TWENTY SIX | Can you say that again?|CHOI HANUEL

────
───
──

"Hanuel, you did a brilliant job by exposing Uncle's plan. Or else I would have committed another big mistake by considering him." Molan smiled, ear to ear.

I took her by her shoulders as we sat next to each other and the seat in front of us was thankfully not filled by anybody to spoil our sister-love moment. The restaurant began to thrive with the riveting rush of patrons on Saturday evening. I couldn't even hear myself think over the noise made by the middle-aged and raged officegoers. All in want of some satisfying platter of chicken dishes and booze.

"Anyways, how are you going to dump this Kang Joon? The only son of the head of Korean Embassy," I asked mockingly, my mouth adjacent to her diamond-studded ear.

"Umm . . . At first, I'll allow him to do his thing. And then, some revengeful tales would last for a week to give your Uncle Mojo a taste of my revolt against him," she drawled as she expressed her cunning plan and winked at me. Now that was a new side of hers.

I chuckled and reeled back my head. I murmured, closing my eyes and recalling Uncle Mojo's perturbed face, "So sorry Uncle Mojo. But we love you."

A few more minutes of waiting on empty stomachs passed away, we exchanged where is he? look. I kept track of time and all the seats around us were getting filled by new customers as the old ones piled out in fewer numbers. But there was no sign of Mr. Seo Kang Joon.

Molan yawned surreptitiously and nudged at me. "Hanuel? Are you sure he is coming today? Call Uncle and ask him about his status."

"Yes, you are right . . ." I mumbled passively. "Excuse me for a moment . . . " Just as I got up and whirled to a half turn, my eyes fixed into a tall man's round ones. We were at a hair's breadth. I immediately broke away and pointed at someone behind him, pretending to beckon at nobody.

He didn't waste his time and slipped on the vacant seat before us with an ease of an elastic. Unknowingly, Molan pulled me down and I perched on the edge of the chair.

His gangster jacket and black texturized baggy jeans. And two rhinestones placed impeccably at the curve of his eyebrow. I suspected his dress style was not as normal.

I couldn't be sure but that baby lotion smell was coming through his neck fount of giving love bites because I couldn't spot a baby fixated on anyone's chest nearby. Strange.

He looked highly competitive, so I went about to test his excessive pride. "Hey, is showing up late a bad habit of yours, or it just happened today?" I asked, twisting the words to make it sound less offensive.

"Why are you asking though? I've my dinner at this time." He motioned and reclined his tattooed hand on the table. A move more like showing off. I got that. He raised his hand to check the time. "Six minutes early than my usual timing."

Is he here to have his dinner? What is even he saying?

My gaze went on to Molan and then a sheen of sweat providing an extra shine to her face glistened against my irises. I realized it late but I too started to feel patches of stickiness all over my face. Now when I reluctantly glimpsed at him, I jumped up in horror as a thin and twisted cigarette plopped between his front teeth.

"Hey, w-what are you doing here? This is a public place. Smoking is prohibited." I lifted myself from my seat and plucked it from his mouth before he could light it or any objective waiter spotted. I couldn't believe he also had a ruthless side moving around with innocent round eyes and bunny teeth.

Molan coughed and smiled at him. "So, what work keeps you busy nowadays?"

"Travel. I used to travel a lot," his reply was short, cryptic, and enclosed.

"Does that mean you quit your cabin crew job? Uncle Mojo told us that you work in some petty airlines company that was going to shut," I countered, and dared not to look away from him.

"Cabin crew? Who are these people? Perhaps, a new tribe?" He sounded perplexed but retained a positive look. He took a toothpick from a transparent bottle that was kept beside the salt and pepper fancy containers.

"Hanuel, they don't allow tattoos at the airport," Molan filled in my ear with essential information.

"But, Uncle Mojo had texted me that he's a son of a mega industrialist and would pretend to come from an aviation sector," I whispered back, shielding my mouth so that he didn't make out anything from my lip movements.

"I don't know." Molan grabbed the glass of water and gulped it down slowly.

Now, things got pretty much choppy.

"What are you two discussing? Anyways, can I ask you something?" he asked, restraining his laugh as he placed a fist on his mouth and simultaneously chewed the end of his toothpick. His one leg blocked the path and his mannerisms didn't throw a good light on his said profession.

"Yes. Please," I spoke in a sophisticated way and shook my head briskly in self-assertion.

"Do you prefer nonveg over veg──"

"Hey, what do you mean?" My eyes bulged out.

"Geez, I was asking about the dinner; it's 8:16." He loomed in full defense. And after a short pause, he added, "Okay, well, if you are stuck in the same puddle, I'm a whore."

She spilled the water abruptly and a freckle of which splashed at his face.

My heart plummeted to the floor and suddenly everything around me froze. Molan and I breathed loudly at each other's faces. The uncouth man stayed in a static motion until his voice rang in my ears and my eyes began to form focus on him.

"You are what?" Molan asked unbelievably, holding my shoulder with one hand.

"I don't know why are you giving me this kind of reaction. But girls usually find it hot." He slicked back his hair several times.

I quickly pulled my phone out and once again saw the picture that Uncle Mojo had sent me with open eyes.

He continued to satisfy his admittance, "Not just hot but excruciating hot."

Oh no! All the while we had been dealing with a thug. We were vulnerable to this stranger's ravage grasp. "Oh, no. Oh, no. Molan he's not Seo Kang Joon." I stood up and my phone secured in my palms, just a moment away from being crushed.

"What?"

"Molan he's not the right man. He's a fucking miscreant!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. A few people miffed at my blaring voice range and shot hateful glares at me.

The waiter cut through the customers and asked, "Ma'am, who's misbehaving with you? Who's the pervert?"

"Oh, so you are being inconsiderate about people making money by selling their bodies? You could have simply said me to leave," he said calmly but I could see he didn't feel as good as he was pretending. He got up and appeared to stand in front of me. "I didn't like it."

"Am I supposed to know what exactly hit your nerve?" I asked, boring holes in his face as I knew I had said nothing wrong.

"I should───" Before he could complete his sentence, a flurry of gunshots caused a hullabaloo in the restaurant. The lucky ones, who were waddling at the threshold of the entry gate measured their footsteps backward, and the rest seemed shelter under the tables, which included Molan.

"That's Jungkook! Catch him!"

"Jung──" Then I heard a deafening sound of a bullet racing past my ear that promised to tear my ear into pieces instantly making the man lose his balance. "───kook."

"Yeah. So you like it?" he purred, his muscle-tight chest ground up and down behind my back until he turned me around. His attention was diverted at them and a gun that complemented the sexy artwork swirled on his hand.

There was no time to descend and pick my phone up or even get to the hideout near Molan who was under the table.

"So, you are a gangster if this is not a pretense."

He tucked me close. "An excellent shooter and a part-time runner too." Just as aimed at the lights hanging from the ceiling, the commotion heightened and darkness crept in the surrounding. I yelped, throwing my hands around my head.

He dragged me toward the exit door and my head jerked. Even if I wanted to look back, I couldn't. My hands worked to peel his vice grip away and scuttle about where I had parked my car, or grab my phone and call Taehyung. "Leave my hand, you jerk," I cried out.

He deemed it not necessary to pay heed to my protest and words. I peered at a brown car with a long hood and flat roof where he was heading while taking big steps.

He secretly pushed the gun on my back and uttered in a commanding tone (I bet his one pierced eyebrow was lifted in the air), "Get inside and drive."

I whimpered, "T-the gun is . . ."

"Fully loaded. And if you try to outsmart me, I may as well stalk you with the same gun until I fill your body with these six raging bullets." He pushed me as if he knew I wouldn't enter unless any forceful actions were undertaken against me. My ears perked at the sound of a muffled attempt and saw a man wrapped in tight ropes at the back seat.

"Hey, what the hell is this?" I removed the duct tape from his mouth. He finally breathed out. His hair turned into poison needles due to the heat. "Who are you? What's your name?"

"I'm Seo Kang Joon." He looked like he would pass out in front of me.

In the meantime, Jungkook entered and immediately put the gun under my arm, and intimidated me to start the car. "A driver should keep his eyes ahead not backward."

The car took on the street at a slow speed. I chewed my lip and hatefully followed his command. "So, you did it purposefully. How do you know me? We haven't even met before."

"Through him. Yes."

"Please leave me. I've to get back to my parents," The man pleaded in a blood-curdling scream.

"Ahh!" Jungkook shut his ears and cursed lowly while telling me to push the breaks. "Stop the car! Let me end this manchild's game right here."

"Hey, I'm not gonna allow you to kill him." I grabbed his collar single-handedly.

Jungkook pierced at me with a wild and lustful gaze congruously. He untied the man's hands and legs savagely by remaining in the front seat. "Now, leave!" I deliberately took the message for myself and once I removed the seat belt his grip spiraled at my wrist. "Not you. Just a mile-long drive more."

I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "You are stubborn. And bossy. And much too, rowdy."

"Don't blabber and force me to change my decision. I can harm you as well." He whisked his head sideways and got a call on his phone. "Hello? Oh, yeah happy birthday to you. Sorry for wishing you late, my friend, I knew it was your day today. You know we have a deep bond. We were born in the same city. And still, there are three hours the new day starts."

I rolled my eyes and noted how self-absorbed and reckless he had been for he failed to send his friend warm wishes on his birthday.

"Sorry, buddy. But I seriously can't make it to your bash. It's late right now and besides, I'm . . . I'm with my girlfriend. In my car. And she is not ready to leave me. Ah . . . Ouch . . . baby, stop."

I opened my mouth wide and straightened my legs. The car came to a sudden halt. The place was supposed to be a gas station but currently, there was only one car repair shop open in that decrepit surrounding.

I paced astray into the shop, avoiding Jungkook at all cost, at least here I could easily ask for help.

"Listen, you girl."

On the receptionist desk, sat a man wearing a hearing aid and a worn-out baseball cap. He was dozing off.  I reached the second aisle where one young boy was up on the ladder assembling the little jars of air purifier on the top of the shelf.

"Girl, whatever they call you. Okay, Hanuel, you have to listen to me," Jungkook called out, pretending to act like a civilian. "I don't like mixing with people, even with my friends. I want you to attend this party with me. I will show your face to them, and once they lose interest in us, we will depart."

I crossed my arms and stared at an item placed before my gaze. "Fine."

"Cool. Now do one more favor to me. Buy a gift for him."

"From here? Are you serious? What kind of friend are you to him?" He didn't speak anything on this and instead shrugged his shoulders. For a moment, I lost it and snickered; he joined me in a dormant manner. "Okay, so what do you know about your friend?" I asked as I strolled in between the aisles, finding all the accessories related to cars.

"He's damn short."

I stopped in my tracks and Jungkook nearly cannoned against me. "Hello? We are not in a clothing store. What kind of tips are you giving me?"

Suddenly he gave me a devil-may-care look and swooped at something. The plastic crinkled in his hands and he straightway went to the counter. I silently glanced at a black card coming out of his wallet.

He plonked the packet on the counter and the man woke up in a panic.

I prompted before our transaction was duly done, "Excuse me, could you just wrap it up with some glittery paper? It is meant to be a gift for a car freak."

Jungkook broke out a smile and raised his hand to pat on my back presumingly, I ignored to appreciate his appeal for amity and headed out.

****

We arrived at a monolith-lit bungalow, where two rows of cars were parked across the streets and a security guard was managing the other cars past the gridlock. Thankfully, as the guard approached Jungkook he allowed him to take the car inside. I lost my senses as I saw an inebriated girl lingering against the car's hood, she was wearing a black lacy blouse with her bra visible and brow leather skirt barely covering her hips. I never thought the girls would come out so openly in South Korea, but at the same time, I realized Jungkook and his likes had created a world of their own that didn't abide by any laws and conditions.

I didn't refrain from speaking my mind, as it was important, "Do you know everyone who's coming and going?"

Jungkook cowered to cast a view below the car's low-slung roof, and his one hand pried away from the steering wheel. He made a face. "Oh, you are talking about that girl. Umm . . . nopes."

I scratched my nose in the realization that he wasn't as dumb as I thought him to be.

As we got down, Jungkook placed the red box under his right arm and flapped his softly curved arm for me to plunge my arm into it. It was a subtle move he didn't want to voice out.

I breathed out and scooted closer to him with a rueful smile.

We made our way into the hall that had long glass windows and a complete Gothic edifice. Except the disco lighting had brought about the orientation of modern times. A sea of girls and boys, all opulently dressed (better than me in all respect) dancing to the rhythm of pop music.

Waiters were navigating with trays of grapefruit juice, gins, and pea shoots.

We cut through the restive crowd, Jungkook had never left my hand for once. I believed, it was because he feared I would dump him and run away. We climbed the round stairs and were welcomed to a lounge. A tiny man in a highlighter Fuschia sweatshirt turned around dramatically and clapped all along as neared us. We both stared at each other in disbelief and surprise when he came utterly close to one another.

I called on his name as he did mine, "Jimin."

"Haneul."

A/n

Whoof! So, How was the surprise? I'm super damn effing late in giving my lovely readers an update on TBHAH. Anyways, we are here.

I'm okay, cuz I'm J'kay! 🐰