs violently when you step out of Jeongguk’s room, tying your hair up. With wide eyes, Taehyung stares at you, mouth opening and shutting repeatedly as he struggles to find words.
“Y-you’re… you… you’re…” he stammers.
“That’s Yoongi hyung, my roommate; and his boyfriend, Taehyung hyung,” Jeongguk says, motioning towards them. “I’m sure I don’t need to introduce you to _____.”
“What the fuck, Jeongguk?” Yoongi says in between coughs. “What the fuck?”
“Your boy’s got game, hyung.”
“Mmm, and a great dick,” you add, picking up your bag.
“Is your driver here? I’ll walk you down.”
“It was nice meeting you two.”
Yoongi and Taehyung stay frozen on the sofa, completely dumbfounded, even when you and Jeongguk leave and meet your driver at the front of the apartment complex.
“Oh,” you say, reaching into your bag and pulling out a pen, grabbing Jeongguk’s hand to scribble your number on his palm.
“Oh, this is officially the best day of my fuckin’ life,” he says, grinning. “Same time next week, sweet cheeks?”
“Wouldn’t say no to that,” you reply, winking and opening the car door. “Let me know if any of your neighbours wanna file any complaints.”
〰️
[ sms: YOONGI ] _____.
[ sms: _____ ] mr. min. how can I help you?
[ sms: YOONGI ] my phone feels like it’s going to eXPLODE WTF [ sms: YOONGI ] did Jeongguk tell you to do this?
[ sms: _____ ] pfft no [ sms: _____ ] if anything, I did this to piss him off ;
[ sms: YOONGI ] jesus _____ [ sms: YOONGI ] there are so many notifs on here what do I do??? [ sms: YOONGI ] my phone is not strong enough to handle all this [ sms: YOONGI ] I’M not strong enough to handle all this oh god
[ sms: _____ ] you want a new one?
[ sms: YOONGI ] huh?
[ sms: _____ ] a new phone lol
[ sms: YOONGI ] HUH???
[ sms: _____ ] i’ll send you a new one [ sms: _____ ] and hoseokie too :)
[ sms: YOONGI ] hold on [ sms: YOONGI ] HOLD ON [ sms: YOONGI ] YOU’RE SENDING ME AND A SEOK A NEW PHONE??? [ sms: YOONGI ] HELLO?? [ sms: YOONGI ] _____?!
[ DISPATCH ] Samsung heir, _____, promotes underground Soundcloud rapper, Agust D’s second mixtape, ‘D-2’.
[ sms: JEONGGUK ] you gave the hyungs new phones??? [ sms: JEONGGUK ] WHAT ABOUT ME
[ sms: _____ ] i’m not your sugar mommy, sweet cheeks ;) [ sms: _____ ] maybe hana will buy you a new one!
[ sms: JEONGGUK ] SHUT UP [ sms: JEONGGUK ] YOU’RE UNBELIEVABLE
