Scandal

"You ready to go?" SeungHyun asked, resting his elbow against my cubicle divider, waggling his thick eyebrows excitedly. "Hwisoo-hyung said it starts at 8 pm."

I raked a hand through my messy, unbrushed hair and spared a glance at the wall clock. 7:45 pm. "It's never going to start at 8pm. I'm not even sure if I'm going," I replied drily, gesturing at my gray hoodie. "I'm not dressed for a party."

The lanky man whined in protest, banging his fist on the desk. "Eeeh. You have to go! You're the only one from Creatives my age. I can't go with director-nim alone!" He reached over and grabbed the edge of my laptop, shoving it close with a thud. "I know you have clothes in your locker. C'mon, it's an important party—even Bang PD-nim will be there!"

"Of course he'd be there," I sighed, looking longingly at my comfy sneakers. "It's his party, after all." If the boss was there, it would be rude to not come. But that meant the talents would there as well.

My breath hitched in my throat.

It had been three days since I last saw Yoongi. I couldn't lie—I was happy to know that the dating rumors weren't true. The things he said...

No. I couldn't possibly begin to hope that there's something more to those words than his attempt to deny the scandal. What we had been doing was nothing more than casual encounters between two adults who needed physical intimacy.

Still, my chest tightened. I was dangerously close to feelings things I had no business feeling, and that night at the studio...

Tears pricked the back of my eyelids. I knew was in trouble the minute I felt pain. I was not supposed to feel pain. There was no relationship to invest these emotions on. But then Yoongi held me and kissed me and touched me differently that night. It was almost as if he was desperate.

I shook my head, refusing to let my traitorous heart take the wheel.

“Earth to Ji Young,” SeungHyun called to me, waving his long arms in front of my face. “Get up get up get up.” He grabbed my arms and propelled me out of my chair and out the door of our office. “Go get changed, slap on some makeup, and for God’s sake wear those heels sitting sadly in your locker gathering dust. We’re partying tonight!“

An hour later, I found myself squeezing through throngs of dancers and drinkers, desperate for a space to hide myself in. Club Diamond was exclusively reserved for the BigHit Entertainment company party, but the packed venue seemed too densely populated. I was already starting to hate the thick, perfumed air.

Stumbling to the bar, I spot SeungHyun with another employee—Mina, was it? The bastard abandoned me the minute one of the stylists approached him with a bright smile and short, short skirt. He didn’t even look my way as I dropped on the stool next to him.

I ordered a screwdriver and turned to watch the chaos on the dance floor. If I could get drunk enough, maybe I could have some fun with the creative team members. Where could they be?

I surveyed the area, but I knew I was looking for someone else.

I bit back a sigh of disappointment. There was a chance the BTS members wouldn’t even show up tonight; if they did, it would be late into the event and I didn’t really plan on sticking around that long.

Taking a long sip of my drink, I squared my shoulders and decided to at least try to have fun. It had been a while since I went out without worrying about paying for my liquor.

“YAAAAA she’s out of hiding!” a bellow to my right announced, cutting through the already deafening noise of the club music. I turned and saw a blur of red before my face came in contact with a wall of chest covered in silk.

"Hrmpf," I choked, nearly dropping my drink. I had just enough presence of mind to place the tumbler at the vicinity of the bar counter to avoid spilling on what surely was a shirt worth more than my rent.

The wall pulled away and my blurry vision gave way to a very excited Kim Taehyung wearing his trademark boxy grin. "Noona, you're here!" He stepped back and gave me a once-over. "Whoa, you look great!"

I could feel my cheeks redden, but then again this was V. He loved everyone and everyone was beautiful to him. “Thanks,” I replied, smiling wryly. “I do clean up every now and then.”

There was a parting of the crowd behind Taehyung, and I knew other members were coming. If it wasn’t as noisy as it already was, I was sure there would be a collective gasp at the incoming celebrities.

My palms started to sweat. If the others were here, then that meant...

“Ji Young-ah,” Jin greeted, flanked on both sides by Hoseok, Jimin, and Jungkook. The leader RM was already on the other side of the bar, ordering beers.

No Yoongi.

My shoulders relaxed, but there was also a definite drop in my stomach.

In deep, deep trouble.

“You’re going for the hard drinks tonight, noona,” Jungkook remarked, eyeing my screwdriver with curiosity.

I laughed, sensing the maknae wanted to try it. It hadn’t been long since he was old enough to take alcohol, and his job didn’t exactly allow for a lot of partying and experimenting. “It’s just a cocktail,” I assured him, offering the tumbler to him. “Wanna try it?“

There was a look of surprise on the singer’s face, then he shrugged and grabbed my glass. He took a tentative sip, eyes wide. “It’s not bad,” he mused, taking a bigger swallow.

“Ya ya ya,” Jimin cautioned, prying the drink away from the youngest. “Don’t be rude, that’s noona’s. Get your own.”

I shook my head reassuringly. “It’s fine, I gave it to him.”

We chatted for a few minutes about the new album concept and their upcoming music video shoot. We never really hung out outside of work—their schedule didn’t really have room for it and quite frankly, being seen with the boys in public might as well be a death sentence for a female my age.

Soon, the members started being pulled to different directions by other employees and guests. Only Hoseok remained, sitting beside me sipping what looked like his third beer.

“You’re not off tearing the dance floor,” I noted, jutting my chin towards the direction of the throng of moving people. The three maknaes were going at it with the back up dancers, while the guests cheered and heckled on.

The other just shrugged, leaning against the counter. “It’ll take the attention away from them if I get in there,” he jested. “Kidding. I just want to kick back tonight.”

I nodded sympathetically. They must be so exhausted, given their schedule. Their comeback won’t be in a few more weeks but the preparations were on full blast. JHope’s solo mixtape just dropped a month ago so I knew he was extra busy. “You’ve been spreading yourself thin lately.”

“That I have,” he agreed with a small laugh. Looking at him up close, I noticed the dark smudges under his eyes, but his smile was still genuine. He took a swig of his beer. “Do you dance?“

Aigoo. “Oh, my old bones won’t allow it,” I replied, knocking back my third glass of screwdriver. It went down suspiciously easy—I might have been drinking too fast. I shrugged. I gestured to the bartender to order another one. I leaned against Hoseok. I needed to tell him a secret. His expression looked amused and I wasn’t sure why. “You know what’s funny though?“

His eyes sparkled with mirth. “What?“

I took my fresh cocktail and had another sip. I felt so much lighter than when I first came in and I liked the feeling. “I actually took singing and dance lessons from 4th grade to senior high so I could get out of Phys Ed,” I divulged, grinning. “I hated PE that much. No sports for me, nope.”

The rapper’s eyes widened. “Jinjja? You trained to perform?“

I snorted derisively. “Hardly like the way you guys were trained. The only times the world got to see me perform were recitals and that was it. Did I mention I hated gym?“

I swallowed the last of my screwdriver just in time before Hoseok grabbed my wrist and tugged. “C'mon.”

I frowned in confusion, but I allowed him to guide me through the crowd. I wanted to freshen up my drink.

The music got considerably louder, and the people around us were moving more. I realized we were on the dance floor.

Hoseok started moving to the beat, earning some wolf whistles and hollers from those nearby. He was grinning at me expectantly. “Let’s see what you’ve been hiding!“ he yelled over the bass.

Normally, I’d be flying the hell out of there saying ‘no’ in a hundred different ways. But the screwdrivers I had were working their way up my system and oh, what the heck. It was a party. I wasn’t about to be a party pooper.

Before I knew it, I was dancing to an American hip hop song, encouraged by JHope’s nods of approval. His smile was almost blinding, even in the darkness of the club. It warmed me up even more and pushed my trepidations kicking and screaming to the back of my head.

“Ya, daebak!” he shouted, matching my moves effortlessly. “You are good!“

I stuck my tongue out. “Oh please, I can’t possibly compare to the JHope.”

He laughed, shaking his head. The song ended, and I was secretly glad. Years of no practice left my body with little stamina, and my lungs were about to burst. “Time out,” I huffed. That was fun.

A slow song started, and Hoseok turned to me with a big, soft smile.

“Ya Park Ji Young what the heck was that?“ Jin suddenly spoke beside me. His eyes darted to JHope before returning to face me. “I didn’t know you can dance!“

“Noona, let’s get more screwdrivers. ” Taehyung slipped his arm under mine and steered me back to the bar, but not before I saw both him and Jin flash Hoseok with a questioning look.

----------

I’m not angry.

Oh, but I did not feel good. I downed my second shot of whiskey, thankful that none of the guests dared to strike a conversation from where I sat on the counter. I came in as late as I could from the studio, planning on getting some polite drinks and ghosting out within the hour.

I didn’t plan on watching Ji Young dance with Hoseok, looking all graceful and free and fucking beautiful.

What the hell was she wearing? It was like an oversized black button-down shirt cut randomly in six different places and knotted in seven other and then called a dress. And those shoes—he’d never seen her wear anything other than her sneakers and the occasional black flats, let alone 5-inch heels. She even had some makeup on.

She looked damn good. I wanted to walk right down to where she was and do more than kiss her.

But she was busy dancing with Hoseok.

I’m not angry.

“Yoongi-ah,” Jin called, entering my line of vision. He was walking towards me, Taehyung and Jiyoung in tow.

She hadn’t seen me, but her head whipped to my direction when she heard my name. Her pretty smile disappeared.

I clenched my jaw, hating how my heart raced. I couldn’t decide if I was thrilled to see her or... I’m not angry.

“Where were you?” Jin demanded, taking the stool next to mine.

I barely heard the question. I was too busy drinking the sight of Jiyoung up close. I knew I had to look away and answer or they would see, but I allowed myself a few more seconds of eye contact before tearing my gaze away. “Studio,” I replied shortly, tossing back some more whiskey. I saw Jiyoung frown from the corner of my eye, and a part of me was glad she looked worried.

“Yoongi-ssi, maybe take it easy on the liquor,” she muttered quietly, flashing me a pointed look.

I raised an eyebrow. She didn’t look so sober, either. Why was she lecturing me?

“Aigoo, the war of the creative nemesis resumes,” Hoseok joked, coming up behind Jiyoung. He gave her a wide smile.

I’m not angry. The mantra was making me angrier.

I made a show of emptying my glass and ordering another round. I was acting childishly, and I knew Jiyoung knew it was directed at her.

“I better get going,” she suddenly said to Jin, giving him a small smile. “I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

“But it’s Saturday tomorrow,” Taehyung complained, munching on some nuts from the bar.

She was looking at everyone but me. “No rest for the wicked, you know that,” she ruffled V’s hair playfully and waved at the members, sparing me a mere millisecond of eye contact. “Bye guys. Have fun.”

Hoseok got up from where he sat next to Jin. “I’ll walk you out,” he offered.

“No,” I interjected, catching the members by surprise. Well shit. I actually said it out loud. I scrambled for an excuse. “I’m heading out anyways. I’m not done with work. See you.” I grabbed my jacket and walked off ahead of Jiyoung, avoiding the others’ surprised looks.

I wasn’t even sure if she followed me out. I turned. She wasn’t there. Dammit.

Reentering the club, I spotted her heading towards the door, weaving through the party goers. She was walking a lot slower than she normally did—no surprise considering she was clearly tipsy.
Combined with those heels, she was an accident waiting to happen.

But my God she looked beautiful.

I grabbed her wrist and discreetly pulled her to the staircase leading to the rooftop.

I was being monumentally careless, but the whiskey fueled me on. I took her through the emergency exit. There was no one in the area save for a stray cat.

“Yoongi,” she protested breathlessly, but didn’t attempt to pull away. A smile began to play in my lips.

I found a partially hidden corner near the air ducts and I yanked her close, snaking my free hand around her waist. I wasted no time sliding my lips against hers, tasting cranberries and vodka and Jiyoung.

She kissed me back just as passionately, and I felt like I’ve won a competition. I was angry and I was jealous, yes. But she still ended up in my arms and that’s what mattered.

God she smelled so good. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her chest pressed softly against mine. I wanted more. My tongue ran along her teeth and she moaned, gripping my hair.

“You’re so beautiful tonight,” I whispered against her mouth, running my hands down the back of her dress until they reached her butt. I squeezed, and I heard her breath catch. I turned her around and pushed her back against the wall, dragging my lips down to her neck, darting out my tongue to taste her skin. The grip on my hair tightened.

I moved up, pressing my mouth against her ear. “I saw you dancing.” I gave the perky little lobe a leisurely lick.

“Did you?“ she asked back. Her voice was husky and her breathing labored. I tugged with my teeth and she gasped.

“I hated that you were dancing with someone else,” I hissed, snaking my fingers under her skirt. Her thigh felt so soft, so warm. My cock was pressing against the confines of my pants.

“Yoongi, someone might see,” Jiyoung protested weakly, her hands feebly pushing against my chest.

I kissed her again to silence her, and just because I needed to taste her again. A part of me was trying to stay within reason, warning me. But the sensation of my hands on Jiyoung’s inner thigh outweighed logic.

I inched my hand up, lightly tracing her lace-covered mound. She gasped against my mouth, and my head momentarily blanked. She was already damp. “Fuck,” I groaned, thrusting once onto her thigh and slipping my fingers inside her panties. Jiyoung shuddered and bit her lip hard.

She was so slick, I was ready to lose my mind. I circled her nub once, twice. She moaned, unconsciously moving her hips against my hand. It would be so easy to just slide down her underwear and my pants...

But we couldn’t. Not like this. I couldn’t believe I had that much control, but we couldn’t go all the way on the rooftop of a club. I gritted my teeth, pressing my hard on against JiYoung’s thigh.

But could give her this. I tightened my hold on her waist and continued to stroke her with the other, drinking in her muted cries. It only took a few more circling and when I pressed my thumb against her center she came, clutching my shoulders and gasping my name.

God she looked so beautiful.

I took out my fingers and held her to me with both arms, waiting for her to calm down. We stood there for a few minutes, silent.

I took a deep breath against her hair, willing my erection to ease up. But knowing I gave her release was enough to put a content smile on my face, despite the discomfort.

“Yoongi?“ I heard her small voice from against my shoulder. “Are you..? I mean you didn’t—”

“—don’t worry about it,” I assured her, ignoring my protesting hard on. I kissed the top of her head, sliding my hands down to the hem of her dress and tugging them back into place. “Let’s get you home.”

“No,” she countered, tucking her mussed hair behind her ear.

I frowned, taken aback. “What?”

She cupped my cheek with her hand and I leaned to it unabashedly. She smiled, then withdrew it to try smoothening her clothes. “People will see if we go out together. And you shouldn’t be on the streets anyway.”

The high from just a few minutes ago was quickly dissipating. “But you need to get a cab and—”

“—it’s fine, really,” she cut in, taking a step back. I could feel cold air emphasize the distance between us. “Just stay at the party, okay? Or wait a while until I get out.”

I wanted to oppose her, but the truth was she was right. Who knew how many photographers were lurking outside the club waiting to take pictures? My face hardened, but I didn’t say anything.

“See you, Yoongi,” she said softly before walking away.

I watched her wait for a cab from the rooftop, staring at the pavement long after she was gone.

Notes