Fool’s Diamonds
Pairing: Park Jimin x Fem Reader
AU: Thief!Au
Genre: Angst
Warnings: Illness, angsty mentions of poverty, diamond mines, drunk character, character death, vague mentions of non con, suggested human trade, robbery, implied smut, general theme of mistrust and deception.
Word count: 6.39 K
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and I do not condone any of the actions of the characters in this fiction. This is to be treated as pure fantasy, and should not be misconstrued to be demeaning the idols in any way. If any of the above warnings cause you discomfort, kindly refrain from reading.
Author’s note: This fiction is set in a time when cell phones and social media didn’t exist. Nationalities are purely for fictional purposes, I bear no ill-will towards any nationality, nor am I xenophobic.
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The air was dry and felt like parched paper. You fancied you could break it into pieces just by extending your hand out. A bead of sweat rolled inside your shirt, running down your midriff. Gosh, it was so very hot. Why was it that July felt like Earth was having a fun time roasting all the terrestrial life on a barbecue? A strong cigar smell curled around you, worsening the situation, making you want to retch.
“I’m outta here, Billie,” you shouted, leaving the money on the table. The wet circles left by the beer mugs hadn’t even dried. “Money’s on the table.”
The tattooed girl nodded at you, hollering a hearty “Sure, darlin’. See ya around.”
The heat was reflecting off the road in waves. It wasn’t like you had chosen to stay there. With a drunkard for a father and a ruined mother, you had to stay back and make sure your father didn’t set the house on fire in one of his rages. You spat down, wiping the corner of your mouth. Father. You didn’t even know what real fathers did.
Wait, of course, you did. Real fathers worked to bring bread to the table. They raised their children and tried to get their babies to live better lives. They didn’t collapse by the sewer and roll around in their own puke. It was a challenge every night to find which gutter he had passed out in.
Your mother had worked her ass off to get clothes on your back. Forget college. You had starved on days when your father stole your mom’s daily wages to go and get his brains saturated with alcohol. Did you ever think of killing him? No. Well, maybe. Okay, a lot of times.
But the old woman was strangely attached to him. She went out and dragged him home if you said you couldn’t be bothered to go find him.
“Tis your dad, girl,” she would pant, dragging the wasted scoundrel by his shoulders. “You got only him to call dad, like it or not.”
You would huff and storm out of the room, not interested in getting lectured at. Well, there wasn’t a lot of rooms in your house. There was just a living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom. Your drunk dad would usually snore in the living room. Your mother would join you in the bedroom, where she would lie on an old ratty mattress. It grossed you out to lie on it, just imagine the times it would have seen your parents’ body fluids. Ew. You would lie on a pallet, trying to suppress the anger brewing in your heart.
Every other girl in the town had left, either to college or in search of better jobs. Some had married, just to escape the clutches of the banal town, which was tainted with general unease and distrust. No one was ever able to breathe freely. It was like the whole town was constantly on edge, waiting for something bad to happen.
And when you reached home, the bitter aftertaste of the beer still on your tongue, the cruel hand of fate had struck already.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Momma?”
You raced over to her side, trying to get her to breathe. Her lips were a deep blue, the eyes were rolling back into her head.
“Y/N.”
Her breathing was strained as if every draw of her breath peeled a little piece of life away from her.
“Momma?” You repeated dumbly, tears spilling down your cheeks. “Don’t go, please,” the saliva pooling in your mouth made you slur.
“Y/N,” she rasped, struggling to look at you. “Get—”
A spasm made her wince, and you watched helplessly, waiting for her to resume.
“Get outta this…” she swallowed, willing herself to finish her sentence. “… this town. Get out.”
Her eyes scoured the place, trying to see her husband’s form in the bright afternoon light. There he was, fast asleep, not minding in the least about his family or the fact that his wife was looking for him before her last breath.
“I’ll wake him up,” you said, trying to get up.
“No,” her voice was soft. “I been done waiting for him to wake up.”
“Momma,” you whined, voice laden with sorrow.
She shook her head, flashing a watery smile at you. “My baby,” her cold fingers clasped yours. “Get outta this place. Live your life, girl.”
You turned to stare in disgust at the man stretched in the doorway. “But him…”
She cut your words, whispering hoarsely. “No use, girl. He’s good as dead. You gotta go.”
Her beady eyes searched your face, relaxing when you nodded and sobbed.
“I love you, baby.”
Her chest stopped heaving.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
You were wiping hot angry tears off your cheeks, thinking what a waste your father was. He hadn’t even stirred when you shook him awake, screaming at him.
“Momma’s dead!” you had cried, hitting his chest as if it would get his brain hum-started. “You weren’t even sober, you fucking loser!”
When your mother had been around, you had kept a lid on swearing. But the dam broke, unleashing a torrent of suppressed anger spilling out of your heart in waves.
He had grinned dumbly, saying in a slurred voice:
“One less mouth to feed, then.”
You hadn’t meant to, but your fist came into contact with his nose, followed by a sickening crunch.
“You loser,” you shouted, going crazy at the thought of a world without your mother.
He shrugged, lying down on his side, supporting his head with his hand.
“My girl be takin’ care of me, I ain’t got nothin’ to worry about.”
You jumped to your feet, fingers trembling in rage. Your mother had lived and died, trying to support the scoundrel lying before you. But it wasn’t your cross to bear anymore. Your mother had been right, he was of no fucking use. He would simply leech off you and get drunk till his last breath. No, that wasn’t what your mother had wanted. You had to get out of the damned place.
But how? No money. No jewels. Nothing you could pawn off. Your father had already done that and drunk away all the little precious things your mother had ever owned. There was nothing to support you out in the wild, wild world.
You had a job at the local convenience store, but it didn’t pay much. It was your first job since finishing school. You had taken it instead of leaving the town, just to support your poor mother. There wasn’t much respite, but it did provide you bread when your father ran away with your mom’s wages.
You hadn’t saved a lot. But you needed leave the cursed town before it trapped you for life. Your mother had lived and gone to dust, working solely to keep you from dying of starvation. It was time to leave. To begin a new chapter elsewhere, where drunkards didn’t puke all over your foyer.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Billie,” you called, moving closer to her. “You got any jobs here?”
The girl pursed her mouth, shaking her head.
“Sorry, girlie. Ain’t got no jobs right now.”
You nodded in understanding. Fair enough. It was a rotten place, with not a lot of opportunities. It was a wonder that Billie kept running the pub after her old man died. It was evident that she wanted to leave the place. But like you, she had been tied to the town because of her sick father.
You were curious why she still hadn’t closed shop and left town for good.
“Billie, didn’t you ever think of leaving this place?”
She lifted a finger to be excused for a moment. She moved to pour out beer for a tall man who was standing at the counter. She pocketed the change, shouting “Enjoy your beer” at his retreating back.
When she returned, she wiped her hand on her apron, thrusting her tongue out carelessly.
“Well, I sure did, but this place ain’t got no other pub. And the money’s good the last couple o’weeks.”
You leaned in, interested.
“Anyone struck diamonds? Give me the juice, girl.”
She laughed, wiping the beer spills on the counter, nodding as she did so.
“Aye, there’s a couple guys who struck it rich. They’re comin’ and leavin’ big fat tips.”
She patted her pocket to emphasize her point. Billie was obviously in need of the money to keep the place running. You grinned, interested to hear more.
“Tell me about them.”
She handed out another mug of beer and pulled a stool to sit near you.
“There’s this guy from Russia, he been scouring for stones since last August. He bought a trench from old Mr. Hadley and started diggin’ two weeks ago. Big diamonds, you see,” she opened her thumb and index winger to show you the size, “Big ones. He been buyin’ drinks for everyone in the mine to celebrate it.”
You whistled. The only thriving business in the town was mining. People came from all parts of the world to try their luck at finding the crystallized carbon rocks. Most of them returned broke, some fell sick from the dusty haze and polluted air. Some even died in vain, succumbing to the hot burning sun.
“And the other one?”
She giggled, letting you in on her little secret. “He asked if I wanna go to Ireland.”
“He’s asking you to marry him?” It wasn’t a surprise. A lot of girls in your town had gone and married potential miners just to escape.
She shook her head, grinning. “We were foolin’ around and he thought I was serious.”
Well, poor man. Billie wasn’t the type to settle down without roaming the Earth to her heart’s content. She was simply chiseled from another rock. She didn’t like being caged.
“Talk of the devil,” she whispered, wiping the counter furiously. “There’s Mr. Russia.”
You turned and eyed the big guy entering the pub, his eyes lighting up when he saw Billie. The people in the pub cheered when he entered, and he raised a big palm to accept the claps, smiling widely.
He strode towards the counter, catching sight of you.
“And who’s this lovely lady?” he asked, smirking in your direction.
“Y/N,” Billie replied, handing him his lager. “She works in the convenience store by the old railroad.”
“Pleasure,” he said, extending his big hand to you. When you shook it, the callousness reminded you of sandpaper.
“You haven’t left town yet?” he asked, sipping his lager casually. “I mean, I thought Billie was the only lass in town.”
You smiled. The curiosity was well-earned. “I’ll leave soon enough,” you replied, keeping the obvious eagerness from spilling into your tone.
“Y/N’s momma died, so she got nothing to stay back for anymore,” Billie said, looking at you with sympathetic eyes. She had been in the same position, and she understood.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, his thick accent bubbling out of his chest.
“It’s okay.” You looked at the time. “Ah, I gotta run, Billie. See ya.” Turning to the man, you dipped your head with a soft “Nice to meet you.”
He nodded chastely, watching your back as you scurried back to work.
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“Y/N!” the man hollered, “customer for you!”
You were at the back, checking the expiration dates and noting which ones to take back home. It was common in your town for salespeople to take items that were a day or two beyond the expiration dates. You stopped what you were doing and rose up to look over the aisle.
It was the Russian man. His face registered recognition, and he raised his hand to wave a small Hi to you.
“Yes,” you said, walking up to him. “How can I help you?”
He told you he was looking for some souvenirs to buy for his daughter back home. You led him to the small section that had girls’ trinkets and stuff like hair slides.
“These are all we have. You could try Miasie’s too. She might have some more accessories.”
He nodded, carding through the fake jewelry items. He whistled in a low voice.
“They look like real diamonds,” he said, pointing to a bracelet studded with stones.
“Zirconia,” you replied, taking the bracelet out of the plastic cover. You had to admit, it really looked authentic. It was a running joke in your town that the fake jewelry outshone the diamonds mined there.
“Maisie has a lot of Zirconia jewels, these are made by locals,” you said, running your finger through the stones. “
People who fared badly at the diamond mining expeditions returned home with Zirconia jewels to save face, to try and convince their people that they had in fact dug a few diamonds out. Hence the market for fake diamonds boomed, and a lot of locals thrived on it.
“I’d rather buy this, at the hands of the beautiful maiden holding it,” he said.
Was he hitting on you?
You nodded crisply, asking if he wanted anything else. He hesitated, looking around. “Is it- is it fine if I ask you out?”
There it was. Gosh. It was an endless game of cat and mouse in that town. For hundreds of young miners, there were only a handful of young girls, so the competition was crazy.
“I guess,” you said, hoping he would just get you a beer and call it a day.
“So, I’ll come and get you at…” he licked his lips. “…where do you live?”
You thought about it, thinking if you should just tell him to come to the store after all. But you got off work at 4, and you didn’t want him to see you carrying expired food back home. You wrote him the address, telling him to reach your home at 6.
He smiled and left, promising to call on you later that evening.
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“You gotta be kidding me,” you hissed when you returned home to see your father conversing with the Russian like old buddies.
The men snapped their heads to follow the sound of your voice, and there you were, holding an armful of stuff from the store.
“Y/N,” the Russian said, getting up to help you carry the items inside.
“Alexei! What are you doing here?” The time certainly wasn’t 6 pm. What the hell was he doing, cozying up to your father?
Your father grinned his sickly fishy smile. “Y/N, don’t raise your voice…”
“Shut the fuck up,” you said, cutting him off. You hated when the loser lectured you. “I wasn’t talking to you.” All the foodstuff in your arms dropped down with loud thuds.
Alexei stooped to pick up the small cartons. “Y/N, let’s not shout,” he was saying, when you swatted his arm away.
“You don’t tell me what I should do, not at my own house.”
He raised his palm in a gesture of peace.
“Why are you here? I told you to come at 6. It’s only 4.30.”
He looked over at your father, catching his lip between his teeth.
“Well, I was free and thought I’d pay you a visit…”
“When I was away at work?” you questioned.
Your father cut in harshly. “I sold you to him.”
His voice was blank, devoid of any emotion. The shocked silence prevailed undisturbed for a good five minutes before you found your voice.
“You what?”
Charging forward, you went flying towards the old man, when Alexei caught hold of your hips, holding you in place.
“It’s not what you think, Y/N,” the big man said, heaving in exertion as you squirmed and cursed out loud.
“Get your hands off me! Get your hands off me!”
He let go, but clasped your wrist instead.
“I just asked if I could take you with me to Russia. He said he didn’t have anyone to support him if you left, so…”
“So? So, you offered money to take me away? Who do you think you are?” Your voice was rising to dangerous limits. “Am I an object you can just buy? Fuck you.”
Your father was sober for like the first time in months, and then he went and sold you off to make money to drink even more?
“And you!” Pointing your finger at the old man, you screeched in anger. “You fucking sold your daughter to get drunk even more? Why didn’t you die instead of mom?”
“Enough, Y/N,” he shouted, getting up and smacking his dry lips. “You be goin’ with the Russian. It’s the least you can do for yer’ old man.”
“Are you listening to yourself?” You screamed, voice breaking and throat going dry from all the screeching.
“Now, now, Y/N, take a breath.” Alexei came nearer, whispering in your ear. “You want to escape this place; I offer you a pass. Why do you resist?”
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Billie widened her eyes in shock.
“Y/N! Are ya fuckin’ outta your mind?”
You shook your head, aware of Alexei watching you from across the pub.
“Far from it.”
She leaned down and lowered her voice.
“Girl, ya know what ya gettin’ yerself into?”
“Yeah, I know. Billie, he’s gonna take me outta this wretched town!”
“At the cost of what, Y/N? He’s married, he’ll probably sell you to another guy or worse he’d put you in a brothel.”
“I know.” You sipped the beer and swallowed the liquid before adding:
“I will be careful, Billie. He got strength, but I got brains.”
She scoffed. “Seems more like them brains evaporated in the heat, based on what nonsense yer talkin’, girl.”
You were touched by her concern. Being the only two girls in the neighborhood, it went without saying that she was like a sister to you. And if the most spirited daredevil of the town was worried about you, there really was a grim storm brewing for you.
“Listen, Billie. I’ll be sharp. I won’t get kicked into a brothel. You know me, girl.”
She considered your determined face, before giving up. “Well, if ya say that ya’ll be alright, it gon’ be alright I guess.” She looked over at Alexei. “When ya leavin’?”
“This afternoon. There’s a train to the capital. A ship’s leaving for his country on Thursday.”
“So, the three days until that…”
“He says we’ll stay and look around the capital until the ship sails.”
She curled her lips at you. “You got balls, girl.”
You grinned, smiling at her as you downed the rest of the beer. Both of you knew that you were never going to see each other again.
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“Want to go to bed?” the man asked, pulling you snug against his side profile.
“Alexei.” Your tone was curt. “Don’t touch me unless I say it’s okay to.”
Bitch. Well, he would break you in soon. He’d have you begging on all fours. Just wait till he got on that ship with you. There was no way he was going to wait longer than that.
“Apologies, I will see you tomorrow then.”
He withdrew to his own hotel room. You had arrived at the capital at 11 am. It was Tuesday. Three more days to go before you sailed to Russia with him. You had demanded a separate room. He had tried to reason with you, but you just wouldn’t hear of it.
Alexei saw you slam the door shut, standing on the verandah. He lit his cigar. Soon, he said to himself. Soon he’d have his dick inside that uptight ass of yours.
Your father had been surprisingly easy to bend. He had just said that he had struck diamonds when the old man folded like a napkin. He had honestly meant to gossip until you returned, but he quickly saw a delicious opportunity right before his eyes.
He had innocently talked about how it would be difficult for the old man if you left town, and soon enough, he had wrapped him around his little finger. He just gave him one of the smallest diamonds, the most unclear of them all, but the man danced like it was Christmas already.
“Take her, yes, by all means,” he had said, rolling the stone around in his palm. “The lass don’t have much savings, it would be damn difficult for me to get ‘er a man. Better you take ‘er. I’m happy.”
Alexei had been quite taken aback. The man really was willing to give up his daughter for a low-quality diamond. But hey, he had no qualms. He was getting the best looking girl he had laid eyes on, and soon enough he would trade you for money, or better yet, another girl.
He blew out the smoke, slowly imagining how your naked body would feel under him. Those pert tits, he could almost see them in his mind. He would make you take back every sharp word you had said to him since the day he bought you. He looked down, exhaling the smoke again. He would have to take care of the tent in his pants by himself. Until Thursday.
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“Jimin-ah,” the girl drawled, draping herself against his warm, shirtless torso. “Stay a bit longer.”
He raked his slim fingers through his mussed hair, clicking his tongue.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I have to go.”
She pouted at him, sticking out her lower lip. “When will you be back?”
He scooped her up, kissing the top of her head.
“Soon. Really soon, baby.”
He slipped his shirt on, shaking his hair free and arranging it again.
“Don’t stay up too long, I’ll be back tomorrow.” He kissed her knuckles, reluctantly letting her hand go.
“I love you, Jimin-ah,” she whined, gazing forlornly at his back.
He grimaced unbeknownst to her. He didn’t love her. And he most certainly wasn’t going to see her again. He rapidly exited the dingy hotel, not caring in the least that the poor woman would wait for him to return. Gosh, the extents a guy had to go to, to get a nice fuck these days.
Jimin didn’t really go to sex workers. It wasn’t his style. No, he was the playboy. He liked the thrill of seducing a woman, making her a gooey mess, making her tremble in anticipation of his touch. He was skilled at those games. But once the initial thrill was over, he didn’t have much to do with the girl. The longest he had been with a girl after sex was 3 days. He shuddered. What a whiny bitch she had been. Ugh.
He was strolling through the streets, scoping out potential targets. He was already hungry. He had to pick a few pockets soon if he wanted to sleep with a full tummy. The street was bustling with people. He eyed each person as he slowly danced through the crowd.
Park Jimin was a slippery thief. He had the agility of a panther stalking its prey. For anyone who looked at him, he would seem like an innocent baby-faced man in his early twenties. The air of childish charm made it very easy for him to fool people. He had to do nothing but stare wistfully at the street from the window of the coffee shop, and boom! He would have a kind-hearted unwitting girl wanting to buy him coffee. So easy.
His hand slipped into the loop of your handbag, and before he knew, you had clasped his wrist tight. Alexei went on walking before you, apparently not seeing the man digging his hand into your handbag. You didn’t say anything, walking on sedately behind Alexei, not budging an inch as Jimin whispered cuss words and tried to wiggle his wrist free.
When Alexei was beyond earshot, you hissed at Jimin angrily.
“What the fuck were you doing?”
He tagged along, unable to believe that he had been caught so easily. The cat burglar, caught in plain daylight by a woman? Was he losing his touch?
Alexei was still walking ahead, inhaling the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans wafting throughout the pavement. You came to a halt, narrowing your eyes at the gorgeous man who was squirming under your grip.
“I- I was hungry,” He had decided to turn his charm tap on. Maybe you were one of those gullible women who would melt. “I’m sorry, I had no choice.” He hung his head in shame. “I lost my job, there’s no money for food…” His tears flowed easily. A corner of his mind wondered if he should take up acting. He could give those Broadway actors a run for their money.
You let his hand go, watching Alexei’s back warily. Digging into your purse, you pulled out an old currency note. It wasn’t much, but it was all that you had.
“Take this. Get something to eat.”
He accepted it silently. “Thank you, ma’am.” His hunger made him fold. Jimin knew that you could have called the big man to box his ears, and he admired your nerve.
His eyes scanned your persona, and his inner thief sang when he saw the chain and bracelet you were wearing. You were wearing what was worth his entire month’s fun.
“I’d like to repay you. I will return the money as soon as I can.” He watched you, simultaneously keeping an eye on the big man who had stopped to examine something in a roadside shop.
“Don’t worry about it,” you said, touched by the man’s sincerity.
“No, I insist. I’d have become a thief if it weren’t for you.” He smiled inside at the soft expression blooming on your face. Damn, girls were so naïve.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Alexei was knocking on your door impatiently.
‘Y/N? Let me in!”
You feigned a yawn and opened the door just a little bit.
“What is it?”
He tried to pry the door open, but your resistance was surprisingly strong. “It’s Wednesday, remember the carnival I told you about? Come on now.”
You put on the best sick face you could, rasping slowly, “I feel so tired, Alexei. My head hurts. You go on. I’ll come with you in the afternoon.”
He tsked, annoyed at having to leave you behind. But he wasn’t foolish enough to leave you unguarded. He had slipped two enormous wads of cash into the bellboy’s hand as soon as you had arrived at the hotel. The bellboy and the man guarding the door would never let you set foot outside the door. You were as good as trapped.
“Well, okay then. I’ll come to fetch you for lunch.”
When you closed the door behind you, an audible sigh emanated from under the bed. Jimin climbed back into the bed, his naked upper body shining in the morning light. He was only wearing his boxers, and his toned thighs were deliciously on display as he wiggled his toes at you.
“Come on, Y/N,” he purred, voice heavy with lust. “I can’t have enough of you.”
You smiled at him, climbing into his lap like a kitten. His fingers carded through your hair as you watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He drew soft patterns on your skin, murmuring affectionate words and sighing happily.
His eyes were on the chain and bracelet you had carelessly left on the bedside table. It was making his palms itch. He had listened to you all night, patting your back gently as you told him all about the dilemma your father had put you in. Part of his brain had been focused on you, but the other had been drooling at the chain glinting on your chest.
“It’s okay baby,” he had cooed, “We’ll get you out of the guy’s clutches.”
You had made passionate love; it had been your first time ever. But that hadn’t stopped you from enjoying it. Billie the encyclopedia had given you lots of inside information, so much that you knew a lot more than playboy Jimin even did. Jimin had no idea he was fucking a virgin, so good was your theoretical knowledge.
“Jiminie,” you said, grazing your nail against his chest.
“Yeah, baby?”
“The ship leaves tomorrow. How can we escape before that?”
“I wish I had money to get you tickets for another ship, baby. But you know I’m penniless.” He held his breath, waiting to see if you would say the words he longed to hear.
“I don’t either, Jiminie.” Well, obviously. Think harder, airhead. “But maybe you can sell the diamonds and get enough money.” There you go, pea brain.
He licked his lips, waiting for you to reach for the jewels on the table. Wow, he was going to live a goddamn rich life. But his face scrunched up when you reached inside your bag instead.
“Baby, whatcha doing?”
You looked up at him innocently, extracting a little tied-up handkerchief from your bag. “Getting you the diamonds.”
His confusion dissolved when he saw you untie the kerchief, revealing a big pebble-sized diamond and a handful of smaller button-sized diamonds. Oh, he’d be damned.
You picked the big one, handing it to him. “Can you try and sell it? It’s of the best quality.”
He licked his dry mouth to life. “So many- so many diamonds?”
You laughed. “Alexei has a lot more. He gave me these to make me agree to go with him to Russia.” Alexei had no idea that you had stolen from his bag, but Jimin didn’t need to know that.
Jimin turned the diamond over in his palm. Fuck, it was the biggest he had ever seen. His mind was working on overdrive.
“Why not give all of them to me, baby? I’ll sell them all and bring the money.”
Like hell you would. You shook your head.
“No, it’s easier to sell one and get going. We can sell the rest as the need arises.”
Tight bitch.
He had to think of a way to purloin the rest of the lot later. For now, he would go with your plans.
“Sounds like a good plan, baby. I’ll get going then.”
You watched him dress himself up in a rush. He was so beautiful, naked or otherwise. So damn beautiful.
Jimin saw your eyes drift to the table. He cursed under his breath. The chain and bracelet would have to wait.
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Naturally, Jimin knew the best places to go to. He was a thief, and he was buddies with a lot of pawnbrokers.
“Heya there, Jimin!” the man called, smiling his crooked smile at his favorite customer. Jimin brought a lot of stuff to his shop, and he was glad to do business with the innocent cherub.
“Brought a diamond today, Han,” Jimin said, looking around the cold, dark room. No other person was around. Jimin loved the cold ambiance of pawnshops. The metallic smell of old silver and brass made him feel at peace. There were so many interesting things on display. He felt like a child taken to Disney Land.
“Let’s take a look,” Han said, extending his palm.
Jimin looked around at the stuff Han had recently acquired, whistling softly while the man appraised the diamond.
Han looked up from his loupe, eyes wide. “How ever did you get such a good stone, Jimin? This one is easily worth thousands!”
Jimin’s heart lifted. He had been worried that you might have sent him on a wild goose chase. He had doubted if it really was a diamond at first, because you were ready to part with it freely. He smiled at Han.
“A chick I know had it.”
Han winked. “Got rid of her yet?”
Flashing him a conspiratorial smile, Jimin drawled, “Will do soon.”
He turned to Han on his way out. “I’ll bring you some more, hold on to your breath.”
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Jimin was on his way back to your hotel. He had stopped to buy a ticket to Bermuda. He was going to sail away happily. The only thing was, he needed to rob the rest of your diamonds before the end of the day. He would stay up after you slept, and sneak off with them.
He had so much money in his hands, and his robber instinct told him to flee already. But then, those button sized diamonds beckoned, appealing to his greedy heart. Some more money wouldn’t hurt. There had been at least 10 diamonds in there. Not to mention your jewelry. Greed made his feet walk automatically back to you.
When you opened the door, you were dressed up. It was evening already, nightfall was approaching. Maybe you had gone to the carnival after lunch with that Alexei guy. Jimin didn’t really care where you went as long as the diamonds were safe.
“Hey,” you whispered, letting him slip into your room. “Did you sell it?”
He grinned and dangled the thick wads of cash before your eyes. “Uh-huh. See? We’re gonna run away together, baby.”
You clapped your hands in delight, taking the wads from his hands. You counted carefully, looking up at him with a startled “15 thousand?”
Jimin had taken five thousand for himself, but he wasn’t going to tell you. He simply nodded.
You were surprised. Wow. You had thought that the diamond required more polishing. You had only expected a few thousands. But this was so good.
“Jiminie, you were right, will you hold on to these diamonds too?”
You thrust the diamonds bundled in the kerchief into his hand. “I don’t want Alexei to find out at the last minute.”
He had to put so much effort to stop himself from laughing out loud. This was going so deliciously well.
“Sure, give it, I’ll keep it safe.”
He tucked the bundle neatly into his pocket, innocence painted all over his face.
“Hmm…” you embraced him, sighing in contentment. You were going to escape Alexei. The thought made you giddy with happiness. You tied the wads of cash into a scarf, securing it under your pillow.
Jimin watched you, fascinated. Ooh. He could run away with the diamonds and the cash. Midnight would be the best time. It wouldn’t hurt to fuck you a couple times to while the time away.
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“Y/N?”
Jimin had watched you go into the bathroom. But you hadn’t come back yet. Maybe it was the right time to run.
He dug his hand under the pillow, groping blindly to feel the cash. It wasn’t there. Fuck.
He turned to see the light still streaming from under the bathroom door. He had to decide if it was worth the risk to try again. His hand roamed on the bedside table. Thank goodness, the jewels were there. He grinned to himself. Awesome. He had to make a run for it.
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When Alexei opened the door in the morning, there was no sign of you. He stormed into the bathroom, calling out your name. No answer.
He ran down furiously, looking for the bellboy.
“Where is Y/N?” he shouted, bunching up the boy’s collar in rage.
“I don’t know, sir,” the boy said, surprised and caught unawares.
“You little cocksucker,” Alexei screamed, shaking the boy until his joints rattled. “You just cost me my bitch!”
The bellboy remembered the crisp notes you had slipped him at midnight. It was more than Alexei had paid him to keep you inside. You had been the highest bidder, so it was only fair that he let you go.
“I honestly don’t know,” he said, allowing Alexei to box his ears. “I never saw her come down.”
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You were on a cruise ship to Bermuda. It left at 9 am, and you had found the ticket luckily in Jimin’s pocket at midnight. The guy had to learn how to safeguard his stuff. You stifled a giggle. Poor bastard. He was probably shocked when you never returned from the bathroom. You snorted, and an elderly man looked at you in surprise.
At last, you were free. Life was so exciting; you had a whole new chapter waiting to be written. It was going to be a ride, and you were determined to enjoy it thoroughly. You remembered Billie. She would have loved to go with you.
Retiring to your cabin, you picked out a paper and started writing a letter. Detailing your adventures, you finished with the lines:
‘You were right, Billie. I would never have survived out here if it weren’t for brains. I fled and made sure Jimin would be responsible for the stolen diamond and not me. My hands are clean.’
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Alexei found out that a big diamond was missing from his rucksack, and he stormed off to get in touch with the police. They assured him that they would look into all the diamonds pawned over the last couple of days.
He thought you were too naïve to embark on a journey alone. You were probably hiding out in a motel, waiting till the hue and cry died down. He was sure that the investigations into the pawnshops would lead him to you.
Han was sweating profusely when Jimin returned.
“Whatever’s the matter, man?” Jimin asked, raising his eyebrows at the guy.
“Police are sweeping all the pawnshops in the district for that diamond of yours. My cousin runs a shop too, and he just dropped by to share the news.”
Jimin tensed. It would be a tight stretch to pawn the rest of the diamonds to Han. The man was in enough trouble already.
“Okay, I’ll come back after a while then.” He shook the tied-up bundle before Han’s eyes.
“Yeah, you do that. It’s for the better.”
Jimin paused to think. Han might give him away if the police pressed too much. He untied the bundle and extracted a couple diamonds, passing them over to Han.
“Here’s a gift, you keep quiet and you can have them for free.”
Han looked at the stones in his hand wide-eyed, unable to stammer out his thanks. He nodded silently, bending down to examine the stones.
Police sirens were sounding in the distance, growing closer by the second. Jimin’s foot was almost out the door when Han called:
“These ain’t diamonds, they’re Zirconia! They’re worthless!”
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