The strip club

"I need you to be a stripper," ha-eun announced.

Taehyung choked on his milk.Not figuratively but literally.He was drinking a cup ofmilk when his best friend dropped the news like anatomic bomb during WorldWar 2. He was unprepared.

"Excuse me?" Taehyung croaked,

hastily wiping the creamy

liquid coating his lips.

They were sitting on hisliving room floor, which was also his bedroom and kitchen. Taehyung lived in aten-square-meter studio apartment room originally rented to college students on a low budget, which would have been him if he hadn't dropped out in his second year. The rentwas cheap, and even if he could hear rats crawl behind the thin walls, it was better than sleeping on the unshakable layer of grime coating the New York streets.

"I SAID I NEED YOU,"

Ha-eun shouted, pointing at Taehyung.

"TO BE A STRIPPER."

She stood up,swaying her hips and shaking her booty, mimicking the moves she pulled off during her late-night shifts at the stripclub. Taehyung gave his bestfriend a funny look.

Taehyung had always known ha-eun was an extrovert with a penchant for wild ideas, but he never imagined they would escalate to this level.

"I heard you the first time.

I just don't understand why,"Taehyung elaborated.

Ha-eun reclined on herelbows,her gaze drifting upward to the cracked ceiling as she explained,"byeol caught a bad flu and can't make it tonight. Everyone else is busy working second jobs or hanging out with their sugar daddies."

"byeol?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow.

"Stage name," she replied casually, crossing one slim leg over the other.

"I'll pass."

"But this is a

once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity!"

"To be called byeol?" he

snorted.

"To be the center of

attention of a handful

of powerful men and

women!" she exclaimed

enthusiastically.

"ha-eun, I'm a terrible

dancer."

"I'll teach you! If you cover

for byeol, you can keep

the tips you earn. Strippers

earn more than you think,

especially if they know

how to shake their booty."

She tilted her head back,

lowering her gaze. "Which

you definitely have. You

aren't working tonight, are

you?"

Taehyung hesitated, torn

between his two other

part-time jobs.

"Not tonight," he admitted

reluctantly.

"Perfect!"

"No, not perfect. I can't fill

in for her."

"Can't or you won't?"

"Take your pick."

taehyung knew how chaotic

nightclubs could be.

Anything that involved

alcohol, rich people, and

questionable substances

rarely ended well.

"Don't you want to meet a

rich, hot daddy who'll spoil

you?" she pried.

"No."

"Li-ar," ha-eun sing-songed,

playfully bopping taehyung

nose. "You'll be paid double

whatever you earn at your

other jobs."

Taehyung pursed his lips

when she mentioned

money. Ha-eun knew he

was in desperate need

of it. Her grin widened

and she reached into her

purse, handing him an

envelope of cash. Taehyung

took it tentatively, his brow

furrowing in confusion.

"What am I supposed to do

with this?" Taehyung asked.

Ha-eun chuckled and

replied, "Smell it. Throw it

in the air. Glue 'em to your

nips! Whatever you want,

baby boy. This is your pay

you cover up for her. Didn't

you say you were running

short on money this month?

What will you do if they

come knocking at your door

again? He won't let you off

easy if you miss another

deadline, y'know. I swear,

that thug has nothing better

to do than to pick on guys

like you," ha-eun muttered

angrily. "I hope he burns in

hell."

"Careful. Hound has eyes

and ears everywhere," Taehyung

grumbled.

Hound was one of New

York's most notorious mafia

leaders. No one wanted

to get involved with him.

Unfortunately for Taehyung

he didn't have a choice. He

owed him money. Lots of

it. And Hound wouldn't let

him off the leash until he

paid back every dime.

"He does?" ha-eun queried.

She raised her middle

finger and waved it in the

air, shouting, "Fuck you,

Hound!"

Taehyung bit back his laughter,

quickly pulling her hand

down.

"Shhh, I'm serious."

The tension eased

between them, and ha-eun

cautiously asked, "So, you're

coming tonight?"

"Do I have to wear a skimpy

outfit?"

"Of course, you have towear a skimpy outfit. You

need to make the crowd

want you. It's all about

giving them a fantasy.

You have a nice body,

use it to your advantage!

Those thick thighs and

strong arms will make the

crowd scream your name."

She chewed her inner

cheek thoughtfully. "Well,

byeol's name."

ha-eun unzipped her bag

and tossed him an outfit.

taehyung caught it with a

puzzled expression.

"Where's the rest of it?"

"The rest of what?"

"The outfit."

"That is the outfit," ha-eun

stated matter-of-factly.

Taehyung stared at the latex

speedo. He scowled when it

emitted a strange rubbery

noise, the tightness of the

material leaving little to

the imagination. How was

he supposed to even fit

into it? It was as if it was

intentionally made not to

fit.

"This is not an outfit," he

stated.

ha-eun rolled her emerald

eyes.

"It covers your private part,

that's more than enough.

Latex speedos are so in

at the moment! Do you

know how hard it was to

get my hands on that? The

strippers in the club are

catty as hell. I felt like my

aunt on Black Friday." She

shuddered. "You'll look

great in it!"

But Taehyung wasn't as

enthusiastic about the latex

speedos as she was.

"Fine." She huffed,

rummaging through her

bag and pulling out a pair

of ripped jeans. "You can

wear this."

"No shirt?"

"I gave you pants, don't be

greedy."

But Taehyung frowned and

ha-eun groaned.

"Fine," she huffed, pulling

out a white shirt she had

brought just in case. "You

can wear this, but if you

want a coat and scarf,

Alaska is over there."

***

Taehyung spent the rest of the

afternoon learning how

to dance. He didn't have a

metal pole to practice on,

so ha-eun taught him how

to lap dance instead. When

they arrived at the strip

club, there was already

a line of people waiting

outside. They skipped

the line and were about

to enter, but the bouncer

stopped Taehyung before he

could get through.

"Who's this?" he asked, his

gaze scrutinizing Taehyung with

suspicion.

"Relax, Bojo. He's filling in

for one of the girls," ha-eun

reassured.

"He doesn't look like a

stripper."

"He's wearing latex

speedos underneath his

pants," ha-eun whispered

suggestively, her voice low

and teasing. "He's covering

for byeol."

"Who's that?"

Taehyun's brows furrowed,

wondering if byeol was

even real.

"You're asking too many

questions," ha-eun quickly

said, laughing a bit too

loudly.

When Bojo fixed his eyes on

Taehyung again, she wrapped

her arm around Bojo's

meaty shoulder and pulled

him closer to her.

"C'mon, let him in. He's

with me," she purred. "Who

knows? Taehyung might give

you a lap dance after his

shift ends."

ha-eun batted her eyes

playfully. Bojo stepped

aside with a grunt. "You

know where to find me,"

he muttered, his gaze fixed

straight ahead.

ha-eun fist-pumped the air,

pulling Taehyung past the large

man. Once they were out

of earshot, Taehyung hissed, "A

lapdance?"

"I had to do what I had to

do." She shrugged. "Oh, but

you might want to leave

through the back door

tonight."

They changed into their

outfits and met in the

hallway.

"You ready, byeol?"

ha-eun grinned.

"Does my stage name have

to be byeol?"

"You can be Thotty Mc'Thot

if you want."

Taehyung grimaced. "I'll stick

with v."

"Thought so."

They pushed open the

twin doors, and the loud

music filled their ears,

the thumping bass beats

vibrating through the floor.

The strip club was dimly lit,

with neon lights in various

colors casting a hazy glow

over the room. The walls

were lined with mirrors,

reflecting the stage in the

center of the room where

the strippers performed.

ha-eun disappeared into

the crowd, and Taehyung was

left alone, but he knew he

couldn't stand there all

night.

A job is a job, Taehyung thought

to himself. If there was one

thing Taehyung was good at, it

was making money. He put

on a smile and went to a

group of men who had just

arrived.

"Can I get you anything?"

he asked. The three men

turned towards him,

studying him from head to

toe with less excited eyes.

They weren't impressed by

his outfit.

"Aren't you overdressed for

a stripper?" one of them

grumbled, tilting his head

to stare at his ass.

"Aren't you too sober for

a client?" Taehyung asked in

return, and the man's

brows shot up. "Order

a drink, and I'll take

something off."

The man flashed him a

wolfish grin.

"Now we're talking," the

man chuckled greedily. "Get

us a bottle of champagne."

Taehyung didn't hesitate to

comply, heading to the bar

to fetch the most expensive

bottle of champagne he

could find. But his plans

were abruptly derailed

when a drunken patron

aside to get closer to the

front stage.

Taehyung stumbled,

but he felt a strong arm

wrap around his waist,

preventing him from

falling. But the bottle

slipped from taehyung's grasp,

shattering into pieces and

spilling its contents at

Taehyung's feet and someone

else's.

Dread filled his

stomach. That bottle was

worth two thousand

dollars!

Slowly, Taehyung raised his

gaze, his breath catching

in his throat as he locked

eyes with the striking

figure standing behind

him. Handsome was an

understatement-he

was gorgeous.

This man

exuded an aura of danger

and mystery that sent a

shiver down Taehyung's spine.

Black hair, sharp, angular

features, and his icy gaze

seemed capable of peering

into anyone's soul.

Intricate tattoos adorned

his hands and wrists

while a delicate flower

tattoo graced the center

of his arm above elbow. His

left cheek had a horizontal

scar.

He

couldn't have gotten it

from a normal fight, and

considering his heartless

gaze and intimidating

presence, Taehyung wouldn't

be surprised if he had

committed a crime or two.

"Two thousand," the man

stated, his deep voice

making Taehyung's chest

tighten. How did he know

how much the bottle was

worth? But then he added,

"My shoes are worth two

thousand."

Taehyung narrowed his eyes,

something bitter filling his

chest.

"Apologies for ruining your

shoes, sir," he growled. "I'm

sure you can wipe them

with some tissues."

The man's gaze swept over

Taehyung from head to toe, his

calculative eyes assessing

him as if estimating his

body's worth before

concluding, "I can think of

other ways to make up for

this."

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