Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn’t easy being poor, as if that wasn’t the most obvious statement of the century. Jinu came from a small village, barely scraping by under the care of a single mother of two. Jinu wanted so badly to help when he was old enough to apply for a job, lightening the burden of her load, but she had adamantly refused. 

Instead, she worked three jobs, growing thinner and paler by the day. 

“Get into Honmoon, Jinu. I will be so proud I will burst with joy.” She always told him, brushing his cheek with a raw and work-calloused hand. He would close his eyes, fighting back the pain in his chest at hearing the exhaustion in her voice. It seemed like an impossible dream, the University only fit for the best of the best. 

Nevertheless, he studied until his eyes were sore, his shoulders and neck stiff from staring at books. He had no time for friends or girls. He only stopped to pick his sister up from school and walk her home. He wanted to make sure Jihye never had to worry, that he could bear the burden of pulling their family out of poverty. 

When he finally achieved his goal, the scholarship in his hands, Jinu had collapsed in the tiny kitchen of their run down apartment and cried. His mother hugged him so tight that he thought he would be the one bursting. 

“I’m so proud, I’m so proud.” She had repeated it over and over, rocking him in her arms. It was the best moment of his life. It was his chance to get the degree that could take care of them, that would allow her to finally rest. 

The cost would still be a burden even with the scholarship, but she insisted that he must go and she would make it work. 

So when he found himself outside the prestigious university, staring up at the formidable building before him, Jinu felt every bit the imposter. He felt small, with his worn out sneakers, threadbare hoodie and outdated jeans. All around him were brand name apparel, the labels clearly visible as the students passed by. Everything was new, the latest seasons. 

Chaebols sent their kids to Honmoon. What was he even doing there?

He was so wrapped up in staring at everything that made him feel out of place, he didn’t notice the girl with her head buried in a book heading towards him. He collided with her, her book flying out of her hands and scattered pages all over the ground. 

“Watch where you are-” The words died in the girl’s throat as she looked up at him, tawny-colored eyes meeting his. Her mouth parted in surprise, full lips glossy. Not that Jinu noticed. Or that her hair was the prettiest shade of violet, tucked into a tidy braid that fell loose from her hoodie on impact. 

Jinu’s eyes widened, cheeks flushed with embarrassment at his own mistake. He hastily dropped to the ground, trying to compile the papers together. She dropped down in front of him, the shock wearing off enough to sigh in exasperation.

“They’re all out of order now.” She whispered to herself, grabbing some of the pages as well. Jinu couldn’t help it, stealing a glance at the contents. Sheets of music. 

If her major was such a frivolous thing, she must’ve been loaded to have such freedom to choose music as her avenue of study. Not that Jinu would say that to her face. A touch of envy nudged its way in, since he would have loved that freedom himself. 

Her hand brushed his, manicured nails next to his rough hands, the contrast making him feel even more unworthy. Her fingers had designer rings in gold too. Jinu didn’t know much about fashion but he knew money when he saw it. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, realizing he had forgotten to say it in the quiet study of her. She withdrew her hand from him quickly, a pink tinge coloring her cheeks. 

She swallowed, words seemingly lost on her lips. Jinu glanced at the music again, realizing it had hand written lyrics, the notes drawn in. She had written it herself. He started reading the lyrics, engrossed in the story when she cleared her throat, grabbing the edge of the page. 

“It’s not finished.” Her voice had an entrancing quality to it, the kind that made Jinu lean in closer as if drawn in by her natural charisma.

“You should finish it, it’s good.” Jinu smiled weakly, feeling increasingly awkward but he couldn’t pull himself away all the same. He knew music, it was the only subject he was actually interested in and hadn’t had to force himself to excel at for survival. The notes on the sheet had come to life in his head, the melody already floating through his consciousness like a tiny orchestra lived there already, playing it for him. 

She smiled shyly, in a way that had Jinu completely struck, those impossibly warm, doe eyes fixing on him. She parted her lips to say something more but someone yelled for her in the distance. 

“Rumi! Hurry up, we’ll be late!” A small girl with dark hair twisted into buns, yelled from the distance, hanging off the arm of a taller, more angular girl with the fiercest resting bitch face that Jinu had ever seen. 

“Bye,” Rumi rose from her kneeling position before him, tucking a loose stray of violet hair behind her ear. Jinu was struck with the urge to do it for her but that would have been even more mortifying than the interaction had already been. 

“B-b-bye,” Jinu stuttered, his awkward farewell earned him a small twitch of Rumi’s lips as she turned, her braid swaying behind her as she rushed to join her friends. 

Jinu breathed out in a rush, dragging his hand over his face. He wanted to disappear into the ground. Absolutely fucking disappear. 

B-b-bye? Really?

He groaned to himself, trudging along towards the dorms so he could get settled. Could it be any more painfully obvious he hadn’t talked to girls before? Sure, he was used to their attention. He wasn’t blind. He knew he was attractive.

He didn’t have a natural flair for dealing with women though. He had always just brushed off their advances, much more important things to worry about. He couldn’t let his guard down yet either, his grades had to stay high to keep his scholarship. 

He found his dorm room on the third floor, his single suitcase dropping unceremoniously in front of an unoccupied bed. The other side of the room was decorated with movie posters, mostly foreign, as well as comic book and video game ones.

The said roommate had sea foam green hair that was partially covered by a headset. A giant computer screen was before him, some sort of combat game on the screen that Jinu knew nothing about. Due to the distraction, he didn’t notice Jinu’s arrival.

Jinu didn’t care, stooping to unlatch his suitcase and unpack his few belongings. It was rather pathetic how little he had brought with him. 

A knock came at the open door, a quick rap of knuckles against wood. 

“Yo, Baby!” A loud, obnoxious voice cut through the air, a jarring sound that caused Jinu to knock his suitcase over, spilling its meager contents. 

The gamer roommate turned at the commotion, pausing his game and lowering his headset to observe the disturbance. At the door were two pink haired students, one muscular and tall, his hideous Hawaiian shirt doing little to cover the bulging muscles beneath. The other, slimmer and softer looking, almost pretty. The slighter one definitely had money, his clothes fitting in an effortlessly stylish way. 

“Abby, put on a goddamn shirt that fits, you whore.” Baby regarded the muscular one with an unimpressed look.

The muscular one, Abby, apparently, stretched his arms above his head, the buttons on his shirt fighting for their lives. “You’re just jealous.”

The other pink-haired one eyed Jinu with something Jinu could only explain as morbid curiosity, the same kind of fascination that one would view a car accident on the side of the highway with.

“Where the hell did you come from?” He spoke, the disdain clear in his voice.

Abby fixed his gaze on Jinu, as if suddenly noticing him. He raked his eyes over Jinu in a way that made Jinu feel a bit violated.

“Fresh meat, Romance.” Abby commented, leaning on Romance’s shoulder with a wolfish grin. Jinu decided he very much did not like the way he was being treated like prey. 

“A bit of a fixer upper.” Romance scoffed, shaking off Abby’s arm so he could assess Jinu closer. He placed a thin finger under Jinu’s jaw, tilting his head in the light. “Fuck me, this jawline though.”

Jinu jerked away from them, his skin crawling a little. 

“Stop harassing him.” Baby cut in, fully standing from his seat, letting the headset slide off his back onto the chair. “He’s the scholarship guy.”

“Obviously.” Romance quipped, eyes darting to Jinu’s clothes and pathetic pile of possessions. “He couldn’t afford to come here on his own.”

“What’s your name, gorgeous?” Abby interrupted, stepping forward to back Jinu up against the side of the bed. Jinu lips twitched into a snarl, feeling like a caged animal. 

“Fuck off,” Jinu snapped at them, squaring his shoulders and standing tall. He was still a bit shorter than Abby but not so dramatically smaller that he couldn’t hold his own if need be. 

“Oh, he’s got teeth.” Romance purred in satisfaction, his disgust at Jinu’s belongings dropping in favor of harassing the newcomer. 

“Jinu.” Baby answered for them, seeing the name scrawled across the top of the suitcase. 

“Jinu,” Abby repeated, as if testing out how it felt on his tongue. “Are you familiar with the Saja club here at Honmoon?”

Jinu tensed immediately, the name absolutely legendary to anyone who attended the university. All the members were either from elite families or they could buy their way in. If you had connections with the Saja boys, you were set for life. You could end up working at some of the biggest companies in the whole country. 

“I think he does.” Romance leaned on Abby’s shoulder, a satisfied smirk curling his lips. 

Jinu felt his stomach drop, realizing that he had just told the Saja boys to fuck off. He immediately bowed his head, realizing his mistake. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Abby grabbed his chin, lifting his head. “A Saja boy bows his head to no one.”

Jinu’s brows furrowed in confusion, his eyes flicking over to Baby questioningly. He seemed like the only sane one. 

“Welcome to the Club, apparently.” Baby sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Occasionally these two idiots want a new play thing. Congratulations.” His tone was so unenthusiastic that Jinu felt it was more punishment than reward.

He swallowed hard, feeling a little sick. He knew he would have to kiss their asses for as long as he attended university if he had any chances of scoring a job with their parents’ companies. 

It was worth it for his family.

“We have to do something about this tragedy.” Romance added, pinching the sleeve of Jinu’s hoodie as if it were a smelly, dirty sock. His nose even wrinkled. Jinu narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything, holding his tongue. There would be a lot of that. 

~~~~~

He felt as if he was in the middle of a rom com makeover montage, designer shirts swirling around him as Romance held up different colors to Jinu, deciding his color palette and fit for him. Jinu just stood awkwardly, the feeling so surreal as Romance handed things to the sales associate as if it were no big deal. Jinu caught a glimpse at the price tag and balked, feeling sweat bead on his forehead.

“I can’t afford these,” he mumbled quietly to the pink haired man, trying to interrupt the shopping spree that Romance was keen to take him on.

“Oh, beautiful, I know.” Romance patted him on the cheek condescendingly. “I’m buying this for you.”

Jinu’s jaw dropped open, trying to process the situation. “Wait, what? Is this like Pretty Woman or something?”

Romance’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Do you want it to be?” His tone lowered suggestively. 

Jinu shook his head vehemently, holding up his hands. “No, not my industry.”

“Shame.” Romance pouted until he grabbed Jinu arm to pull him in the direction of the watches. “Abby, do you think he’s a Submariner type?” 

Jinu stared in disbelief at Romance, feeling his stomach churn. “Why are you doing all this?”

Abby popped up from behind a display of fine, leather shoes, pressing against Jinu’s side. “Because we own you after this.” He grinned from ear to ear, like a cat that caught the canary. “You’ll do anything we say.”

Jinu grit his teeth, knowing they were right. If he refused even at that point, he could get blacklisted once he was ready to search for a job. Well, maybe if he stuck it out, it would be worth it just to resell the watch. 

After countless sessions of trying things on and modeling for them, including some measurements and fittings, Jinu had a new wardrobe. Some items would be custom, though those would come later. 

After that, they ushered him to the salon for a haircut. He had let it grow a bit long since he hadn’t had time for haircuts with his studies but he had to admit, the difference with a top stylist was dramatic. 

By the time they left, Jinu felt unrecognizable. He looked as though he was a dashingly good looking CEO from a Kdrama, ready to walk in and break hearts. 

Abby wolf whistled, jerking forward in his chair when Jinu walked out in front of them with his full transformation. 

“We outdid ourselves.” Romance commented, satisfaction seeping into his voice as he looked Jinu up and down. “Now you can be seen with us.”

Jinu stared at himself in a full length mirror, the feeling a bit surreal. He no longer would stand out at University but he didn’t even recognize himself. Was he selling his soul just to provide for his family?

It felt like it. 

Chapter Text

By the time Jinu had made it back to the dorms, it was dark. He slumped onto his bed with the countless shopping bags tumbling to the floor. 

Baby looked up from his cup noodles, a loud slurp sounding in the room as he sucked the ramen from the cup with a pair of chopsticks. “Have fun?” He teased, a smirk settling on his lips. 

Jinu grunted in response, staring wordlessly at the ceiling. Baby snickered to himself, slurping on some more of his ramen. Jinu’s stomach grumbled a little too loudly. 

“I have more.” Baby offered, chucking another cup noodle across the room for Jinu. Jinu turned his head, observing the offering. He brightened a little, the gift of such a simple thing more meaningful than anything else he had been given the whole day. 

“Thanks.” Jinu sat up and peeled back the top. He crossed the room to the kettle perched on the edge of Baby’s desk, pouring some hot water in to let it soften. 

“Are they always like that?” Jinu questioned, feeling a little more at ease with Baby. He hadn’t once shown Jinu judgement for his background. 

“Abby and Romance? Incorrigibly so.” Baby twirled his chopsticks in the ramen, mixing it with the broth. He paused, looking at Jinu thoughtfully. “I’m new to the Club too.”

Jinu knew Baby looked really young. It had to be his first year too. 

“What family are you from?” Jinu asked, wondering why Baby was staying in such a small dorm room if his family had means. 

“My father owns a big tech company,” Baby answered with a small shrug. “I graduated early. I’m only seventeen.”

Jinu remembered reading about a child prodigy son of a tech company CEO. It had to be Baby. 

“I don’t want to seem any more different than I already am.” Baby added as an explanation, gesturing to the dorm. “So I’m ’roughing it’ as Romance put it.”

Jinu snorted as he picked up a pair of chopsticks to stir his ramen. “I’d love to see the look on his face if he saw where I grew up.” The two of them exchanged looks and started laughing at the image in their heads. It was the first time Jinu felt fully comfortable since he arrived on campus.

“Wait until you see the penthouse suite they’re staying in.” Baby waved his chopsticks in the air. “Fucking huge, you can see so much of the city.” 

Jinu hummed to himself, finally deciding it was time to slurp some noodles himself. He chewed thoughtfully, reflecting on the wild day he’d experienced. “When you said they occasionally want a new play thing…” He trailed off, slightly scared of finishing that thought.

Baby smirked. “Don’t worry, they’re all talk. They won’t molest you in your sleep or anything.”

The tension eased out of Jinu’s shoulders. “Okay.”

“They will use their influence to manipulate you though.” Baby warned, turning serious. “Just a fair warning.”

Jinu had already figured as much, though exactly how bad that would get was still a mystery. He ate the rest of his ramen in silence, wondering what he had gotten himself into. 

“Don’t worry,” Baby spoke up again, trying to reassure him. “There’s ways you can work around it. You just have to outsmart them.” He paused, a small huff of amusement sounding from him. “Which isn’t hard.”

~~~~~

It was easy to drown himself in the work once classes started. He spent most of his time studying in his room or the library. Baby made a great study partner and even taught Jinu how to play some of his video games in his spare time, though he often commented on Jinu’s gaming abilities as playing like his grandpa. Jinu was still very new to the controllers so he kept hitting the wrong buttons and accidentally running into walls. 

That didn’t mean that Abby and Romance left him alone, inviting them to their penthouse a few days into the semester. 

They lived in a modern high rise building with security at the entrance and a private elevator. The view at the top was indeed magnificent, the skyline shining in the evening sun as golden hour washed across the horizon. Jinu stared at the view as he walked into the flat, completely ignoring the clean, streamlined decor to stare at the real beauty.

“Not bad, hm?” Romance whispered in his ear, coming up behind him. Jinu nearly jumped out of his skin, not exactly sure if he would ever get used to their lack of boundaries. He swore they did it on purpose just to get a reaction. 

“It’s incredible when you take someone home to fuck against the window. It always works.” Abby winked at them as he leaned against the wall of windows nonchalantly. 

Baby made a face, covering his ears. “Bruh, underage ears in the room.” He reminded, the sleeves of his sweater falling over his hands and making him look even smaller. 

There was another occupant of the apartment, a quiet one with silver hair hanging into his face. 

“That’s Mystery.” Romance introduced for him, the silvered haired man nodding in Jinu’s direction as the only acknowledgment. He then went back to scrolling through his phone. 

Jinu stood around awkwardly, waiting to receive direction if it were okay to sit on their wildly overpriced and uncomfortable looking couch. Baby took the initiative for him, moving to hop on the couch and sling his sock-covered feet onto the glass coffee table. 

Jinu joined him a moment later, perching uncomfortably on the edge of the cushion, afraid to touch anything. 

“Relax, man.” Abby moved beside him and rubbed his shoulders, which only achieved the opposite. 

Romance grabbed some beers from the kitchen and distributed them amongst the Saja boys, save for Baby, who received a juice box instead.

“Funny,” Baby stabbed the juice box with the attached straw, drinking it anyway. 

Jinu stared at the can suspiciously, sure they laced it with something somehow. 

“It won’t bite.” Abby teased, leaning a little closer. “I will, only if you ask nicely.”

Jinu gave him an exasperated glance before cracking the can open. “Don’t you have any hobbies?” He asked, hoping to redirect the conversation. 

“The party.” Romance sat on Jinu’s other side, clinking his can against Jinu’s. “We have a beginning of the year party every year. It’s the biggest event at Honmoon. Everyone will be there.” 

Jinu had vaguely recalled hearing about it. He had filed it away under useless things he didn’t need to worry about because he wasn’t much for partying and drinking. 

“You have to go.” Romance added, as if he could see the cogs going in Jinu’s brain. 

“All work and no play makes Jinu a dull boy.” Abby agreed, taking a long swig of his beer. “You’re boring as hell and we’ve hardly had the chance to show off your transformation.”

“Is it really that important?” Jinu asked, still very reluctant to join in the festivities. He liked being by himself. “People have seen the new clothes around campus.”

Romance grabbed his chest as if he was wounded by Jinu’s disregard for his social agenda. “You were my biggest charity case of the year, Jinu. The least you could do is humor us with your presence.”

“I’ll bring my switch if it sucks.” Baby added, finally speaking up to put Jinu at ease. It wouldn’t be as fun of an event for him either, so they could always be miserable together. 

Jinu finally acquiesced, giving in to the pestering. If he could at least have another introvert to suffer with, he could find some peace in the situation. “Fine.”

“Good boy.” Abby gleamed with satisfaction, clearly pleased that they had swayed him into their schemes.

“Huntrix is going to be there, right?” Mystery’s words were the only sound he had made the entire time. Jinu looked over at him curiously, though his neutral expression and hair made it impossible to tell if Mystery was excited about that or not. 

Romance sighed deeply, as if his soul was filled with longing. “Yes.” He stared into the distance, a dreamy, far away look on his face. 

Baby rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling. 

“Whose Huntrix?” The question had Romance gasping in offense and Abby staring at him like he had sprouted another head. 

“Are you from another century, bro?” Abby asked, disbelief coloring his voice. It seemed incomprehensible to him that Jinu didn’t know the group but Jinu was completely serious. 

Mystery tapped around on his phone and pulled up a picture. He passed it over to Jinu, showing him a photo of three girls. Recognition flashed over Jinu’s face, immediately honing in on the girl in the middle. Long, violet braid and gorgeous face, though with considerably more makeup. He cleared his throat as he noticed the outfit was a bit more revealing than the one he saw her in the other day, long legs and midriff bared.

He was perhaps silent for too long, intently staring at Mystery’s phone like a creep. 

“You good?” Baby asked, tossing his juice box straw at Jinu’s forehead. He startled, lifting his eyes to sheepishly look around at the others. 

“I know her.” Jinu spoke, pointing to the violet haired girl.

“You do?” Romance asked, incredulously. 

“Kind of.” Jinu amended, cheeks flushing at the memory. “We bumped into each other the first day.”

Abby narrowed his eyes at him, quietly calculating something in his head. “Interesting…” His gaze shifted to Romance as if they could telepathically communicate. 

Romance grinned broadly, seemingly understanding exactly what his partner in crime was scheming. “Abby and I have been chasing Mira for quite some time now but she’s very strictly of the belief that it’s better for her idol career that she doesn’t date.”

“It had nothing to do with the fact that she hates your guts.” Baby smiled wryly, snatching the beer can from Jinu in his distraction to take it for himself. 

Romance continued on as if he hadn’t heard Baby. “Mystery likes Zoey.” 

Jinu looked back down as if just noticing the other two girls, recognizing them as Rumi’s friends from the other day. “Okay…” Jinu failed to see where Romance was going with it, feeling uneasy the more he rambled. 

“Since you seem to have it bad for their leader,” Abby cut in, draping his arm around Jinu’s shoulder, “why don’t you convince her that dating is not so bad?”

Jinu stared at Abby, speechless. What exactly were they asking of him? Just to ask Rumi out so her friends would want to date too? What kind of moronic idea was that? 

“Seduce her, Jinu. She’s a boring workaholic just like you.” Romance added, tone dropping into something more dangerous. “Show her how to loosen up. You both could do with a good fuck.”

Jinu tensed, eyes darting back down to Rumi’s picture. He had to think fast because he had a feeling that was his first test, the first thing he would have to do to win their favor to continue in the club. 

Jinu was also not an asshole though, at least not enough to sleep with a girl just to get ahead. If he wanted Rumi, he would only want to pursue her because he liked her. Not for anyone or anything else. A girl like that though, was so far out of his league that he had no chance anyway. 

“She’s not my type.” Jinu blurted out, panicking. The blank stares he received from the others were enough of an answer to whether that excuse seemed convincing.

“Then can I have my phone back?” Mystery held his hand out expectantly. Jinu quickly dropped it in Mystery’s hand but with so much nervous energy that it bounced out of Mystery’s hand and hit the floor with a clack. 

“Smooth.” Baby smirked, nearly losing it at the expression on his roommate’s face. 

Romance and Abby exchanged glances again, eyebrows raised.

“Okay, sure.” Romance smiled placatingly, patting Jinu’s knee. “Can you do it anyway, for us?”

Abby pressed against Jinu’s side, reminiscent of how he did at the store the day of the shopping spree. “You owe us.”

Jinu sighed deeply, dragging his hands through his hair and shaking Abby off of him. “Fine,” he snapped, sending glares towards both of them. “But I am doing it my way.”

What had Baby said before? The only way to work around it was to outsmart them.

Jinu could do that, he had to. Otherwise, the next few years would be hell. 

~~~~~

The night of the party, Jinu spent a bit too much time psyching himself up in front of the mirror. He had combed his hair a few too many times, even though it already fell perfectly. He straightened the collar of his midnight blue shirt, wondering how many buttons was appropriate to have unbuttoned before he started looking as desperate for attention as Abby. He cringed at the idea, deciding on three because four would be verging on obscene. 

He rolled up his sleeves too, showing off his forearms. He hated himself a little for caring so much. He was torn between wanting to pull off his plan and actually getting Rumi to notice him. He knew it was a long shot. Why would she want a poor kid from nowhere? Who hadn’t even known who she was until a week ago. 

It also felt wrong to try to attract her when Romance and Abby asked him to seduce her. 

Which is why he was going to fumble it so hard that she would hate his guts too. If she thought he was just like those two, she would keep her distance. Out of harm's way. Away from any manipulation or schemes. 

It had to be that way. 

Sighing, Jinu spritzed himself with the cologne that Romance picked out for him before joining Baby to walk to the club that was hosting the party. True to form, Baby had actually packed in a backpack his switch and a pair of noise canceling headphones if necessary. 

The club was full of pounding music, so loud that it wasn’t even pleasant to listen to anymore. Jinu winced as he walked through the gyrating bodies to reach the bar where the other three Saja boys were lingering.

“Jinu,” Abby slid a pair of sunglasses down his nose to take him in fully. Because it was nighttime and indoors, and already dark. That wasn’t the only thing that didn’t make sense about his outfit though, his mesh shirt doing absolutely nothing to hide his upper body from the world. “You look sinful.”

Jinu smiled weakly, leaning against the bar awkwardly. The bartender questioned him about what he wanted to drink and he froze, not even sure what to order. He never really drank. 

“Whiskey, neat.” Romance spoke, instructing the bartender on the make and year. When it was served, he slid it over to Jinu. “You have to sell it, head to toe.”

Jinu accepted the drink and took a tentative sip. He nearly choked at the immediate burn down his throat.

Romance snickered at him, patting his back. “You’ll learn to swallow right eventually.” 

Jinu grimaced, because everything that Romance said always seemed to hold some innuendo. 

The lights dimmed even lower and an announcer spoke up, heralding everyone's attention towards the stage. 

“Everyone, welcome Honmoon’s very own idols, Huntrix!” 

Jinu wished he didn’t immediately perk up, every hair standing on end, every nerve tingling with anticipation to see her again. 

The silhouettes of the three girls were illuminated on the stage before Rumi stepped down into the spotlight, her braid swinging behind her. She looked like the photo from the other day came to life. Yellow jacket, white crop top and shorts, her face done up for the stage, not a hair out of place. 

Jinu sucked in a breath. She was beautiful no matter what, undoubtedly, but there was a confidence to the way she held herself on stage, her soft smirks, the way her eyes flickered around with a cockiness that signaled to everyone that she knew they wanted her. 

Then she sang. 

The slight rasp, the way she could switch between lower and higher notes, rap and melodic, all of it had Jinu in a trance. All the girls were talented, moving together as if they were born for it. 

They were amazing and it made him regret not following them sooner. Then the song hit its climax, Rumi’s voice traveling higher.

“Hear our voice unwavering

'Til our song defeats the night

Makin' fear afraid to breathe

'Til the dark meets the light.” 

Jinu felt his knees go weak, eyes glued to Rumi as she belted out her verse. His skin erupted into goosebumps, a chill running down his spine. 

He knew music hit him harder than anything else but her voice, he could become addicted to it. He was pretty sure he was already there because when the song was over, disappointment filled him. He wanted to replay it over and over. 

It must’ve been obvious on his face because Romance laughed at him, smirking. 

“Not your type, huh? Pretty sure you creamed your pants at her high note.” 

Jinu turned and grabbed the whiskey, downing the whole glass in one go. The burn helped to ground him again. 

Chapter Text

He felt like he was looking in on his life from somewhere else, everything hollow and distant as they approached the table with the Huntrix girls. He was gripping another glass of whiskey like his life depended on it. It honestly might.

Huntrix had seated themselves in a private booth at the back of the club, the sound of the music much quieter. Of course Romance managed to bribe his way in with some sweet talking and cash. 

Abby and Romance sauntered over to Mira, seating themselves on either side of her at the table. 

“Hey, beautiful.” Romance purred, leaning in so close that Mira had to feel his breath upon her face. Abby pressed closer on her other side, lips lingering near her ear. 

“You were magnetic, baby. So powerful on stage.” Jinu even felt uncomfortable witnessing how shameless they both were.

Mira’s eye twitched and she raised her hands, shoving both of them sideways. “Come near me again and I’ll castrate the both of you.”

“Oh, so aggressive.” Romance grinned at her, though keeping a more acceptable distance.

“Kinky.” Abby added, also respecting the space but not completely relenting.

Jinu had to admire Mira for her tenacity, she had bigger balls than him to stand up to them.  

“Just call security on them.” Baby said as he sat next to Zoey. 

“I don’t want to sit with no Saja boy.” Zoey protested immediately, shoulders tensing. Mystery sat on the other side of her, immediately causing her to giggle nervously. “Sup?” She smiled shyly at him, losing all her resistance. Mystery looked her way, face continuing to be unreadable but Jinu assumed that was probably a positive for Mystery. They were all so fucking weird except for Baby.

Jinu saw the spot next to Rumi, swallowing hard. He wasn’t ready, panic flooding his senses. He took another swig of liquid courage, sitting much too close to Rumi. Chanel the fuck boy energy, he told himself. He had to sell the image so she would reject him.

Rumi glanced at him, surprise registering on her face before it melted into disappointment. “I didn’t realize you were with them.” She spat the last word out like it was a swear. Jinu felt the little stab towards his ego, like it was personal. He didn’t want it either but here they were. Perhaps his association with the Saja Club was enough to get a rejection.

Jinu leaned close, his breath ghosting across her ear. He was keenly aware of her bare thigh pressed against his pants. Her skin was so hot it seared though in a way that made him dizzy. He couldn’t do this.

“Can I buy you a drink?” He wanted to gag at the cliche line but he was panicking. 

To his mortification, she wound her hand around the stem of a martini glass and lifted it up, taking a sip of a drink she already had. 

Shit.

Jinu felt like sinking into the floor and disappearing. He was so bad at this. 

“You can do better than that.” Rumi spoke, seemingly unphased by his proximity. 

Words died on Jinu’s tongue because Rumi wasn’t supposed to tease him like that. She was supposed to push him away in disgust like Mira did with Romance and Abby. 

Well, fuck.

He intended to fail but it was happening so spectacularly fast that he felt the need to redeem himself by appearing like he was actually trying.

Come up with a compliment, he told himself. 

“Your voice makes me feel grateful I was born with the ability to hear. If it was the only thing I could hear, I’d be happy if I could listen only to you.” The words were a bit too real and earnest, not exactly what he should have gone for but he felt the need to say it. Her voice still floated through his mind and he was sure it wouldn’t leave any time soon. 

Rumi turned her head sharply, her face decidedly too close to Jinu’s. She searched his eyes, as if trying to find the line, the lie. She must have found something there, her lips twitching as if she was fighting off a smile.

Then she lifted her glass to her lips to drink the rest of it, downing it like a pro. “I guess I do need a drink.”

Jinu stared, a bit dumbfounded, because that wasn’t supposed to work. “Oh.”

Rumi called over a waiter and ordered another while Jinu tried to process what was happening.  

“You’re staring.” Rumi pointed out, giving him a sideways glance. 

“Sorry,” Jinu apologized, wishing he had a smoother line than that but everything about her made him lose all sense.

“I’ve had many admirers. I’ve had quite a few men approach with impure intent. If that’s what you want, move on.” She flicked her gaze back up at him, eyes hardening into something fiercer. “I’m not an acquisition, nor something to play with.”

Jinu felt a twinge at the words, a protective surge to shield her from those kinds of people. He couldn’t even pretend to be that, he had a little sister and if anyone treated her that way, he’d deck them. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t pretend to be that with Rumi even if it was fake.

“I should go.” Jinu said instead, eyes downcast. “Just slap me like I said something rude and I can play it off like you rejected me.”

Rumi’s lips parted in surprise, completely thrown off guard by the request. “Excuse me?”

“Romance and Abby dared me to sleep with you.” Jinu admitted, figuring that would do the trick. The harsh sting of the slap across his face sobered him up, the whiskey fading into the background of his mind. 

Rumi’s eyes were intently trained on him, her brows drawn together. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t think you needed changing. I liked the way you were.” She whispered, glancing down at his new attire. She did remember running into him. She had noticed him. 

The sincere compliment did something to him, it gave him a boost of confidence he didn’t know he had in him. He leaned close again, lips nearly brushing her ear that time. “What? You don’t like what you see now?”

He didn’t miss the full body shiver that traveled down Rumi’s spine, the way her hands fisted in her lap, the slight flush to her cheeks. He also didn’t miss the way her boot came crashing down on his foot. He yelped in pain, catching the attention of everyone at the table. He lifted his leg, rubbing his foot. 

Rumi’s second martini was delivered to the table then. She smirked in that devastating way that she had on stage, taking a long sip as if she hadn’t just smashed the hell out of his foot.

Jinu pushed himself up from the table, staging his departure. He shot Rumi a wounded look, pretending to be hurt by her rejection.

Rumi’s eyes were glued to him the entire time he left. 

The night air was cool enough to bring him back to reality and stop the racing of his heart. Because for a brief moment, Rumi had reacted genuinely to him. It was enough to make him weak. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket as he walked towards the dorms, reminding him to check his messages. There were a few from the guys but the one that struck him the most was from an unknown number. He opened it, heart stopping at the message inside.

I got your number from Baby. I hope you don’t mind.

He knew instantly who it was, breath catching in his throat. He hurriedly typed a response.

I don’t. You really sold that rejection. My foot still hurts.

He smiled in spite of himself, not really feeling the pain anymore. His phone buzzed again. 

Anytime you need someone to slap you, give me a call.

Jinu nearly dropped his phone, his jaw dropping open. Was Rumi actually flirting with him? He breathed out in a slow exhale, too rattled to respond.

Cold, cold shower. That is what he needed. 

~~~~~

Dousing himself with cold water did little to chase away the memories of the evening. Between the heat of her leg pressed against him, the scent of her perfume, that message…

Jinu pressed his head to the tiled wall of the shower, tapping his head a few times against the wall. 

Get it out of your head, he told himself. Maybe Rumi was just playing with him. A little Uno reverse to get back at him for what Romance and Abby asked him to do. 

He left the confines of the shower to towel dry, his hand reaching for his phone again as if looking at the message again would sort it out in his head.

Anytime you need someone to slap you, give me a call.

It was still there, shining bright into his face. Did his brain just immediately go in the gutter with her words or did she mean something else? 

Did she actually want him to call?

Jinu made his way over to his bed, flopping down on his stomach with his towel around his waist. It had already been an hour and he hadn’t replied. Should he? Was it too eager to get back to her already or should he ignore it completely? Was it already too late to reply?

He groaned, face planting into the bed. 

The door cracked open and Baby paraded in, tossing his backpack on the other bed in the room. 

“Wallowing in your self pity, I see.” Baby teased, bouncing onto his bed like a kid. 

Jinu turned to look at him, actually glad that his roommate was there to help, even if it was Baby of all people. He held out his cellphone, the chat with Rumi open. 

Curious, Baby crawled across his bed to grab the phone and get a better look. Baby’s already large eyes widened, his mouth dropping open in shock.

“Damn, hyung.” Baby cackled, nearly doubling over. “She’s actually into you.”

“What?” Jinu pushed himself up, the validation easing his worry. “You think so?”

Baby gave him an annoyed glance, chucking his phone back towards him. “She wouldn’t have asked for your number if she hated you, dummy.” 

Jinu had to admit that Baby had a point there. He looked down at his phone, carefully picking it up again. His thumb hovered over the keys, his brain going blank. He wasn’t sure what to say that would convey what he wanted. All he knew was that he wanted more. He wanted to see if Rumi would smile at him again, tease him, he wanted to make her blush and shiver again. 

He clicked his phone off, knowing it would have to wait until he could come up with something to say, maybe just ask her for coffee. He would wait until the morning. 

~~~~~

Things took an awful turn for the worst. Jinu wasn’t sure what he was expecting. It certainly wasn’t being summoned to the penthouse the next day. 

He arrived with Baby, the elevator doors sliding open to reveal the expansive view once again. Romance was draped over Abby on the couch, his soft groans sounding in the light of the morning.

“Good morning!” Baby yelled, earning some disgruntled swears from Romance. 

Abby smoothed his hand through Romance’s hair to soothe him. “Ro took Mira’s rejection hard. Have some mercy.”

“Was it really a surprise?” Baby asked, wrinkling his nose.

“You!” Abby pointed at Jinu, his loud voice causing Romance to groan in annoyance, burrowing further into the chiseled chest beneath him. “What the hell did you say to get Rumi to beat your ass?”

Jinu winced at the wording. She hadn’t “beat his ass” so much as he’d laid down and let her stomp on him but it didn’t really matter. “That you and Romance dared me to sleep with her.” He answered, figuring there was no use in hiding it.

Romance suddenly sat up, his eyes fixed on Jinu. “You did what?” 

Jinu shrugged, trying to remain casual. Baby spoke up, ruining everything.

“She asked for Jinu’s number.” Baby added, full on smirk taking over his face.

“Really?” Abby’s lips curled into a conspiratorial grin, glancing at Romance.

Jinu looked at Baby, mouthing the word “traitor” at him.

It all happened so fast, a whirlwind of force hit Jinu and next thing he knew, he was on the ground, pinned down by Abby sitting on his hips and Romance trapping his arms against the ground. 

At first, Jinu panicked, not sure what they were up to, but then Abby dug into his pockets. His phone, he realized a bit too late. Abby procured the device and held it over Jinu’s face to unlock it.

Jinu thrashed and bucked, trying to knock him off but Abby was like being held in place by a ton of bricks. That man was not going anywhere.

Abby gleefully went into Jinu’s messages and read over the conversation. “Oh, Jinu, you fucking genius.”

Jinu stilled, completely thrown off by the praise. What did he think was so amazing about what Jinu said to Rumi?

“You pretended to be all valiant and honest so you could win her trust and get in her pants that way.” Abby elaborated as if it was the most obvious scheme ever. 

Jinu fought not to let his disgust show because that plan was downright despicable. Instead he smiled uncomfortably. “Yup, caught me.” He lied, hoping it would get Abby to release him. 

Abby shared the texts with Romance, the two grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, she’s thirsty.” Romance purred, the gears working in his head again for another evil scheme. “You left her hanging, Jinu.” 

Oh fuck. 

Jinu realized a bit too late what Romance wanted to do, beginning to squirm again. 

Abby chuckled low and deep, pushing Jinu's shirt up his chest. “You know this always works for me.” He said, snapping a picture of Jinu’s abs and hitting send before Jinu could struggle free.

Dread wove its deadly threads up his spine and he slumped against the floor in defeat, out of breath and will to live.

Rumi was going to think he was such a disgusting creep, which was what he planned on portraying yesterday, but now that he knew she actually noticed him and seemed to like him for who he was, it was going to ruin everything. 

Jinu wailed into the void, in a heroic burst of strength, he pulled his arms from Romance and delivered a sharp punch to Abby’s stomach. Abby wheezed, finally rolling off Jinu to let him free. 

Jinu’s phone started buzzing on the floor, lighting up with an incoming call from Rumi. 

Jinu’s eyes went wide. He dove towards it and clutched the device to his chest like he was gollum with the ring, nearly hissing at Abby when he tried to reach for it. 

“I’m answering this on my own.” He spoke firmly, rising with as much dignity as he could muster and going to the nearest room to shut the door and lock himself inside.

A deep, meditative breath was drawn before Jinu swiped to accept the call. 

“Hey, sorry about that. Abby thought it would be funny to send that so he hijacked my phone.” He said immediately, trying to diffuse the situation as fast as possible.

A soft, breathless laugh sounded on the other end of the line. Jinu’s heart did this weird fluttering thing at the sound. It was so pretty. 

“I didn’t mind the view.” She teased, causing Jinu to flush red. Oh. “But I didn’t think it seemed like you.”

Good, she didn’t think he was like that. Jinu tried to say something but he still couldn’t get over her comment about the picture. 

It didn’t matter, she continued for him.

“I just got out of dance practice if you want to meet for coffee. I have to tell you something I think you should know.” Rumi’s words piqued his interest, curiosity curling in his gut. 

“Yeah, I’d like that.” He smiled, the warmth easing into his voice. 

“I’ll send you the address.” He heard the buzz of the message a moment later. 

“See you soon.” Her voice carried a hint of excitement and Jinu knew he was smiling like an idiot. 

“Yeah, see you.” Jinu waited on the call until he heard the ending tone that she had hung up. He was so lost in his panic over answering her call that he hadn’t paid attention to which room he had chosen to barricade himself in. 

He looked up, spotting Mystery sitting on a giant bed with a book resting in his lap. 

“Hey,” Mystery greeted, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. 

“Hey,” Jinu answered, the rush of embarrassment taking over as he reached down and unlocked the door, retreating from the room without another word.