Pied Piper

by SirYoongi

Summary:

Pied Piper - BTS

If I'm ruining you right now,
Please forgive me.
Because you can't live without me.
Because you know all of this.

Rich, famous and on top of the world, that is what being number one in the Kpop industry means. It also means being prohibited to date, countless NDA's and being stuck with the other male band members for nine years. Until a solution is found.

Or, money gives you what you want and makes you hungry for more. 'Kidnapped by One Direction' vibes, but more mature. Written purely for my own guilty pleasure.

Chapter 1: Day 0

Raelyn’s head was pounding. This was certainly the worst migraine she had ever experienced in her life. Sure, most nights her head would pound and her eyes would sting. Her spine would feel like she was at least eighty-five years of age, made of cracks and brittle vertebrae. That’s what one gets when one spends at least seventeen hours a day behind a computer screen.

But this, this rhythmical punching against her skull from the inside that synced with every beat of her heart, was something she had not felt before. Not even to mention the nagging feeling in her stomach. The organ was churning and clenching and threatening to push the burning sensation upwards through her esophagus. Maybe the organ would burn through the skin of her belly and all her insides would drip out onto the floor.

The slight rocking of her body did not aid in keeping the scorching nausea away. What was going on? Has she fallen sick?

This felt worse than a simple cold.

Raelyn noticed that her eyes didn’t cooperate when she tried to open them, the lids stuck together somehow. Her hand wasn’t willing to move and rub her eyes either. Her whole body was warm, burning from her belly to her fingertips, the blood noticeably pulsing through every vein and the muscles in the left side of her neck stung. Why was everything burning? Why was she burning?

Before it all became too much and Raelyn felt like her head was ready to explode and her body would burn to ashes from the inside out, it all stopped and darkness engulfed her.

The second time Raelyn woke up, she doubted if she had died for a moment. The intense pain she had felt in every part of her body had disappeared, only a dull ache in her neck and head remaining. The fire had been extinguished. The only thing that had not vanished was the soft rocking of her body.

Upon opening her eyes, which Raelyn was able to do this time, much to her own surprise, she was met with legs.

Many fucking legs.

She felt her eyes blink once, trying to stop them from malfunctioning, and then twice but the centipede of legs did not disappear. It took Raelyn three more slow blinks to realize her hearing was coming back as well. Low voices carried through the air, mixed with a soft buzzing in the background.

She tried to swallow, blinking once more, but her mouth felt dryer than the desert. The cracks in her lips burst open when she moved her mouth. Raelyn knew that her lip-biting was a bad habit but not often were her lips this painful. Had she sunken so deep this time that she hadn’t noticed overworking herself until she fell sick and passed out?

It would certainly not surprise her. Ever since her grandma had passed away, she had felt the constant urge to keep her mind from wandering and doing what she did best; processing information. The endless rows of numbers kept her screaming mind on mute.

With a sharp inhale through her nose, Raelyn opened her eyes again. She had almost drifted into unconsciousness once more when the image of the long row of legs had popped into her mind again and stopped her from tumbling over the edge of sleep.

This time, Raelyn made sure to observe her surroundings better, blinking a bit quicker to wake up her foggy mind. She was glad that the space around her consisted mostly of shadows; a dark and modern interior with a light-purple hue as lighting that did not irritate her eyes as much as white lights would have.

“Are you awake?” Her eyes drifted to the sound, a voice, while she pressed her raw-bitten and sensitive lips together and she realized there were bodies attached to the legs of the centipede. Bodies as in plural.

Raelyn had set her gaze on five men, lounging next to each other on the perpendicular couch on the opposite of her, eyes all focused on her.

“Are you awake?” Raelyn realized that the sound came from the mouth of the man that sat in the middle of the couch. His full lips moved with the sound, his dark and straight brows frowned over his equally dark eyes that seemed to attract all the attention when being looked at. His hair was a deep shade of brown too and laid down over his forehead messily, a small and almost non-existent part in the middle.

The facial features of the man were absolutely stunning. He certainly was older than Raelyn and Raelyn, she had no idea who he was or what he was saying. Nor had she any idea who any of the other men seated on the couch were. Frankly, they looked pretty similar to each other if it wasn’t for the several different hair colors.

Raelyn blinked once more and that was when the panic started to kick in.

She shot upright which made the dull ache in her head flare up to a medium sting, the rhythmic pounding coming back while her eyes scanned her surroundings to find out what the hell was going on and where the fuck she was because this surely wasn’t her home office.

It didn’t take more than two seconds to discover that they were in a vehicle, the space being mostly vertical with a low ceiling and the constant rocking made the purplish light in the ceiling wobble. It also took that exact time to notice there was no evident place to either hide or escape through.

Raelyn’s breath hitched in her throat once more when her eyes met the eyes of two more men, seated on two pairs of chairs to her right that were on both sides of the vehicle, a bus or a plane perhaps, with a table in front of the seats.

The men were seated sideways with their legs stretched into the aisle and their gazes focused on the exact couch where Raelyn had been laying on.

“No, no, no.” The words escaped Raelyn’s mouth in a breathy mutter, her heart clenching painfully from the extreme amount of anxiety running through her body. She wasn’t stupid, far from it. Even though she was not sure what exact situation she had ended up in, she knew that it was bad. She had enough common sense to know that.

“Please calm down.” Her eyes shot to the man on the most right of the couch on the opposite of her because finally, that was something that made sense. Something that she could understand very well. Despite her panic, she was able to understand the English words that left the man’s mouth with a strong accent.

The man that had just spoken was of Asian ethnicity as well. They all seemed to be. This man had lilac hair, or gray, that was affected by the lightning overhead, and his facial features clearly differed from the man that had made the first noise.

This man’s face was wider, his eyebrows long instead of thick, a larger nose and a wide mouth instead of plush lips. A mouth that had just spoken words to her in English. Raelyn realized that she had to respond, that this was her chance.

“Where am I? What is going on?” Raelyn noticed the desperate and panicked tone in her voice, the sentence breaking as a result of her dry and sore throat.

“I said, please calm down.” The man spoke again, his own voice low and stable. Raelyn couldn’t help but flinch when the man moved, only to notice that he was holding a water bottle towards her.

Her hand shook when she took it for him, only needing to bend over in the narrow space, and greedily twisted the cap off to let the cool water enter her parched mouth. She wasn’t stupid to try and dismiss the water, as it might be one of her only chances for gaining such a necessity. Raelyn had no idea what this situation was, but one thing she was sure of was that her mind could focus better on the situation if her mouth could produce saliva again.

The lilac haired man spoke up again, but not in English, while Raelyn quenched her thirst and downed half of the water bottle in one go. Quickly, she came to the conclusion that the first man that had talked, the one with the full lips and intense eyes, had spoken in a different language.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Raelyn asked again when she moved the bottle away from her lips, interrupting the man that had spoken to her in English. His face turned towards hers, a glimpse of annoyance passing over it, before the calmness took over his features.

“I’m Namjoon.” He answered slowly, voice deep and composed.

Congratulations, was all that Raelyn could think. That didn’t make anything any clearer. All it did was intensify the pounding in her head. Besides, the water she had just drank had fueled the burning ache in her belly again, and Raelyn was more than sure that water wasn’t supposed to burn.

“You speak Korean, right?” Namjoon asked. It took Raelyn a second to comprehend what the man was saying, the ache in her head going up another notch.

How did Namjoon know this? She had been careful not to utter a word about it to a single soul. It wasn’t really a crime to learn a new language.

It was just that the pay for that one specific potential job had caught her eye and had been significantly higher than her current job. She matched the description of the vacancy perfectly, besides the fact that she wasn’t able to speak a single word of Korean back then. Hell, she had never even heard the language before.

But, she was good at processing information. Always had been. Taking it in, finding connections and remembering. Learning came to her easily so she didn’t have to think twice when she downloaded some illegal coursework from the internet to learn the language.

It was something to take her mind off all the other stuff. Learning the alphabet in three hours, her first words in the next hours and by the time that the sun had risen, she spoke her first sentences. After two weeks, functioning on maybe thirty hours of sleep in total, she had applied to the job.

While waiting for a response, she just kept going, sleeping only when her laptop screen became blurry. Maybe Raelyn was a bit obsessive when a goal came to mind. She could just really use the money. The bills kept on piling and piling.

So she downloaded more material and by the time she was rejected, Raelyn could have full conversations in Korean. A skill worth nothing after her rejection so she did not use it again. Her grandma had needed her full attention by then anyway.

Somewhere, Raelyn wished this current situation was about the illegal materials she had downloaded to learn. In reality, she knew that was definitely not the case.

Her eyes glided over the others, who all looked back at her just as curiously. The eye-contact made the burn in her stomach flare up, which in turn made her vision blurry by her prickling tears. Raelyn noticed that the longer she looked, the more differences between the men became visible besides the different hair colors.

There was the man on the most left of the couch, whose face was almost round, with thin eyes, black hair and skin so pale and glossy that Raelyn couldn’t help but look at the next man, because this one resembled a ghost or another fictional character too much.

The next man’s stare was so heavy that it radiated power and confidence only. His hair was light blonde with a gray undertone but then again, maybe the purple overhead lighting
was deceiving Raelyn’s eyes. His lips stood out too, wide and dark in color, with a very deep cupid’s bow.

The thick-browed and pouty-lipped man was sitting as the third, the one who made the first sounds when Raelyn had woken up, placed right in the middle of the five. Next to him was another man and how Raelyn hadn’t noticed this man earlier, she didn’t know, because the man had bright pink hair. Bright pink hair, straight brows, high cheekbones with slightly hollow cheeks, even bigger lips than the brown-haired man, and was this man a doll? For Raelyn really found him to look like one.

She skipped Namjoon purposefully, turning her head to the seats on her right to meet the expectant gaze of the last two men. Her breath shuddered.

The first man’s hair had a reddish hue, with a pair of glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. The kind of glasses from the eighties, that had a double nose-bridge, the frame being a matte silver. A mint-colored blouse hung loosely from his shoulders, revealing part of his chest and he was smiling. A wide smile that lit up his face and bared all his teeth. It made Raelyn uncomfortable, seeing him smile in this tense situation.

So, her eyes quickly scanned the last man who had doe-like eyes and a small pout, his features almost boyish. But, Raelyn did not miss the broad shoulders and thick arms beneath the T-shirt that the man was wearing, nor did she miss the intensity of his gaze.

Her eyes fell back to Namjoon, whose head was tilted sidewards in the slightest, stare heavy and observant. He seemed irked by her lack of response.

Seven fucking men and her. In a vehicle. Raelyn had no idea where they were. Or why she was there. All that came to mind was the danger she felt being in this situation.

So much for a gut-feeling. Cooperation seemed like the most viable option right now.

“A bit.” Raelyn answered Namjoon’s question in Korean, voice soft and still wavering. The nerves were the cause this time, instead of her dry throat.

“Drink.” The man with the round face said, the one who was seated most left on the couch. He said more, but his Korean was a little too quick and to be honest, Raelyn had practiced reading the most. She had almost never practiced speaking or listening.

No, Raelyn liked the tranquil and ever-lasting quietness. The silence was never loud in her ears.

But now it was.

The vehicle was deadly quiet while the round-faced man had stood up and poured himself a drink from a bottle in the fridge. He seemed a little fidgety.

“Speak slowly.” Raelyn requested the others softly in the foreign tongue, breaking the silence. Hopefully the men understood what she meant with those words. She needed to be able to have conversations with them, to discover what was going on and to find out what they wanted. When she could leave.

It was hard to think and deal with the strange language while her head pounded like this.
Clearly, Namjoon spoke English, so he might be able to help out. Raelyn, however, felt nothing but nerves beneath his piercing and bordering on impatient stare.

“Do you feel sick?” The man who had been smiling at her previously spoke up, pronouncing the words slowly, like Raelyn had asked. At once, Raelyn forgot her overpowering panic and adrenaline to realize how much she was actually burning up.

The flaming pit in her belly had caused her skin to be on fire, small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She was breathing rather loudly, louder than the constant buzzing sound in the background. And her head was pounding. So fucking hard that it felt as if her eyes might pop out of her skull at any given second and her brain would explode, coating the dark interior of the vehicle.

For the briefest moment, Raelyn wondered if she would mind that happening.

She would.

Raelyn never wanted to die, she was just not very good at living.

“Yes.” Raelyn answered Hoseok through clenched teeth. The burn was making its way up through her esophagus and threatened to spill out at any moment.

She should have flinched when the man-that-had-smiled-but-did-not-smile-anymore grabbed her arm and hauled her up from the couch. The sudden movement in position made her head pound even harder, adding a generous amount of dizziness to it.

Raelyn realized that her legs would have given out already if the man wasn’t supporting her body, maneuvering her through the vertical aisle towards a small door.

Never had Raelyn been this happy to see a toilet. The fire in her stomach exploded, scorching her from the inside while she spilled the contents of her stomach in the bowl. Or, what was there to spill. All that came out was the water she had downed earlier.

Water wasn’t supposed to burn.

Finally, when the gagging subdued, she put the heated skin of her cheek on the seat, not even minding that her face was literally on the toilet.

Because the room was also spinning and her insides were burning a little less but it was still too much. The blood was pumping through her veins too quickly and the hand that was brushing away her hair from her face and neck should absolutely not be touching her.

The only way to stop it all was to pass out.

So she did.

Chapter 2: Day 1

The hand that had been stroking her hair was still there, threading through her hair slowly. Her body continued to rock from side to side, almost unnoticeably, but it meant that it hadn’t been a dream and she was still in the vehicle.

Maybe the hand should have given it away, seeing that Raelyn had always been alone.

She opened her eyes after gathering enough confidence to see she was in a bed, with a bed on the opposite of her as well, just like the couch had been. Pressed to her left side was a body, which made her breath hitch in her throat at once.

“You’re not going to be sick on me, are you?” The Korean words took a second to process, but they had been spoken slow enough to understand. She recognized the smiling-man's voice.

The burning pit in her stomach had disappeared and her head did not pound. Yet.

She did feel sick by the fact that she was in a bed with one of those men. So sick that her body wasn’t willing to move immediately, but when it was finally able to move, it jerked and Raelyn almost threw herself from the bed if not for the arm that curled around her middle.

“Get off.” She squeaked but the arm didn’t move. Had she mispronounced the words in blind panic? Her body squirmed more, which in turn made the grip tighten.

“You will fall. Stop.” The voice behind her spoke, not a hint of anger in it.

“Get off, get off, get off.” The grip stayed around her waist relentlessly and panic was truly taking over again. Raelyn’s instinct was to scratch the arm around her waist to get it off of her body, but her mind warned her that violence could easily be met with violence.

“Namjoon!” The man behind her bellowed out all of a sudden, making her flinch and a small sound of distress came from her throat. It would have been a whine if not for the lump that made breathing difficult as well.

Namjoon was there not a second later and Raelyn met his eyes. The fact that she was still constricted by the stranger man’s intimate touch and now another man was in front of her while she was in bed made her panic even more.

So she did the only reasonable thing left to do; tears started making their way down her face.

“I don’t think she understands Korean at all. She isn’t listening.” The man behind her spoke, still not angry. Instead of answering, Raelyn let out a sob.

“Hoseok, get your arm off her.” Hoseok. The man behind her had a name now.

Hoseok listened to Namjoon and removed his arm. If Namjoon had not been standing in front of the bed, Raelyn surely would have tumbled out, but now she made sure to keep fully still so she neither fell nor touched Hoseok’s body.

“Is that better?” Namjoon asked, his voice surprisingly soft.

“Yes.” Raelyn breathed out, relieved that the man in front of her was talking English. The Korean language didn’t seem to come that easily to her anymore, especially not in this frenzied state.

Quickly, Raelyn casted her gaze down to notice she was still clad in clothes, her own clothes even. The bed she was laying on was also not a normal one, but a bunk bed. Somewhere, Raelyn noticed how she was still on the aisle side of the bunk bed instead of the wall side.

Relieved. That was how she felt.

“I think it is time to talk. Come on.” Namjoon spoke, still in English while holding out his hand. Even though Raelyn didn’t want to, she put her hand in Namjoon’s who helped her out of the bunk bed with some support. It would have been painful if she had fallen from the height of the bunk bed.

Namjoon asked Hoseok to come as well in Korean.

She followed Namjoon on shaking legs, who guided her back to the lounge where she had woken up the first time. In the meantime, she was hyper aware of Hoseok trailing behind her.

The lounge was significantly less crowded this time. Only the doll and the round-faced man were lazing on the couches, both scrolling on their phones. They both sat upright when Namjoon entered with Raelyn and Hoseok following him.

“Sit down.” Namjoon gestured to the couches, while he turned to the small kitchen that was in the bus too, in front of the seats and tables. Raelyn noticed that the kitchen did not even have a stove, only cabinets, a microwave and a fridge, from which Namjoon grabbed a bottle of water.

Raelyn took her lip between her teeth, a bad habit, and sat down on the couch on the side of the doll because he looked the least dangerous, leaving as much distance between them as possible. Raelyn could feel the stares boring into the side of her face.

Being the center of attention had never favored her. She bit her lip a tad harder, wincing when she felt how raw and sensitive they still were. The taste of blood found its way into her mouth.

“You should drink this and try to eat as well. You must be hungry.” Namjoon said in English as he gave her a bottle of water and a banana.

So Raelyn did, taking a few sips instead of downing half the bottle at once to avoid nausea, and took a bite from the banana. When the fruity flavor hit her taste buds, she realized how hungry she actually was.

The banana was gone in a minute. Then, Raelyn just sat and scanned her surroundings once more. Her eyes caught the gaze of the doll-like boy by accident, who gave her a close-lipped smile.

“I’m Jimin,” He said, “Are you feeling better?”

Jimin. Raelyn repeated it in her head five more times, finding it important to remember names now rather than later. The situation didn’t sit right with her and the smartest thing to do was to figure out what was going on and for that, she needed to know who these men were.

“Yes.” Raelyn forced herself to answer. The situation, she noticed, had not turned violent once. Besides Raelyn’s sickness, she had been cared for as well. She was nourished, had received help when she had gotten sick and most importantly, she wasn’t tied up. She was free to move.

To defend herself, if needed.

Not that she knew much about self-defense. Raelyn did not leave the house much and therefore, never really found any need to learn such a skill.

“I’m Yoongi.” The round-faced man spoke up too, his face impassive. Raelyn found speaking difficult at the moment, the lump still not fully disappeared from her throat, but she gave the man a small nod to let him know she had understood.

“Raelyn, I asked you before if you speak Korean and you said a little bit. What does that mean?” Namjoon asked, still English, as he sat back on the couch next to Yoongi, his legs parted and his head cocked to the side questioningly.

“I-uh, I understand most if you talk a bit slower and without an accent but I am better at reading. Speaking is d-difficult. I can’t pronounce it too well.” Raelyn took a deep breath and another sip. The tension in the room was simply suffocating, especially with the eyes of all men on herself.

Briefly, Raelyn wondered where the other three men went.

“Speak slowly and articulate well, she will be able to understand.” Namjoon spoke in Korean to the others. He was quick to speak, his voice becoming deeper when he switched to his native language.

“I thought she could speak it very well?” Yoongi questioned, his voice almost monotone with the slightest hint of judgement in there, while he eyed Raelyn once more. She lifted her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to make herself smaller.

Out. She needed to get out.

Raelyn hadn’t had this much social interaction in a year. At least.

But there was nowhere to go. Especially not with all those eyes on her. She didn’t even know where she was.

“Where am I?” So she asked, trying to pronounce the words like the translation website had taught her. She was good at remembering, but the sounds were hard and she could already feel the shame creeping on her cheeks.

“We are on a bus. We will be here for a few more days.” Jimin answered, very slowly.

Raelyn wondered if it was normal, how she was behaving given the situation. Sitting on a couch with, well, her captors. There wasn’t much else to call them. Simply questioning them while consuming what they had given her; almost as if it was ordinary.

Then again, Raelyn had never been one to act out crazily. And she was smart. Smart enough to know that if she tried to act calm, she could gain valuable information.

Because truly, Raelyn was far from calm.

The headache might not be there anymore, but her muscles were taut and she could still feel the blood pumping through every single vein, caused by her rapidly beating heart.

“Why am I here? I don’t have anything.” It was a bit difficult to form sentences in Korean but when she thought about the words for a minute, she was able to speak. This moment was crucial. Raelyn needed information.

“You’re here as a guest. We don’t need anything from you.” Namjoon spoke in Korean this time. It was hard for Raelyn to suppress a scoff. If they did not need anything, she would be sitting at home, behind her computer screen while the numbers flashed past her eyes.

“You do.” Raelyn snarled but felt too much at a loss of words to explain what she was thinking.

It was clear that these men did not need money. They radiated wealth. Firstly, the bus was a huge give away. But Raelyn also hadn’t missed the quality of the clothes they wore, or the expensive watch around Namjoon’s wrist, nor the jewellery adorning Jimin’s fingers.

So what would they need Raelyn for? How did they even know her?

If they needed her to analyse data, they could have asked. Again, money didn’t seem to be a problem. If they had offered her some, she would have accepted at once. She knew she was good and quick with her work although she did not particularly stand out. So why?

Besides analysing data, Raelyn did not have much talent and didn’t do much either. Work to pay the enormous pile of bills, that had been her goal for a long time. Only if she managed that, she would start looking at new goals. That had been the plan.

So she absolutely was at a loss why seven men, seven Korean men, needed her. How she ended up with them was another big question mark.

“You’re a guest. We want your company. That is all we are telling you.” Namjoon answered, and while Raelyn had expected sharpness in his voice as a result of her talking back, she didn’t hear any. Namjoon spoke calmly and clearly, but not sharply.

“That is unfair.” Raelyn responded, the words tumbling out of her mouth. She knew better than to speak like that, but her emotions were taking over. Because it really was unfair to take her away from everything, make her stay and not tell her anything.

“It undoubtedly is.” Namjoon agreed, but he did seem to stay by his words of keeping Raelyn in the dark. “Let’s talk about some practical things to keep in mind during your stay.”

“What do you mean?” Raelyn asked, curling into herself a little bit more. She did not like the sound of those words. It hadn’t been her choice to be a guest and now she had to keep things in mind too? How long was she even supposed to stay for?

“Some rules, Raelyn-ah. To make it easier for both of us.” Jimin spoke from her side, smiling softly. Raelyn noticed that his eyes were wide, not as doe-like as the other man she had seen when she woke up, but still wide and warm. Maybe the pink hair added to that, as did the higher voice.

Raelyn felt more comfortable with the energy of Jimin than the gloomier energy that Yoongi was radiating. Or the assured energy of Namjoon. Hoseok was still quiet and Raelyn had not forgiven him yet for touching her.

“Rules.” Raelyn repeated in disdain, keeping her gaze on Jimin. He ruffled his own pink hair, giving Raelyn a glimpse of his earrings. Maybe the feminine side of this man is what made Raelyn feel comfortable.

“Don’t try to leave. I want to get to know you.” Jimin smiled warmly in response, teeth perfectly white. It took a second for Raelyn to realise that that was a rule.

“If you do try, we will need to restrain you and I don’t want to.” Jimin spoke again, his face morphing into an exaggerated pout. Raelyn stared blankly at the man. Jimin dropped the pout when he noticed it had no effect and sighed softly. “I really don’t want to, Raelyn.”

“If we tell you to do something, do it. It’s both for your own and our safety.” Namjoon continued, when Raelyn did not respond.

Raelyn, in question, simply wasn’t able to respond, struck by surprise at their words. She woke up somewhere strange with seven men, nobody was given her information and now she had to listen to their commands without trying to leave. Were they insane?

“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?” Raelyn snapped, the panic that she had been feeling the whole time finally making place for rage. She clenched the fabric of her sweatpants in her fists to keep her hands from shaking.

“Watch your mouth and let’s have respect for each other.” Yoongi murmured.

The silence that followed was heavy. The only thing that kept Raelyn from freaking out was counting. Numbers always seemed to calm her down.

She managed to count to two hundred fifty seven before the silence was broken again.

“This must be confusing and difficult for you. We don’t want to harm you. On the contrary, we can give you what you want. Money is no problem.” Hoseok was the one who broke the silence, that warm smile on his lips again.

Hoseok contrasted largely from Yoongi, the latter dressed darkly with hair that almost hung over his eyes. Yoongi’s eyes were sharp, the outer corners slightly tilted upwards; he didn’t look dangerous, with his round face and a body smaller than Namjoon’s. Just not very approachable.

Hoseok looked warm and colourful and had been the only one to smile at her besides Jimin. He was a bit larger than Yoongi, which seemed to be more in height than in muscles. Raelyn decided to forgive him for touching her, for he had also helped her when she got too nauseous.

“I want to go home.” Raelyn pleaded then, her anger being replaced with desperation.
The various stages of emotions came quicker than Raelyn would have thought. She was already desperate. What was next? Acceptance?

“You can’t.” Namjoon answered this time. He really had unusual features, Raelyn found when she scanned his face once more. How could he be so calm?

“What am I supposed to do then?” Certainly no acceptance. Desperation only.

“We will arrive in an hour and have some take-out on the bus. The others will join us as well and we can talk a bit more.” All of them together. Raelyn paled at the thought.

“And then?” What about tomorrow, the week after that? How long was she supposed to stay, that was the real question.

“Then we will go to sleep and tomorrow I’ll give you some materials to practice your Korean. We’re flying to Korea in four days.” Bit by bit, more information kept coming, Raelyn realised.

That was good. Very good.

But also not good, because Korea was a long, long way from Canada.

“Then where are we now?”

“On a bus.” Namjoon answered, seeing right through Raelyn her tactics. His lips curled up into a close-lipped smile. A dimple became visible in his cheeks and suddenly, Namjoon looked a lot less intimidating. “Why don’t I get you some clean clothes and show you where to freshen up a bit. It’s been a while.”

Raelyn followed Namjoon out of the lounge, wondering how long it had been indeed. She did not really have any indication to know what time it was either. The windows in the lounge were either not present at all or they were covered. She had not gotten a single glimpse of the outside world nor any daylight since waking up.

Namjoon stopped when they reached a small door, just in front and on the left hand-side of the door to the bunk beds. He opened it to reveal the toilet Raelyn had seen before, a blush making its way on her cheeks at the memory.

There was also a sink with a cabinet below it and the smallest shower she had ever seen. Raelyn doubted if it was even possible to lift up one’s arms without breaking the doors out of the small cabin.

“You can choose from the shower gels in the cabinet, there must be a few. I will be right back.” Namjoon spoke the words in English, now that the others were not present. It calmed Raelyn’s mind the tiniest bit.

She obeyed, as Namjoon turned on his heel to grab her some clothes and she squatted down in front of the cabinet to grab some shower gel. Raelyn couldn’t be bothered to sniff all of the tubes since other things occupied her mind instead.

“You can lock the door. I brought you a towel too.” Namjoon held out a small stack of fabric, which Raelyn reluctantly took from him with a small but apprehensive nod.

He left her alone then, to her own surprise. Raelyn would love to have used her time in the small shower that, thankfully, ran hot water, to think. But, the cabin was as small as expected and she had to put effort in not breaking down the plastic walls when moving.

Besides, her mind seemed to prefer a moment of peace and quiet, the situation being more than exhausting. Raelyn blamed her social anxiety and previous sickness for that.

It did not take long to wash her hair, sadly without any conditioner, and body. Overall, Raelyn would guess that the shower took only five minutes. She took a little longer to dress herself.

The clothes Namjoon had given her were certainly not hers. She did not wear underwear that small, nor were her sweatpants and sweatshirt that big. Her bra and panties rarely matched, but this time they did. In the end, she had gotten dressed and took another long moment before stepping outside.

“You are crazy.” Raelyn caught the last part of a sentence when she stepped back inside the lounge, where all seven men were spread on the couches and chairs. The air was heavy with the smell of food. Raelyn’s stomach grumbled.

“There you are. Dinner time, boys.” Hoseok said and at once, everybody started moving. They gathered around the tables, which seemed to fit exactly eight people, and started opening the white take-out boxes that were collected on the tables there.

“Have a seat.” It was Jimin who had addressed her, eyes moving to the empty space next to him. Hesitantly, Raelyn walked over and sat down, her mouth dry. When one of the men she did not know the name of stood up and walked over to the fridge, she flinched. He came back with soda for all.

It was overwhelming, everything that had happened today. Her mind was overworking itself with processing thousands of thoughts and her muscles were taut again now that she was surrounded by the men.

Deep down, it calmed Raelyn that they had been nothing but nice for her yet even though they refused to give her much information on the situation. However, that thought wasn’t enough to calm down her nerves and she was sure she would not be able to stomach the food that was set down in front of her.

“Namjoon-ah, you could have given Raelyn mine or Yoongi’s sweater. She is drowning in yours.” Jimin spoke up next to Raelyn, her name catching her attention. Her eyes quickly looked down at the beige sweater she was wearing, the collar drooping around her collarbones and the sleeves folded up three times to stop her hands from disappearing.

Namjoon’s clothes. What about her own? She had folded her old and dirty clothes neatly and put them on the cabinet beneath the sink to ask Namjoon about it, but did not have the time yet.

“Oversized is the new skinny.” One of the nameless men who was seated across from Raelyn spoke and she lifted his gaze to him. It was the blonde man, whose gaze expressed nothing but confidence. His eyes were even darker today, with black smudges just above his lash line. His lips were an even darker shade of pink than the first time she had seen him.

“Are you wearing make-up?” The words tumbled out of Raelyn's mouth once more before she realised what she said.

Bluntness, that is what a lack of socialising gives you.

Luckily, she was met with a burst of laughter around her. Even the man across her had a corner of his lips turned up. His green sweater had a V-neck and overall, he looked put together so well. As if he had stepped right out of a magazine.

What in the name of god was she doing, surrounded by men like this.

“I am.” The man replied, cocking his brow up to dare her to say anything else about it.

“Okay.”

“It’s Taehyung, by the way.” The man continued. Another name. Great.

“Aish, forgot. I’m Junk.” The man on the other side of the walking aisle said, through his mouth full of noodles. Raelyn couldn’t muster up anything but silence, not able to believe that this man was named Junk. She was sure she had misunderstood.

“Finish eating before you speak, you beast. He meant Jungkook. And this is Seokjin.” Namjoon spoke Korean again but slower than all of the others had for which Raelyn was grateful. Namjoon had nodded towards the man with the strong eyebrows and pouty lips, a facial feature that was accentuated by him slurping up noodles.

Seokjin. Raelyn blinked.

All the names were complete. The question of who they were was solved. Step one was done. The why, what, where and when were still left.

“What time and day is it?” Raelyn asked, when a moment of silence fell during the meal. All of them had talked together, sometimes interrupting each other, and it had all been too quick and chaotic for Raelyn to understand so she had simply tuned their conversation out.

“It’s Sunday,” Taehyung spoke, smacking his lips and taking his phone out, “And it is nine in the evening.”

Sunday. Raelyn felt the blood drain from her face. It had been Wednesday when she had sat down in front of her computer in her home-office with a steaming mug of coffee. That meant that she had lost at least three whole days of her memory, almost four if she didn’t count the vague consciousness when she had woken up and gotten sick.

But, on the other hand, Raelyn also noticed Taehyung’s phone. That was something to keep in mind. Phones meant opportunities. She could steal one, for example, if the time would be right.

“Don’t you like the food?” Jimin asked softly, his mouth closer to Raelyn’s ear than she would have liked.

“I’m not hungry.” Raelyn answered back, noticing she had only taken around five bites of her fried rice with vegetables. The rest of the men seemed to be done already, their chopsticks laying forlornly on their plates.

“Has she already decided who she is sleeping with tonight?” Seokjin spoke mostly to the others as he sipped his soda and eyes flitted to Raelyn. The latter understood enough of that sentence to protest.

“What?” Raelyn squeaked out, her appetite totally gone now. She was definitely not going to sleep next to any of those men.

“Way to be subtle, Jin-hyung.” Hoseok laughed, as did the others. Raelyn noticed that even Yoongi was sporting a closed-mouth smile.

“I’m not sleeping with anyone.” Raelyn breathed the words out, her throat already closing up with panic again. There was no way she was going near any of them.

She should have known that their intentions were wrong, otherwise she wouldn’t have woken up with them without any memories about what happened and how she ended up there. Neither would the men be refusing to tell her anything.

“There are no spare bunks.” Hoseok spoke this time while rubbing his eyes.

Breathing started to become harder and harder for Raelyn.

“I will not. I’ll stay here.” She argued weakly. Sitting next to Jimin, the only one who had made her feel the slightest bit comfortable, felt wrong. Raelyn pushed herself up from the seats, backing away towards the couches while all eyes were on her.

“This is not up for discussion.” Seokjin again and he made a move to stand up.

“You can’t!” She shouted in English, curling her arms around her stomach. Her mind was too cloudy to think in the foreign language.

“Raelyn, Korean.” Namjoon scolded, moving out of his seat as well. Now that the panic had settled fully into Raelyn’s bones again, she noticed how tall Namjoon was. His sweater was hanging from square shoulders and he held his chin high up, looking down on Raelyn’s much smaller height with a hard-wearing gaze.

He approached her slowly and Raelyn couldn’t help but feel like a prey being approached. Step by step. Her arms tightened around her stomach.

“We don’t want to hurt you. You are our guest and we want you to sleep comfortably in a bed. You can even choose who you sleep with.” Namjoon spoke, his voice soft and calm. It contrasted his stance and looks. Raelyn felt her defences become even higher at the act.

“Fuck off.” Raelyn bit at him, moving back until her spine connected with a wall.

“Don’t be like that.” Namjoon spoke softly, setting another step in her direction.

“You have told me nothing, I don’t trust you at all. Stay away from me!” Raelyn’s voice broke from the abundance of negative feelings that were racing through her body and mind.

“It is up to you if you want to make this hard on yourself or not. We all want it to go the easy way.” Namjoon took another step in Raelyn’s direction. She could do nothing else but turn her head aside to keep the slightest bit of distance. There couldn’t be more than thirty centimetres between them now. Namjoon’s hands curled around her wrists, slowly, and she felt them being tugged away from her stomach.

“Don’t hurt yourself.” Namjoon spoke again. Raelyn realised that she had been digging her nails into her arms. Fuck.

“I’m not having sex with you. Y-you can’t make me. I’d rather die.” Raelyn stuttered, tears prickling in her eyes. Namjoon released her arms, thankfully, and chuckled.

He fucking chuckled.

“Is that why you are panicking?” Namjoon asked, “There is no need to worry about that.”

“She thinks we meant sex.” Namjoon continued, switching to his mother tongue once more. The others started talking, but Raelyn did not get a chance to listen as Namjoon already turned back to her.

“We don’t want that from you. It’s just for sleeping. There are only six bunks and Jungkook uses the lounge.” Namjoon spoke, stepping back to create some more space between Raelyn and himself.

“I can use the lounge too.” Raelyn whispered, forcing out the words. She could move to the other side of the lounge as Jungkook slept. She was sure she would not be able to sleep anyway.

“Jungkook is a restless sleeper. He walks and talks all night long.”

“I don’t mind.” Raelyn said. As long as she could stay far, far away from them.

“Not an option.” Namjoon shook his head, his sharp tone indicating more than enough. He left no room for Raelyn to contradict his words.

Raelyn knew how small the bunks were. She had woken up in one of them already with Hoseok laying too close to her for her liking. The thought of spending a whole night like that did absolutely not sound appealing.

It sounded right out terrifying.

She casted a look around Namjoon’s tall body towards all the others that were still seated at the table. They were not paying much attention to Namjoon and her anymore, most of them being on their phones or chatting together.

Exhaustion was already heavy in Raelyn’s bones, even though she hadn’t been awake for that long. It just took up a lot of energy, this new situation. She could try and fight Namjoon right now, but she knew there was no way to win.

It would be smarter to save her energy, Raelyn thought. If an inappropriate or unwanted touch would find its way on her body, she should fight then. Save her energy for that.

At least she was given a choice too. Namjoon was the first one that she excluded. He was too strong and too intimidating. Jungkook was already excluded, and Yoongi with his dark gaze and lack of expressions was next. Taehyung hadn’t given her a very good impression either; too cocky. And Seokjin, he hadn’t said much more to her than a demand to stop protesting.

Ultimately, the choice was between Jimin and Hoseok. Those were the only ones that she had felt the slightest bit comfortable with. But Hoseok had touched her before, despite helping her. And Hoseok was tall and muscled. Jimin had been nothing but nice; he looked nice. Not as intimidating as the rest, with warm eyes and a bright smile.

“Jimin.” Raelyn squeaked out eventually, her hands balled in fists. At the mention of Jimin’s name, his head perked up.

“She chose you, Jimin.” Namjoon said while he turned around and walked back to where the others were sitting. Raelyn did not move away yet from the wall. The other did not seem to mind her need for distance much.

Suddenly, a shock went through the vehicle and the low buzzing sound started again. Raelyn clenched the fabric of her shirt and looked around with wide eyes.

“Aish, we’re moving again. I’m going to bed. We have seven hours left.” It was Namjoon that spoke once more. His words were slow and clearly spoken, and Raelyn started to think that it was the man’s usual way of speaking.

“That’s a record for this week.” Taehyung answered, not even looking up from his phone. Namjoon stood up once more and sauntered out of the lounge with an affirmative hum.

“Yeah, we haven’t had more than six consecutive hours yet. Ame- I mean, It’s been crazy.” Seojin answered, stretching out his body. Raelyn did not miss the slight hesitation in his speech.

And so, one by one, the men got up to the part of the bunk beds and came back to brush their teeth in both the small kitchenette sink or the sink in the cramped bathroom to disappear back to the bunk beds right after. In the end, only Jungkook and Jimin were left, both lounging on the couches.

“Shall we go too?” Jimin pocketed his phone and turned back to Raelyn, who curled up a little bit tighter against the wall. She knew protesting wouldn’t bring much. She had to save her energy, but that didn’t mean that her stomach didn’t turn upside down at Jimin’s words.

“I’m a really quiet sleeper,” Jimin smiled again, his eyes scrounging almost closed, “Unlike some people here.”

Jungkook merely lifted his gaze from his phone and protested with an offended yelp. Jimin giggled in response and then pushed himself up, turning to Raelyn and holding out his hand to help her stand.

Ignoring it would be rude and while Raelyn would be nothing rather than rude to these assholes, she took the hand anyway.

Comply, save energy.

“I’ll get a new toothbrush for you. Do you want to sleep in that?” Raelyn looked down at herself and the clothes she was almost swimming in. That surely wasn’t a bad thing, the shape of her body completely blurred and only the skin of her neck and part of the collarbones bare. They would keep her warm enough too.

So she nodded.

After Raelyn had brushed her teeth with the spare toothbrush in the kitchenette and Jimin had appeared from the small bathroom as well, clad in a black shirt and chequered pyjama pants, he guided her to dorms. The curtains of all the bunks were closed, except for the bottom right one.

“I’m short, so I always get the best accessible bunks.” Jimin whispered in her ear. Raelyn knew he tried to make a joke but she couldn’t help but flinch away from the warm breath on her neck. Too close.

When she looked to the side, Jimin was staring at her. His eyes were almost sombre, but that could just as well have been the lightning. It became clear that he was waiting for her to crawl into his bunk after standing there for another few seconds.

The bunk wasn’t too narrow once Raelyn had crawled in. The light in the corner of the bunk reflected its true space, which showed that it was just a size up from a normal one-person bed.

Jimin’s bed even had two pillows in it. And like the gentleman he was, or maybe tried to be, Jimin had waited for Raelyn to stop moving around and observed quietly from the aisle. Once she had been settled and even covered with the edge of the blanket, Jimin had crawled in.

Raelyn laid on her side, with her face towards Jimin. This way, she could use both her legs and her arms to shield herself, if needed. Jimin laid on his back and it was finally quiet. If Raelyn stopped breathing, she could hear the softest snores in the background.

“Raelyn?” Jimin whispered again. Raelyn watched his lips move while he still had his eyes closed. The light in the bunk was still on. “Can I close the curtains and dim the light now? I’m tired.”

His voice was soft and it was clear that sleep was already taking over him. Raelyn could see the dark shadows beneath his eyes.

Good.

Sure, the thought of being with him, a stranger, in the dark in a closed space scared her to death but if Jimin went to sleep soon, Raelyn wouldn’t have to worry too much. She could stop pressing her back so tightly against the wall that it hurt.

So she made the softest noise of confirmation and squeezed her eyes shut so Jimin could not see the fear in them as he moved to close the curtains and flick off the light.

“Sleep well, Rae.” Jimin whispered, thankfully not moving another inch, keeping the space between them. His breaths became slow and even within two minutes.

Raelyn didn’t get a wink of sleep.

Notes:

Hey!

Another chapter! I have around 50K of this story written already but am revising the chapters and will slowly upload them. See you soon for the next update <3

Take care.

Chapter 3: Day 2

“Here, you can use this to study. I won’t speak English anymore to help your Korean improve. We need you to become fluent as soon as possible,” Namjoon spoke in Korean as he put down a stack of books next to Raelyn, who was seated on the corner of the couch in the lounge.

She had been watching the men bustle through the vehicle, eyes bleary with sleep while they freshened up and had gotten dressed one by one. Raelyn was told to stay out of the way for a while, which she did without another word. They had mostly ignored her and Raelyn surely didn’t mind.

She realised that the men were leaving soon, hopefully all of them. That would soothe her nerves. For a moment, she considered a quick nap. The past night had lasted endlessly and sleep never came.

Well, Raelyn never let it come.

There was no way she was just going to sleep next to a stranger. Jimin was indeed a quiet sleeper and didn’t move a muscle all night, which made it hard to stay awake. Her mind had been busy enough to keep her up in the end. And a few painful and bruising pinches to her inner thigh.

The books that Namjoon had given Raelyn were nothing special, she noticed when she observed them, while Namjoon squatted down in front of her. One of them was a dictionary, the other one the basics of Korean and two normal reading books.

“Why do I need to become fluent?” Raelyn questioned after thinking for a moment.

“It makes communicating a bit easier, yeah?” Namjoon smiled back closed-lipped, a dimple popping up in his cheek. Raelyn scowled back, breaking their moment of eye contact.

She wasn’t planning on staying long so there wasn’t any need to communicate better.

“We will be out for the whole day today but this will keep you busy. I put some fresh clothes in the bathroom for you. If you’re hungry, there is fruit in the fridge and you can make ramen. It’s in the upper right cabinet.” Namjoon squatted down for a second to try and meet Raelyn’s eyes and then made his way to the others when she stared past him resolutely.

With a click, the wall next to the bathroom door opened and a flash of cold, fresh air rushed inside while the men started going outside one by one. Raelyn’s eyes almost boggled out of her head.

That was very good information to have.

“Think about who you’re going to sleep with tonight too, okay? Behave, please.” Namjoon spoke and turned around to walk out of the door too. They left a vast silence behind.

Since the bus was not driving anymore, the buzzing sound had disappeared.

The first thing Raelyn did was let out a deep breath, one that she had been holding the whole time.

God fucking damnit.

Raelyn had the whole night to think and her fear had turned into anger. Angry that she was the one that ended up with these seven strange men. Furious about the fact that they did not tell her or even gave a hint about the reason why. Livid about the fact that she did not even know how she had gotten there. Outraged that she didn’t even know where ‘here’ was.

They must be really stupid to leave her alone and unattended with her anger scorching this vibrantly.

The books were left forgotten on the couch as she leaped up from it, walking over to the place where the men had disappeared. It was hard to see the outline of the door since the lights were dim. Raelyn scanned the whole wall around the door three times but there did not seem any way to open that door. No handle, nothing.

“What the fuck.” Raelyn whispered under her breath in English as she stepped back, slightly defeated. What kind of bullshit was this? They just got out that way, didn’t they? How did they even open that door?

With a sigh, she turned around to scan the empty lounge in the bus to find her next target, when her stomach grumbled loudly. The sound attracted her attention and only now, Raelyn realised that her stomach was burning with hunger. Not much food had been consumed during her time here.

Raelyn got into an internal debate about continuing her search or taking a break for food, and decided on the latter. Namjoon had told her they would be gone for the rest of the day; she had her time. Food gave energy, which she desperately needed now. Besides, she probably needed some time to think about an escape if she found any way to get out. It was clear that these men had made sure it wasn’t going to be easy.

The ramen was made within ten minutes, filling the air with a spicy scent. A little too spicy for Raelyn’s liking but it was the only kind she found with an indication of one out of five chilli peppers.

The food disappeared quicker than the time it had taken to make. As dessert, Raelyn found an apple, which she ate standing up and leaning against the kitchenette counter while scanning the space of the bus once more.

It really wasn’t much and she was sure she had seen every part of it already. From the wall she had cowered against when Namjoon approached her, to the wall at the back of the bunks she had faced while mentally readying herself to crawl in Jimin’s bunk.

There were no windows, none at all.

It made Raelyn’s skin itch. This clearly had been prepared, the whole situation.

Because the men knew about her. To what extent, Raelyn didn’t know but they knew where she was from and what her name was. They knew she spoke Korean, which Raelyn had kept as a secret, and this meant they probably knew a whole lot more than they let on.

Raelyn didn’t know a single thing about them besides their names and the fact that they had money. Oh, and she knew their faces.

That had struck her as absurd. Why would they show their faces just like that? It seemed so careless, especially considering that they left her all alone on the second day with them. Either careless or confident.

There must be a form of security either inside the bus or right in front of the door if they were that confident. Maybe cameras? Raelyn did not manage to spot any visible ones but maybe they were hidden. Or it was microphones.

With a sigh, Raelyn walked back to the wall next to the bathroom door and observed it once more and then another few times.

She kicked it numerous times too until her feet hurt so much she could barely stand on them.

Exhaustion took over and the clock in the kitchenette notified her that one and a half hours had passed since the men left. Her hands were sensitive from stroking the edges of the door and the rest of the walls to find a way to get outside.

It started to seem impossible.

Then, while she sat down crossed-legged in front of the door with wet cheeks from her frustrated tears and cracked lips from biting them too much, she realised she could just wait until the door was opened from the outside.

And attack.

She shot up from her position, stumbling towards the kitchenette as white and black spots danced in front of her eyes for a moment. The black spots were justified, Raelyn thought, she hadn’t had a wink of sleep in over twenty-four hours.

That wasn’t going to stop her, the eagerness of her idea strumming in her veins, making her heart pump faster. Her hands shook slightly and her head buzzed with countless thoughts.

When she opened the cutlery drawer, all she found were wooden chopsticks.

Definitely planned out beforehand.

There was no way she was going to do much harm with those. Neither could she do anything with the plates and cups made from hard plastic. She didn’t have the strength to throw those hard enough to cause any damage.

With another agitated sigh, Raelyn strutted over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and chugged half of it in one go. Then, she made her way back to the couch, scanning her surroundings one more time before putting her face in her arms to scream in frustration.

She could not give up. It was her goal to escape and once there was a goal, Raelyn had to achieve it. Especially when her life depended on it.

There were no plants in the lounge, nor any other loose object that could seriously harm someone. The bathroom had nothing but some shampoo bottles but it wasn’t as if she could just hurl them hard enough at all of the seven men. It was just as useless as the plastic cutlery.

With another loud sigh Raelyn started counting again, trying to clear her head from her messy thoughts. She paced up and down the narrow hallway.

Maybe she should take a quick nap.

The men had said they would be out all day and it was only noon. It would clear up Raelyn’s brain and if she wouldn’t manage to escape, she would at least be able to stay awake for another night.

Despite her chaotic mind, Raelyn was happy with the fact she thought of using the timer in the kitchen as her alarm. An hour would be sufficient. She might even sleep for another one after that, if necessary.

Once the soft ticking echoed through the empty bus, Raelyn collapsed on the couch and drifted to sleep within seconds; she was absolutely exhausted.

The last thought that crossed her mind before becoming unconscious was that maybe she should have taken that shower first; she could smell her own fear.

The alarm hadn’t gone off. Raelyn was sure of it.

As if she was stupid enough to switch it off and fall asleep right after again, wasting all of her precious time alone. Instead of noon, the clock signalled that it was close to five thirty in the afternoon.

Raelyn screamed.

An honest scream. An it-was-so-loud-it-hurt-her-lungs scream.

Despite not wearing shoes, she kicked the chair in front of the table with all her might, channelling her frustration into it. It fucking hurt and it might have broken her toe but she hadn’t felt this stupid in a long, long time.

But, the movement of the leg of the chair had not gone past her. Raelyn fell to her knees at once, hands clamping around the thick piece of metal that was around fifty centimetres long, and yanked hard.

It gave in slightly, the screws trembling inside the floor from the force. Raelyn had no idea what overcame her, but it was as if she was blinded and started pulling and pushing and kicking against the piece of metal like her life depended on it.

To be fair, it kind of did.

The screw in the floor came out quickly, only the ones on top near the padding of the chair left. She had to rip the stitches in the leather of the chair to be able to access them. It hurt the tips of her fingers, her nails chipping one by one.

Just as she had switched to helplessly tugging on the piece of metal once more, a loud click echoed through the bus and the gush of fresh air told Raelyn enough.

Her movements froze and her neck snapped to look at the door.

“What are you doing?” Seokjin’s eyes went from Raelyn to the corner of the ruined chair and the leg of the chair clenched in her hand, and then back to Raelyn. He had been the first one to enter, catching her red-handed.

It went quickly after that. The men all were inside of the bus not a minute later and the mysterious door locked them in with Raelyn. They crowded around her.

Raelyn, who couldn’t help but be terrified for her own life, felt the tears already burning in her eyes. There was no way she was going to sell this scenario as an accident. The worst part was that the leg of the chair was still stuck and there was nothing to defend herself with.

“That’s going to cost some money to fix.” It was Namjoon who said it, or rather sighed the words out exhaustedly. He stood behind Seokin, his left arm leaning on the opposite chair to support his body and his right hand on his left elbow as he stared down at Raelyn with piercing eyes. It seemed way too casual.

It was enough to make her tears spill. She couldn’t stop them as they trickled down her cheeks steadily and she felt a cold sweat making its way on her forehead, down her spine and at the back of her knees.

The space was too crowded, with all of their eyes staring down at her sitting ever so vulnerably on the ground with the broken furniture in front of her.

If she only hadn’t fallen asleep.

“Shut up, we have enough money. Can’t you see how awful she is feeling right now?” It was Hoseok that spoke, his voice snappy. She hadn’t seen any other side of Hoseok yet other than cheery and bright. The harshness made her flinch, a sob leaving her body.

“C’mon, go find us something for dinner and stop crowding her.” Hoseok waved the others away dismissively, a bracelet on his arm shaking. They listened to him though, even Namjoon. It surprised Raelyn; she had been sure that Namjoon was the person with the most influence among them.

“Raelyn-ah.” Hoseok spoke after the others had scattered around the bus to create a sort-of-distance from her. It wasn’t much, Taehyung moved only a metre away but he was polite enough to turn his back towards her. “How about you take the shower that Namjoon offered you this morning. We will order some food and you can have a good sleep after, yeah? It looks like you haven’t been sleeping much.”

Hoseok reached out his hand to touch her while speaking but seemed to realise quickly enough that touching Raelyn wasn’t the best option and withdrew his hand. Instead, he held it out to her, palm towards the ceiling.

And who was Raelyn not to give in. He looked honest and filled with sympathy, face relaxed and eyes kind. She couldn’t be more than glad to not find a single trace of left-over anger. In the end, she had destroyed their bus and Namjoon his gaze and Seokjin’s tone of voice had been so... Judgmental.

Her knees cracked when she finally stood up with the help of Hoseok and made her way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When she stood beneath the warm water she realised how smelly she was. The fear had made her sweat so much that she wondered if they would even bother washing the shirt she had been wearing for over twelve hours, instead of throwing it out. It was probably drenched in her stench.

The water turned cold way too quickly for her to be done -which was preferably never, she would really appreciate melting down the drain along with the water- but she managed to get out when she started shivering and slipped on the clothes that Namjoon had laid out this morning. It was a simple black hoodie that smelled like a spring forest and yet another pair of sweats that sagged down her hips unless the cords were fully tightened.

The smell of food entered her nostrils when she opened the bathroom door and saw the tables on each side of the bus covered with dishes. All of the men were already digging in, plates in front of them and chopsticks clacking together softly beneath their jovial banter.

Raelyn was thankful for the oversized hoodie that covered her hands. She couldn’t stop rubbing her nails over her nail beds from unease. The food smelled delicious though and Raelyn was very hungry again. The only thing she had had today were the noodles and an apple, with not much left in her stomach from the day prior either.

There was a spot leftover next to Jungkook, so she walked up to it silently, grateful for the space that Jungkook gave her when she sat down. He was happily munching on a piece of chicken, or maybe not, Raelyn guessed, since there wasn’t much but the bone left.

“I ordered a burger and chicken for you to choose from, but you took kinda long so I started on the chicken. You can still have the leftover chicken instead of the burger if you want, there’s a bit more than half left. I ate most of the fries though, but they were soft from the grease anyway so you’re not missing out on much.” Jungkook fired at her in rapid Korean, while grabbing a piece of fried chicken from a bucket on the table.

Once she finally figured out all Jungkook had said, she couldn’t help but feel a little comforted inside. He seemed so casual about the whole ordeal, talking passionately about the food as if it really mattered to Raelyn whether she was getting a burger or chicken.

Instead, Raelyn had expected anger to finally be directed to her for ruining their bus, but it didn’t come. The other men were discussing, bantering and arguing loudly with each other, plates being passed around continuously.

It was like Raelyn didn’t even exist. As if she wasn’t a stranger at the table, invading their routine.

She picked up a piece of chicken and started munching.

“Who do you choose to sleep with tonight by the way?” Jungkook asked in a casual tone, eyes bright as he brought a fry, a very soggy one indeed, up to his mouth. There was a trace of sauce smeared on his cheek but Raelyn didn’t dare to comment.

“Hoseok.” Raelyn mumbled, knowing all too well she wouldn’t let sleep come. She had gotten a few hours this afternoon and that should be enough for a while.

Maybe tomorrow, there might be another chance to catch up in their absence.

Hoseok seemed like her best choice for now. He had once again shown her nothing but kindness, despite a moment of his irritation towards the other members earlier.

“Here’s half of the burger. You should eat well.” Jungkook spoke, pulling her from her thoughts. Half of a gigantic burger was placed on the plate in front of her, while Jungkook was already taking a big bite of his half.

Raelyn couldn’t help but notice how muscled Jungkook was, which contrasted largely with his boyish face and large eyes. His shoulders were broad, although not as wide as Seokjin’s, and she could see his chest move beneath his shirt as he lifted the burger up to his mouth.

His lips became even more pouted as he chewed on a bite with his cheeks swollen, slightly swaying his body from left to right with a happy sound escaping from his throat. There was an earring glistening in his ear.

Raelyn followed him, giving into her hunger and eating half the burger at record-speed.

“Hoseokie-hyung, she’s with you tonight.” It earned a hum from the rest of the men and Raelyn was glad she had already finished her burger because her hunger disappeared at once.

Not that she had intended to try the soggy fries anyway.

The rest of the evening went by just like the previous day. First, all the others got ready for bed, after cleaning up the dishes of course, and Raelyn went last with Hoseok. She wore the same set of clothes to bed but did brush her teeth and made use of the toilet quickly, Hoseok waiting on the couch with his phone in his hand.

Hoseok wore a large white shirt and some shorts to bed. His bunk bed, which was the highest one, required him to help Raelyn up. He did so by cupping his hand for her to put her foot in and lifting her up easily.

Once again she was trapped against the wall with no way to see how much time had passed laying still in the dark. The continuous pinches of her fingers on her thighs kept her awake in the end.

Someone snored in the background.

Chapter 4: Day 3

“You’re awake already.” Hoseok mumbled through his teeth the next morning, squinting one eye open and then turning his head away to groan and stretch in the cramped bunk. Raelyn pushed back even further against the wall, avoiding the man at all cost just like she had done the entire night, which had lasted for eternity. She had been awake the entire time.

“I can’t wait to go back home and sleep in my own bed again.” Hoseok continued, rolling out of the bunk with some effort. Raelyn wasn’t sure if Hoseok was addressing her specifically or just talking to himself but she knew she related to Hoseok’s words a lot. The other bunks were all empty already which didn’t surprise Raelyn. She had heard them get out one after the other.

When she had decided that Hoseok had moved far enough from the bunk she was in, she exited the bunk too and walked into the lounge, only taking a short moment to let the black dots in her vision disappear. Her legs felt unstable as she made her way to the small bathroom to empty her bladder. Thankfully the bathroom wasn’t occupied; only Seokjin and Taehyung were sitting in the lounge and both had greeted her with a good morning which she had quietly returned. Both men had been bent over a laptop on the right table, but Raelyn didn’t linger around for long enough to see what they were busy with. There was no sign of the other men.

After splashing her face with water, emptying her bladder and brushing her teeth, Raelyn stepped back into the lounge to be met with all three men. Hoseok was already dressed too and stood near the sink with a toothbrush in his mouth. The other two had put away the laptop and were leaning against the sink next to Hoseok in a rather awkward manner.

It made Raelyn’s empty stomach coil nervously.

“We have to leave again today, in a few minutes actually.” Seokjin supplied quietly when he noticed Raelyn hesitating in the doorway of the bathroom with a questioning gaze. Raelyn’s gaze trailed over the tall man who was clad in a grey sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, hair laying messily around his head.

“Okay?” Raelyn answered back while she bit on the inside of her cheek, not sure what to respond. They still hadn’t touched upon what happened yesterday; how Seokjin had caught her trying to remove the leg of the chair as a weapon. However, Raelyn’s gut feeling indicated that that was exactly what was coming.

“We seriously don’t have much time, you can eat breakfast when we come back. Right now, we need you to go back to the bunks. Jin-hyung’s bunk specifically.” Taehyung was blunt with his words, like he had been every time he spoke up.

She let her gaze travel over his posture quickly too, while Hoseok started rinsing his mouth and placed his toothbrush in a cup on the counter. Taehyung was wearing a large, white T-shirt and a pair of loose, beige jeans. Only then it struck her that from his fingers, a pair of cuffs was dangling.

Panic flared up at once, her survival instinct kicking in that made every muscle in her body taut. Screaming inside her mind was a voice that encouraged her to run, but where? There was no way out.

Seokjin took a step forward, his posture and broad shoulders suddenly very intimidating while he spoke: “Raelyn-ah. Please go to my bunk.”

“No, no, no. You can’t do this. Please, I won’t try anything again today.” Raelyn cowered, knowing very well that she could do nothing against three men. Running wouldn’t get her very far.

Seokjin took another step and if he lifted his hand now, he could grab her. Raelyn bolted to the bunks which was exactly where they had wanted her to go. Once inside, her panic didn’t subside. Instead, she broke out into a cold sweat and her already unsteady legs started shaking even more.

A pair of hands touched her not a minute later, enclosing her left lower arm and before she could whip around to hit the person that was touching her, her other arm was also taken ahold of.

“No, please! Don’t... I- I’m begging you.” Raelyn sobbed, trashing against the hands on her body. But who was she to fight two pairs of hands?

It didn’t take them long to seat her on the edge of the middle left bunk and wrap two broad, leather bands around her wrists, clasping them shut with a small clasp on the sides. The cuffs were tight on her skin but not tight enough to restrict her blood flow. Just snug and- cold.

Now, Taehyung was holding her right arm and Seokjin her left, keeping the limbs in front of her while Hoseok placed a small, silver pin between the cuffs, hooking the rings of the pin through the rings on the leather to lock her hands together in front of her. She had no chance to move out of their grasps and could merely take the unsympathetic treatment.

Raelyn cried out.

“Sorry.” Raelyn heard Taehyung whisper, his voice soft and calm near her ear. It did absolutely nothing to calm her raging panic. “But we told you we’d have to restrain you if you tried to leave.”

“Just lay back, there is nothing to be scared about.” Seokjin supplied, pushing Raelyn back on his own bunk. Raelyn trashed as wildly as her bound arms allowed her. Taehyung and Hoseok pushed her thrashing legs onto the bunk bed too.

Panic was pumping through her body at an alarming rate and Raelyn was glad she had just emptied her bladder, for if she hadn’t she might have let it spill in fear.

“N-no, please.” Raelyn begged again as her back touched the sheets and Seokjin’s body crawled over her, blocking most of her view with his upper body.

Tears had yet to escape but on the inside, Raelyn was torn. She hadn’t been this scared in her life for a long, long time. There was no way to defend herself with Seokjin straddling her upper thighs to refrain her from kicking as he pushed her bound hands above her head.

Taehyung and Hoseok watched, peering down into the bunk.

It took a lot of effort to keep the bile out of her throat; to not spill her stomach contents. Raelyn simply didn’t have the energy to fight Seokjin anymore either, her shaking legs refusing to move. How long had she been awake for now? She had no idea; only remembering her nap yesterday afternoon.

“Less than five minutes.” Hoseok piped up. It made Taehyung hover closer behind Seokjin, encouraging him to hurry up in soft words.

“I’m trying,” Seokjin exclaimed, lifting his weight from Raelyn’s lap to put more of it on her wrists. He finally managed to hold them still above her head and to click the open ring of the pin between her wrists onto another ring in the wall.

When he was sure the rings were closed, he leaned back and stepped out of the bunk, leaving Raelyn as a now-crying and restrained mess on top of the sheets.

“Shh, I’m sorry. We all are.” Seokjin bent over and pushed some strands out of Raelyn's face that had gotten stuck in the tears on her cheek. She tried to turn away from the touch as much as possible.

“Two minutes.” Hoseok spoke again and through her blurry vision, Raelyn saw Taehyung and Hoseok leave.

“One of us will be back in two hours to free you and accompany you. There is nothing to worry about. Nobody else can come in.” Seokjin hesitated near the door that led the way out of the bunks while he spoke.

“The bus is soundproof. Don’t hurt your throat with unnecessary screaming.” And with that, he closed the door of the bunks, leaving Raelyn in silence.

In the end, maybe it was the silence that drove Raelyn crazy. She had always loved silence; it could make her focus on her work. But chained to a wall, stuck on a bed, just waiting for the time to pass with nothing but her thoughts in such a bizarre situation, she truly detested the silence.

So she tried screaming, despite Seokjin’s suggestion.

It didn’t give any relief nor did it bring any result. The moment she shut her mouth and stopped screaming, the overwhelming silence came back. And Seokjin was right. She had hurt her throat.

Raelyn simply crumbled. The tears started to drip steadily down her cheeks, soaking her hair and the pillow beneath her head. Her wrists hurt from tugging on the cuffs mercilessly but to no avail. She was stuck in an uncomfortable position, her back becoming stiff from laying in the same place too long.

Why did this happen? Hadn’t she suffered enough in the past? Hadn’t she worked hard enough? What could these men possibly want from her?

All her life she had lived for others, trying to help and fix the mess that was left for her. She became independent when needed at a young age and Raelyn had provided and worked with all her might to pay off the large pile of bills for the past six years. Hospital bills, mostly, but then came rent and food and college and other monthly expenses.

It would have taken another six years of work but then she would be financially free. Close to all debts would have been paid by that time and Raelyn could have started living her life for real then. Just before she would turn thirty.

And now it has all gone down the drain.

Somehow, in between a loud sob and flare of heat from heartbreak inside of her chest, Raelyn had tumbled into a state that was neither sleep nor fully awake, fatigue taking over. She was only vaguely aware of the tacky mess that was her face.

“Aish, Raelyn-ah.” She heard a mutter from the doorway, rousing her from her exhausted state, “I told them this would happen.”

The moment that Raelyn noticed that Yoongi was standing next to the bunk and had also been the one speaking, the panic flared up once more. Raelyn’s throat constricted and the first tears threatened to spill again, just when they had finally dried.

“I’m going to untie you now.” Yoongi said, bending over Raelyn to fumble with her hands above her head without waiting for a reaction. Raelyn noticed he smelled freshly showered, a delicate waft of masculine hygiene products entering her nostrils now that he was up close. The proximity scared her even more and a whimper left her mouth.

Yoongi shushed her softly, unclasping the ring of the cuffs from the wall and bringing her stiff arms from above her head to her stomach so he could give Raelyn some space while removing the leather bands from her wrists. The joints of her shoulders hurt.

The skin of her wrists was bright red.

“Come on. Let’s take a breather in the lounge, yeah?” Yoongi mumbled, his voice so quiet that it was almost comforting; as if the smallest raise in his voice would break Raelyn.

Raelyn agreed in her mind that it probably would.

While rubbing her sore wrists, she hesitantly padded after Yoongi. Away from the bunks; a dreadful place in her mind now.

Walking was harder than expected. Raelyn was stiff from laying down in the same position for two hours, her muscles still tense as a result from her shaking body. Her balance was off too and she wondered whether it was the lack of sleep or nutrition that caused it.

Raelyn wasn’t sure where to go when they entered the lounge and hovered near the entrance whereas Yoongi walked straight to the fridge. He grabbed two bottles from it and sauntered towards the couch.

“I won’t bite.” Yoongi spoke from the couch, his eyes focused on Raelyn. “Come sit for a bit and have some water.”

Raelyn obeyed despite being ridiculously scared of the man. She took a seat on the same couch, leaving at least a metre and a half distance between herself and Yoongi. He ignored it, offering her a water bottle and took a sip from a dark bottle himself. With a second glance Raelyn saw ‘cold brew’ printed on it.

Raelyn took the water bottle from Yoongi with shaking hands, the anxiety and overdose of other negative emotions still flowing through her system. The water did soothe her sore throat which was raw from crying and screaming but she took tentative sips to not irritate her upset stomach.

“I will get you some clean clothes and you can take a shower. I have some ointment in my suitcase for your skin too.” Yoongi said, his eyes darting to Raelyn’s wrists for a second.

Raelyn simply nodded. It wasn’t as if she had any choice. It was clear that whatever these men wanted, they would get. They had promised that there would be no violence; that they did not intend to hurt her. All she had to do was obey.

If she said no to Yoongi now, how long would it take for her to be back in that bunk with her hands stuck to the wall once more? Or worse.

Briefly, she wondered whether she should be more scared or grateful to be alone with Yoongi.

Whilst she finished the bottle of water, Yoongi had left the room and came back again with the announcement that there were clothes laid out in the bathroom. Raelyn’s body functioned almost on autopilot.

The warm water did not soothe her cramped muscles in her shoulders and arms and neither did it stop her from shaking. Maybe she didn’t have enough time to calm down. She had discovered by now that the shower did not run warm water any longer than six minutes. It was still a bus with limited capacity after all.

Then again, Raelyn wasn’t sure if she could ever be calm again.

In the small mirror above the sink she saw how blotchy and red her face was, dark eyebags carved into her normally almost-translucent skin. Even the whites of her eyes were red, the small veins noticeable from a distance. She was a mess.

The laid-out clothes were once again too large and Raelyn was ashamed to admit that she recognized Jimin’s sweet, fruity scent on the blue and white striped sweater. The sweatpants had to be tightened with a lot of effort to keep them from falling down over her hips.

Raelyn wondered for a moment about the underwear she had found, a simple black set once again. Why did they give her the underwear and not any other female clothes? Where did the underwear come from? Where did the clothing she folded up after showering go?

Too many questions and she didn’t think about staying long enough to have them answered.

When she opened the door of the tiny bathroom, she saw that Yoongi was still hanging on the couch and he was fully absorbed in the screen of the laptop that was balanced on his thighs. The oversized T-shirt he was wearing revealed his collarbones and a thin silver chain hanging around his neck. Yoongi, too, had small hoops in both earlobes.

“Better?” His low voice startled her. Yoongi hadn’t looked up but he must have noticed her stare. Raelyn’s shoulders hunched closer together automatically; a sore attempt to make herself smaller.

Yoongi looked up when Raelyn didn’t respond.

“I can see you shaking from here. Come on, sit down before you collapse.” He spoke, his voice almost... encouraging? “I have found the ointment for you too.”

So Raelyn walked over and took a seat on the opposite couch this time. A quick nod of Yoongi’s head led Raelyn’s gaze to a small pot of ointment on the table that she applied on her wrists with trembling hands. She took her time, caressing the red skin with care while actively avoiding Yoongi’s piercing gaze.

“You haven’t been sleeping, have you?” Yoongi asked after observing Raelyn with his sharp eyes for a moment.

It was contrasting with the Yoongi she had encountered the previous times. The quiet man with observing eyes and a snappy tongue. The only words he had spoken to her previously to today was a demand for respect.

“I slept for a few hours yesterday.” Raelyn responded quietly, looking up through her lashes and cowering away when she met the man’s heavy stare. The fact that she had been with them for over sixty hours went unspoken.

“Why don’t you try to get some sleep now? I am working anyway. I can wake you up when I’m making lunch.” So Raelyn laid down, following his orders. She needed to make sure not to end up in cuffs again under any circumstance.

Yoongi was silent, only the soft clicks of him typing on his keyboard echoing through the air every now and then. But sleep didn’t come to Raelyn, despite her exhaustion. Her mind kept pondering over the thousands of questions she had, her senses never settling in order to stay aware of her surroundings.

She was stuck in survival mode.

An hour passed, less or more, before Yoongi spoke: “You can’t sleep, can you?”

Raelyn’s head shot up immediately, eyes wide and locking gazes with Yoongi. She couldn’t repel the flinch that shot through her body.

“I suppose it makes sense. I am not sure if I would be any better in your situation. Everything will become clearer and in turn easier, eventually, I promise.” Yoongi dug into the pocket of the jacket he had been wearing when he freed Raelyn and that was now thrown on the space next to him. “Until that time comes, this can help you relax.”

He retrieved his hand from the pocket, fist closed. He held his hand out, turning his palm up and opened his hand to reveal a small plastic bag containing three white pills. Raelyn shook her head.

“I don’t do drugs.” She squeaked, voice wavering. That was the first time she saw Yoongi smile, eyes scrounging almost closed and his gums showing.

“If I say it isn’t drugs I would be lying, but you can get it on a doctor's prescription. It’s valium and it helps with anxiety. A relaxant. It’s often prescribed for people with insomnia too. This is just a tad stronger than doctor’s prescriptions.” Yoongi explained quietly, shaking the bag to make the three pills fall onto his palm.

“You need to sleep, Raelyn. If you stay awake for too long you can become sick or even paranoid.” Yoongi sighed when he saw Raelyn’s contemptuous expression. “You look exhausted.”

“I- I don’t do drugs.” Raelyn stuttered once more, but she could not remove her eyes from Yoongi’s outstretched hand.

Her mind was dubious.

Raelyn was scared to fall asleep in the presence of the men but she knew she wouldn’t get a moment alone any time soon again after she had fucked up so badly. So, taking a nap with only Yoongi present didn’t sound like the worst thing but sleep simply didn’t come naturally. Also, she wasn’t able to think well about a way to escape with a lethargic mind.

Accordingly, the pills in Yoongi’s palm were calling out to her. If Yoongi was truthful, she would take one, besides never having taken more than an aspirin.

In the end, did she really have a choice? She wasn’t willing to find out.

“If it makes you feel better I’ll take one of them and you can have the other two.” Yoongi shook his hand once more, making the pills roll. “You can even choose which ones you want if you are suspicious.”

Yoongi must have seen Raelyn’s apprehension but also her pining. Slowly, Yoongi pushed himself up from his couch and took two slow steps to reach Raelyn’s couch. His free hand found Raelyn’s, pulling it above his hand containing the pills.

“Choose two.” Raelyn did, “Nothing will happen. Look.” Yoongi popped the pill that was left over into his mouth and swallowed it dry. Then, he held out a water bottle to Raelyn.

“I-I,” Raelyn stuttered out, eyeing the pills once more, “Okay.”

She swallowed the two pills before she could back out again, sipping the water greedily. Yoongi taking the drugs too had convinced her. She desperately needed the rest to clear her mind again and hopefully the white pills would help her with that.

For now, it only increased her anxiety. She sat back and squeezed the plastic bottle in her hand to distract herself while she waited for the effect. Silently, Raelyn prayed that the effect would be like Yoongi had told her. For all she knew, she might pass out in a minute.

Soon enough, the panicked thoughts, apprehension and anxiety started to fade. Like a blanket was draped over her mind; a silent calmness. Her cramped muscles relaxed and her hands finally stopped shaking.

Raelyn felt her eyes drooping a bit, her exhaustion suddenly becoming overwhelming, and she decided to lay down on the couch once more with her body facing Yoongi. The man did not seem as affected as Raelyn was. His eyes were focused on the laptop screen while he occasionally lifted his hands up to brush some long bangs from his eyes.

Yoongi was really a beautiful man, Raelyn thought to herself; one of the only thoughts in her quiet mind. He looked very healthy, skin almost as pale as her own but definitely better cared for. His skin was glowing beneath the soft lights in the bus. She could see his broad shoulders under his shirt and the pale and even skin stretched over his collarbones. His round face had surprisingly symmetrical features and if not for his sharp, dark-brown eyes that stared sleepily through his bangs, Raelyn would describe him as soft.

“How old are you?” She wondered out loud, the words almost incoherently quiet.

“Twenty-seven.” Yoongi responded, their gazes meeting once more. There was a slight fog in his eyes too; the single pill was having its effect on him. But, there was a hint of surprise as well.

Raelyn hummed. A five year age gap. How was he so young and so rich?

Raelyn wondered what she would do if she were rich, as she had often done before. Every time she deposited money to pay off another debt or hospital bill, she wished she could have used the money to travel to the warm sun.

Laying in a hammock, swaying back and forth softly while the sunrays engulfed her in a warm and welcome hug. Perfectly silent and all alone.

Her private little paradise.

A loud bang pulled her away from her imagination and her eyes opened with some effort. It had been the door closing behind the other six men, who scattered all over the small area. Seokjin and Taehyung were both looking inside the fridge, while Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok seated themselves down at the tables and Namjoon was standing near Raelyn’s feet, looking down at her.

He looked like a giant from Raelyn’s point of view.

“I’m quite tall, yes.” Namjoon gave Raelyn a closed-lipped smile, his eyes twinkling with humour. It hit her that she had most likely voiced her thoughts out loud.

“When and how many did you give her?” Namjoon spoke.

“I gave her two, four hours ago but I forgot to make food beforehand. That’s why she’s still so affected.” Yoongi answered in a low grumble. Raelyn noticed that Yoongi hadn’t moved away from his position either, laptop still perched on his thighs. The only difference was an empty water bottle and plate next to him on the couch.

“You could have started with one.” Namjoon responded. Behind him, Jimin turned around to look at Raelyn, giving her a small smile. Raelyn was not able to muster and do the same.

“She hasn’t been sleeping.”

Namjoon hummed, crouching down next to the couch that Raelyn laid on.

“Do you want some food, Raelyn-ah?” It was Taehyung that spoke this time and while Raelyn had expected fear as a reaction after the situation this morning, she was left empty. That blanket was still weighing down on her mind and keeping it quiet.

She wasn’t sure if she could feel her toes either.

“Yes.” Because Raelyn might not be able to feel her toes, her stomach was making it clear that it was upset from being this hollow.

She tried to sit up and gratefully accepted Namjoon his hand to help her up since her body was not fully complying yet. Her clouded mind didn’t really mind the situation or rather, the blanket was too heavy to lift and find unwanted thoughts.

Right now, her priority was nourishment and these men were willing to help fulfil her wishes. Who was she to deny it?

Everything went a little quicker than she could process. At one point, everyone was walking through the cramped area, the noise of plates being set down and plastic bags rustling almost overwhelming.

Namjoon had helped her to the table where she sat down in the corner to have the wall as extra support, Seokjin sliding up next to her with a small bottle of sprite.

“Some sugar will do you good as well.” Seokjin smiled at her softly. He still had that apologetic look in his eyes; the same one he had when he cuffed Raelyn’s wrists this morning. She probably should have been scared being this close to Seokjin again, but her muted mind told her to focus on the sugary drink instead.

She took the bottle silently, gratefully noticing that Seokjin had already loosened the cap. The sweet fizziness of the cold drink was more than welcoming. Raelyn felt a small smile form on her lips after a few sips.

“Do you like chicken or beef better, Raelyn?” Taehyung, who sat on Raelyn’s opposite asked her, some fried rice and noodles were already plated in front of him.

“Chicken is okay.” Raelyn looked gratefully at Taehyung as he started scooping some very good looking food onto her plate. He handed her the plate with a pair of chopsticks. The sound of noodles already being slurped gave Raelyn the boost to start eating too.

Or, try to start eating.

“I don’t like chopsticks.” Raelyn mumbled, struggling even more with the two wooden sticks than when she was sober. She wasn’t able to bring a single bite to her mouth. Her remark gained her a loud burst of laughter from the rest of the table.

“We don’t have forks on the bus, sorry. You’ll get used to eating with chopsticks, don’t worry.” Seokjin told her, plucking the two wooden sticks from between her fingers and scooping up a large bite.

Something in her mind was protesting at the action. It felt weird to be fed but Raelyn’s basic instinct overpowered. She leant towards the bite, opening her mouth and taking it from him gratefully. The flavour was immaculate.

Seokjin used the same chopsticks to grab an enormous bite from his own plate and bring it to his mouth. Raelyn stared at the man for a moment. The part in his hair was more obvious today, showing off his forehead slightly. Seokjin kept pouting while he ate, shoving another comically large bite in his mouth that made his cheeks swell. Raelyn couldn’t help but notice how good-looking he still was.

While chewing, he turned back to Raelyn to feed her a bite once more. The table on the opposite of the walking aisle was filled with the other men. They were loudly laughing and bickering.

“Did you get some sleep today then?” Namjoon was the one to ask. He was seated next to Taehyung.

“Yes, it was good.” Raelyn answered politely after swallowing her bite, although she felt like she could sleep for a whole lot longer.

“You should get all the sleep you need. We are changing time zones the day after tomorrow and the jet lag is intense. It kept me up for three days straight last time. We need to have an important conversation tomorrow and sleep will help you focus.” Namjoon gave Raelyn a small smile.

It was so much information at once and Raelyn’s brain was having trouble with processing it. The time zones indicated something about their location, but she wasn’t able to put her finger on it because of the haze.

Raelyn wondered what Namjoon wanted to talk about. Her thoughts were wiped away not a second later by Seokjin holding up another bite of food to her lips.

“Don’t forget to drink.” Seokjin patronised her, pointing his chopsticks towards the bottle of sprite on the table. So Raelyn did.

After a while, the haze in her mind lifted a little when the food settled in her stomach. Namjoon had just announced that the bus would start moving again in an hour and that everyone should be in bed since they wouldn’t get much sleep the night after. Travelling to another continent and all.

Raelyn finally started to realise that they couldn’t be that far away from her home. Maybe they were still in Canada too. But Raelyn knew that escaping was close to impossible, especially now that they did not want to leave her unsupervised and unrestrained.

In Raelyn’s eyes there were only two more possibilities. Trying to escape while travelling or when they were in Korea. Till then, it was just a matter of patience. Regardless, she was pretty much fucked.

Another three bites were fed to Raelyn and she was too anxious to tell Seokjin she was feeling well enough to eat by herself. The plate was close to empty anyway.

“Who do you want to bunk with tonight, Raelyn?”

At that moment, Raelyn wished she hadn’t eaten. The drugs had kept that tranquil cloud over her mind and had stopped her from worrying about the situation all together. With those simple words, Seokjin had made her painfully aware of reality.

She already knew that sleep wouldn’t be an option, not when her nerves were acting up again and the adrenaline found a way into her bloodstream.

So the most logical choice was made; she had slept for the better part of the day in his presence anyway. A misleading kind of trust had been formed between them; she had been drugged up after all.

“Yoongi.”

Not even the others were surprised.

And so it went. All the others got ready first. They seemed very well adapted to the relatively small space and to each other. Undressing happened in the room of the bunks, teeth were brushed near the kitchenette sink or while simply sitting on the couch and scrolling on their phone in the case of Taehyung.

The soft humming sounded through the bus a bit later and indicated they were on the move again.

“Do you want a change of clothes or are you okay with this?” Yoongi spoke up from the other table. They were the only two remaining in the lounge with Jungkook having disappeared into the bunk area as well.

“This is fine.” Raelyn responded, glancing down at the blue and white oversized sweater that hung off her body. It was warm enough for her not to need any blankets, just like the past two nights.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Yoongi quirked up an eyebrow questioningly and she knew she had to get up and brush her teeth before Yoongi would think the drug was still affecting her too much and he would do it for her.

So she did. Jungkook came back into the lounge when Raelyn emerged from the small bathroom and basically forced Raelyn and Yoongi out of it.

“My bunk is top left. Get yourself comfortable, I’ll be there in a few.” Yoongi spoke in a hushed voice, placing a hand on her back and giving her a gentle push towards the door of the bunks. Raelyn did not like it one bit.

Thankfully, the others had closed the curtains of their own bunks already so she did not have to face them. She crawled inside the empty bunk with a little effort, shoving the blankets to Yoongi’s side and pushed herself against the wall.

As promised, Yoongi appeared after a short while, climbing into the bunk with ease and nesting himself into the blankets without spending too much attention on Raelyn. He looked tired, she noticed, and she hoped he would drift to sleep quickly.

The fresh smell of toothpaste entered her nostrils as Yoongi turned his head to face her, eyes already almost closed beneath his too-long bangs. His skin almost intermingled into the pillow so white.

“There’s a book on the small shelf above your head. You can read if you can’t sleep, I’m a deep sleeper so don’t worry about the light.” Yoongi almost whispered, voice so low. “I also brought the ointment for your wrists.”

Upon looking up, Raelyn noticed a small notch in the thin wall next to the light that had the spine of a book sticking out. Next to it was a small pot of ointment from earlier this morning. When her gaze flicked back to Yoongi, he had turned his head to the other side with his eyes closed.

Time seemed to fly by quicker than it had the past two nights. She had applied the ointment on her wrists as quietly as possible, the delicate skin still sensitive to the touch. Then, she counted until she couldn’t manage anymore before grabbing the book that Yoongi had suggested.

Raelyn wished there was a clock. Or a window. Just something to tell time.

The book was too difficult to read as Raelyn’s mind kept drifting away. The alphabet took more effort to read than the one she grew up with reading and the story wasn’t that captivating anyway. To be honest, Yoongi’s taste in books was shitty.

Raelyn wished it was morning again. The men would all leave and she would be alone. Alone was good. She was used to being alone.

Alone at home. Raelyn missed home. The realisation hit her hard. This was the first time she was truly homesick. The way that the chair of her desk would creak with every movement, or the shrill beeps of the microwave once it finished warming up her food.

Her grandma.

God, she missed her grandma. The gaping hole in her chest became significant for the first time in this new situation. Her sudden death had left behind so much pain and only certain artefacts were left behind as memories. Grandma’s rings, the one plant she had been tending to for over thirty years and the golden pin that kept her hair up beautifully.

Raelyn missed it all, so, so much. The smell, the warmth. Or the simple knowledge of knowing her way around the house. She didn’t want the unfamiliarity. The unknown men and their unidentified intentions.

Raelyn wanted to go back to where it was easy and simple. To places that were silent and tender. Where she didn’t have to think all the time. Where she had the memories of her grandma. Memories of love.

And debts.

So many debts.

Raelyn really needed to get back to start paying those debts because if she didn’t, there would be an eviction notice stuck to her door in a mere week. She could already see her belongings carried out of the worn-down apartment. Including her grandma’s belongings. Her memories. Her treasures.

“Yoongi.” Raelyn whispered. She felt the desperate urge to let him know. He had to understand that she needed to go home if she simply explained.

“Yoongi.” Raelyn spoke in an almost normal manner, daring to push against the sleeping man’s shoulder while quick breaths escaped between her lips. Home, she really needed to go. There were debts to pay. An ancient plant to water.

Her grandma would haunt Raelyn if she would let her thirty year old plant die.

“Wha-?” Yoongi’s body convulsed at Raelyn’s second push against his shoulder while eyes bleary with sleep tried to focus on her. Well one eye; the other was squeezed closed against the light.

“I need to go home, Yoongi.” Raelyn whispered urgently, pushing against the man his shoulder once more to get him to move aside so she could pass and walk out and take a taxi home.

Home. Home. Home.

“Raelyn-ah.” Yoongi muffled, voice raspy with sleep. He rubbed in his closed eye while pulling the blanket a little bit further over his clothed shoulder with the other hand.

“They are evicting my apartment. I need to go home and stop them.” Raelyn said out loud, the urgency lacing through her voice.

“Shhh. Don’t wake the others.” Yoongi muttered hoarsely, blinking against the sharp light that was still shining in the corner of the bunk.

“Stop the bus. I- I need to go to my apartment. I can’t lose the apartment and my grandma’s stuff, please.” There was a hidden sob in Raelyn’s voice now, “Let me go.”

Pleadingly, she looked at Yoongi, who let his sleepy gaze flicker down to where Raelyn was applying pressure against his shoulder to get him to move while shushing Raelyn once more.

“C’mon, be quiet. You’re flustered because you haven’t slept enough.” Yoongi responded quietly. “Don’t worry about it. Your stuff is safe.”

“You don’t understand, please. It is very important. I need to go home otherwise they’ll take my apartment.”

“I know this situation is difficult to understand and makes you anxious. But, it will become easier and clearer when we arrive in Korea and the sooner you sleep, the quicker we will be there, yeah?”

Raelyn did not understand why Yoongi avoided answering her pleas for going home. He showed a certain amount of sympathy though and Raelyn let her hand fall away from his shoulder when her futile attempts of pushing him out of the way didn’t work.

Then, Yoongi pulled on the blanket that laid high over his shoulder and draped it over Raelyn’s body who was still pressed against the wall.

“No wonder you can’t sleep, you’re freezing.” Yoongi muttered, bridging the distance that Raelyn had created so carefully at the start of the night. But, Yoongi was right. Raelyn had been very cold and the warmth from the blanket and Yoongi’s body beneath it relaxed her twitchy muscles.

“Turn over.” Yoongi’s tone was soft and surprisingly soothing.

“I- Why?” Raelyn spoke back, voice quieter than before. Yoongi just gave her a tired look, his eyes squinted, while rubbing a flat hand over his puffy face from sleep.

So Raelyn did without protesting further. Yoongi had been kind to her today, he let her sleep without attempting anything, and she could see how worn-out he was. Raelyn’s breath hitched in her throat when Yoongi shifted closer beneath the blankets, basically pressing his body against hers from behind and slinging his arm loosely over her middle.

She wanted to protest at once but Yoongi mumbled a soft “sleep” to silence her. If Raelyn had to be honest, the warmth of Yoongi’s body felt good, almost comforting. Only now she realised how cold and anxious she had been the whole night and evening.

And how tired she still was.

It didn’t take long for her to drift off as well to the sound of Yoongi’s even breaths, the panicked thoughts of a moment ago long forgotten.

Notes:

I'm quite proud of this chapter, it's one of my favourites. The first week of Raelyn staying with BTS will be published into seven chapters; each day. From then on, time jumps will be make. Pre-stay, far future stay, etc, etc. No chronological order after the first week :) Let me know what you think, thanks for reading and take care.

Chapter 5: Day 4

“Yoongi-ssi” Raelyn said, her voice wavering upon using the honorific. All heads turned towards her at once. Not only was this the first time addressing one of them by their name to get their attention, it was also the first time she used a form of honorifics.

Yoongi hummed to show he was listening, his gaze still stuck on the screen of his laptop.

“I-I need... I don’t feel... I- could you, please?” Raelyn stuttered, the cramping muscles in her body making her hands shake continuously. Every nerve hunkered for the white little pill that would provide her with a blanket of comfort and silence.

She had been awake for two hours now, waking up when Yoongi had already left the bed. To her surprise, it was already afternoon once she entered the lounge. Jimin had offered her some toast and strawberries as breakfast before offering another chance to shower and a change of clothes.

“I didn’t quite catch that.” The way Yoongi said it wasn’t taunting, just questioning. Her incoherent words made Yoongi look up from the laptop, mouth slightly parted.

“V-valium, please?” Raelyn felt almost shameful to ask for the drug but the stress for the upcoming conversation was eating her sober mind alive. She needed the blanket of blissfulness; to let the time pass by without blinking an eye so that she wouldn’t bite her nails down to the bed.

The two hours that she had been awake were driving her crazy, especially now that she had nothing to do after being freshened up, she couldn’t stop overthinking.

Yoongi eyed her from top to toe, gaze sharp. It contrasted a lot with the man who had blinked at her with sleepy eyes before cuddling her to sleep in the middle of the night. Which was another reason that made Raelyn long for the drug; to escape that specific memory. She had been weak, showing them her vulnerable side like that.

“No.” Yoongi answered after pondering over it for a moment and he looked back at his laptop screen.

“No?” Raelyn parroted, her throat constricting with even more stress. The denial was like a slap to her face. Yesterday, Yoongi had to convince her to take them and now when she was asking for it, he was refusing her.

“You need to stay sober for our conversation.” Yoongi reasoned, his tone indicating that it was the end of their chat.

Raelyn wanted to protest, to throw a tantrum like a toddler and stomp her foot on the ground. It made her realise that the men could act nice as much as they wanted, at the end of the day they were the ones who decided about Raelyn’s life now. If they didn’t want her to have a valium, she simply wasn’t getting it.

“If you don’t know what to do, you can watch some TV with me.” Jimin intervened and held out one of his earbuds towards Raelyn. “I’m only halfway into the second episode but you haven’t missed much. I can even replay the first episode for you if you want.”

It was kind of Jimin to offer a distraction, so she took the chance and sat down next to him. A little too close for her liking, their shoulders touching and thighs pressed together, but this position gave Raelyn a great view of the iPad in Jimin’s hands. He was nice enough to switch on the subtitles in English, giving her a quick wink with a finger to his lips.

In the end, the drama they were watching took up Raelyn’s focus entirely. The distraction of the iPad was good enough for her not to notice the last two members entering the bus again.

Until Taehyung clapped his hands together loudly, turning away from the sink in which he had deposited his dishes. The loud sound made Raelyn look up to see everybody gathered around where Jimin and she had been sitting.

Jimin paused the drama.

“We need to talk about the flight tomorrow.” To Raelyn’s surprise it was Seokjin that initiated the conversation instead of Namjoon.

“I’m not going to Korea.” Raelyn responded immediately. The tranquillity she had felt watching TV with Jimin disappeared at once.

“You don’t really have a say in that.” Yoongi muttered with a small shake of his head.

“You don’t have a say in that? This is my life and you can’t just do whatever you want with it.” Raelyn could feel tears pooling in the corners of her eyes already. “I want to go home.”

“Do you need us to use force? We don’t want to but if that is what it takes, we will not be afraid to use it.” Namjoon reasoned, crossing his arm with a disappointed look on his face.

“Of course I don’t,” Raelyn’s voice wavered, the tears now streaming down her face, “Just don’t make me go. I don’t understand.”

And that was just it.

She didn’t understand why she was with them, why they were taking her to Korea, what she had to do there, and how these men were managing this whole thing.

How would they manage getting her out of the country? Raelyn had realised by now that they had to be somewhere on the American continent if they were talking about severe jet lags and the fact that they had been travelling in a bus for a few days.

Getting an unwilling person out of a country by a bus -like how they had taken her from her home in Canada- seemed a bit easier getting her to Korea by plane. But, Raelyn thought, they probably had her passport. After all, it had been proven more than once that this whole situation had been planned out.

A substantial silence hung in the air.

“I’ll give you three valiums if you go along with our scheme.” Yoongi spoke up. Raelyn did not miss how Namjoon’s eyes shot towards Yoongi, sending daggers at him.

“Three.” Raelyn repeated to herself, her defiance dimming at the realisation of what Yoongi was offering. Like they had said, they could always use force to make her go which also meant they surely had planned out how she was going to be moved across the world.

The choice was up to her whether she wanted to be consumed by the calm and silent headspace again; perhaps get some more sleep too. Or, if she wanted to let her mind destroy itself with the smallest percentage of being able to escape.

Her hands started shaking again.

“W- What scheme?” Her words let the tense situation deflate, a relieved sigh escaping from Jimin.

“We have to catch a flight at six in the morning which means we will arrive at the airport around four thirty. Somebody that is very close to us will guide you to our plane while we gather our stuff and arrive a little later.” Namjoon explained.

“I’ll give you two valiums up front to make the walk easier. It won’t be busy in the middle of the night anyways. Just stay close to Jeung Hoon,” Yoongi paused when he saw the confusion flash over Raelyn’s face, “The man that will guide you. If you stay silent too and let yourself be seated without protesting, I’ll give you the other one as soon as we take off.”

Raelyn pondered over the words for a moment. Her chances of escaping would be probably zero anyway and she was afraid of the men exerting force over her. She had seen Seokjin’s broad shoulders, Jungkook’s muscles and also Namjoon’s towering height. It had already been so easy for them to pin her down to the bed and cuff her.

If they wanted her to be on that plane, she would be there. Wouldn’t it be the best to go along with them, sedate herself to stop the racing thoughts that would undoubtedly send her into a frenzy and instead find a way out once she was in Korea?

Up to now, they hadn’t hurt her besides using cuffs. They made sure she slept, ate and showered. A false sense of safety, sure, but it could have been worse.

It could have been worse, she kept repeating the sentence in her head a few times.

“Do we have a deal then?” Namjoon raised one eyebrow questioningly. Raelyn took a deep breath before nodding. She couldn’t help but feel a rush of defeat, although she had already been defeated the moment she had woken up in the bus without being able to leave.

“Yes, Namjoon.” Raelyn mumbled, lifting her eyes from her lap to meet his eyes when the man stayed silent. He raised his brow again when their eyes met.

“No honorifics for me?” There was a grin on his face, not particularly angry or threatening, almost playful. He placed his right hand on his cheek and leaned forward to lean his arm on his knee. The way he had to slightly look up through his hooded mono-lids made him look almost predatory.

“Sorry, Namjoon-ssi.” Raelyn corrected herself quickly.

“You can call me Oppa, if you want to.” Raelyn swallowed at the suggestion. Honorifics were a new phenomenon to her when she had started learning Korean but she knew that using Oppa was very informal and used for friends.

These men weren’t friends. But, Raelyn nodded anyway.

“Taehyung-ah, your turn to choose dinner tonight. I think we’ll be back at eight-thirty and have an early night right after. The wake-up call will come at three-thirty tonight.” Namjoon continued turning towards Taehyung and Raelyn let out a soft sigh of relief at no longer being the centre of attention.

Nevertheless, her ears perked at the mention of the men leaving again to today. She caught Hoseok’s eye since he was seated across the table, an apologetic look on his face. At once, Raelyn knew what was coming, a soft sniffle leaving her at the realisation.

“It’s for three hours.” Hoseok answered her without needing her to speak. Her face probably said enough. Before she could protest, Yoongi was already speaking.

“I have a melatonin pill for you to help you fall asleep during those hours if you want. Or Jimin can leave the drama playing on his tablet for you.” Jimin confirmed that with an eager nod.

“It will be the last time in a while that we have to leave you alone like that. Everything will be better.” So Raelyn couldn’t do much more than hope that Seokjin’s words would be true.

Taehyung offered her some food to eat before they would have to leave an hour later but the coiling of her stomach told her that that was a big no. All she felt was the dread of being tied to the wall in the bunk bed again.

Not even a valium to help her drift away from her own mind.

So when the time came, Namjoon, Jin and Taehyung had already left the bus. Raelyn saw how they got ready one by one and her anxiety just kept building until Yoongi squatted down in front of the couch she was on, holding up a small yellow pill this time.

His sharp eyes met hers, void of any judgement when she reached for the pill with a shaking hand. After all, she was desperate for a relief, a sense of tranquillity and until they gave her a valium again, the yellow pill would make do. Raelyn found herself not even questioning if it really was a melatonin pill or not.

Whatever the men wanted would happen anyway.

Yoongi held out an uncapped small bottle of water too so Raelyn didn’t have to swallow the pill dry. She chugged the entire thing, knowing it would be the last for a few hours. When she finished, Yoongi stayed crouched in front of her with his head cocked and a brow raised.

As if he was waiting for someth-

“Thank you, Yoongi-ssi.” Raelyn murmured to the man in realisation, a small smile making its way onto his thin and pink lips. He gave her a curt nod before standing up and gesturing towards the door of the toilet over his shoulder. Raelyn could feel the blood creeping up into her cheeks at the acknowledgement but was grateful for the chance.

Finishing up her business in the small bathroom and trying to calm her breath, all Raelyn could think about was how badly she wanted to stay in there. Lock the door and maybe flush herself down the toilet if it were possible. Not long after, her name was called and she knew she had to get out.

It was Jungkook this time. The man hadn’t spoken throughout the whole conversation earlier, Raelyn hadn’t even noticed him being present, but there he stood leaning against the wall with a familiar pair of cuffs in his hand.

“The others had to leave already and I need to follow as soon as possible.” Raelyn couldn’t understand how the man could have such a sweet eyes and voice, almost like a teenager, but act so sure with a pair of cuffs dangling from his fingers. “C’mon let’s not make it difficult. Jimin set up the drama for you to watch.”

Raelyn eyed the man quickly, still in the doorway of the bathroom to see if she could try and make a run for it. He was alone, all she needed was a good hit in the right place and he could be overpowered.

“I can lift you with one arm, don’t try.” Jungkook had the audacity to let out a chuckle at his own words, reading Raelyn’s thoughts right from her face.

Somehow, Raelyn didn’t doubt it, having seen his physique and she walked into the bunks without a protest. It felt degrading, sitting down on the edge with her hands out in front of her while the young man fastened them around her wrists.

She couldn’t stop yet another sob from escaping when the click of the cuffs being attached to the wall reached her ears. Jungkook made quick work of it, hitting the ‘play’ button on the tablet and leaving with a small ‘be back later’ while he hurried out of the bus.

Raelyn wished she could cry but none of the tears came. For a moment she wondered if she had reached her capacity of tears, because only the occasional dry sob left her lips. The drama was playing in the background and the last sane part of her mind told her to focus on it.

There was no point in crying and panicking again since the men wouldn’t be home until three hours later. She was stuck, literally, and a fight between her and seven others was nothing else but a losing battle.

So she focused on the drama, silently thanking Jimin for preferring romantic series because Raelyn for sure wouldn’t be able to handle a thriller or more drama. Slowly, her blinking became slower, the lids of her eyes too heavy and her eyes too dry after tearing up so much in the past few days.

The melatonin pill was surely doing its work, Raelyn thought before drifting to a quiet sleep, not even waking up when they uncuffed her or when Seokjin slipped into the bunk next to her later that evening to get some necessary hours of sleep.

Notes:

Hey loves,

Another chapter! If you like my writing, please check out my other stories. I'm posting another 10k A/B/O Taekook fic somewhere tomorrow too.

Take care! <3

Chapter 6: Day 5

Raelyn had not taken into account that being seated without protesting meant being strapped in by the safety belt with a cuff attached to it. She had been seated in a singular chair facing another empty one. Next to her was a small aisle and then a four-seater with a table. The entrance was right behind her, out of sight. At the back of the plane was a couch with a flatscreen hanging above a low fridge on the opposite, and another hallway that presumably led to the toilet and another area separated by a small curtain.

Raelyn had seen the size of the jet upon entering and wouldn’t be surprised if the piece of cloth would reveal a bedroom or a full-sized kitchen or something.

The interior of the jet was mostly brown, with leather chairs and oak lining the walls, and the space more illuminated by the light of the bustling airport through the numerous windows than by the actual ambient lightning lining the ceiling.

Once more, Raelyn’s panic didn’t surface. If she turned her head to the side she could oversee a significant part of the airport from the little window. Never in her life had she been at an airport before and it was more fascinating than she had ever imagined. It was a place of non-stop motion and the time passed by easily, her mind fully occupied with the bustle outside despite it being the middle of the night.

So, by the time the men all walked in, Raelyn had no idea how much time had passed. They were still dressed in the comfortable clothes they had been wearing in the bus but the additional hats and facemasks made them appear almost incognito. The accessories were disposed of, the bags were dropped and the coats were shrugged off. The men all found their way around the plane easily, taking up their own chair without discussing a single thing. Raelyn quietly observed. It must be too early in the morning for them to start a conversation.

“I’m happy you did so well. Namjoon will get you out of those in a minute.” It was Jimin who sat himself at the four-seater next to Raelyn, on the other side of the aisle. His eyes flit down to the cuffs around Raelyn’s wrists while he spoke and to be honest, Raelyn hadn’t even realised she was still bound.

“Are you thirsty? There’s all kinds of sodas and juice too. I can get you something, yeah?” Raelyn answered softly that she would like some orange juice, cracking the smallest smile at Jimin’s bright and enthusiastic one.

She stared out of the window for another moment, seeing another plane depart in the distance and realised she was glad that Yoongi had offered another pill. It would be nothing else but great to be entirely numb, because she was actually very nervous about flying. The nerves actually made her stomach curl upon itself and Raelyn felt a grimace making its way on her face.

She was happy that her breakfast in the bus hadn’t been more than a simple banana. They had told her to sit quietly on the couch after shrugging on yet another pair of sweats and a lilac hoodie this time, of which the sleeves covered her entire hands. The men were like a storm, bustling through the bus to gather their last things.

To her surprise, they had handed her a pair of her own shoes. The worn-out and brandless pair of black sneakers had never looked so good as they did in that moment. Raelyn actually felt her heart clench at the sight of something that was hers. Not a second after she had tied the laces, two valiums were offered, which she swallowed eagerly.

Due to her small breakfast, the blanket covered her brain not even ten minutes later. Right at the moment that they were to step outside. Four of them had stepped out in front of her and two of them were behind her, with Jimin holding her hand next to her. She supposed it was to stop her from running off.

However, there wasn’t a single chance to do so since they stepped out and Raelyn could get a lungful of fresh air for the first time in days, before stepping into a much smaller van that drove them to the airport.

Namjoon appeared in her line of vision all of a sudden and got her out of the cuffs, squatting in front of her and massaging the skin of her wrists with his thumbs once the leather fell off. He looked almost soft, Raelyn noticed, squatted down in front of her in a baggy and dark-blue set of lounge wear, dishevelled lilac hair covering his forehead but a composed gaze staring up at her. He had a small birthmark beneath his plump bottom lip, right in the crease of his chin.

“You want a drink?” Namjoon asked, giving her a close-lipped smile. Raelyn noticed how clean he smelled, a delicate natural scent around him. Linen and spice, that is how she would describe it. The lack of a cologne was somehow working very well for him.

“Uhm, I think Jimin-ssi is getting one for me.” Raelyn answered, casting her gaze away to check if the plane wasn’t already moving. On cue, Jimin appeared next to her seat and set down a champagne flute filled with ice-cold orange juice in front of her on the small table attached to the wall. Raelyn’s eyes traced a drop of condensation dripping down the side of the glass before she remembered her manners and thanked Jimin.

That small interaction seemed to be good enough for both of the men, Jimin turning away to make his way towards and past the curtain at the back of the plane and Namjoon walking to the couch near the flatscreen.

Yoongi walked by not much later, dropping the much-longed-for pill onto the table next to her glass with an ‘as promised’ mumbled beneath his breath. Raelyn chased it eagerly with a big gulp of juice.

While sipping the rest of her juice slowly, Raelyn lost herself in the bustle outside once more until the plane started moving with a small shock. Taehyung took the seat opposite of her, strapping himself in with a belt and finding her gaze.

“Nervous?” Taehyung threw a pointed look at Raelyn’s hands which were fidgeting, nails catching at the bed of her thumbs and rubbing at the cuticle. The absence of blood was a miracle with how much she had been exercising the nervous habit those past days. Raelyn bit her lip, thinking that the third pill was taking a tad too long to dissolve and work, for Raelyn’s liking.

“Yes, I’ve never flown before.” Raelyn answered Taehyung truthfully after a few seconds, watching the passing outside world with slight fascination. “Never even been to an airport either.”

Taehyung let out a hum of surprise.

“Once it takes off it is going to make a loop but after that you can loosen your seatbelt and walk around.” He said, the corners of his lips tilted upwards, as if to stop himself from smiling.

“I think a plane this size would go against physics if it loops.” Raelyn answered, not fully understanding the fact that he was joking with how her mind started to get even more clouded, the blanket slowly smothering every little corner of her brain. Taehyung’s grin turned into a boxy smile and Raelyn realised she hadn’t seen him smile but it looked very good on him. His normally piercing dark eyes lit up and scrunched shut, making him a lot less intimidating than his resting face.

“C’mon, I’ll massage your feet so they don’t get swollen from the pressure.” The man prompted then, patting his hand on his thigh to point where Raelyn should place her foot.

“You really want to give me a foot massage?”

“Sure. It will help you fall asleep too. If breakfast is served I will wake you up, deal?” And so Raelyn had accepted yet another deal. Taehyung explained to her how she could decline her chair and took her feet off the ground and put them in his lap, untying the laces of her sneakers and pulling them off, socks following suit.

His slender fingers wrapped around Raelyn’s ankles when her feet were bare and gave a strong tug, stronger than she expected from the man. Raelyn slid down in her own chair but found the position comfortable enough. She could even peek out of the window as the plane was manoeuvred onto the airstrip.

Or maybe she should close her eyes. She wasn’t sure what would make take-off less scary.

Distraction came soon enough in the form of Taehyung’s long finger stroking over the sole of her foot that left a tickling sensation. Raelyn squirmed which made Taehyung chuckle. He then put his left hand on her achilles heel and bent her foot upwards so he faced her sole clearly, and used his right hand to press his thumb into the middle of her foot. Slowly, he rubbed circles while he gazed outside as well.

Then, the plane started to accelerate with a force so strong it pushed Raelyn against the back of her seat. The sensation was so abrupt that she whimpered, her stomach flipping.

Taehyung started massaging her feet with more dedication, using his other hand to cup her heel, the warmth of his palm nothing but soothing.

“That feels really nice.” She breathed out as the man kept working his hands on her feet. Not long after, Raelyn realised she wasn’t being pushed in her seat anymore. Instead, the plane was now horizontal and the sensation was just like riding a car or bus. The window on her side showed her the night sky, a hint of red in the distance an indication of the rising sun. It was breath-taking and mind blowing that she was actually flying.

Taehyung pulled her feet further into his lap, working his thumbs deep into the sole, stroking the muscles between the bones on the top of her foot and cracking every toe. Vaguely, Raelyn noticed how intimately her foot was placed now, resting lightly on top of Taehyung’s thigh, right next to, or even half on, Taehyung’s crotch. But in his defence, he was as relaxed as Raelyn with his body hanging down his seat and his eyes nearly closed. Only his working fingers indicated that he was awake.

“Taehyung-ah, that’s enough.” Hoseok’s sudden strict words dulled no contradiction. Raelyn saw him standing next to their seats with another glass of orange juice, white t-shirt hanging off his shoulders and a sharp gaze focused on Taehyung, his top lip pulled up just a tad. He seemed to be annoyed and it was one of the first times Raelyn didn’t see him happy or bright.

But Taehyung obeyed, letting go of Raelyn’s foot. She tugged it back to curl up on the chair, struggling a bit with the tight seatbelt. Hoseok leant over her to put the glass of orange juice on the table for her to drink, before letting his hands drop to her lap to click the belt open. She would’ve been startled by the action if not for the valiums that were keeping her mind dull.

She had totally forgotten she was allowed to free her seatbelt after take-off and she curled upon herself with a soft and happy hum. The seat was big enough anyway.

“When do we arrive?” She asked out-loud to no one in particular. Hoseok, who hadn’t walked away yet since he was on his phone while leaning on the back of her chair, was the one to answer.

“In about eleven hours, so make yourself comfortable. You can tell us when you’re hungry because there’s plenty of food. There’s a bed in the back for if you want to have a nap or just on the chair is also fine.” She tilted her head back to look at him and he smiled kindly with his lips closed but eyes bright. So pretty, Raelyn thought.

She directed her gaze to the window once more, seeing the sky cast in reds and pinks, the sun rising like a ball of fire in the distance. It was breathtaking. Raelyn never got many opportunities to see the sun rise, nor to see it set. She was always busy working or doing chores. When she looked down a little she gasped, the thousands of lights taking her breath away.

“It’s so pretty.” She mumbled, bringing her nose even closer to the glass until it was almost pressed against it. Behind her, she heard a chuckle. After a minute of watching, the view not changing much, she glanced around the cabin.

Jimin and Namjoon were on their phones in the four-seater next to her, while Jungkook and Seokjin were both holding a game device, making loud remarks at each other. Hoseok had wandered off from the back of her chair to lay down on the couch with the TV on and Taehyung was staring at her.

“Is there something wrong?” She asked him, his stare as intense as ever. He licked his lips, before smiling at her.

“It’s admirable how amazed you are by flying.” He chuckled, his eyes flitting around the cabin quickly as well, “But it’s logical too. Normally, flying wouldn’t be like this. Let’s call you a lucky one, yeah?”

Raelyn wasn’t stupid and knew that the inside of a plane were normally rows and rows of chairs, so in that sense this was an immense upgrade. Flying with a private plane was something for the extreme rich. But then again, so was owning a whole bus.

She wouldn’t call herself lucky though since it wasn’t her who had made the decision to fly to another country. Her fingers started caressing the skin of her wrist absent-mindedly, happy that at least force hadn’t been used.

Jeong-Hoon, the man who had guided her from the car to the plane had been nothing but nice either. Stern but nice. All she had to do was put on a facemask and the hood of the lilac hoodie. The strange man had told her to hold his hand and Namjoon’s pointed stare from over Jeong-Hoon’s shoulder had been enough to grab it. After all, her mind had already been reasonably clouded by the drugs that she had been given before entering the car.

They had gotten into a little golf cart with a chauffeur and reached the plane in no time without seeing a single person. There were no checks, no security, nothing. It was impossible, Raelyn had thought. Her suspicion about the men had become even larger after that experience.

During the ride, she had asked Jeong-Hoon if he could let her go, and that she wasn’t there willingly. All he did was chuckle, patting her knee with his hand that wasn’t holding hers in a comforting way as he told her that he knew. She had remained silent after that.

Upon entering the plane, Jeong-Hoon had guided her to take a seat in the chair, strapping her safety belt close for her. When he took her wrists, she thought about protesting for a moment since she knew this was her last chance before take-off, but the man noticed immediately.

“I’m a fully-trained bodyguard. You won’t be able to achieve anything except for me telling on you and breaking your little deal with the others.” The man spoke calmly, holding her wrist in a soft grip and wrapping the familiar leather band around each. “You’re doing good, one more wrist. You can have a piece of candy when I’m done. The others will be here in half an hour.”

Vaguely, she felt like a child with the way she was spoken to but the candy that Jeong-Hoon put to her lips was orange-flavoured (her favourite) and she could suck on it to pass the time. He told her goodbye when he had made sure that the cuffs were in place and she was quickly captivated by the outside world, the taste of orange lingering on her tongue.

And now she was in the air flying to a strange country with men she didn’t know and without a single clue about what they wanted or expected from her. But that was a care for later, when her eyes weren’t drooping even though she had slept a full night. Waking up next to Seokjin had been quite the surprise.

She felt warm, warmer than before and she wondered where she had gotten a blanket from. It was soft and smelled like laundry detergent. Raelyn couldn’t help but bury her nose in it, curling her legs up a little more.

A little nap wouldn’t harm her, there were still eleven hours to go.

Chapter 7: Day 6

“This is our communal living room and kitchen. If we want to do something together like a movie night or have dinner, this is where we hang out. Each of us have individual spaces connected to the communal area too, but this is our main entrance.” Hoseok shot her a broad smile when he stepped aside, arm pointing outwards to show Raelyn what he was talking about.

The area they had entered was a spacious one, accentuated by the light that came from the glass wall on the opposite of the entrance. From where Raelyn stood, she could see the green leaves on the trees in front of the window, providing a natural barrier for privacy. The light from the window made the mahogany wood that found its way into several pieces of furniture glow warmly.

She hadn’t been able to see anything on her way to the house, her eyes covered by a piece of cloth when they had entered yet another van in the airport. Jeong-Hoon had helped her get there and inside first, making her wait with cuffs around her wrist a full twenty minutes before the men entered. Only then, Namjoon had held up the piece of cloth with an apologetic look.

Raelyn knew protesting was futile by now, so she let it happen. In exchange, the cuffs fell off her wrists not many seconds later. Raelyn had used the time of the drive to wake-up, her mind still groggy from a full nine-hour sleep and a dose of Valium that might have been a little too much.

But now she was standing in the house, with the cloth that had been covering her eyes disposed of onto the floor. The large part of the room was filled with a gigantic couch that could seat at least ten people and faced a flatscreen of an equally massive size. There were limited decorations but enough to keep the room from looking sterile. The lamps, for example, lined the ceiling in a warm hue but there were also small rattan lamps spread across the space. On the right hand was a large kitchen table with a modern version of a chandelier dangling above it.

The space was spotlessly clean, the kitchen on the left hand, with a butcher block that separated the TV-lounge from the cooking area, looked unused. It was luxurious; a spitting image of wealth once more.

“You should see my space! You most likely won’t be staying the night but I have table football and my shower is the most luxurious one of all.” Jungkook exclaimed, his eyes glinting with excitement. He looked ready to scoop Raelyn off the floor and take her away; it made her take a small step back anxiously.

“It only has two extra settings compared to ours and you don’t even have a bench.” Taehyung muttered, toeing off his shoes and walking over to the gigantic couch. His suitcase was left abandoned at the door.

“Why would I want a bench in my shower?” Jungkook scrunched his nose in disdain.

“So you can sit down and overthink all your life decisions. That’s what a shower is for.” Taehyung argued as he shrugged his jacket off and got his phone out of his pocket. Raelyn wasn’t sure if the man was sarcastic, since he was the most difficult to read if he didn’t wear his boxy smile.

“You’re the worst. Sitting down is absolutely not superior to my extra settings. I will let you know that one of those extra settings is a steam dispenser with seven different scents.” Jungkook argued, “My shower is superior and you can’t even deny it. You sometimes come over to shower, for god’s sake!”

“Yah! Enough, you win the competition, Kook-ah.” Jin signalled that this was the end of the argument, flapping his one hand dismissively while rubbing his eye with the other. “I’m going to unpack and take a nap. Let’s have dinner in three hours.” He spoke before he strolled out of the communal room.

The others followed suit, all going their own ways in the house and Jungkook tapped Raelyn’s shoulder before he beckoned her to follow him. Raelyn did so, still hesitant. Once again, the whole ordeal was a lot to process.

“Namjoon’s shower has plants. Even plants are cooler than a fucking bench.” Jungkook muttered to Raelyn as he made his way to a door with Raelyn in tow. Raelyn hummed mindlessly, not really listening. It did not really matter to her who had the best shower.

The space they entered was almost as Raelyn expected; most of it black, grey and white with minimalistic furniture and sharp edges everywhere. But, to Raelyn’s surprise, it also looked lived in. There were paintings and pictures on various walls and one wall was completely covered by a closet made of various sized wooden cubes. Every cube contained frills and other small statues, cards and objects that made no sense to Raelyn but probably had a degree of importance to Jungkook.

She saw Jungkook tread further into the apartment and she hesitantly followed. He was talking and pointing, but it was way too quick to follow so she simply stayed silent. Slowly, she came to the understanding that this was their permanent housing and she would probably be here for a while.

It would be convenient to know her surroundings.

Jungkook walked up to a door, the only one clearly visible besides the entrance. Behind the door was a medium-sized bedroom with a large bed covered in black blankets and walls pasted with posters. Like a teenager.

“That’s so I don’t wander around the apartment at night, we had too many accidents with that.” Jungkook chuckled at his own words as he pointed to the lock on the bedroom door. “Thankfully I am not able to open locks in my sleep.”

Then, Jungkook made his way towards a space that was separated from the main area by tinted glass in a black, aluminium frame. He seemed to have disappeared into a walk-in closet, leaving the door open behind him so Raelyn could sneak a glance inside with ease as she kept her distance.

Before following Jungkook into the closet, a large frame on the wall caught Raelyn her eye. The frame was thin and silver, the picture inside mostly black and dark blue. There was a person in the middle, wearing a dark suit with glitter all over it. Their hair laid on top of their head with a middle part; a sweaty mess, strands sticking to their forehead, eyes looking down and to the side at something, a grin hanging on their lips.

That person in the picture was Jungkook himself. His skin was bright, shining healthily in the lights casted from above and there were dark smudges on his eyelids, his eyebrows and cheekbones prominent and sharp.

There was a pink microphone in his hand.

Raelyn stared at the picture for another second, mouth falling open when everything clicked into place. As if the puzzle piece that she had been looking for finally appeared and completed the puzzle, revealing its truth.

“You are a celebrity.” Raelyn voiced out loud, inhaling sharply through her nose to regain the breath she had just lost. It felt like she had taken a punch to the gut. Raelyn wished that the despair hadn’t sounded so clearly in her voice.

Because the men being rich was one thing, but then being famous was a whole fucking lot more. Because them being famous meant only one thing: Raelyn would never go back to her old life.

Taking into account the level of wealth and authority these men seemed to have, and how they pulled off an abduction without anybody knowing, going as far as travelling to a different county without anyone noticing Raelyn in their company, meant that these men were really fucking influential.

They had power, for sure. A noteworthy career.

Something that Raelyn could pose a big threat to if discovered. She realised all too well that if she stepped out of line and threatened to expose them, the risks for these men were immense. She was perfectly able to ruin their careers and put them behind bars within a second if anyone discovered the truth. A worldwide media scandal.

She knew what they looked like, their names and to a certain extent, their location; they wouldn’t just let her leave with the information she had. How they had taken her away from her own life to be with them, not telling her a single thing about why, how, who or what. And to do whatever the future was to bring.

The security precautions on the house must be solid; built not only to keep unwanted people outside, as Raelyn guessed there surely must be people who would try to break in, but probably also to keep Raelyn inside.

Inside forever. Until they decided they were done with her and she would be disposed of. But, not before making sure she wouldn’t be able to tell anybody, ever. Raelyn didn’t even want to think about the end of her life and how it would go.

When Jungkook said something, his voice came from far away and Raelyn noticed she was shaking all over. She breathed through her nose harshly once more to fill her lungs with burning oxygen while she couldn’t take her eyes off the picture in front of her.

“Raelyn.” Raelyn saw how Jungkook approached her from the corner of her eye but she took a step back and away from him immediately.

Raelyn realised at that moment that she had to make sure she would never be disposed of. To keep them pleased and happy, to gain their trust. Find information and then maybe one day she would have a chance of escaping. But that was easier said than done.

Just looking at Jungkook, the tall and muscled man, made her shiver. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted and she would have to give in. Or not give in; he could make it happen anyway and that was what scared her most.

Their power.

Her life was fully and truly in their hands. She was the puppet and they all played with the strings. All seven of them.

“Hyung, problem!” Jungkook bellowed out when he noticed Raelyn backing away from him. Seokjin strode inside Jungkook’s room not a second later. A flicker of his eyes from Jungkook to Raelyn, and then to the picture was enough.

“Aish, we wanted to explain during dinner tonight but I guess now would be better. Living room in five minutes, I’ll get the others.” Seokjin rubbed a hand over his face that clearly displayed his exhaustion, “No more pills, Jungkook.” Was the last thing Seokjin said before leaving.

It took Raelyn a second to notice that Seokjin was talking about her and her panic; her breathing still hadn’t evened and the occasional tremor shot through her body. Again, she had been denied the drugs that calmed her down in the moment that she felt like she needed it most.

“You can sit down for a second, I’ll get you some water.” Jungkook said, as if he knew that what Raelyn needed most -besides the calming little pill- was some space. She pushed her back against the cold wall and slid down. Her back was sweaty from tension, the fabric of the hoodie sticking to her damp skin immediately.

Now that Jungkook had gone and she had some space to breathe and think, Raelyn’s mind stayed empty. Because there wasn’t much to think about, the situation was more than clear. There was no way of fighting an army of seven wealthy and influential men.

Raelyn would have to try her best to protect herself in whatever way necessary and get to know as much as possible about these men to give her even the slightest chance of a future. And to refrain herself from getting hurt. They hadn’t yet, but now she was truly locked away from the world, she had no idea what to expect.

But, Raelyn knew how to survive. She had been doing that for years already.

Five minutes passed by way too quickly, Jungkook waiting for her at a reasonable distance with his shoulder against the wall observing Raelyn sipping her water. She let her eyes flit towards him every now and then and his eyes never strayed away.

It was time to get up, she knew.

“Raelyn-ah, come sit down. We want to explain some things.” Namjoon spoke up from the couch where all of the men had gathered in the living room, his voice calm and steady like it had been on the first day. She had heard him bicker and be good-humoured with the others in her short time with them, but this voice was laced with authority; it meant business.

Jungkook walked from behind her to join the others on the couch as well.

Raelyn was dubious. She was grateful for receiving more information but on the other hand, the information wouldn’t mean much after her earlier realisation of having to stay with them for the rest of her maybe not-so-long-lived life.

So, she made her way over to them slowly.

“Let’s start with the obvious that you were right earlier, we are famous. We just came back from our world tour, from America to be exact. It wasn’t our plan to keep you in the dark for so long but there were no other options for you to come at a different time and we couldn’t reveal anything until we got home.” It was Namjoon again, while he crossed his legs and put his fist beneath his chin so he was able to lean forwards on it, eyeing every single emotion that passed over Raelyn’s face.

“Why?” It was the most pressing question that Raelyn had at the moment. Why was she there, why her? Why would they risk their career like this?

“Security precautions.” Hoseok brushed his hands through his hair, leaning back on the couch but gaze steady on Raelyn’s face. All their eyes were pointed at her and she couldn’t help herself when her lip found a way in between her teeth while her nails picked at her own nail beds. Nerves, nerves and even more nerves. She felt even more uncomfortable than on the bus.

“No, why did you do this?” Raelyn answered, trying to remain composed. The men were all strangely calm, like they viewed this as a day-to-day conversation. Their relaxed postures confirmed that and Raelyn realised how much more peaceful they were in their home. Their guards were down now that they could finally talk to Raelyn.

“It must be hard for you to understand, Raelyn-ah but life as a celebrity can be lonely. Trusting people is hard and confiding in them about work is almost impossible without the countless paperwork.” Jimin started, tone soft and almost pleading for Raelyn’s understanding. “We felt lonely. We wanted someone to care about and share our happiness and enthusiasm with.”

“I’m sure many people would have stayed with you if you just asked.” Raelyn sneered, finding their reasoning nothing but selfish.

There was an uncomfortable silence after that.

“We want to give you everything you need Raelyn-ah. You don’t have to worry about money and working anymore. We don’t want you to be afraid, you’re not here to be hurt. You’re here because we want to take care of you. All we ask in return is your compassion.” It was Seokjin who spoke. Yoongi, who was seated next to him, pursed his lips and bobbed his head along with Seokjin’s words in confirmation.

“That being said, there are a few things we could consider as rules.” Namjoon took the conversation back to serious matters without waiting for a counter-argument from Raelyn. “The first one is that every day of the week your room is one of ours. Of course you can skip Jungkook, otherwise you won’t be able to get an ounce of sleep. On that day you can choose whoever you want to sleep with for an extra night.” Raelyn scowled at his words; she wouldn’t even have her own space. There were tears prickling behind her eyes.

“You do have your own closet though, there is a spare one in Seokjin’s space where you can create your own wardrobe. Like we said, money is not an issue.” It was Jimin again. He seemed to try the hardest to let her see the positives of the whole situation. That was information Raelyn stored at the back of her mind; it meant that Jimin felt a certain degree of guilt.

“When we are home you are free to go wherever you want to go, even outside on the balcony. You can do what you feel like doing and if you would like to do anything specific, just tell us. Don’t be afraid to talk to us about anything.” It was Taehyung this time.

“But I can’t leave the house?” Raelyn’s eyes flit to the door knowingly. She counted all five of the locks that had clicked into place after entering.

“Let’s get acquainted with each other first.” Yoongi spoke calmly, eyes squinting at Raelyn tiredly.

“So I’m not free. You put me from one prison into another.”

Another stony silence filed with Raelyn’s agitated breaths.

“Okay, why don’t you show Raelyn further around the house, Kook? The rest can unpack and I’ll order us some take-out. Dinner in an hour, yeah?” Seokjin ended the conversation with his words, clapped in his hand and walked out of the room with his phone to his ear. Others followed suit, all walking up to a different door.

Jungkook held out his hand to Raelyn and guided her around the rest of the apartment with just as much energy as before the hefty conversation. He pointed out every little thing, taking books and other items off the shelves, voice becoming significantly more cheery when showing Raelyn that his shower was indeed superior to the others.

The others didn’t spare Jungkook and Raelyn a glance when they barged in, simply focusing on clearing out their massive suitcases and settling back into their homes. And although Raelyn was still not fully over her panic, the rational part of her mind took in every piece of their surroundings.

The personalities of every individual was clearly brought back in their own spaces and Raelyn felt like it could be useful. How Hoseok’s room was filled with bright stuff, how Namjoon’s was light and had a natural vibe -just like his shower, covered in plants, and how Taehyung’s room felt like travelling back in time with dark wood, record collections and paintings giving a sleek but warm ambiance.

As promised, dinner was served an hour later on the large table in the communal kitchen. The word diet was thrown around every now and then, making Raelyn frown and dig in even more. After eating sparsely and unhealthily for years, she was happy to finally get some proper food into her system.

It shocked her how easy the first positive thing of being with the men came into her mind, like she hadn’t woken up disoriented, been cuffed to a bed, been told not to leave and is forced to share a bed with strange men every night.

The bite of rice with kimchi that was on its way to her mouth suddenly halted mid-air when she realised that tonight would be another night to sleep with either Namjoon or Taehyung. But this time, it would be all alone without anyone else present in the room like it was in the bunks.

Her appetite was gone at once.

“What’s wrong?” Hoseok asked as he was the one sitting opposite of her and noticed her hesitation first.

“I- uh..” Raelyn put her chopsticks down on the table to avoid them from rattling together caused by her shaking hands. “I am scared.”

“Why?” Seokin asked through a mouth-full. Raelyn just stared at her food, hoping it was obvious why, otherwise these men we dumb. She had been scared a lot already but being in this house, all alone with them made her anxiety rise like crazy.

“Why, all of a sudden?” It was Yoongi that specified, always sharp and observant.

“I’ll be all alone with one of you tonight.”

“If we wanted to take advantage, we would have long done it.” The words Hoseok muttered were so blunt that it made Raelyn gasp.

“Don’t be so blunt, Hobi-hyung.” Jimin exclaimed through a mouth full of rice.

“We told you that you’re not here for that. All we get from having you in our beds is comfort, a warmth to sleep with. But, there’s only two choices left for this week.” Namjoon had also put down his chopsticks and indicated to himself and Taehyung.

They had kept perfect track.

Raelyn knew that she’d rather have Taehyung than Namjoon. Taehyung had been nice and she had actually felt comfortable with him on the plane. Namjoon felt intimidating, too dominant and big for Raelyn’s nerves to settle.

She doubted that she would get another valium or melanin pill. Unless the men were okay with having a drug addict as their captive. She could ask, but not before she gave them an answer.

“Taehyung.” The man looked at her through his bangs, corners of his mouth curled up.

“Let’s go then.” Was what Taehyung answered her fifteen minutes later when everybody had finished eating and Yoongi was clearing the table with Jungkook. The exhaustion was clear on his face, eyebags darkened by the shadows of his long hair. After all, Raelyn could imagine that a world tour would be strenuous.

On the other hand, she had no idea about life as a celebrity. Hell, she barely went outside of her house, let alone travel the whole world and perform for thousands of people. Raelyn tried to ignore the spark of curiosity that actually flared up in her stomach.

Taehyung’s room was warm despite the weather outside turning cold and it smelled like cotton. Since Jungkook showed her the room earlier, Taehyung didn’t guide her around and she couldn’t help but feel awkward just standing. It felt like she was intruding, almost.

“I’ll get you some pants to sleep in from Jimin that fit you the best and I have a T-shirt for you. My room is warmer than the bus anyway. You can find a new toothbrush in the cupholder above the sink and my cleanser and moisturiser are free for use.” Taehyung walked up to Raelyn after opening the door to his bathroom and stopped when there was barely thirty centimetres between them.

“We will have to get you to a dermatologist soon. I don’t get how you managed to damage your skin without seeing the sun.” He laughed at his own words, a deep rumble that revealed perfectly white teeth. Before Raelyn could retort, he was out of the room in search of pants and Raelyn made use of her alone time in the bathroom now that she could.

She had no idea about the skincare Taehyung mentioned so she simply washed her face with water and used the nearest towel she found to dry it, brushing her teeth with the new brush that she noticed was actually for children, the handle being a panda.

With nothing else to do, she went out and saw that there was a plain black T-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants on the bed. Taehyung’s bed wasn’t separated from his living space. His room was the most open one, with the dark green box spring bed actually being the main eyecatcher. The curtains were all drawn and Taehyung stood in his own closet, which was basically a room with tinted glass, big enough to put a couch inside too.

Raelyn decided on not drawing it out any longer and crawled into the bed. They smelled just like the room, warm and fresh cotton. Suddenly, Raelyn wasn’t so sure if she was able to stay awake the whole night, the mattress folding around her body and her pillow fluffy and supportive at the same time.

Was this bed made by gods? Was this what money could give?

“Making yourself comfortable, I see.” With a gasp, Raelyn retrieved her face from the pillow she was burying her face in, being caught for, well... practically nesting into Taehyung’s bed.

Taehyung stood at the foot of the bed with a bright grin on his face, eyes dark and chest bare. There was a pair of chequered pants hanging low on his hips. Raelyn felt ashamed when she let her eyes travel over his body.

“Good, you’re actually on my side of the bed but I’ll let you stay.” He spoke, voice soft and low. He lifted the blankets on the other side of the bed and slid in, crawling all the way to the middle of the bed. “Is it too late to tell you that I am a cuddler when I sleep?” He whispered, when Raelyn stared at him with eyes wide open.

Raelyn wanted to say something, but she wasn’t able to. Too many impressions at once and when Taehyung rolled over to switch off the last light illuminating the room, she grabbed his arm below the blankets.

“Please leave it on.” Raelyn whispered hoarsely. Taehyung let his eyes glide over her, pursed his lips and then shrugged shortly before turning his back to the light and closing his eyes. He was facing Raelyn, barely a forty centimetre distance.

The proximity made Raelyn feel vulnerable, the whole situation did. So, she turned over and nested back into the soft pillow and warm blankets. Exhaustion was prominent inside of her and there was no fight left when Taehyung slid right up behind her, arm wrapping around her middle and his nose burying against her nape.

She drifted off not a second later.

Notes:

Hey!

There it is!!! Some explanation. Of course, the story is not about why it happened but about how it will go, right? :)

We passed the half-way mark of what I have already written and revised in google docs. For now there will be weekly updates for about two more months, I think. There will be random days following each other across the time-span after day 7.

Let me know what you think!

Chapter 8: Day 7

“Good morning, Raelyn-ah” Taehyung mumbled sleepily, pushing himself up from the other side of the bed to which he had strayed during his sleep. Raelyn had already been awake for almost an hour, silently observing the room and the man in the bed to pass the time.

She hadn’t dared to leave the bed, scared of the consequences for wandering in their home unattended. They did say she was free to go wherever she wanted within the house but risks were just not really her thing at the moment. What if Taehyung had woken up to an empty bed and thought that she’d disappeared and got angry with her. Trust had to be established first, before she could look for a way out.

“Good morning Taehyung-ssi.”

“You can be less formal with me if you want. Oppa is fine.” Raelyn felt her mouth close abruptly, pursing her lips at the suggestion. She didn’t feel close enough to address Taehyung in such an informal way and decided not to use the honorific anytime in the near future.

“What will happen today?” She answered instead. There was a flicker of recognition in Taehyung’s sluggish eyes but he didn’t comment on her disregard of his suggestion.

“We have a few days at home to relax, sleep and get you settled in before going back to work next week. I think most of us will just sleep and unpack further today because of the jetlag. Maybe some of us will do a work-out and Jin-hyung and Jungkook will most likely do some gaming, they have this competition going on.” Taehyung dragged a hand through his unruly hair, “I have to go to the hairdresser.”

Raelyn hummed at the information. It was good to know that the men would be leaving the house next week; it would settle her anxiety and give her room to think. She didn’t miss how Taehyung mentioned that their company had given them time to get her settled, which clearly meant that the company knew of her existence. She added it to her mental stack of questions that kept growing at an alarming rate.

“Let’s start the day with breakfast though.” Taehyung rolled over and got out of bed with ease now that he was fully awake. He shrugged on a white sweatshirt with an unfamiliar sports logo in the front but kept his chequered pyjama pants on. Before he made his way to the bathroom, he put another dark green sweater at the foot of the bed and Raelyn assumed it was for her to wear.

Fifteen minutes later, after they both had made use of the bathroom separately, Raelyn trailed after Taehyung into the kitchen. The house was eerily quiet and it seemed like they were the only two awake, despite the fact that noon had already passed.

“Hmm... The others will probably wake sooner or later and eat with us. Let’s make some eggs, rice and pork belly.” Taehyung mumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eye, seemingly talking more to himself than to Raelyn. He walked up to the fridge to retrieve some products.

“Raelyn-ah, can you put on the rice cooker? I’ll fry the eggs and pork belly.”

“I don’t know how that works.”

“What?” Taehyung sounded dumbfounded.

“We don’t use rice cookers back home.”

“Oh,” He scratched his chin, “Cultural differences, I guess. How about you fry the eggs then?” Taehyung gestured to the stove he was standing at, two pans already on it and a carton of eggs next to them.

And so, Raelyn found herself standing over the stove, frying up eight eggs in two pans a few minutes later. Taehyung had left the kitchen to check who wanted to eat breakfast with them after he had filled the rice cooker and put it on.

Raelyn kept her focus on the eggs as she heard the men entering the communal room one by one, greeting them back but not sparing them a glance. It felt strange, standing in a foreign kitchen making breakfast like it was a casual Sunday morning. Not that she had any idea which day it was, but Raelyn was grateful for the distraction and she silently admired the kitchen. It was a beautiful one.

Taehyung fried the pork belly after she was done with the eggs and had dismissed her to the table. There was a space free between Namjoon and Seokjin, as well as between Jungkook and Hoseok. Raelyn chose the latter and silently sat down, taking a gulp from the glass of water in front of her.

“Did you manage to get some sleep, Raelyn-ah?” Hoseok asked her quietly while the others were busying themselves with a conversation about the best way to eat eggs. Scrambled, boiled, poached, fried. Raelyn usually was already happy if there was money for more than one carton of fresh eggs per month.

Raelyn responded with a curd nod. Taehyung walked over to the table with a bowl full of pork belly pieces and without further ado, the breakfast officially started. Everybody took one of the dishes to plate and after a whirlwind of plates being passed around, everybody could start eating.

The men didn’t really interact with her and the Korean they spoke when all together was often too quick for Raelyn to fully understand, dialects mixed in as well, so she just disappeared into her own thoughts for a bit. In the end, she couldn’t focus on much else than one question.

“What am I supposed to do today?” And what was she supposed to do tomorrow? And the day after? The chattering around her felt quiet and she realised she had interrupted them, her cheeks colouring red.

“You’re not supposed to do anything.” Jimin responded, “But you can do whatever you feel like. Jin-Hyung has a bathtub that we all use for if you want to relax and the sun is shining today. We can drink coffee on the balcony.”

“I’ve got to go to Jenny’s to get my hair done at three. They want me to go black and shorter again so I’ll be out for a while.” Taehyung repeated himself, mostly to inform the others, as he shoved a huge chunk of rice in his mouth.

“Actually, Raelyn-ah, I was thinking we could do some online shopping together to get some things of your own?” Hoseok smiled gently, “It might be more comfortable for you.”

“Oh, thank you, Hoseok-ssi. I’d like that.” Raelyn admitted. She was still dressed in their clothing and despite the fact that the clothes were large but quite comfortable, it would be welcome to have something of her own.

Breakfast was finished after a while and Raelyn felt content after eating properly. The men all went their own way, seemingly used to living all together. There was no discussion about doing the dishes, Namjoon and Jimin cleared the table while chatting quietly. Taehyung disappeared to his own room and Jungkook and Seokjin left together towards Jungkook’s room.

Hoseok, still at her side, held out his hand which Raelyn eyed for a second before taking it. Together, they went to Hoseok’s room which was simply an organised clutter. Little artefacts, colours and abstract furniture all decorated the space. His bed was pushed into a corner, hidden out of sight by a large abstract painting.

“Ah, feel free to sit down, I’ll get my laptop.” Hoseok waved to a couch against a wall in front of a large television and Raelyn made her way over to sit. Her eyes kept being caught by the many decorations and she was startled when Hoseok dropped down next to her.

“Okay, let’s start with the basics.” Hoseok said, pulling up a website on his laptop with ease from a brand Raelyn had never seen before. Raelyn could barely keep up as he navigated to a page displaying jeans.

“Do you prefer wide jeans or skinny jeans? Low-waist or high?” Raelyn could hear the enthusiasm in his voice and realised that shopping for clothes might not only be for her benefit. She should’ve known, seeing the man dress in more alternative clothes than all the others these past days.

“I prefer wide and high-waist,” Raelyn answered, “They’re comfortable to move in.”

Hoseok moved across some pages rapidly and Raelyn’s eyes flitted to the prices. She didn’t know if the currency had changed anything since she had checked but this was definitely not something she could ever wish to afford.

“Hoseok-ssi, this is a lot of money.”

“Don’t worry about it Raelyn-ah. We want to spoil you, you deserve it. Money is something we have more than enough of.” Hoseok waved her complaint away, “Now, what size are we talking about?”

And so an hour passed, Hoseok filling carts of different sites with way more clothing than she needed. Raelyn didn’t really see the need to have formal clothing, an evening dress and many other fancy pieces that she wouldn’t be wearing anyway. The only place she would be was the house.

The last site Hoseok pulled up made a flush spread over her cheeks. A wide range of lingerie sets were displayed; stuff that was a whole lot fancier than Raelyn used to wear. A whole lot sexier too.

“Can- Can I order this myself?” Raelyn asked, apprehension curling in her stomach. This was too intimate to shop for with practically a stranger.

“I cannot let you go on my laptop alone. Security precautions.” Hoseok shrugged apologetically and Raelyn understood the implication. Then, he looked at Raelyn’s fallen expression and pity began to form in his eyes.

“How about this, you come sit here,” Hoseok padded between his thighs. “And I’ll be on my phone while you shop. I can still see what you do but I won’t ogle.”

Raelyn thought it over for a moment; she’d have to sit back to chest with Hoseok, which made her stomach churn anxiously. On the other hand, she’d like to keep wearing the lingerie from the past days and not have to wear the men's boxer shorts. That’d be too much and going without anything wasn’t an option either.

The decision was made quickly; she stood up, wringing her hands and biting her lips. Hoseok spread his thighs wide after lifting the laptop from his lap. Carefully, Raelyn sat down between Hoseok’s legs. His thighs were touching hers from the sides but if she sat upright, she wasn’t leaning against him.

Hoseok didn’t comment on it, merely gave her the laptop and took his phone out of his pocket. Raelyn was smart enough to know he would be glancing at the laptop every now and then and didn’t dare to stray from the lingerie site.

Instead she used her brains and shopped several basic sets in her own size. It’d be good to make herself comfortable for now at least, she had no idea for how long she’d be staying or if another chance like this would arise.

A feeling of revenge shadowed her mind after a bit and she clicked through the pages to find the most expensive sets. They were daring; straps, see-through patches and dark, sensual colours.

From the corner of her eye, she glanced back at Hoseok who seemed entranced by something on the phone. With a mere three clicks, she added lingerie worth over a thousand dollars to the basket. That’ll make them pay at least a little for taking away her life. She’d never wear those sets anyway.

In order for him not to notice, she went to the check-out page until it was time for address details and such, and the price was no longer displayed in the bottom corner.

“I’m done.” Raelyn says curtly, setting the laptop aside and quickly standing up from the couch. She didn’t sit down again, even when Hoseok looked at her expectantly. Just for a second, then his expression changed back to neutral.

“Good, I’ll go pay. Do you want to play some video games after?” Hoseok offered but Raelyn felt like declining the offer. This has already been enough time with them today, the breakfast and then the shopping. She didn’t feel like being friendly with them, not to forget that the exhaustion was hanging from her bones on the inside.

She’d really appreciate some time alone but wondered if she could get any of that. The men had specified they had a little time off to get her settled, in whatever sense they meant that and she was still waiting for the shoe to drop at one point. She also didn’t think they’d appreciate her withdrawing.

In the end, she didn’t really know anything and Hoseok seemed to catch her train of thought.

“Maybe Jimin would like to watch that drama again with you. You still seem very tired.”

And oh, that was a good suggestion. A really nice one actually. Raelyn found Jimin to be the nicest and just sitting back while watching some series sounded nothing but good. She’d prefer being completely alone in a warm bed and watch series but it had already been made clear that she was not to be alone with technology.

“Yeah, I- I’ll do that.” Raelyn said and hesitated for a second before leaving. Should she thank Hoseok? Her mind and emotions kept swinging from one side to the other, still not sure how to act around the men.

Hoseok seemed to misunderstand her hesitance, “Just walk out of my living area into the shared one and then it’s the next door to the right. Jimin and I were roommates in our previous dorm and wanted to have a sense of nostalgia by staying close.”

“Thank you.” She decided on, truly valuing his help for now. She didn’t say his name with an honorific, nor did she bow. It might even come across as rude, but for her it was the largest act of gratitude she could manage in that moment.

Raelyn turned on her heel and followed Hoseok’s directions to Jimin’s area, barging in without knocking and realising how impolite that was when Jimin’s surprised face came into view.

“Raelyn-ah.” He greeted her with a smile nonetheless. Jimin was bent over a salon table that showcased a wide range of pictures. Raelyn couldn’t see exactly what they were from where she was standing.

“I thought, uhm, do you maybe want to watch the drama?” It felt awkward, having to ask for everything instead of just having the freedom to do what she wants. Or well, the freedom to do small things like these.

Freedom; she barely had any in her life.

“Oh, I’m busy with this for a bit but I missed the last episode anyway. Do you just want to watch it here for a little?” Jimin offered and okay good, that was exactly what she wanted.

Raelyn was eyeing Jimin’s bed in the corner of the room, thinking about completing her wish and he seemed to notice straight away.

“It’s all yours,” He gestured towards the bed with an even brighter smile, “There’s a TV on the back of that closet, at the foot end of the bed. Get comfy, I’ll set it up for you in a minute.”

Cautiously, Raelyn walked over to the bed, tensing when Jimin started moving too. Instead of approaching her, he went out of the room and that brought a little relief. She made her way over to the bed, dressed in comfortable clothes and didn’t really feel shame as she started rearranging the pillows and blanket until she was all bundled up.

It felt like a hug for which she was in desperate need for.

Jimin came back into the room a while later, carrying two steaming mugs and a plate. He put one of the mugs on the table where he was working, before making his way towards the bed. On the little peculiar shaped nightstand, the mug was placed and from the glance Raelyn threw at it, she discovered it was tea. The plate was full of cut fruits and some chocolate.

“Can’t have a proper binge-watch session without some snacks.” Jimin clarified but didn’t seem to expect her to answer. Instead he focused on setting up the television and not thirty seconds later, the drama was playing for her.

“Thank you.” Raelyn said sincerely. For a brief moment she thought Jimin would linger, maybe wait for her to thank him in more ways than verbal but he walked back to his table with a pleased expression.

Raelyn focused her attention on the series. It was good to have a distraction and Jimin even thought about replaying the episodes he had put on back in the bus. It wasn’t as if she’d seen a single minute of those episodes.

She was startled when her name was called unobtrusively but nearby. Raelyn blinked her eyes open, immediately recognizing she had fallen asleep. The blankets were wrapped tightly around her and the television had been turned off.

“Hey, it’s time for dinner.” It wasn’t Jimin this time, even though she was still in his bed. Jungkook was standing next to the bed, keeping his distance. There was a massive black sweater hanging from his shoulders and the tips of his bangs were moist and sticky against his face.

Raelyn would have said he showered but he brought along the smell of food, which her stomach seemed to appreciate by rumbling loudly. Jungkook waited patiently while Raelyn got out of bed slowly.

When she stood up, she swayed on her feet a little, feeling hungry despite having a proper breakfast and some snacks. She was used to a lesser amount of food; a tell-tale sign she was already losing her sense of endurance. Now that she was standing, hunger wasn’t the only thing she felt.

“B-bathroom.” She mumbled and looked from left to right and back to Jungkook, who pointed to a door in the corner behind him with a thumb.

Jungkook was still patiently waiting for her in the room when she came back, playing with a Rubik’s cube he found in Jimin’s stuff.

“Jin-Hyung made his signature kimchi jjigae.” Excitement was clear in Jungkook’s voice.

They walked to the common area together where the table was filled with banchan, bowls of fluffy rice and a large pot in the middle. Seokjin was already scooping the contents, kimchi jjigae apparently -not that Raelyn knew what that was- into several bowls with a ladle.

“Raelyn-ah, it’s your lucky day. Jin-Hyung doesn’t prepare this often.” It was Taehyung who greeted her enthusiastically, chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other, waiting until he could dig into the bowl in front of him.

Raelyn shot him a half-smile and sat down on the free chair next to Seokjin, Jungkook taking the one on her left.

“It’s a stew with tofu, pork belly and kimchi.” Seokjin spoke while ladling yet another bowl, “You know what kimchi is, right?”

“Yes, Seokjin-ssi.” He still made her a little uneasy. Especially how he towered next to her even though he was simply filling bowls of soup.

“Aish, don’t be that formal. I know I’m old but don’t rub it in my face like that.” His tone was playful. He put a bowl in front of her and Raelyn forgot her unease at once. The stew smelled amazing; spicy, tangy and a little sour but earthy too. Never had she smelled such a particular but mouthwatering scent.

Seokjin sat down as well once he completed filling his own bowl. At once, everyone thanked Seokjin for the food and started digging in. Raelyn followed, albeit softly, but the right person caught it.

Dinner was just like breakfast; loud and too many voices talking too quickly. Raelyn minded her business, savouring the taste of the exquisite stew with a slightly foggy mind from sleep.

“No, I’m telling you. It was up, down, pam, pam and then twist.” Raelyn heard Hoseok argue in the background. Yet she couldn’t imagine what he’d been talking about so passionately.

Nobody expected her to do anything when dinner was finished, Jungkook and Taehyung stood up this time to clear the table. It meant that Raelyn wasn’t here for chores either. Thank god. She had spent a long enough part of her life doing that already.

Jimin invited her once again for the series at the same time Taehyung invited her for cards. Raelyn wasn’t in the mood for games and she chose to go back to Jimin. Enough games had been played these past days.

They ended up watching an episode together, Jimin spending more time on his phone than actually watching. Raelyn could forgive him for it since he already missed several episodes. She was also satisfied with the distance he kept between them on the bed.

They managed to finish the full episode before Namjoon entered Jimin’s living area and Raelyn knew immediately that he came to get her, as it was his night. That didn’t take away the feeling of dread dropping into her stomach.

Nonetheless, just like the past days, there wasn’t much of a choice and she thanked Jimin again for watching the series before she followed Namjoon out of Jimin’s living area and into his own with heavy feet and a racing heart.

She stood in the middle of the room while Namjoon walked up to his closet, going through the clothes there, and she wasn’t completely sure what to do or where to go. It was uncomfortable with Namjoon, much more than it was with Taehyung.

Taehyung had a younger and calmer aura. Playful, yes, but she felt relatively okay with him. Namjoon frightened her with his authoritative side that she’s been seeing for the biggest part of her time with the men.

“I have something for you.” Anxiously, Raelyn waited for what Namjoon would present her with once he turned around. It could be anything and she’d have to go along with it regardless; she knew that by now.

“Raelyn, you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to.” The switch to English was a surprise, but a welcoming one. It hadn’t even come to Raelyn’s mind that speaking in a different language, continuously, was exhausting.

Namjoon turned around with a stack of fabric in his hands and Raelyn couldn’t make out anything strange or too-lacy. She felt a frown coming onto her face and made sure to smoothen out her features quickly.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Follow me?” Namjoon requested instead of demanded. Raelyn did. The anxiety only increased when they walked towards Namjoon’s bathroom, her lip finding its way between her teeth as she nibbled on it nervously.

Upon entering, Namjoon stepped aside and her eye fell on the bathtub that was filled with water stopping short from the edge. The bathwater was light blue and a fresh yet sweet smell hung in the warm, damp air surrounding them. Similar to baby powder, Raelyn would say, mixed with a field of spring flowers on the mountains.

The plants scattered all over the bathroom added to the mood in the room, as did the window that showed a view of the skyline of the city of Seoul. They seemed to be in a quieter suburb of the city.

Her gaze went back to the tub and she decided it looked and smelled wonderful. Raelyn hadn’t been in a bathtub for, well, almost her entire life. At least she couldn’t remember the last time she had the opportunity. But then, the nerves came back and hit her like a truck. What if the bath wasn’t meant for her alone?

“I know you’ve been going through a difficult time here and we’re asking a lot from you.” Namjoon piped up and when Raelyn looked over, he was scratching his head and shooting her an awkward close-lipped smile, “I wanted you to have some space for yourself to relax. I can get you a drink too before you get in since I wasn’t sure what you like.”

“Oh,” Raelyn said, surprised but still apprehensive. Assurance, that’s what she needed. “I thought- You wanted to sleep. We- we can do that. I’d rather-” The sentence slowly got quieter at the end.

“You don’t want a bath?” Namjoon asked, not being fully able to hide the disappointment that laced his voice.

“I do.” Raelyn admitted quietly. She could feel Namjoon’s stare boring into the side of her head.

“Ah,” Namjoon sighed out then, knowingly, “You thought- Raelyn, the bath is for you alone. I have a book that I’ll read until you are ready. Take your time, you can lock the door. I’ll leave those here.” He continued and lifted a small stack of clothes in the air which he must have retrieved from the closet.

Raelyn did take Namjoon on his word and locked the door. The gesture might be very sweet, it wouldn’t gain her trust that easily.

Then it was just her and the bath. She must have stayed almost an hour, enjoying it to the fullest until her finger and toes turned pruny and she became a little lightheaded from the extended exposure to the damp heat.

She washed her hair with whatever shampoo stood on the edge of the tub, got out and wrapped herself in a massive fluffy towel and slowly dressed into the shirt and pants Namjoon got her. There was yet another pair of panties, but this covered a little more skin.

On the edge of the sink was a toothbrush still in its plastic packaging and Raelyn thought it was safe to assume it was for her. After finishing, she took three deep breaths and opened the door to see that Namjoon was indeed reading a book on one side of the bed. He simply greeted her with a smile and focussed back on the book.

Raelyn crawled into the bed as well, limbs relaxed from the bath, skin smelling fresh and her whole body thrumming with warmth. Sleep was already taking her over before Namjoon even switched off the night lamp.

Before she tumbled into unconsciousness, she had the fleeting thought that it wasn’t all that bad to stay with them.

Notes:

Hi,

Sorry I'm a week late with updating, life has been pretty busy. I didn't get any feedback on the previous chapter so I have no idea if you guys still enjoy it. Let me know, perhaps, if you want to. Also, get ready for time jumps.

Take care and see you next week <3

Chapter 9: Day 210

Notes:

Beware, this is pure, filthy smut.

“Oh, I think we are interrupting something.” Jimin blurted out, eyes trailing over Raelyn who was straddling Namjoon, chest to chest, clothes strewn around on the ground surrounding them. Strangely, there was a couch available, the one Namjoon was leaning back against, but they had ended up on the floor in a mess of tangled limbs while Namjoon had shrugged off his pants.

Taehyung peeked over Jimin’s shoulder inside the room only to lay his eyes on the feast that Jimin had been eyeing. Instead of waiting in the doorway like Jimin had been doing, Taehyung slipped into the room and took a few steps closer. From that angle, he could see how Raelyn and Namjoon were joined together. Neither did Taehyung miss the blush high on Raelyn’s cheeks.

“You wouldn’t mind if we join you, would you now?” The words rolled off his tongue easily and Taehyung was tempted to adjust himself in his pants, a growing semi making him uncomfortable.

Namjoon stayed silent. They had agreed to always share so he didn’t mind, but the choice was up to Raelyn. While she has had sex with all of them, there weren’t many occasions that there was more than one of them present. Even if that happened, it had always been observing.

Today, Taehyung didn’t feel like observing.

“If you want...” Raelyn shuddered when Namjoon thrusted up mid-sentence, “I’m close already.” She finished the sentence, another shiver passing over her body. Taehyung knew the size of Namjoon, had seen it so often while living together for nine years, and he could only imagine that the slightest movement inside would be intense.

At Raelyn’s words, both men didn’t hesitate to join the couple on the floor.

“You can come more than once though. We know you, sweetheart.” Jimin smirked as he stalked closer to the couple, squatting down on his knees in between Namjoon’s spread legs so that he was hugging Raelyn from behind. Jimin pressed his lips against her shoulder for a moment, officially making himself part of the scene.

Taehyung decided to watch for a bit first, shrugging off his uncomfortable pants and sitting down next to Namjoon against the couch, being nothing but grateful for going commando today. Once seated, he leaned over and slid his finger under Raelyn’s chin to press a kiss to her lips. Now, Taehyung was actively taking part as well.

“Well don’t let her wait, Namjoon-Hyung. She said she was close.” Taehyung mumbled against Raelyn’s lips, catching the moan that escaped her lips as Namjoon started thrusting again with his own lips.

He loved kissing Raelyn and he couldn’t help but slip his tongue in, kissing her deep, distantly tasting Namjoon on her lips. Maybe she had sucked him off before they ended up in this position. The thought was strangely arousing to him.

When moans kept escaping Raelyn’s mouth, Taehyung decided to just enjoy the view for a bit and broke the kiss. Raelyn didn’t seem to mind, her mind occupied by Namjoon’s strong upwards thrusts and Jimin’s lips making their way down her shoulder, teeth catching on the skin every now and then.

Jimin had freed himself from his shirt, bare chest now pressed against Raelyn’s back as his hands on her hips were keeping her in place. A specific thrust made Raelyn shudder and cry out, legs spasming around Namjoon’s waist.

Taehyung smirked and wrapped a hand around himself, slowly jerking as he let out a low groan after neglecting his erection for several minutes. A hiss of sensitivity.

Namjoon stopped thrusting when Raelyn seemed to come down for her orgasm, shaking in his lap and burying her face in his neck, panting. Namjoon didn’t pull out, still erect and Taehyung admired his willpower for stopping halfway through.

“Daddy...” Raelyn cried softly against his neck, squirming in his lap. Jimin’s hands tightened to keep her in place but turned his head to Taehyung with his eyebrows lifted. Sure, all of them knew each other’s kinks and Namjoon’s favourite kink was kind of cliché. However, none of them had expected Raelyn to indulge Namjoon without him requesting it though.

It must be an occasional thing, Taehyung realised, and he squeezed his hand a bit tighter halfway his upward stroke. He wasn’t into being called daddy himself, but it made a warmth coil in his lower belly when the words had tumbled from Raelyn’s lips.

Because it was a sign of submission and Taehyung loved having Raelyn submit. He decided to join the scene more closely, squatting down behind Jimin.

“Good girl, keep holding on. Daddy hasn’t come yet.” Namjoon whispered back, stroking a hand through Raelyn’s hair to remove her face from his neck. Once she was facing him, he pressed his lips against hers, stealing several kisses.

Raelyn kissed back languidly, the plushness of Namjoon’s lips comforting while the recognizable headspace clouded her mind a bit more. The intensity of her orgasm was dulling and the pressure inside her went back to comforting instead of overwhelming.

She couldn’t help but be consumed by the kisses pressed to her lips, cheeks and nose from Namjoon’s mouth while Jimin was sucking a hickey into her neck. It was nothing but mind-boggling to have more than one of them join in instead of watching, but Raelyn couldn’t help but immerse herself in all the attention.

Another shudder made its way over her body.

“Such pretty and white skin, I want to mark you all up.” Jimin whispered after he sucked another hickey into her neck, right below her ear.

While receiving attention from two men, she felt Taehyung's hand, long and slender fingers, stray from her side to her front, past her belly button and down. Raelyn breathed out Taehyung's name in shock, breaking the kiss with Namjoon, and clenching her arms tighter around Namjoon's neck. It was intimidating to only see Namjoon and not the others; Raelyn wasn’t able to estimate their actions.

Taehyung's fingertips left featherlight touches as he stroked the skin where Namjoon and Raelyn were connected. It made Raelyn clench and wriggle in Namjoon's lap and away from the touch, still sensitive from her orgasm.

She felt almost ashamed as she couldn't help but imagine how overwhelming it would feel if Taehyung just pushed his finger inside next to Namjoon. To have two men dominate her and test her limits like that. The blood rushed to her already-reddened cheeks at the thought.

It was amazing to learn how to lose control in such a way; the control Raelyn always had needed to exert ever since the young age of thirteen. The age she had to start becoming independent. It emptied her mind.

Raelyn trusted them like that nowadays, the three of them. No, all seven of them.

They cared for her, spoiled her and loved her. She was totally theirs and that connection was only more intensified this way. With the three of them all surrounding her, so close, as if they would soon become one.

Raelyn’s breath hitched. They might.

"Why did you shudder like that?" Taehyung's voice was so low against her ear that it made Raelyn shudder again, his warm breath in combination with the tranquil tracing of his fingers entrancing. "Do you like this?"

Then, Taehyung pressed against the skin of her entrance, slipping just the tip of his finger inside, which was more than enough to feel the stretch and the burn. Raelyn's breath hitched, she threw her head back and whined audibly. Namjoon was now rocking his hips at a gentle pace too, the contrasting sensations and stretched skin starting another fire inside her body. Raelyn buried her face into Namjoon’s neck to hide the flush that burned in her cheeks.

She couldn’t help but moan into the crook of Namjoon’s neck when Taehyung pushed his finger in fully along with a particular thrust of Namjoon’s hips. Namjoon smelled like his signature lotion and soap, as if he had come fresh from the shower, the clean scent clinging to his own spicier smell that was intensified with Namjoon’s exertion. His skin was warm, soft and beads of sweat glistening on it like golden pearls.

Jimin was still on his knees in between Taehyung and her, leaning against her back, bare chest cool against her body and his jean-clad legs scratching hers as his hands wandered over her sides, arms and thighs, exploring every inch of her skin. He kept whispering praise against her neck, pressing kisses and biting. Making himself present in the scene in an unobtrusive way.

"I bet you would let Taehyung-ah fuck you together with daddy. Stretching you even wider than just that extra finger." Namjoon drawled dirtily next to her ear, a harsh grunt rolling from his throat right after he uttered the words. "Fuck you clenched hard at that."

“As if she would say no to that. She loves being fucked.” Taehyung drawled dirtily in her ear, pumping his long finger along with Namjoon’s movements. “She’s dripping wet.”

This sensation was overpowering already and she could only imagine how blissed out she would be with both of them inside. There was no way she would survive two of them at the same time though.

“Please...” She couldn’t get any other words out, begging for Namjoon to move harder and quicker than the slow but steady pace he was fucking her with now. She retrieved her head from Namjoon’s neck for some fresh air, his skin overheating against hers.

"What if Jin-Hyung were here to fuck you with Namjoon-Hyung. Oppa and daddy, hmm?" Taehyung muttered from behind Jimin and leaned over his shoulder to graze his teeth over Raelyn's neck on the other side that Jimin was working on. Raelyn saw how Namjoon's eyes glossed over, hips bucking into Raelyn at Taehyung words.

"He would dominate you both.” Taehyung continued lazily, making Namjoon's fingers curl into the flesh of Raelyn's behind with a growl at the thought, and Raelyn shivered between the two bodies. Namjoon was dominant with a substantial daddy kink, but she could imagine him submitting to the eldest member who could be very overpowering once his comical side dropped and his serious side took over.

"Or Jungkook." Jimin provided provocatively. It made Taehyung chuckle, breath tickling over Raelyn's neck. Jungkook, who was growing more muscled every day, and whose tattoo sleeve kept expanding all the way up to his shoulder. He even talked about a back tattoo last week.

"I bet he'd call all of us Hyung, even now." Taehyung countered.

"That's fucking hot." Jimin was obviously affected by the imaginary scenario, his clothed erection pressing against Raelyn's naked butt hard. It must feel uncomfortable, Raelyn imagined. The fabric of his jeans kept chafing against her skin.

"I think Jimin will do the job just fine." Taehyung breathed then and slipped a second finger in without warning, long with fingertips caressing her insides.

"O-oh that's a lot." Raelyn whimpered, the burning sensation of the stretch becoming almost overwhelmingly painful. The heat in her belly ignited, sparks erupting all over her lower half. She couldn’t help but clench, the feeling becoming even tighter.

“Fuck yes, Raelyn-ah, say yes. Please.” Jimin pleaded, biting down on the skin over her shoulder, making her cry out. The pain quickly faded as another orgasm started building in her belly and took away her attention. She didn’t know she was this much into pain, but she could hear the wet slaps of her and Namjoon’s skin echo in the room and feel the lust racing through her veins at an alarming speed.

Suddenly all movements stopped and Raelyn wailed desperately as her building orgasm stopped. She knew all about edging from the men, they had done that often enough, but right now was not the correct moment. Before Raelyn could protest, Jimin moved away from her and instead a clothed upper body found its way against her back. Taehyung.

The man didn’t hesitate to kiss the bite Jimin had just created in her shoulder, his two fingers quickly finding their way back and slipping right back in. Vaguely, she could feel the head of his cock rub against her bare bum, but her focus was elsewhere.

“Three fingers Raelyn-ah, then Jiminie.” Taehyung panted in her ear, teeth scraping over the shell of her ear as he scissored his finger inside of her. She barely could register Namjoon’s moaning over the haze in her head and briefly, she wondered how good his stamina must be to hold out this long.

Before she was mentally prepared, Taehyung slipped a third finger in without warning. The stretch was too much, her nails digging into Namjoon’s neck as she cried out. By now, there was wetness trickling down her face.

The movements stopped.

“Colour?” Namjoon strained, threading his hand through her hair softly. She blinked the tears out of her eyes to see his warm eyes scan her face carefully. The dominance had gone and it would stay gone until Raelyn answered. She knew the routine.

Even though the pain burned, searing the skin of her opening while her legs trembled and she held onto Namjoon like a lifeline, the pain slowly reduced. She tried to relax around the massive intrusion, to focus on Namjoon’s smell and Taehyung’s breath on her cheek. The pleasure was still there, right beneath the pain.

“Green.” She panted out when she felt Taehyung move his finger to pull out. Those long, thin fingers with perfectly manicured nails and knuckles that pressed against the soft of her insides.
Her limits were certainly being tested now, but she had never felt this close to them. The situation was so intimate and Raelyn couldn’t help her mind from drifting to a scenario where Jimin and Namjoon were both inside of her, the wet slide of their cocks together against her wall as they would pant against her skin, pressing her body tightly in between theirs.

How happy it would make them.

“You’re being so good for us. Daddy is trying so hard not to come, baby.” Taehyung whispered, scissoring his three fingers and caressing the veins of Namjoon’s cock inside of her.

Taehyung mixed himself into her imaginary scenario, licking the moans from her lips, kissing her until she was out of breath and then, finally, they would all be one.

“She’s ready for you, Jimin.” Taehyung spoke after a while and to be honest, Raelyn had no idea how much time had passed. She was lost in that fuzzy headspace, the sensations and the men around her. Another wail left her lips unintentionally when Taehyung removed himself from her back.

A waft of soft, fresh flowers entered her nose, announcing Jimin’s return. The smell was so familiar and comforting, Raelyn turned her face sidewards the moment warm skin touched her back and nuzzled into his neck. Quietly, she sniffled, bathing in his comforting scent. Jimin had always been her anchor, from the beginning.

“Nothing but willing for us, aren’t you baby? Providing us with everything we need, always.” Jimin spoke as he scuffled even closer, sitting on his bum between Namjoon legs, his own legs thrown over Namjoon’s. Namjoon had slid his hands below Raelyn’s bum to lift her up slightly, his cock sliding out halfway.

“We’re going to take care of you now.” Namjoon’s skin was sporting a heavy sheen of sweat, the exertion of staying patiently still inside of her for such a long time had taken its toll. Through her haze, Raelyn recognized that she had never cock warmed Namjoon before. That was more of a Seokjin-thing.

Hopefully she would remember to ask Namjoon sometime afterwards, because this was an experience she wouldn’t be able to get out of her mind easily. He was the biggest after all, pressing just right against her walls.

Distantly she heard the men talking above her head. Then, the head of Jimin’s cock pressed against her skin, wet and slippery but rock hard. Their hands were everywhere, lips warm against her skin and the pressure building.

“Colour?” It was breathed out so softly from Jimin’s lips, curled around the word but never impatient.

“Please, ‘m good. Green, I can take it... Fuck, please want it. Green, green.” Raelyn blabbered and she was sure there must be some drool dripping from her mouth as she panted needily. Namjoon was holding her up against his chest and the movements of his breathing were the only thing keeping her insane.

But, that last piece of sanity shattered as Jimin pushed in, the stretch unbearable as the cockhead slipped in and kept going and going. All the way until both Jimin and Namjoon were inside of Raelyn.

She writhed in Namjoon’s lap, shivers running over her spine even though the heat from the bodies around her was almost suffocating. It was painful, but even worse was that something was missing.

They were giving her a moment to adjust but she couldn’t stop squirming, anxiety taking over, her lower body clenching around the ginormous obtrusion.

Until Taehyung was right there, lifting her head back from Namjoon’s neck with a hand in her hair and pushing her down a bit more on both of them in the meantime, pressing his lips against her demandingly.

“Unclench.” He commanded, biting her lip to clear the haze in her head the slightest even though it wasn’t necessary. Just the kiss was enough; Taehyung had been the missing piece and finally they were all together, skin, tongues and limbs mingling into one human mess.

The moment she unclenched, she slid down on both of their cocks even further, both of the men moaning around her. Her reaction wasn’t vocalised, Taehyung licking it from her lips. His hand slid down from her chin to her neck, giving a quick squeeze to demonstrate his active presence once again, before tracing down her belly where he laid his palm flat.

“I can feel you two inside.” Taehyung simply stated, a smirk lacing his voice in triumph. And the gaze he casted at Raelyn in that moment was nothing but pride. His eyes flickered, pride fading into that strong dominance again. A guide to the scene, as his hand finally slid down to touch the most sensitive part of Raelyn’s body.

A ghost of a touch over the sensitive bud and Raelyn felt like combusting.

“Go ahead then.” Taehyung spoke and it took another second for Raelyn to realise he wasn’t talking to her, “Take care of her.”

Namjoon and Jimin didn’t need to be told twice. The rhythm was hard to find especially with Raelyn clenching around them but when Taehyung started circling his finger in slow motions, the clench was gone and the men found a comfortable pace.

Namjoon in, Jimin out. Reverse.

“So pretty, isn’t she? Totally blissed out.” Taehyung cooed, flicking his finger roughly once, manicured nail briefly touching.

“Yes, so pretty. So good for us. Good girl.” Namjoon grunted between his thrust, the flush on his cheeks indicating how close he was to coming, which wasn’t really a surprise. The man had been on edge for more than half an hour.

“You hear that, Raelyn-ah? Daddy thinks you’re pretty like this, all fucked out and pliant for us.” For emphasis, Taehyung curled the fingers of his free hand around her cheeks and tugged her jaw open, before bending over and letting a drop of his spit fall into her mouth.

“Mine.” Jimin growled, pace becoming less steady and much quicker.

“Ours.” Namjoon growled on the contrary and the dribble of Taehyung’s spit gliding down Raelyn’s cheek must have sent him over the edge. His fingers curled into the flesh of Raelyn’s ass cheeks, deep and long grunts leaving Namjoon’s mouth as he threw his head back with an animalistic groan.

“Fuck, that’s so wet, Hyung.” Jimin growled in response to Namjoon’s release, pace quickening even more with Namjoon softening inside. Not half a minute later Jimin released himself inside of Raelyn as well, biting one of the few unmarked spaces on the skin of her neck and shoulders.

The bite, in combination with the slap Namjoon gave to her left ass cheek and the quick flicks from Taehyung’s fingers made Raelyn come, tightening painfully around the softening cocks of both men still inside of her. They groaned at the over sensitivity, their own release dripping down between them onto their legs and the floor.

Taehyung simply retrieved his hand from between them, curling it around his own, very neglected erection. A few tugs was more than enough after being worked up for so long, white spurts of come shooting down over Raelyn’s marked shoulder and upper back.

She was slumped against Namjoon’s chest like a sack of boneless skin, panting to catch her breath. Raelyn was sure there was drool being smeared over Namjoon’s bare chest, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her head was empty, but so warm and fuzzy.

Like a hug, comforting her from within. The knowledge she could let herself go like this with them, knowing they would always take care of her. And she had taken such great care of them, fulfilling their needs and desires every day to bring the biggest smiles to their faces.

She loved making them happy and sated; that was the purpose of her life after all.

Distantly, Namjoon’s hands curled under her bare thighs and she felt herself being lifted up a little bit, a moan of dissatisfaction leaving her mouth at once.

“No, stay inside.” Raelyn begged quietly, the first noise that she made after all of them had come. “Just for a little longer.”

It was no surprise how scratchy her voice was after vocalising so much. There was no doubt that she would be feeling the aftermath of this for days coming.

A hand on the front of her chest, just above her breast pressed her backwards a little bit, making her slump against Jimin’s cooling chest. Taehyung took her chin, brown eyes flitting over her face before his expression softened.

“You’ve been so good for us, Raelyn-ah. Drink some water for me now. You know how it goes.” Taehyung drawled lowly, holding a glass of water up to her lips until she gave a small nod and he tipped it to bring the refreshing liquid into her mouth. Taehyung had always been insistent on after-care.

Raelyn knew he would keep fussing over her, the dominance never leaving his features until tomorrow morning, when Raelyn would state her colour is still green. Only then, Taehyung would switch back to his normal behaviour. That thought comforted Raelyn a lot, that tomorrow morning there would still be somebody to take care of her.

Slowly, she succumbed to the exhaustion. Only when she had fallen asleep, Namjoon and Jimin dared to slip out of her, careful not to jostle her body too much. She stayed asleep when they cleaned her up, tucked her in bed and crawled against her in one big cuddle pile.

Notes:

Sooooo, I did that.

A sneak peek into the future. Of course there's a huge storyline too, ideas plopping into my head at the weirdest occasions. But, I wanted to introduce you to time-hopping in a nice way. Loads of hints were dropped too... Sharing, intimacy with all, after 210 days?

Keeps you wondering what happened in all the other 203 days that you haven't read, right?

Until soon with more.

Stay safe and sound!

Chapter 10: Day 34

Raelyn woke up the moment that an arm slung around her middle to navigate her body backwards to lay flush against another body. Despite her sleepiness, she welcomed the warmth as the bed had been rather cold when she tried to fall asleep hours ago.

The cold had come early this year apparently; nearing the end of October. Then again, South-Korea had a different climate than Canada.

“How was it?” Raelyn questioned Taehyung softly.

It was officially Taehyung’s night with her so when it was announced that they had to go to a last-minute meeting this evening, Raelyn had easily made her way to Taehyung’s room and bed.

She genuinely enjoyed sleeping with Taehyung, as did he with her. All that the man needed was someone to hold in his sleep, something that had always been his habit as Raelyn had been told by the others, and she enjoyed his warmth and silence.

Contrary to Namjoon, Taehyung rarely snored.

“Could have been better.” Taehyung mumbled, breath warm against her neck. He smelled minty, which indicated that the man had already gotten ready for bed. It was the hoarseness in his voice that caught Raelyn’s attention.

With slight difficulty, she removed Taehyung’s body-hugging grip on her waist and turned over to face the nowadays-black haired man. It was easier to turn over than at the beginning of the evening, when the chain on her ankle had limited her movements.

Now that Taehyung was back, there was no need for it anymore. Generally, Raelyn never found there to be a need to chain her to the fucking bed like a dog on a leash, but she knew she had no say in it whatsoever.

It was her own fault for ending up like that anyway. Actions had consequences.

Trust had to be earned back.

Raelyn’s suspicion about the hoarseness in Taehyung’s voice was confirmed now that she faced him. In the dim light of his bedside lamp, Raelyn could see that his face was bare of make-up, which made it clear that his eyelids were slightly swollen with veins visible in the whites of his eyes; he had cried tonight.

Even now, the man was rather beautiful. The small freckle on the tip of his nose, just above his right nostril, became more prominent when they laid up close like this.

“What happened?” Raelyn asked quietly, bringing her hands up to Taehyung’s black hair to tangle her fingers in the messy and curly strands and started tickling and scratching his scalp.

She was loving his haircut at the moment. Taehyung had been growing his hair out, with the perm making it wavy and messy, and his stylist had dyed it black which really highlighted the warmness of his face and the gold in his skin.

Yes, from the moment he had stepped back into the shared home while sporting the new haircut, she had deemed this the best one yet. Which said something, taking into mind that these men showed up with a different look almost every week.

Consequently, an obsession with touching Taehyung’s hair was formed. Not that Taehyung minded; he almost purred like a cat every time Raelyn started to massage his scalp and twist locks around her fingers.

“Just a rough meeting. They did not agree with something we wanted.” Taehyung replied, while closing his eyes at the soft touch of Raelyn’s fingers. Raelyn had to be careful while massaging the man’s scalp, as the hair product from that day had caused some curls to tangle together.

In the meanwhile, she let out a soft sigh. They almost never told her explicitly what happened, keeping most of their famous world away from her.

Hell, she only learned about how famous they actually were last week when they let it slip that they had sold out the Wembley stadium, twice. Money and power had always been an indication of their status but upon hearing that statement, Raelyn had realised that these men were dominating the top of the music industry.

She still could not grasp the fact that she had never heard from them when she still lived in the comfort of her own home. Sometimes, when she hadn’t been in the mood for classical music, Raelyn would put on the radio. Never longer than an hour; her grandma didn’t like it. A lot of music was played in an hour, but never them.

“Was it so bad that it made you cry?”

“Hmm. Jimin’s brother is getting married next week and it’s a three-day ceremony. Our schedule only allows us to go one day, which fucking sucks.” The lilt to Taehyung's voice sounded irritated.

“Jimin has a brother?” Raelyn wondered out loud, never having taken into account that they had family members too. Moms and dads and brothers and sisters. Taehyung just hummed an affirmation, sounding sombre. “I don’t understand how many hours a week you guys work. The least they could do is give you some time off for a family celebration right?”

“Exactly, but they couldn’t and that made me mad. I don’t want to talk about it anymore now. I’m fine and the decision that we can’t go for more than a day has been set in stone already.” Taehyung’s minty breath fanned over Raelyn’s skin as he spoke, “Your presence makes me feel better though.”

Unwillingly, Raelyn’s heart fluttered in her chest for a moment, the warm rush of feeling wanted overwhelming her. Not being wanted for her capability to work, to care for or to provide, but simply for her existence. Never could she have hoped to feel something like that, and despite the somewhat considerable circumstances, she was happy to be there in that moment, laying face to face with Taehyung.

“Raelyn?” Taehyung asked after a minute or so of her scratching his scalp in comfortable silence, “Do you want to sit on my lap for a bit?”

When Raelyn opened her eyes, she was met with Taehyung’s heavy gaze. He was like that, she had noticed in the past few weeks. Sometimes Taehyung became overwhelmed and had the urge to take control in a certain area in order to gain his confidence back. Usually, he controlled himself and pushed too hard in the gym for a few days, or refrained from eating for a certain amount of time. Since recently, however, he started exerteing his need for control over Raelyn.

He insisted on her finishing her food some days and getting her eight hours of sleep or he would go the extra step and just hold her close, preferable with his fingers loosely circled around her wrist. He liked the reassurances that he was near her and able to protect her, but also to selfishly control the fact that she wasn’t able to leave.

On one occasion, he had taken her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her middle like a cage, trapping her in that exact spot and hugging her close to his own body. He felt in control that way, with Raelyn in his lap, her body almost dainty compared to his and certainly smaller. It was a sincere form of control in the end, really, it being more of an urge to keep her safe.

So, Raelyn muttered a soft affirmation to Taehyung and they moved slowly to end up with Taehyung leaning against the headboard and Raelyn manoeuvreing herself onto his lap with her legs on side of his, a relative distance left between their chests.

As always, Taehyung slowly lifted his hand, fingers tracing the skin of her arm and past the fabric of the oversized shirt she had stolen from Hoseok. They raked up her neck, into her nape, until his hand was settled at the back of her hair. Slowly, he pushed her closer, her face into his neck, chests flush against each other.

Taehyung sighed quietly from over her shoulder. He smelled like the lavender sleep-oil that he sprinkled on his pyjamas every now and then to help him sleep. She nuzzled into his neck a bit deeper, the scent and warmth making her drowsy, almost as if she got high off of it.

“I’m so happy that you are here with us.” Taehyung mumbled into her hair, voice deep and gruff. His chest rumbled with the words.

Raelyn wasn’t comfortable saying that back. She had grown to appreciate the men quite a bit, which was already going against her instincts, but certainly not to such a level that it could justify the situation she was in.

Nevertheless she had realised more than once, that mentally and physically, she had never been happier. She was cared for, adored and cherished. They let her know they wanted her around. They spoiled her.

Then, she noticed that Taehyung traced his lips up her neck and across her jawline, all the way up to her mouth and pressed his lips onto Raelyn’s, warm and soft and plump and kind. Just an undemanding peck, and then another shorter one for good measure. Raelyn melted, her bones made of rubber. Because it was nice.

She enjoyed it and she shouldn’t.

Especially not since the others could be angry that she had kissed with one of them. It would mean she favoured one over the other and that could end up very badly. More than once had Raelyn imagined that specific scenario.

Now it was reality.

“Taehyung, I can’t.” She squeaked out, hand pushing against his chest to create a space between them. Simultaneously, his arms fell away from her waist. It wasn’t enough to Raelyn’s liking so she slid off Taehyung lap, half expecting him to grab her and keep her in her place, before she stumbled off the bed as well.

Taehyung stayed seated, giving her the space she needed, thankfully. It helped minimise the raging panic a little.

“No need to go running, Raelyn-ah. The others are sleeping.” Taehyung spoke, voice low and calm. Somehow she had expected him to be annoyed, especially since his mood had already been bitter before. But Taehyung wasn’t like that and deep down, Raelyn knew.

“Y-You can’t do that.” Raelyn echoed, trying to focus on her breathing to refrain the panic from taking over. Her plan wasn’t to run out of the room like Taehyung had clearly expected her to. Oh no, that would mean the others could see how upset she was and start asking questions. She should never utter a word about this to any of them.

“Then I won’t.” Taehyung simply replied and she saw his silhouette shrug. “Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to run out of the room and she didn’t enjoy the thought of spending the night curled up on the floor, Raelyn crawled back into the bed with Taehyung.

“Can I still hold you?” The black-haired man whispered after a few seconds of silence. It felt good that Taehyung asked for consent because if he hadn’t Raelyn would have had a true panic attack.

The fact that the kiss was already unprompted was more than enough. Normally they tried to talk to and ask her as much as possible. Communication was key in their forming relationship.

And now there were secrets to hide.

Still, Raelyn didn’t feel like breaking down all by herself, holding her shaking body together with her own arms when someone else could do it for her. Taehyung shuffled closer again upon verbalised agreement.

“Let’s just sleep. We can talk about it in the morning if you want.” Taehyung nosed against her nape, as if he wanted to plant a kiss there like he did sometimes, but was now refraining himself from crossing any other boundaries. “Sleep well.” He whispered then but was left with a mute Raelyn.

They both took longer than ever to fall asleep.

Chapter 11: Day -101

Jimin liked afterparties, a lot. Even better than the award shows themselves, which already provided them with free concerts of every artist imaginable and a stream of endless drinks and laughs.

The afterparties supplied them with more drinks, sometimes a bit more than just drinks, but that was dependent on Jimin's mood. The thing he liked most is that he could party without his public mask, dance like no one was watching and talk like no one was listening.

He could be himself.

All the other celebrities and idols present at the party were experiencing the exact same situation as him after all. The moment they stepped outside the confines of their house, office or vehicle, a camera could always capture them.

Sometimes, it drains all the energy from Jimin's body, that damn heavy public mask he had to carry. How his hair has to frame his face perfectly, not an imperfection in sight and an outfit worth at least five-hundred thousand Won.

But at times like these, with an up-beat rhythm echoing off the roof-top, recognizable faces all around him and not a single camera in sight, he felt amazing. Maybe the thin, white, powdery line that had been offered to him a while ago had amplified that feeling.

It was okay to let loose every now and then anyways. All they were supposed to do was catch a flight to Australia tomorrow. That, and sleep the rest of the day away. Australia would be busy, the schedule overflowing with a jetlag haunting them.

Jimin saw Hoseok and Namjoon laughing from a small distance, near the table that he had just snorted the drugs from with some tightly rolled cash. Both of them were drinking champagne and he vaguely wondered if they had taken the liberty of enjoying themselves as much as Jimin himself was, considering their day off tomorrow. He would ask them in a bit.

His attention was caught from the corner of his eyes and he averted his gaze away from his group members.

Yang Jeong In was the exact person that had caught Jimin's fleeting gaze. Jimin nipped his bubbly champagne while he observed the member of Stray Kids. Surely, Jimin did not know half of the people on this roof-terrace of some fancy hotel in the middle of Seoul – he absolutely did not have the time for that - but he had familiarised himself well enough with the quickly-rising group.

What had taken BTS almost nine years, Stray Kids were following in their footsteps, only two years in tow but their names splattered on charts across the globe.

Good for them.

Jimin wasn't an envious person. He liked the members a lot and could honestly say he enjoyed their songs. They worked just as hard for their success as Jimin and his group members did. After all, BTS had still paved the pathway.

Something that did make Jimin envious was the fact that Yang Jeong In was talking softly to a female that Jimin had never seen before in his life, but he watched the fingers of the band member stroke her cheeks softly before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Did I just witness I.N kiss somebody?" The words tumbled from Jimin’s lips, his tongue curving around every syllable. The drug made him so hyper-aware of both his surroundings as well as his own body.

"You're not the only one." Taehyung mumbled next to him, sipping his champagne while finding Jimin's eyes over the rim of his glass. Taehyung’s eyes were slightly red from exhaustion, mingled with an evening full of alcohol and a significantly larger amount of drugs that he had taken together with Jimin.

Both men turned their heads back to the members of the other band and were met with not only Yang Jeong In but also Hwang Hyun Jin. The female had turned around, her lips now pressing to the other member his lips while Yang Jeong In wrapped his arms around her stomach from the back, pressing his face in her neck and mouthing the skin.

"A whore? Aren't they a little too young for that?" Jimin remarked, finding the ordeal very amusing. It wasn't uncommon to witness such things at an afterparty. After all, the after parties had exactly the same slogan as Las Vegas had: what happened there, stayed there.

Not only a slogan, but also one more NDA that needed yet another signature upon entering.

Sometimes, Jimin wondered if he had seen more NDA's than actual song lyrics.

"You're one to talk." Taehyung replied easily, both their minds flashing back to the time they were twenty-one instead of twenty-five. A little less fame, but enough to buy people and their favours. Well, what could Jimin say? They were a storm in a teacup back then.

Their hormones had been peaking, which heavily contradicted the strict rules of no female contact without the stacks and stacks of paperwork. In the end, there was too much paperwork to satisfy his urges and not enough time next to performing, interviews, travelling, filming and practice.

Jimin had come to learn by now that it was easier to grit his teeth and use his hand if he became desperate. Ladies were for rare occasions, but if those occasions happened, they were celebrated largely.

That was why Jimin was so surprised to see the other band’s members with companionship, at a simple afterparty, sharing her between them.

Well, maybe this was a rare occasion for them. Who was Jimin to judge?

"Dance with me Tae. I feel on top of the world." Jimin demanded to distract himself, the blood rushing through his veins, creating a restlessness. He needed to focus his attention somewhere else.

"It's only a roof-terrace in Seoul." Taehyung joked with a grin, but the glint in his eyes displayed the same ecstatic feeling that Jimin was feeling.

So dancing is what they did.

Stares were attracted; they weren't called the best dancers in the world for nothing, but neither of the men cared. They danced together, limbs entangling and pressing, moving so much that their muscles would surely be aching tomorrow.

The only breaks they took were for refreshments in the form of bubbly champagne and half a line each. Jimin realised he would have to detox for at least a week, starting tomorrow, to get this shit out of his body. The thought was only passing briefly, as Jimin felt Seokjin pressing his front to Jimin’s back, moving their hips in sync with a hand on Jimin’s side for guidance.

"I have seen four members of one group touch the same woman this evening. Not even we are that extreme." The eldest member breathed in Jimin's ear. His tongue slurred slightly around the words, caused by the abundance of champagne the man must have had to drink. At least he was still sober enough to notice the same thing Jimin had noticed.

Jin swayed his hips around, moving Jimin along to turn to two o'clock to see that woman once more. Bang Chan and the woman were in the exact same position as Jimin and Jin, rubbing their bodies together to the beat of the music. The male was sliding his lips on her neck, which she willingly bared by throwing her head back onto his shoulder.

Jimin felt his lower region twitch upon watching a hickey being sucked into her pale skin, right on that rooftop for everyone to see.

Now, Jimin was envious.

Sure, the paperwork was lessened if more than one member could touch the same person. Jimin and the others were no strangers to sharing. They shared everything after all. But four members using the same woman, that was something not many would agree to. Jimin and the others had never done it before, at least.

"After Australia, I'm going to need a special occasion." Was all that Jimin responded to the eldest member, pushing his hips back a little bit harder. The sensation that pressed against Jimin's behind indicated that the elder member agreed, no further words needed.

Out of frustration, Jimin downed his glass of champagne at once. Seokjin didn't hesitate to drag him to the bar, ordering something much stronger. Thankfully, the burn in Jimin's throat was stronger than the burn of jealousy in his stomach.

When Jimin woke up that next morning, his head was pounding and his mouth was drier than the desert. He was grateful that his sober self had packed his suitcase two days earlier and he only had to take a shower and wait for the chauffeur to bring him and the others to the airport.

The private jet was deadly silent at first, until the breakfast that had been served stirred some life into the hungover members. Jimin couldn’t be more grateful for having a private jet today. He couldn’t imagine one of the stalkerish fans showing up next to his chair while his nose was slightly red and his eyes were still swollen.

“Sejin-Hyung.” Namjoon spoke, his voice rough from the lack of sleep and over-use. Jimin made a mental note to bring Namjoon some tea with honey, seeing as the first concert in Australia would take place in two days already. Their leader needed some pampering every now and then too.

Not only Jimin’s attention was caught by Namjoon calling out their manager, who was seated on the eighth seat of their private jet. All the members opened their eyes from their after-breakfast slumber.

“Care to explain what the members of Stray Kids were doing yesterday?” Jimin knew that Namjoon's straightforwardness was part of what made him the leader of the band. He never hesitated and always knew how to voice the groups’ concerns.

Their manager Sejin sighed, his eyes gliding over the exhausted faces of all the members before opening his mouth. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask. I’m rather against it, to be honest, but you could call that lady a personal assistant. Someone that fulfils and aids in all urges of the group.” He spoke, his voice quiet.

“They have a manager and staff for that, don’t they?” Jungkook prompted, his innocence from his slightly younger age still shining through his words as he had not quite caught the meaning. Jimin had understood the words at once, goosebumps rising on his skin. It was some heavy information to process.

“They sure do. But are you telling me you don’t get tired of your hand or the paperwork when your desires take over, Jungkook?” Sejin replied with a soft smile pointed at the maknae. Not even a blush crept on their manager’s cheeks upon mentioning the subject of masturbation and sex.

Jimin wasn’t surprised about that. Their manager had seen and heard everything after being with them for five of their nine years.

“So it really was a whore?” Taehyung repeated Jimin’s words from last evening. Their manager shrugged, despite having caught the full attention of all members.

“Think of it as a little bit more permanent.” That made a heavy silence hang in the air for a moment, each person processing what had just been indicated.

All of the members knew that stuff like that happened. That there was always a lot more going on behind the scenes of celebrities, doubtful activities carefully hidden from the public eye, but there was even more going on outside the world of the famous. The real world dealt with drugs, slavery, and trafficking every minute of every day.

And for those with money, it was easy to contribute to that illegal system.

“Listen, boys,” Their manager started, his voice still quiet and even a little bit icy, “I hadn’t expected them to have someone like that in their company. Not many celebrities make that choice since the consequences are enormous. You take an entire person’s life away.”

“Or you give them a life. Many people dream about this type of luxury.” Hoseok shrugged. He didn’t say it arrogantly; Hoseok was not a person like that. Jimin knew that he was simply stating a fact and he observed Hoseok twist a colourful ring around his finger.

Good. This meant that Jimin wasn’t the only one feeling like this. Like he could finally satisfy his greatest urge; one of the only things that his loaded bank account hadn’t been able to satisfy.

His urge to have someone at his side.

Sure, he had his group members. Brothers, Jimin liked to call them, because that is what they were. But these brothers all had experienced the same as Jimin and he sometimes just wanted to be as close with someone that wasn’t one of the other members. Someone that wasn’t famous as well. Someone of the opposite gender.

“Perhaps. Just remember that those people have to come from somewhere and I can assure you that they are not fans. Often, they haven’t even heard of the specific celebrity they will accompany.” Sejin took another big breath. “And in the end, if no longer needed, those people need to go somewhere too. It doesn’t always end well.”

“Be a bit more specific, please.” Yoongi voiced, which was the first thing he had said since he had entered the plane. Jimin had to suppress a grin. If Yoongi’s attention was caught too, this might really become a topic of interest amongst the members. Yoongi was not interested in much besides music, producing and sleeping. Their manager pinched his nose bridge between his fingers.

“To give it to you straight, it’s human trafficking. There are certain people in this world that roam through government databases among other things, picking out specific males and females that fit the taste of the rich. A great game of demand and supply, let’s say. The right amount of money can give you everything to ask for. You guys know that.” Their manager’s words shut them up for a moment.

Jimin had been caught up in his rising fame for nine years now and didn’t give much thought to topics such as human trafficking and other heavy burdens. He knew those problems existed of course, he wasn’t ignorant, but he already had more than enough on his mind in his daily life as an internationally-known idol. But hearing such words, he couldn’t do much else but admit that his stomach twisted at the words.

Basically, the other band had contributed to human trafficking.

“Well, if these people are already being looked at, it can’t be too terrible to end up with us instead of a sixty-year old CEO of a boring technology company for example.” Jimin’s head whipped to the left, where Seokjin was hanging comfortably in his chair.

Jimin realised that this was a serious topic that his band members might truly be considering. From the moment that the word human trafficking had fallen between them, Jimin had decided his sexual and emotional urges were not that difficult to suppress if it meant that he wouldn’t contribute to such a cruel thing.

“Woah, those are big words to speak out loud, Hyung.” Namjoon voiced Jimin’s own concerns.

“I don’t mean it like that. I just mean that we are not terrible people. We are young, fun and can provide financially. Just like Sejin said, the right amount of money can get anything you ask for. What if we could pick someone that needs to be saved?”

“This sounds a bit like a hero complex to me, Seokjin.” Their manager responded, the use of Seokjin’s full name indicating the seriousness of their conversation. “Nothing about this means saving someone. You take their life and freedom and from then on, you decide what is going to happen to them. I don’t think you have much choice either. Stray Kids are new, many people are obvious to the existence of that group. But BTS? I think almost everyone has heard of you at least once.”

“Almost.” Namjoon agreed quietly, contrasting Sejin’s argument. “Why is it so important that they don’t know us?”

“You need someone who hasn’t ever heard of you, because it will be disturbing to you if they have. We can never be sure about what exactly they already know, including your weaknesses, which could endanger you. A blank canvas, let me put it like that.”

“Well, that is not the most difficult. I’m sure there are people who have never heard of us. We’ve only been gaining major attention from overseas for three years now which has become a rapidly increasing occurrence for only one.” Seokjin reasoned again.

Jimin noticed how eager his Hyungs seemed to be about this new piece of information.

Who was Jimin to judge? Seokjin was already three years older than Jimin, which gave Seokjin a valid reason to struggle even more with containing his urges. The eldest had expressed his longing for company on various occasions.

“Think about what you want from this person for a second. Is it sex? What if the person doesn’t want it? What about sharing one person with seven people? What if it causes jealousy and tension between you as a group? How about the limited freedom for that person? The risk for the group of being exposed?” Their manager exploded, becoming slightly red in his face from arguing with seven others.

“But, if other bands can manage it, we can for sure.” Taehyung spoke up, apparently not as faced by the total situation as Jimin was.

“I know. I just need you to think about these things too. I need you to understand what we are talking about here.” Their manager replied, stressing once more that this was a human life they were talking about.

“With your level of fame, you need a foreigner. All Koreans know you. What about the language barrier? Finding a foreigner that speaks Korean limits your choices a lot, let alone one that doesn’t know you. And what about time? You literally have three weeks off in total during a year. What if you get frustrated and angry? Or what if you get bored of that person? What if there isn’t a match between you and the person? How would you cope with getting rid of the specific person?” Jimin decided that he was too hungover for such loaded questions.

He turned his head away from their manager and closed his eyes, hoping that the others would understand. Quick enough, the conversation fell silent. Jimin was already on his way to unconsciousness.

But, somewhere in the back of his mind he couldn’t get rid of the image of a woman being pressed against his body in bed, his arms tightly wrapped around her. Someone he could whisper soft words to, confess his deepest feelings and thoughts to.

Someone to care for, and to be cared by.

Notes:

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year! I thought it would be nice to start 2023 with an informational chapter.

Pleasee let me know your thoughts and take care, always.

Chapter 12: Day 88

“You have cars as your hobby? That’s a bit of a masculine stereotype.” Raelyn was alone at home with Jimin, lounging on the couch with her head in his lap while he played with the pale strands of her hair. All the others were still out even though it was already eleven at night, working hard on a new song as Raelyn had overheard during their dinner yesterday evening. Jimin apparently had already finished his parts.

Lately they had been actively trying to always have someone home after she voiced her concerns of feeling deeply lonely at one point. It was either that or a kitten as company.

Raelyn, however, was born unlucky and struggled with allergies.

“There’s nothing wrong with being masculine.” Jimin laughed and Raelyn rolled her eyes. Living with seven men showed her enough masculinity daily. More than enough.

“No there isn’t, but you were always a bit more feminine. All of you, sure, but you, uhm... Maybe it’s the culture difference, maybe it’s just the effect of your job.” She saw Jimin give her an observing look at her jumbled words as Raelyn tried not to insult Jimin, “Not that I mind it! I think it’s very appealing actually. Cars are just such a stereotype, you know?”

“You’re spending too much time with Jin-Hyung, ending your sentences with ‘you know’. Maybe it’s a stereotype but I don’t think all the car-lovers are able to afford the cars they see and desire.” Raelyn sat up after hearing those words, eying Jimin suspiciously.

“Please tell me you don’t have a collection.” Raelyn muttered. Jimin didn’t have to respond to that, but took her hand in his own hand instead, to guide her towards the elevator. An apologetic glance from Jimin over his shoulder and a small twirling gesture with his pointer-finger was enough to make Raelyn turn around so he could enter the code of the door that led to the elevator.

Raelyn bit her lip. She hadn’t been outside of that door yet. Jimin guided the way.

Once inside, Jimin pushed the button to the basement of the building that apparently housed the garage. The way down wasn’t that long, since the building wasn’t tremendously high. Nevertheless Raelyn hadn’t been outside of the apartment yet and she couldn’t help but let the anxiety jitter through her. The elevator doors opened with a small ping and Jimin stepped out first and then to the side, revealing a spacious area.

“These are all yours?” Raelyn let her eyes drift over the nine cars that stood parked in a line next to each other, each one glinting in the LED light from above, except for the car with a matte grey coating.

“Yeah, we share them between the seven of us.” Jimin spoke as he walked over to a sleek black car with a frame low to the ground. Raelyn followed him closely. “This one is my favourite though.”

His hand stroked over the hood of the car, his lips visibly tilting up into a careful smile as he saw Raelyn take in its exterior, circling it and touching it with tender brushes of her fingers. Jimin caught her trying to glance inside, which he knew that the tinted windows prevented from happening.

“Do you have a drivers’ licence? I have never asked you that before.” Jimin asked her after a moment, making Raelyn straighten up again.

“I do. I got an accelerated course awhile back because I needed to drive my grandmother to the hospital sometimes. She didn’t do well with public transport and neither did I.” Raelyn confessed quietly to the peach haired man.

He hummed and observed Raelyn quietly as she took her time to let her eyes drift over the other cars, stepping a bit closer to each of them.

“I think this is my favourite one. It would have been even better if it were yellow.” Raelyn muttered when she finished observing the last car of the line, breaking the comfortable silence between them. It was the sportiest car of them all, with smooth lines and a night blue coating and the Lamborghini logo in the front. Jimin was leaning against the wall next to the elevator with one leg pressed up against it, watching Raelyn with ease.

He chuckled.

“Want to take it for a spin?” Raelyn’s head shot up immediately to try and find Jimin’s mocking smile but there was not a single trace of humour on Jimin’s face. Pure excitement, eyes twinkling beneath the white fluorescent light.

“I can’t leave.” Raelyn stated, tone painfully neutral. She found it cruel that something delicious was being dangled in front of her face while she was restricted from eating it.

“It’s not really leaving if you’re with me. Nobody will know and I’ll keep it a little secret. The windows of the car are tinted anyway,” Jimin shrugged, “I can see the longing in your eyes.”

“Would you really let me drive your fancy car?”

“Of course. I can only wish to relive the moment that I drove a fancy sports car like that one for the first time. But, second-hand excitement will probably satisfy me too. If not for you, do it for me.” Jimin argued, a smile full of white teeth accentuated in the LED light and eyes almost squinted shut.

As if Raelyn could refuse such an offer.

Her hands were jittery when she took the key from Jimin, almost dropping it, and walked up to the driver’s side. Like the gentleman Jimin liked to pretend to be, he held open the door for Raelyn with a small bow.

They both giggled softly at that.

The feeling that coursed through Raelyn sitting down in the luxurious car was exhilarating. It was all smooth leather, smart buttons and ambient lightning. Jimin showed her the ins and outs for driving at a tranquil pace and gave Raelyn the time she needed to adjust after not having been behind the steering wheel for a while.

And then some extra time to stop her hands from shaking. She felt almost guilty that the nervous sweat of her hands was transferring to the expensive leather of the steering wheel.

But, eventually Raelyn was sure enough to start the motor of the car with a single push on a button. She was almost disappointed when it didn’t roar to live but softly buzzed beneath them instead.

“The exit is through that door, I’ll open it with my phone. Be careful with hitting the gas pedal, this one is known for accelerating.” Jimin advised whilst he fished his phone from his jeans, opening a broad garage door with a few quick touches.

Jimin was right, the car moved as smooth as butter over the ground with the slightest touch of the gas pedal. Raelyn almost couldn’t breathe at how easily the car worked with her. From the garage, they came onto the driveway that led to a fence which was already opening. That must have been Jimin’s work too. Quite a lot of security measures, Raelyn noticed.

Jimin instructed her to go left at the end of the driveway.

To Raelyn’s surprise, driving still came to her easily despite it being several months since she had actually driven a car. It probably had a lot to do with how wonderful and easy the car was. The road was quiet at this hour and Raelyn almost wished to be in the passenger seat since this was the first time she was able to observe her surroundings. This was her first time in Korea after all.

“Let’s go to the highway, so you can experience some speed.” Maybe Jimin was enjoying this even more than Raelyn was, the excitement literally radiating in the air. “Turn right here and then take the second on your left.” Raelyn obeyed, making sure to never slip on the gas pedal and ruin the car. The thought of going onto the highway made her palms sweat harder with both nerves and excitement.

Not five minutes later Raelyn was speeding up with ease to join the traffic on the highway and reaching the speed limit within a few seconds. There were butterflies in Raelyn’s stomach.

“C’mon, accelerate a bit. That’s what the car is for.” Jimin gestured in the air to clarify and pointed out the luxury interior once more.

“But what if we get fined?” Raelyn had already reached the speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour, the car smoothly gliding over the long, even road. Jimin let out another loud laugh.

“Honey, do you really think a fine will matter to me?” Raelyn should have found the statement arrogant. However, it was true -a fine would probably be earned back within a minute- and somehow, the way Jimin said it, using that nickname, it made a heat coil in Raelyn’s stomach.

So, she pushed the gas pedal a bit harder, the car revving up beneath them and gaining speed within a second. The pointer signalled they were going 140 kilometres as they made their way on the empty road.

“I made it go two hundred, once.” Jimin encouraged. It worked.

“I feel so free!” Raelyn exclaimed, speeding up just a little bit more until they reached 180 kilometres, the dark world flashing past them. She quickly looked to her side to see if Jimin was doing alright. To see if the enthusiasm she put into her driving had not frightened him.

He was looking at her instead, a soft smile on his full lips whilst the shadows from outside passed over his face rapidly. Raelyn focused back on the road and Jimin put his hand on her thigh in encouragement, a comfortable and warm weight, squeezing gently as they drove on.

It took them a full hour before they got back to the garage.

Raelyn had become hungry at one point but Jimin had quickly discarded the idea of going to a drive-through, telling her that it was too risky with such a flashy car. Those words had made a dent in Raelyn’s excitement because she had remembered the situation she was in for a moment, before remembering what kind of car she was driving and who was sitting next to her. Her life wasn’t so bad at all.

Especially not now that she could go out.

The small exchange of words had put a little bit of tension into the air at first. However, when the first notes of a recognizable English song came on, they both had burst into a full karaoke party.

“That was amazing. Thank you, Oppa.” Raelyn mumbled after she had gotten out, bowing to Jimin who was holding the door open for her. The honorific had been earned this time. When standing up straight again, Jimin had gotten a step closer.

Raelyn didn’t even think twice before pressing her lips to his plump ones. She kissed him with gratefulness, lips soft and caressing, whispering thank you to Jimin once more, mid-kiss. He melted into the touch, chasing Raelyn’s lips when she paused to speak. His hand rested on her lower back to keep her from moving away.

“It’s hot when you use honorifics.” Jimin sighed after breaking the kiss and taking a step back. His lips were even plumper now -if that was even possible- and tinted a pretty pink.

Raelyn was sure that the blush that crept onto her face was just as pink.

They made their way back upstairs with their fingers intertwined. A glance at their hands made Raelyn grin. Jimin’s hand wasn’t much bigger than hers. Jimin must have seen her expression because he stared at her with his head tilted slightly backwards and his tongue darting from between his lips to wet them.

“You want to say something?” He dared her playfully, his eyebrow twitching up for a moment. It made Raelyn chuckle with a shake of her head, knowing very well that a comment about the size of his hands could make Jimin’s mischievous side come out.

“We should go again sometime.” Is what Raelyn said instead, while they waited for the elevator doors to open. Jimin made the promise right there.

Upon entering the living room, they were met with Namjoon sitting on the couch, cross legged with a book perched upon them. He looked up when the sound of the door echoed through the room and closed the book with a loud thud. His hair was clearly dishevelled from running his hand through it one too many times.

“Where the hell have you been?” Namjoon asked, voice sharp. He stood up, suddenly intimidatingly tall in Raelyn’s eyes.

She had learned quickly enough that Namjoon was harmless and his aura became overwhelming only when his leader-mode was switched on. The moment that switched off, Namjoon was a clumsy extrovert with similarities to the friendly giant.

The Namjoon she was seeing now, however, was a one-eighty degree turn. His eyes were sharp and the steps he took towards Jimin and her were slow but heavy. Fingers at his side, clenching and unclenching.

Raelyn moved behind Jimin. Just in case.

“Stop it, Hyung.” Jimin chastised Namjoon. Raelyn wanted to tell Jimin not to poke the bear with a stick but Namjoon’s steps slowed and the expression on his face lightened. As if he realised what he was doing only then.

“Jimin-ah.”

“I took Raelyn out for a drive.” Jimin confessed truthfully. It made Namjoon's fingers clench again and Raelyn was sure she could see his eye twitch from over Jimin’s shoulder.

“We had an agreement.” Namjoon hissed.

“Yes but there is also a person stuck in our house that I refuse to keep inside like a house cat forever. We went for a drive, didn’t speak to anyone and no one saw us. It was safe.” Jimin countered back, surprisingly calm.

Raelyn realised that Jimin had been pretty sure about what he was doing after all.

“You could at least have texted us or discussed it before.” Namjoon seemed to have been convinced to a certain extent. There were still some signs of disapproval on his face but it seemed to be aimed more at Jimin not telling the others instead of taking Raelyn out against, well, rules? Agreements?

“It was a spur of the moment thing.” Jimin shrugged and Namjoon seemed to realise there wasn’t more to argue about.

Suddenly the attention drifted to Raelyn again while she had hoped they had forgotten her. But, of course they hadn’t. Especially since she normally wasn’t present for discussions such as these.

“Did you have fun?” Namjoon asked her then, and okay. That was not the question she was expecting. His shoulders had relaxed though and his expression had transformed into a gentle and patient one; one that Raelyn was familiar with.

“Yes, Namjoon-ssi.” Raelyn answered and quickly added a ‘thank you’ for good measure. The interaction made the corners of Namjoon’s mouth turn down. He seemed to notice that his little outburst had created a set-back in his relationship with Raelyn.

“Good.” Namjoon said nonetheless, “Maybe we can do something together next time.”

The words repeated in her head while Jimin dragged her to his room to get ready for bed.

Notes:

Hiii,

I'm back with another chapter! I hope you guys still like it. The time-hopping can be confusing, but it allows me to write whatever I want, whenever I feel like it.

Let me know your thoughts please and take care. x

Chapter 13: Day -61

The topic had not breached again since that hungover morning in their private jet heading towards Australia, but lingering hints were dropped at various occasions during the past month.

The lack of soft cuddles during movie nights, the angry morning discussions about thin walls and too much masturbation, and the tipsy and very emotional conversation they had last week during a Chimaek evening. Or every fucking time that the name Stray Kids reached their ears.

It made Yoongi’s blood boil.

That may also have to do with the fact that he had only slept two hours last night and his muscles were aching from having a dance practice for six hours straight yesterday. Besides, when he walked into their communal kitchen and living room, there was only half a mug of coffee left in the pot and no ice-cubes in the freezer.

“Meeting. Now.” If Yoongi wasn’t so sleepy, he would have flinched from his own booming voice.

“Why are you yelling this early in the morning? Normally the roles are reversed and we have to yell at you to get out of bed.” Namjoon came into the communal living room from his own living area, fully dressed already and leisurely sipping on a cup of coffee.

“You,” Yoongi squinted his eyes at Namjoon, “Are a fucking dick.” He muttered and if Taehyung and Jimin didn’t enter the communal living room at that moment, Yoongi would have made sure that Namjoon morning would turn as sour as Yoongi’s.

“And as always, you are a delight in the morning, Yoongi-Hyung.” Jungkook appeared from behind Namjoon. Yoongi sneered at the maknae, refraining himself from giving Jungkook a slap at the back of his head solely because he at least managed to use honorifics.

“Stop emptying the coffee pot and if you do, make some new coffee, you selfish bastard.” Yoongi snapped at Namjoon, his pent up frustration escaping him. Deep down he knew how unfair it was to release his anger towards the other members. Yoongi wasn’t even an aggressive person; normally he couldn’t be bothered by anything.

Hoseok and Seokjin walked into the communal living room as well, both still clad in pyjamas, rubbing sleep out of the corners of their eyes.

“Please tell me this meeting isn’t about something as insignificant as coffee.” Taehyung was ruffling through his hair, his bed head clearly indicating that he had rolled straight out of bed.

Of course, Taehyung would say that. The man hated the taste of coffee with a passion.

It took Yoongi all his might not to scream and kick over one of the bar seats that lined the butcher block of their kitchen. Yoongi’s frustrations simply had been building for such a long time. Too long. Their schedule was crazy busy and Yoongi hadn’t even had time to see any of his friends outside of work in the past month and he just needed some fucking coffee in the morning to make it all bearable.

“Yoongi-Hyung is just frustrated because he is too exhausted to wank and his testosterone levels are becoming dangerously high.” Namjoon argued back, agitated by Yoongi cursing him out earlier. Normally, Namjoon was composed and he certainly never jabbed back like that. Yoongi started to understand that he maybe wasn’t the only one that dealt with the high levels of frustration.

“Aren’t we all having that problem? It’s been eight years of living together. We can deal with this without having emergency meetings at six-thirty in the morning.” Seokjin intervened like the responsible elder he was.

“I’m frustrated because there is no fucking coffee. I do not require much. All I ask for is to have an iced americano in the morning.” Yoongi hissed through his teeth, even more seething than before at the easy disposal of his frustrations from the others.

The worst of all was that Namjoon was right. Yoongi hadn’t wanked in four days, hadn’t slept for more than four consecutive hours in two weeks and he hadn’t had sex in over two months.

“If it’s a problem we are all having we should finally discuss the solution that Sejin presented a few weeks ago.” Hoseok silenced everyone with this and Yoongi saw him looking at the clock in the kitchen. “We need to be ready in forty-five minutes but tonight we are discussing this.”

It still surprised Yoongi sometimes how the bright and wide-smiled Hoseok could be so serious, not taking into account his focus and critical eye during dance practice. Nobody had a word to say against Hoseok’s proposition for the night, they all silently agreed.

“Just make a new pot of coffee while I get ready.” Yoongi muttered to Namjoon, before turning around to walk to his own space to shower and dress himself.

The day passed by quickly since they had to shoot a row of performances for a show overseas. It was tiring but the photoshoot that was planned for the next morning had been cancelled and they were offered a half day off.

That made it easier for everyone to calmly gather in the communal area that evening, the knowledge that taking their time didn’t matter because they could sleep in tomorrow. Yoongi had provided everyone with a beer and there were soju bottles on the coffee table; a little help to get the conversation going.

“I know you all have been thinking about it and we need to talk, since it causes a lot of tension between us.” It was Seokjin who started the conversation, “Let’s make the most important thing very clear now. Who wants to take action and tell Sejin to put it in motion?”

They were all seated on the couch in such a way that they could see each other easily, which they made good use of. Heavy stares were exchanged, a tense silence hanging around them. Yoongi was the first one to raise his hand, verifying the relevance of the argument this morning. Namjoon followed.

Jungkook did too and Yoongi understood how their maknae was struggling greatly. Yoongi had spent his early twenties exploring his urges with much more freedom; Jungkook never had that option in his life, reaching a high level of fame before his twenties had started.

Hoseok raised his hand a bit later with an awkward, close-lipped smile. Yoongi focused his gaze on the eldest of the group and saw he had been calmly sitting with his hand up too.

Taehyung noticed Seokjin as well and shrugged shortly, raising his hand in the air. Jimin seemed to be the most conflicted, which Yoongi had expected. Jimin had been the first one to stop participating in the conversation with Sejin on the plane after all.

But Yoongi knew how Jimin struggled too, knowing how much of a people-person he was. With a sigh, Jimin was the last one to raise his hand.

Jin clapped in his hands. “Good. Then we need to talk about all the questions Sejin mentioned during our initial conversation. Does anyone remember one?”

“Not a question specifically, just bits of what the conversation was about.” It surprised them all that Taehyung was the one to speak up. “We need someone who is foreign so she doesn’t know us but she needs to be able to speak Korean.” He summarised.

“I also want someone who can disappear; someone who is lonely. I want to share our bond with someone. I know it is special how we interact with each other.” Jungkook added to Taehyung’s words.

Yoongi looked at the youngest with admiration. Jungkook had been raised by the group, joining them before hitting puberty. He saw them as family and had experienced the doting elders his entire life.

“Okay, I agree. The search will be left to these.. workers. Fuck, I don’t even know what to call them. We can give them our demands and see if they can be met. I think the chances are small but it’ll give us a piece of rest in our minds. At least we can say that we tried solving our problem and if we end up without a result, we can just keep on going like we are doing now.” Namjoon added, gulping a large sip of his beer after he finished talking.

“Yeah, it works. There’s nothing wrong with the group now. But like you said, the seed has been planted in our minds and I’m sure we’ve all thought about it.” Yoongi agreed.

The group of men all hummed in agreement.

“I don’t think sharing will be a problem among us either.” Hoseok supplied. He had taken the task of pouring shots for the group, noticing the awkward tension in the air.

A soft jazz-song started playing in the background and Yoongi noticed how Taehyung pocketed his phone. It was amazing how attuned the group was to each other. They always knew how to make each other more comfortable.

“We have shared women before during sex.” Jimin quietly agreed. Yoongi’s eyes drifted to the younger blonde, whose teeth were gnawing on full lips. He still felt uncomfortable with the whole idea, Yoongi could clearly see it.

“This is something permanent though. We need rules for if they find someone. Clear communication too, always, and about everything, if we want to avoid arguments and jealousy.” Seokjin said.

“Well, with regards to the sharing thing, can each one of us have a day per week? Since we’re seven?” Jungkook piped up.

“I think that might be a bit much. What if she doesn’t feel like being with a certain person for that day?” Namjoon answered, eyebrows furrowed.

“We do need to give everyone an equal chance of interaction though. It is very easy to drift to one of us and that might be the person who shows her the most kindness first, for example. I think it’s a good idea to have personal time with her.” Taehyung mingled himself into the conversation, taking Jungkook’s side.

“We can stick to nights only. Sleep with each of us for one night of the week but during the day it should be all up to her.” Yoongi scratched his chin, a slight evening stubble making its way back onto his face. “I do not want to limit all freedom. This is a person we’re talking about.”

“True but there is not much freedom guaranteed at all. I don’t know how Stray Kids got that woman to come with them to the party without being afraid of her running or blabbing to others.” Namjoon argued.

“Kindness, Joon-ah. We’re talking about a companion or friend, an addition to this little family, not a prisoner. The goal is to build a bond with her, for each of us. Build trust that will result in freedom, step by step.” Yoongi was sometimes envious of Seokjin’s age and wisdom, but he knew very well it was also the man’s kind character.

“I don’t want her to be forced into anything.” Jimin scoffed in disdain, eyebrows frowning with an offended tilt to his lips.

“Are we really going to risk our careers by giving her any freedom?” Namjoon argued once more, but now there was uncertainty lacing his voice. Yoongi could understand his hesitance. Namjoon was not only the start of Bangtan, but also the leader who always received the harshest impact when shit went down.

“We won’t risk anything if we build trust. She’ll be a friend and at one point, hopefully, a lover to a certain extent.” Seokjin answered calmly again but Yoongi could see the troubled expression in his eyes. “That also means consensual touch only. If she does not want sex or touch us in any way, we will refrain from even mentioning it.”

“Agreed.” Multiple voices sounded. There was a silence in the room as they all downed another shot of Soju. Jungkook got up to retrieve more beers for everyone from the fridge.

“What if, in the end....” Jimin struggled with forming the words for a moment, “What if we need to separate our ways?”

“If that time ever comes, we will see. There are so many factors that weigh in on that, it’s impossible to say now.” Seokjin replied.

“We are busy though. There is the American part of the tour still coming up and we have to start recording the new album now that the lyrics for most songs are finished. Run BTS has another season coming, our deal with Samsung needs promotion. We’re out of the house almost all the time and who knows what the future will bring.” Hoseok mentioned doubtfully. He had a pensive look on his face for a few minutes already and Yoongi understood why.

“We can manage that for a few weeks. Go film and record separately where possible. We’ll find a way to stay home as much as possible in the beginning, Sejin will help us with that. He owes us a longer break after we agreed to work through the last one.” Namjoon answered, the leader of the group being in charge of their schedule.

“She’s not a prisoner. We need to gain trust so she can join us after some time together.” Seokjin repeated.

“If we need to gain her trust there should be no violence.”

“Why in the name of god are you talking about violence, Jimin? You know that we’re not like that.” Hoseok exclaimed, truly shocked.

“Jimin’s point is valid though. What if she doesn’t do what we need her to do on some occasions, especially in the beginning.” Taehyung pointed out, corners of his mouth turned down.

“Nobody will be hurt.” Seokjin insisted, voice sharp. “I propose instead that we use the same reward system that Sejin used with us when we were younger. Rewards are always better than punishments. We spoil her when something goes right, reward her with pieces of freedom for example.”

“Yeah, ever since Jungkook stopped oversleeping, Sejin has been allowing him to get tattoos.” Jimin agreed, liking the idea. Jungkook hummed, tracing the tattoos on his knuckles. It had been a national scandal.

“Okay, a reward system is good, unless it compromises our safety.” Namjoon summarised, gently guiding the conversation. He took a deep breath, “If she tries to hurt us, we should not back down from restraints.”

“Restraints?” Jimin sounded pensive.

“It can be small, a simple cuff can do wonders.” Yoongi said quietly, picking at his nail beds, “Some of the lighter drugs work well enough too.”

“I don’t like the idea of drugging someone. That goes over my boundaries.” Taehyung states passionately. Out of them all, Taehyung would know. His parents thought some medication would help quieten Taehyung’s restless, strange mind but the second-youngest had simply been numb for three years until he came to the audition for Hybe with his friend and got proposed to become a trainee.

The company’s entrance medical check had resulted in an immediate stop of the unnecessary medication.

“Consensually. I can promise that it’s very tempting to take under stress.” Yoongi snapped back and a silence fell. They knew Yoongi was tempted to reach for substances back in the days. He had it tough, mentally. Nowadays he was doing much better, but every single one of them knew; had seen.

“Okay, we can offer but again, no violence, no force. Yoongi, I hope we can trust you with being in charge of this?” Seokjin seemed to take up Namjoon’s role as leader for this conversation.

“Yeah, Hyung. Of course.” Yoongi looked at his only elder with an affectionate glance.

Jungkook, being the well-raised maknae, poured another shot for everyone. They chugged it, letting the soft burn in their throats settle and their minds rattle.

“I think most of it should be decided depending on what happens at the moment. A situation like this is hard to completely plan. The most important thing lies in the strong communication between us. No jealousy, no secrets.” Hoseok slapped the table with determination and poured all of them one more shot.

They cheered for his words as they downed the drink.

“So, we are really going to do this?” Namjoon asked after they put their empty glasses down as he scanned the others’ expressions.

“We are.” They nodded.

“I’ll go give Sejin a call then.”

Notes:

I have discovered I will be rather busy the coming months. Hopefully I can keep updating.

Stay safe!

Chapter 14: Day 169

“Have you ever watched inception?” Raelyn asked Namjoon as she plucked at her bottom lip, gaze cast on the growing leaves on the tree branches from their balcony. Spring was coming, the air smelling like fresh flowers.

“Yes, it’s a remarkable movie. Why do you ask?” Namjoon replied, sliding his arms around her middle from behind into a back hug. He put his head on top of hers, the only one who was able to do that since he was the tallest one of them all.

“Sometimes this situation still feels so unreal to me, as if I’ve been dreaming the whole time.” She confessed, pursing her lips pensively.

“I can assure you everything is real, Raelyn-ah.” Namjoon chuckled softly, pinching her arm between his thumb and pointer finger jokingly to show her she was clearly awake.

“There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there? Or have you forgotten how the movie goes?” She mumbled back with a dark chuckle, ignoring the sting of uncomfortable pinch that Namjoon had given her. It was one of those days where she wasn’t feeling completely herself.

Even though spring was coming, she was stuck in the winter darkness, her mind clouded by her past and present.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as they both continued watching the scenery outside. It calmed the storm inside of her a little.

“Raelyn, should we stop trusting you with the freedom you have?” Namjoon, at last, spoke. His tone was sharp. “The only way out of a dream in that movie is to die.”

“Don’t worry. Even if this was all a dream, I like it better than what my reality was.” And that was the truth. The current situation wasn’t ideal and gave her mental challenges every day. But at least she was fed, healthy, warm and safe.

“Raelyn?” She hummed to let Namjoon know that she was listening. “Stop watching those movies.”

“Yes, Oppa.” And that was that. Raelyn closed her eyes and leaned back against Namjoon’s broad chest.

Spring was coming, sure, but the chilly winter breeze lingered in the air.

Notes:

I'm very sorry for the short chapter. It's still part of the story though, so still important.

I'll write a longer chapter next time.

Chapter 15: Day -21

“They found someone.” Sejin announced the moment that the seatbelt sign had turned off and their private jet had reached the right altitude. They were on their way back to Korea after spending merely two days in America.

Sure, Namjoon had thought of the Carpool Karaoke as something fun. James Cordon was a good and entertaining guy, who had treated them with respect. It was less fun to have another interview right afterwards, a business dinner after that and an obligatory party that went deep into the night while the clock had alarmed at seven o’clock in the morning again.

Live-show, photoshoot and then scurrying to the airport to catch their flight back. Namjoon had wanted nothing else than to close his eyes the moment of take-off but their manager had ordered them to stay awake.

Namjoon had expected a discussion about song-lyrics, or maybe a lecture about Taehyung’s risky comment during the interview that surely would appear on YouTube or TikTok as it had been live.

Jungkook, who thoroughly enjoyed spending time anonymously on those social media platforms, would probably show it to all of his Hyung’s again in an hour or two, while laughing loudly.

What Namjoon didn’t expect to hear were the words they all had been longing for. It was quicker than expected too.

“No way!” Hoseok exclaimed, his eyes widening, “Tell us more!”

Namjoon hadn’t seen Hoseok smile this brightly in days. The curious glint in Hoseok’s eyes, while he sat cross-legged with his elbows on his knees to indicate that his full attention was on their manager. Namjoon could relate to it, feeling the adrenaline rush through his veins while his heart thumped just a bit quicker.

“Raelyn Owen, twenty-two. She’s a data-analyst.” Their manager was teasing them with this shortage of information and Namjoon was ready to steal the papers that Sejin’ hands were gripping firmly to find out everything himself. Jungkook’s voice stopped him from doing so.

“Cool. But, more importantly, you got a picture?” Jungkook never really knew how to be subtle. Taehyung barked out a laugh, elbowing the youngest in his ribs but stopping his laughter at once when their manager handed them one of the papers.

“Oh. That makes everything a lot less boring.” Were Taehyung’s words after a few seconds of observing the person printed on the piece of paper.

Taehyung showed the picture to the others with a boxy smile when noises of impatience started escaping their mouths. Namjoon focused his eyes on the paper the moment it turned to him and he was met with a set of icy, grey eyes.

Most of the paper wasn’t even covered in coloured ink; the skin of the lady, Raelyn, Namjoon corrected himself, was pale. As pale as Yoongi’s was on bad days. But not only the skin was pale.

Her eyes were light-grey but covered by shadows of her strong and straight brows. Both the brows and lashes were dark and clearly visible, which was weird because Raelyn’s hair was almost as white as her skin.

Her facial structure was bordering on masculine, with high cheekbones, a strong jawline and slightly-sunken cheeks. Even her nose was perfectly straight, a small ring in both of her earlobes catching the flash of the camera.

It looked like the picture was her ID, not a hint of a smile visible on the thin, pink lips.

“A data analyst, huh?” Namjoon prodded their manager with his words, eager for more information about the person that stared back at him from the piece of paper.

“Yes. Studied and followed the classes digitally and has worked from home for the past three years as well. She took care of her bed-ridden grandma, who died three months ago, which seems to be the reason for her lack of social contacts. She analyses data for a significant company in her home country that specialises in IT. However, despite having a job like that, she seems to have a knack for picking up languages.”

All eyes were looking hopefully at their manager now. It had been one of the three requests. The first one being that the person wouldn’t have heard of them, the second one being the ability to speak Korean and the last one being someone that could disappear. Someone that wouldn’t be noticed missing. Someone who didn’t have much of a life to be taken away from her.

Only then, that person would have a chance of going outside someday without being recognized at events or from photos made by the ever-lurking paparazzi. But, more selfishly, to quench their feelings of guilt. Saving someone, as Hoseok had implied a while back.

Sejin had deemed it impossible, but here he was, only a month later, blessing Namjoon and the others with this impeccable discovery.

“She has basic conversational skills in Korean. She also speaks English and French, since she is from Canada and Spanish, because of a distant family in Mexico that she stopped visiting once her mother died when Raelyn was aged fifteen.”

Namjoon blinked. That was a lot of information in one sentence.

“No mother and no grandmother? What about a father? Other relatives?” Namjoon asked their manager, pulling at his bottom lips with his fingers; a habit when his mind became occupied with a mess of contemplations.

“I see your brain is as sharp as ever, Namjoon-ah.” Their manager smiled back at him. “The father has been out of the picture since before birth.”

“Ah! Easy to disappear, I get it.” Seokjin exclaimed. Namjoon found the excited glint in eldest’ eyes admirable. Seokjin had been struggling more than the others, with him nearing his 30’s and all. Someone permanent had become a growing desire for Seokjin for the past two years, despite the company’s no-dating rules.

“We can care for her now.” Jimin supplied, with a soft smile around his lips. He had struggled with the idea the most, taking someone’s life away from them and limiting their freedom in some way for their own desires. Namjoon knew that the words ‘human trafficking’ were all that came into Jimin’s mind at first. But now, the cause would be a good one. Someone with no family left. A reduced guilty conscience.

This was perfect.

“When?” Namjoon asked, satisfying the other members with his practical questions. He brushed his too-long hair away from his face which gave his lips a break from his restless picking fingers.

“While touring America. She will join you when you have finished your last concert in Newark on the 29th of September. The bus will travel to Chicago for your concert on the second of October, which gives you four days to get used to each other outside of the agenda that is set for these days. Then, after arriving in Korea, I managed to give you five complete days off.”

Namjoon could do nothing else but smile, an elated chuckle escaping, until his dimples became so deep that it hurt. Tour would start in merely seven days with their first concert in Seoul. A quick calculation revealed that within 21 days, she would be with them.

The best thing was that the whole undertaking of finding and getting Raelyn with them would cost each of them only a months’ worth of salary.

 

Namjoon wasn’t able to fall asleep that day from the ecstatic feeling coursing through his veins.

Chapter 16: Day 15

A week crawled by, the days passing as if they were hours. Most of the time, Raelyn slept. After years of constantly working and not taking breaks to take care of herself physically nor mentally, Raelyn simply crashed without a schedule nor any obligations.

Because the men, strangely enough, really didn’t expect anything from her up to now. They didn’t want her to touch them, nor did they require any physical labour or her analytic skills. Nothing.

She was free to wander around the house, eat whatever she wanted to eat and sleep wherever she felt like sleeping. Whether it was the couch in the main room or one of their beds during the afternoon; it was all fine. Jimin’s bed did end up being her favourite, though.

At first she was nervous to fall asleep, always scared what she would wake up to. But her exhaustion ran deep in her bones and every time she did wake, it was all safe. Nobody would be looming over her dangerously, she had all of her clothes still on and all limbs free from restraints.

Upon that realisation, sleep came easier.

They also didn’t scold her if she took an hour-long shower or watched a series for the whole day. No, everything was deemed okay in the men's eyes and that was strange.

For however long it may last, Raelyn was making good use of it. Slowly, her body started to feel a little more alive. That morning, Raelyn had discovered a slight pink glow on her cheeks. In general, the bones in her body creaked a little less and the migraine attacks had faded.

So yes, she had slept most of her time with them away. The men also started going back to work which meant she would be left behind with only one or a pair of them. It was uncomfortable and bordering on frightening the first day, to be with only one person.

However, Hoseok could be on stay-at-home duty and he still wouldn’t scold her for avoiding him by staying in Jimin’s room all day. He would maybe show his face around the corner of the door once or twice during the day, to make sure Raelyn ate besides the day-long power naps she kept on taking but that was it.

Seokjin also let her hide, inviting her to play with his gaming-console but leaving her to herself when she refused and playing by himself instead.

At one point, when Raelyn was finally done with sleeping copious amounts, loneliness started to creep in. The series started to get bland when they were no longer used for relaxation but more as a distraction.

So, she crawled out of her hiding, a teeny tiny step towards the men. Solely to gain knowledge, she convinced herself. Knowledge for eventual escape.

And thus, she stalked them. Trailing them around the house silently, asking them quiet questions when none of the others could overhear.

Jimin, she learned, was twenty-five and originated from Busan, not Seoul. Raelyn didn’t like his accent when Jimin switched back to satoori. It was too difficult to understand him. Her scowl had made him laugh, from which she learned that an earnest laugh would blind Jimin because he couldn’t keep his eyes open properly. Jimin could also easily fool someone with his kind and boyish face; the man revealed that he had a black belt in taekwondo.

Seokjin was the oldest of the men and liked gaming. He could sit in his room for three hours straight, get up, walk into the kitchen and make a mouth-watering meal. Yes, Seokjin was all opposites. Cooking and gaming. Hyung- and Maknae-behaviour at once. Speaking loudly and animatedly or quietly and seriously. Strangely enough, he was the main person who tried to speak English to her occasionally. It was entertaining when she realised the English he knew came mostly from games. Day-to-day conversations were harder to have with him.

Hoseok enjoyed cleaning, organising and clothes. He used to live with Jimin in one room and sees the younger one as his closest brother. When Raelyn asked about that, Hoseok revealed that they used to sleep in shared dorms, their first one having only one bedroom that they shared with all seven of them. With a smirk, Hoseok had added it was the biggest challenge of his life, sharing a room with six other teenagers. Raelyn hadn’t asked about it, a nervous red coating her face.

Jimin was best friends with Taehyung and once together, they did the strangest things, such as role-playing a drama in the kitchen. Or make endless bets and competitions of butt-slapping or annoying the others in other ways. Once apart from Jimin, Taehyung was more reserved and Raelyn still felt a tad intimidated by him.

Instead of talking to him, she stuck to observing Taehyung from a distance when they were alone. That way, she discovered that Taehyung was rather artistic. He painted, he listened to jazz music and Raelyn had even spotted a trumpet case in his room. He also could scroll on his phone for hours on end.

Speaking about scrolling on phones, Jungkook was very good at that too. The youngest of the men, as she had come to discover after asking Jimin about all their ages, was also strange but more in an active way. He would scroll on his phone for hours, laughing loudly as the screen flickered from app to app. Despite being covered in tattoos and having bulging muscles from frequent workouts - thanks to Jimin for that knowledge - Jungkook was rather sweet too. He made non-stop jokes with the others, especially Seokjin, and always looked around with wide, almost-innocent eyes that made him much less intimidating. He never hesitated to help the other when needed either.

Jungkook never stayed home alone with Raelyn, though. Raelyn wasn’t sure why, but she had an inkling that it might have to do with never sleeping with him. Maybe the others thought that the two of them being alone wouldn’t end well due to their lack of acquaintance. Hence, Raelyn also kept her distance from Jungkook.

Namjoon was the one she tended to avoid the most. His aura scared Raelyn, even after he showed her kindness. She knew he played an important role in their group and carried around that authority on his shoulders. That authority probably made him observant so Raelyn refrained from stalking him all together too. Lucky for her, Namjoon was out of the house the most. She only had to sleep with him twice and on both occasions he kept his distance.

Raelyn didn’t miss the looks he would throw at her when they were together with the others in a room too. In most cases this was dinner-time. It was a look of confusion, hesitance and longing. Namjoon particularly liked to observe her when she interacted with Jimin, who was the easiest to communicate with between them all. The moment Raelyn noticed Namjoon’s focused stares, she distanced herself a little from Jimin.

It was nothing but dangerous to act like she was favouring one of them. Any tension created between the men could mean the end for Raelyn. Because if a problem arises, it must be solved. If Raelyn became the problem in the relationship between the seven men, the only way to solve that relationship was to take Raelyn out of the equation.

After that realisation, she drifted towards Yoongi more, enjoying his quiet and tranquil vibe. The man was excellent in hyperfocusing, Raelyn learned, for he could sit hours behind his computer screen without moving from his spot. When Raelyn asked tentatively what he did all the time he revealed it was music.

Apparently the men didn’t only sing but also made their own music. Raelyn was too hesitant to ask if she could hear some music. Hearing it would make it too real; the fact that she was locked in with seven famous artists.

If Yoongi wasn’t working, he would nap or sometimes cook. Raelyn also found him relaxing on the couch once with a glass of whiskey in hand while watching a Japanese series that Raelyn had never seen before. He had offered her with ease, shrugging when she declined and fled the room.

Though, day by day, Raelyn was becoming more knowledgeable about the people she was residing with. Hopefully, the gained information could be used to her advantage. All she needed was patience.

A whole lot of patience.

Chapter 17: Day 41

“I’m sorry to say this,” Raelyn’s sudden words make everyone at the dining table halt their movements, “But I’m bored.”

“Bored?” Namjoon echoes, eyebrows moving up his forehead.

“Not with this dinner particularly, sorry.” Raelyn made sure to clarify, “Just- in general?” She flailed with her hand, hoping it would help clear her words up.

“That seems reasonable.” Jungkook, against expectations, was on her side, “You’ve been here for a month without doing really anything.”

Exactly. That was the whole cause of her boredom; there was no goal, nothing. She was done sleeping, that was for sure. Way too many hours had been spent in dreamland. Every corner of the house had been inspected by now too.

Without any shame she had scavenged through their belongings, picking up every trinket she could find to get to know more about the men. It had been interesting, sure, shocking sometimes, too. When she found less innocent things, such a vintage porn magazine -a little cliché, Taehyung- or a box with sex toys in the corner of Seokjin’s closet, a space which is more than reasonable to roam through since it was Raelyn’s closet too nowadays.

The lack of internet, not to forget, was quite hard to deal with as well. Raelyn had actually realised a while ago that the men were very careful with their digital devices around her, never leaving them laying around unattended. They even went as far as locking their laptops away in a safe when they were not using them. Even the televisions were locked and password-protected, giving her access to only a few channels and Netflix.

“I mean, if you ask I can always think of something for you to do.” It was Seokjin and Raelyn wasn’t sure if it was an innuendo or not, but she huffed at him anyway, crossing her arms. If not an innuendo, he probably meant chores, which fuck, absolutely not. A cleaner came over once a week, that should be enough.

A cleaner that doesn’t talk, Realyn learned, being caught red-handed by Namjoon. Thankfully, the man wasn’t angry, just amused when he leaned in his own doorway, observing how Raelyn was pleading to the lady in her earlier days with them.

Raelyn had even gotten as far as observing the locks on the main door with scrutiny, the door that leads to an elevator which she remembered from the day they entered. In all that time she had not left the apartment at all and probably wouldn’t in the foreseeable future either.

It had long become clear that escaping from the house was impossible and on rare occasions, Raelyn thought about how she didn’t really want to leave with the way things were going. Life had never been so easy on her, with the only obstacle being boredom.

“Do you want new games?” Taehyung asked Raelyn a little more quietly to which Namjoon added: “Or more books, I have some new ones coming in that you can read first?”

“Oh, thank you.” Raelyn answered. She had manners, definitely, “I’m just a little restless.”

Yoongi, who was sitting next to her, hummed and nodded, “I think you could use a drink.”

That seemed to get the conversation going between them straight away. They started bickering with each other rapidly and even after all these days, Raelyn still wasn’t able to catch everything when they conversed like this.

“Raelyn-ah,” Jimin stopped the loudness by calling her name over it, making her cower a little at the pitch but she directed her attention to him nonetheless, “Have you ever had soju?”

One shake of the head and a chorus of disbelieving ‘wow’ circled around the table for a full minute. Raelyn sat and watched them with surprise.

“Aish,” Taehyung exclaimed with a head shake when his eyes fell upon Raelyn, “It’s a Korean liquor. You take it as a shot when it’s nicely cooled and there’s loads of fruity flavours too.”

“Ah,” Raelyn said with raised brows, not sure why the men were so surprised she hadn’t had it before. Alcohol was something she consumed in a blue moon. However, she wasn’t heard by the others as Seokjin spoke loudly over her.

“Aish! Taehyung-ah, it is not just a liquor, it’s thé liquor of our beloved country!”

An elbow was nudged into her side where Hoseok said, “There’s also Somaek, where you mix beers with soju. It’s really good.”

“I believe you.” Raelyn said with her hands up in defeat and a small smile on her face.

“You will.” Yoongi said, overhearing Hoseok who was right next to him. He stood up from the table and walked towards a cabinet in the dining room, the one with the fridge built inside of it.

Raelyn had discovered the fridge a week or so ago, when she got nosy and had roamed through every part of the shared living area. Her gaze was caught by the wine bottles in that fridge, which contained nothing else but alcohol. The green bottles that were put on the table she had never seen before.

They looked a bit bigger than beer bottles, which were also set down when Yoongi walked up and down to the fridge again. Jimin had collected both normal cups as well as shot glasses, handing them out to everyone on the table.

Their food had already been discarded but the leftovers were sparse; the end of the dinner had been nearing nonetheless.

“Okay.” Namjoon said after he clapped his hands together and started rubbing them against each other while his smile was playful, “Raelyn-ah, do you want to start with the best or the worst?”

Raelyn frowned and then asked: “Do you have a collective worst?”

It made the others laugh and another argument started up. Yoongi shushed them in a quiet but effective way; something only Yoongi could do.

“Let’s start with something easy. We don’t want to scare Raelyn away from our wonderful culture.” Yoongi continued, laying a hand on Raelyn’s shoulder and massaging the muscle lighty while he turned to talk to her specifically, “We’ll teach you how to drink it too. The whole experience.”

“Gotta integrate.” Jungkook agreed with a quick nod, “It’s just some drinks to make you less bored for a bit.”

“There’s peach flavour, grape, strawberry, grapefruit and plum too.” Jimin said to which Taehyung added, “Strawberry is my favourite.”

“Uh,-” She wasn’t the biggest fan of strawberries, “Plum?”

“Plum it is.” Namjoon said, holding his hand out for her to pass the shot glass.

“I’m not going to drink alone though.” She frowned when she got the glass back. That’d be sad. And dangerous.

“Don’t even suggest such a thing.” Seokjin exclaimed, putting a hand on his heart as if he was hurt badly by her words. Namjoon poured drinks for everyone with an experienced hand.

“We say ‘gonbae’ when we cheer.” Namjoon explained as the last shot finished pouring.

“Wait!” Jimin halted them before they could even move, “You’ve done a shot before at least, right?”

“Yes I have.” Raelyn murmured, taking the comment to the heart a little. She had been sheltered but not locked away like she currently was.

“Then all I can say is gonbae.” Jimin smiled back, raising his glass. So, they all imitated him and downed the drink. Raelyn smacked her lips thrice after swallowing the liquid, being very surprised with the sweet flavour on her tongue while the burn was going down her throat.

How strange. But, not bad. Her head started nodding in approval, “It’s good. I like it.”

“Strawberry next.” Taehyung piped up, taking another bottle from the table, “Watch this.” He flipped it upside down and tapped the underside against his elbow for the bottle to make a small noise. Then he placed his hands on the cap and the bottle, which was still upside down, twisted his arms and opened the bottle with a smooth but extravagant movement. The others immediately cheered and even Raelyn was slightly impressed. She started clapping along. Taehyung started pouring and a minute later the second shot was downed.

They started teaching her how to hold the glass when she was being poured a drink, with two hands cupping the cup for the formal way, and holding it with one hand for the informal way. How she had to turn away and cover her mouth when drinking with someone older.

“If we completely follow the classic etiquette, you should be pouring us drinks every round since you’re the youngest.” Jimin explained with a pointed look.

“Fuck off.” The joking words spilled from her mouth without thinking about it twice and her cheeks flared up when she realised. The table had fallen silent. Raelyn’s mouth formed a silent ‘o’.

Then Jimin started laughing, cheeks squeezing up and eyes closing, making Raelyn feel safe at once. “Just one round then.” He said, pushing the flavourless bottle towards her with the touch of a fingertip. “Normally you also pour with two hands but since we’re all friends here there’s no need for etiquette.”

Raelyn carefully poured them a shot from the soju she hadn’t tasted yet and grimaced after downing it. Vodka, basically, just a tad smoother. That was when Hobi started demonstrating what he told her about; balancing chopsticks on a beer glass, putting a shot and hitting the table to make it fall in.

The table was loud and time flew by while Raelyn’s cheeks coloured rosy from the warmth inside of her body. She was definitely tipsy by now and they kept filling up her glass whenever she emptied it.

“Nooo….” Raelyn whined a little in response to Namjoon, who was teasing her a little about how outgoing she had become with some alcohol and that she must have attracted loads of men at the parties and clubs, “I don’t attract them! I only kissed twice!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up because the alcohol did make her comfortable and less uptight, “Oh and Taehyung-ssi, that was new.”

A sigh escaped her when she thought about both occasions in the past, surely preferring Taehyung’s kiss. He smelled clean, lips warm and soft and he had been very gentle.

Then a cold realisation ran over her spine.

“Oh no, fuck, fuck.” Raelyn’s hands flew up to her hair in panic, “It was an accident! I- I promise I don’t favour any of you over another, really!”

She had fucked up and it was all her own fault. Why did she even drink? Why did she tell them she was bored? Why had she let herself go this way?

Her body slid down from the chair to the ground as she curled upon herself with quiet sobs.

This could be the end of her life. They might get rid of her now that they knew the truth.

Her head was spinning and Raelyn wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the panic. She tugged on her hair to try and make it stop. Was she breathing? Did gravity suddenly become much stronger? Her body felt so heavy.

“Raelyn!” It sounded multiple times, in the distance, but the only time it came through was when Taehyung said it, calm and clear, and also very, very close. When she lifted her head with a wobbling lip and teary eyes, he was right there, squatted next to her chair with his face only thirty centimetres away.

“Hey there ,” Taehyung whispered with warm eyes, “They know, it’s okay. There’s nothing wrong.”

“They know?” Raelyn whispered brokenly, thinking back to the nights she would lay in bed, pondering about what would happen if the men discovered her secret. Useless thoughts, apparently.

“Come on, back on the chair. The floor is cold.” Taehyung suggested, holding his hand out for Raelyn to grab, which she did with some hesitance. Once seated, she didn’t dare to look at the others and held her gaze down to the table.

“Raelyn-ah, it’s okay. We promise we are not mad, there is nothing wrong.”

“B- But- '' Raelyn tried to argue but Namjoon cut her off.

“Aish- Raelyn-ah, listen to me, please. You are your own person with a right and say over your body, and whatever decision you make regarding how close you want to be with us is okay.”

“If you just want to kiss Taehyung it’s fine,” Jimin added quietly to Namjoon’s words, “But we would all like to kiss you if you would want that. At some point. Maybe.”

“You- All of you?” Raelyn looked up and was at a loss for words, “I don’t, uh, isn’t it strange to, you know… all of you?” Her face contorted in disbelief.

“It doesn’t have to be weird. You already sleep with all of us, even though that is for comfort rather than desire or intimacy.” Hoseok confirmed with a solid nod.

“It was also what the seven of us agreed on before.”

“Before what?” Raelyn frowned, she wiped her cheek to get rid of the remaining wetness from her tears. They had stopped falling.

“Before your arrival.”

“You decided to share… Me?”

“To accept all your choices, whether it be none of us, one of us or some of us. Your situation is delicate and already crossed ethical boundaries. We want you to know you do still have choices. But, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we would love to be with you in any way.”

“And if you don’t want to kiss anybody or be with anybody, it is also fine.” Hoseok assured her, “We told you the rules at the beginning. The only one that will stay regardless is spending the night with all of us. Again, that can stay as platonic as you want.”

“Oh,” She smacked her lips, thinking for a moment. This was a huge turn of events but her mind was still a little clouded by the alcohol so the thoughts did not process very well. Raelyn was not sure what she wanted, but at least this meant that she had more time. A few more days, weeks, hopefully months to be alive. To find a way out.

“Don’t make a decision now, think about it when you are sober.” Seokjin was the one to assure her. Raelyn couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that escaped, unintentionally holding her breath.

“C’mon, one more shot to calm you down and then let’s head to bed for the night. We can talk more tomorrow.” Hoseok encouraged her, sliding the bottle of flavourless soju towards himself to pour them all one more shot.

Raelyn downed it eagerly, hoping to fall back into the floaty mood she was in before her secret escaped her. Of course she didn’t feel that way again, but at the mention of bed, her eyes suddenly felt very heavy.

Jimin and Jungkook promised to clean the kitchen while the others went to their rooms one by one. Hoseok walked over to Raelyn and held out his hand for her to take. She followed him to his room in silence.

As always, he let her use the bathroom first, offering her a T-shirt of his and a pair of fresh underwear of herself. Each one of them had some of her night underwear in their room by now. They were comfortable, longer briefs that didn’t annoy her while she slept. Nowadays she skipped wearing pants to be as well as well, often overheating as she drifted to her bed partner during sleep.

“We meant it, Raelyn-ah. There is no pressure for anything.” Hoseok assured her as he crawled into the bed and saw how stiff Raelyn was, staring at the ceiling with nerves clear on her face.

“Even if you favour one of us over the others more, it’s fine.” He continued softly as if could read her thoughts. He put a hand on Raelyn’s arm as a silent invitation to come closer, “All I am hoping for is to get a cuddle out of you tonight, maybe?”

Raelyn turned her head to look at Hoseok. Their eyes met and the honesty was so clear on Hoseok’s face that she crawled a little closer. Never was Hoseok angry and even now, he radiated calmness and warmth. When she cuddled against him, she melted, especially when his clean scent entered her nose.

Hoseok smelled fresh, a little citrussy but also sweet. She couldn’t even smell the alcohol of the night on him, just his own scent and the smell of his toothpaste as he sighed contentedly and wrapped his arms around her.

The lights switched off, engulfing them in the dark. Raelyn could hear Hoseok’s heart beat against his ribs, a steady thumping.

“Would you ever hurt me?” She couldn’t help but ask quietly after a minute or two.

“I’ll try with everything I have not to.” Hoseok hugged her a little closer and pressed a soft peck on the top of her head.

It wasn’t the promise she wanted to hear, but it was better than nothing.

Notes:

Come talk to me on twitter @siryoongi1

Chapter 18: Day 94

It wasn’t often that Raelyn experienced the coddling side of Seokjin. He had six other, younger men to be a Hyung for; people he had known for many years. Whom he had grown up with. Or as Seokjin liked to say; whom he had raised.

Instead, Raelyn got to see more of the playful and silly side of Seokjin, the one that made her laugh loudly at stupid dad-jokes or at him throwing spaghetti at the wall to check if it was ready.

But when Raelyn woke up with swollen tonsils, a bursting head-ache and a nasty cough, Seokjin was the first one standing next to the bed, crooked fingers folding over her forehead and frowning at the heat meeting his palm.

“Aish, that is a nasty cold, Raelyn-ah.” He hissed. Raelyn couldn’t do much else than whine uselessly and try to wiggle deeper under her blankets. There were cold shivers running up and down her spine.

Besides feeling sick, Raelyn felt anxious on top of it. She rarely fell sick and this was one of the worst illnesses she ever had, right when she was being locked away in a house. In the back of her mind, only when the pounding against her skull would lessen for a second or two, Raelyn kept thinking that she might die right there, in Seokjin’s bed.

Would they let a doctor look at her if things got out of hand? She still hadn’t seen anybody except for the seven men and their cleaning lady in three months.

Seokjin didn’t leave her side. By the time Raelyn opened her eyes a little again, he was next to the bed, quickly talking on his phone, which was clenched between his cheek and shoulder, while he fiddled with the casing of a thermometer. Where it came from, Raelyn didn’t know.

“Open up.” Seokjin piped up and Raelyn winced at the volume. She just wanted to drink some water and fall back asleep again with the main goal to get rid of the horrible headache as quickly as possible.

Completely swallowed by these simple thoughts, Raelyn was surprised to feel a cold pin poking into her bottom lip and she went cross-eyed - bad idea for her pounding headache - to see the tip of the thermometer pressed against her mouth.

“C’mon sweetheart, I want to take your temperature. Jimin is on his way with something to drink and Yoongi will be right here with some painkillers.”

That sounded good enough in Raelyn’s ears and she opened her mouth, letting Seokjin slide the thermometer under her tongue. He warned her not to move as he stood up again and walked over to the door to open it. Raelyn could barely focus on the people coming inside, her eyes squinted shut against the light coming through the door opening.

The only thing that kept her awake was the focus on keeping the thermometer in her mouth but when the beep signalled that the temperature was taken, Raelyn almost fell asleep a second after.

She managed a half-conscious few sips from the glass of water but was knocked out not much time after.

By the time she woke again it was to Seokjin standing over her with a worried expression, his hand on her shoulder. He must have been shaking her to get her to wake up. Raelyn wanted nothing rather than to sleep on but she realised her bladder was uncomfortable and so was her whole body, actually.

“We need to change your clothes,” Seokjin mumbled as he pinched the damp fabric sticking to Raelyn’s body between two fingers, “I think a shower before that would be good. I’ll get someone to change the sheets in the meantime.”

Raelyn just groaned miserably at the prospect of having to stand up, even though she did agree with Seokjin. Her clothes and the sheets were all damp with her fever-sweat, making her teeth chatter. Seokjin, in the meantime, went out of the room and came back.

“Wanna sleep.” Raelyn tried to beg, but her throat hurt and her voice came out all sad and wrangled. Seokjin didn’t take pity on her and scooped her into his arms instead to make his way over to the ensuite bathroom.

Once there, she was seated down on the closed toilet seat. The pressure of her bladder came back with full power and she let out a distressed whine.

“Are you hurting?” Seokjin immediately crouched down in front of her, taking her hands in his.

“‘T is fine.” Raelyn sighed, tired and ashamed and miserable, “I need to pee.” Another second but Seokjin didn’t react, “Privacy.” Raelyn then mumbled.

“Oh!” Seokjin sprung up with pursed lips and then beelined for the door, “I’ll be right here if you’re not okay.”

The second sigh that Raelyn let out was from relief. She completely drowned out Seokjin’s words and kicked down her damp pyjama pants while opening the toilet seat. Emptying her bladder was almost euphoric, especially because she couldn’t remember the last time she did. All the sleeping messed with her sense of time.

It didn’t take very long and when she flushed, Seokjin was right back in the bathroom, eyeing her body sharply. A little self-conscious she stumbled over towards the sink to wash her hands. Her legs were weak and shaking slightly, and she felt a bit naked under Seokjin’s eye with just her underwear and a shirt.

She stumbled a little too obvious when she turned around to face Seokjin again afterwards and he squinted back in return.

“Raelyn-ah,” He spoke softly, “Let me stay in the bathroom while you shower, okay? I’m worried about you.”

It made Raelyn a little nervous even though she knew it was for the best. If she slipped and hit her head, that would make the headache ten times more unbearable than it already was. And she still wasn’t sure if they would call a doctor for her, even if something urgent like splitting her skull open would happen.

However, the men had not seen Raelyn bare herself yet.

They saw the occasional pair of boxers and T-shirt combo that she was sporting now as well, but even this they saw rarely. It was never fully naked, and they had never pressed to do so.

“I promise not to look.” Seokjin suggested after Raelyn stayed quiet, pondering. The shower was completely open with a glass wall that fogged up if Raelyn put the heat on high. That would be a good solution, especially since she didn’t really trust her own legs right now. Besides, arguing with Seokjin would only add to her headache.

“Okay.” She agreed and then shuffled over to the shower to put it on and heat up. She looked at Seokjin for a total of two seconds before he got the hint and turned around. Meanwhile, she shrugged off her t-shirt, baring her upper body and kicked off her boxers. There was not a single seductive motive in it. Instead it leaned more towards clumsy.

The simple action had some beads of sweat running over her temple and suddenly Raelyn couldn’t wait to be in the shower and rinse the stickiness off her body. With a hand on the glass wall to stabilise herself, Raelyn walked inside and right underneath the warm spray.

With a contented sigh, Raelyn enjoyed the warm water cascading down her back for a minute or so, before realising Seokjin was still out there. She opened her eyes to see if the glass fogged up properly, which it did. One swipe of her wet hand removed some of the fog on the glass, where she saw Seokjin fumbling around the bathroom.

“Just...” She called out over the sound of streaming water, insecurity taking over. Her words made Seokjin halt and before he could turn, “Please just sit down with your back turned to me.”

It didn’t take more than a second for Seokjin to comply, sitting down on his own bathroom floor with his perfectly postured back facing towards her. Distantly, Raelyn heard him call out an apology.

With Seokjin sitting down, Raelyn closed her eyes again to enjoy the water which helped soothe the soreness in her muscles that she didn’t even notice before. At one point she had to grab some shampoo and wash her hair, but her arms were tired. Maybe she could sit down for a bit too. It had been a while since she had wished that she could flush down the drain along with the water.

“Raelyn-ah, are you okay?” Seokjin called out and when Raelyn opened her eyes, her whole world was upside down. She stumbled on the wet floor, her hand sliding over the slippery wall and she didn’t manage to catch herself before she collapsed to the ground, knees first.

“Don’t turn around.” Raelyn called out weakly through a sob. The fall had hurt and even though there was no blood mixing with the water, she was sure her knees would turn purple with bruises.

“Raelyn,” The worry was clear in Seokjin’s voice and by using only her name, Raelyn knew he was serious, “Let me help you.” Seokjin practically begged, “I won’t look, I promise.”

Raelyn ignored him for a second, trying to get off the floor herself but her muscles were weak and she was so tired and the fact that she was sick overcame her so suddenly again that she started crying in earnest.

“Seokjin.” Raelyn called out, defeated. Through the fog on the glass, she saw Seokjin whip around and jump to his feet to make his way over and around the corner of the glass.

“Oh, sweetheart,” He mumbled when he saw Raelyn curled up on the floor, “How about I come in and wash your hair for you while you stay seated for a bit. Then I’ll help you get out and we can go back to sleep, okay?”

For a brief second, Raelyn thought Seokjin was taking advantage of the situation. She was naked and weak, and Seokjin could do whatever he wanted right there and then. Then again, she reminded herself, they could always do whatever they wanted to her and never did.

Right now, she just wanted to be taken care of and go back to bed as quickly as possible.

“Yes but not naked.” Raelyn mumbled, the thought of her staying seated with a naked Seokjin right behind her, that was way too much right now.

Seokjin chuckled softly, “Of course not, I’ll keep my boxers on.”

Raelyn saw him slip off his shirt and sweatpants, throwing them around the corner of the glass wall and then stepping closer towards Raelyn and the warm water that cascaded from above.

Seokjin put a hand on her shoulder, a light touch, as he said: “Are your knees okay? You should sit on your bum instead.”

The fact that Seokjin stood behind her as a barricade was enough for Raelyn to put some of her last energy in moving her legs from underneath her, so she could sit in a more stable and comfortable position with her knees against her chest. She could feel Seokjin’s legs pressing against her back, preventing her from falling over.

Once she stretched out her legs a little, her shins and knees were both bright red and would surely bruise. Seokjin squeezed her shoulders lightly.

“Let’s take care of you now and get you in bed quickly. The more sleep you get, the better your chances of healing quickly are.”

Seokjin bent over to grab the shampoo from the rack on the wall. The bottle made a little farting noise as Seokjin squeezed it to get the liquid out. Raelyn couldn’t muster a reaction to it, only when she felt Seokjin’s long, crooked finger against her scalp.

Her eyes fluttered as he started massaging, nails gently scratching and fingertips dancing. Her headache subsided a little and she leant back to rest her head against Seokjin’s legs.

She was met with his bulge against the back of her head, prominent against the wet, sticky material of his boxers. Seokjin wasn’t hard, thankfully. It would have been dubious if he got hard from her helplessness. It was a simple accident, a short brush of fabric against her, before Raelyn slouched over a little more to lean back against Seokjin’s thigh instead.

Seokjin kept on massaging, softly humming as he worked. Raelyn enjoyed his voice, sinking deeper into relaxation as the water cascading from above kept her warm. For being singers, the men didn’t often sing. She actually rarely heard them, only Jungkook standing out with loads of singing during his energy bursts.

Seokjin took the spray from the wall and urged Raelyn to tilt back her head after a thorough head massage, and he gently rinsed out the soap from the strands. He skipped the conditioner, opting for finishing the shower quickly.

“Let’s stick with just shampoo and water today. We’ll clean your body once you feel better again.” Seokjin mumbled lowly, turning off the water once he deemed the shampoo rinsed out. “All clean, sweetheart. Let me get you the towel.”

He urged Raelyn to sit up with a soft hand on her shoulder. Right after, Seokjin disappeared to be back a second later. A warm and fluffy towel was wrapped around Raelyn.

“Let me help you off the floor? I have a shirt and new underwear for you laying next to the toilet. I can seat you there and you can get dressed, yeah?” The consideration was sweet. Enough for Raelyn to agree.

After the shower Raelyn did feel a little better, especially when she slid underneath a pair of fresh, dry sheets. They were cool against her bare legs, a little too cool, but she wasn’t going to complain.

“C’mon, move aside a little,” Seokjin encouraged in the soft voice he had been using with her the whole time. “I will help you get warm with some cuddles.”

Raelyn hummed, nothing but open to the idea as she wriggled herself a bit more to the edge of the bed so Seokjin could slide in with her. The eldest hadn’t put on a shirt, only a pair of sweatpants. Once, Raelyn heard that skin-to-skin contact transferred heat the quickest, which is why she did not protest.

“Painkiller?” Raelyn whispered, convinced that Seokjin would hear her up close like this.

“It hasn’t been four hours yet.” Seokjin answered as he crawled closer and scooped Raelyn into his arms.

“Valium?” She begged even quieter.

“Yah! My cuddles will help you fall asleep much better.” Seokjin retorted as if offended, the playfulness coming back, “Just close your eyes. I’ll play with your hair for a bit, I know you like that.

And Seokjin was right. Within five minutes of cuddles and playing with Raelyn’s hair, she was back in the land of dreams. She did not even notice Seokjin slipping away to restock on healthy foods, drinks and more painkillers for when she would wake up again.

Seokjin was sure that under his care, Raelyn would be back on her feet in two days.

Chapter 19: Day 289

“Oppa?” Raelyn whispered questioningly through the gap between the wall and the door of Seokjin’s room. There was no response and Raelyn took the risk of pushing the gap open a bit and peeking her head inside the room.

Immediately she was met with Seokjin, who was leaning back into his lounge chair behind his desk, his fingers pressed together in front of his chest with his elbows leaning on the arm rests, one eyebrow arched up.

“Raelyn-ah.” He was encouraged when Raelyn didn’t say anything.

“I’m bored.”

“And that gives you the right to bother Oppa when he said he would be busy?” Seokjin replied coolly. Raelyn’s eyes widened, realising the implication of Seokjin referring to himself with the honorific title.

A scene, if she’d be willing. Right now.

They had agreed on it during the long discussion of updated sexual preferences, limits and boundaries a few weeks prior. Power dynamics were a thing for Seokjin and Raelyn was willing to play along. She got satisfaction from submitting in most forms anyway. It was a great match.

“Tae said you’ve been here for five hours already.” Raelyn tried, but was shut down with Seokjin’s tutting.

“But who told you to not come to him until he said so?” He reminded her, the words colouring her cheeks pink with shame.

“Oppa.”

“Yet you ignored me.” He scolded her with a disapproving tut.

 

“I’m sorry, Oppa.” Raelyn answered, head hanging low and hands wrangling together in shame. She didn’t like to disappoint.

“That’s alright. I know it gets boring to be away from me. My jokes are much better than the others’.” Seokjin teased, rolling away from his desk and opening his arms. Raelyn took the cue right away and walked over, settling down on Jin’s lap with their faces together.

She pressed a needy kiss to his full lips, a little bit too enthusiastic for Seokjin’s liking. He tugged on her hair to show her who was in control, slowing the kiss with a sharp nip at her bottom lip to let her slow down. Raelyn realised that she hadn’t had any intimate time with Seokjin alone in days.

Truly, she had missed it.

“Missed you.” He whispered against her lips as if he could read her thoughts and Raelyn whined softly, nuzzling into his neck instead. Seokjin’s shoulders were perfect to lay down on and he always smelled good.

“Want to cock warm me for a bit while I work? Take a little time to empty your mind?” Seokjin suggested, Raelyn hearing it rumble deeply inside of his chest in the position she was in. She pulled back the moment the sentence finished and looked Seokjin in the eyes pleadingly.

“Can I, please, Oppa?”

“Good girl. Of course you can, I offered, didn’t I?” Seokjin encouraged her to stand up from his lap while he leaned back and opened his dress pants, zipping the zipper down so he could shimmy them down his thighs. His underwear followed and Seokjin’s cock was laying soft against his thigh.

“Go on.” Seokjin said, nodding his head to the low space under his desk. A shiver went down Raelyn’s back from excitement. “I have some work to finish so you have to be patient and stay still.”

Raelyn sagged to her knees and crawled backwards into the space under Seokjin’s desk. It wasn’t that tight of a squeeze but Raelyn knew it would be the moment Seokjin rolled his chair forwards and would bracket his knees on each side of her body.

“Just the tip at first.” Seokjin mumbled, rolling his chair closer carefully with his knees open. Raelyn shrunk her shoulders towards each other to make more space for Seokjin’s long legs and parted her lips to welcome Seokjin’s cock inside.

Seokjin held his soft cock, pressing the head against her lips and teasing for a second before he tapped her cheek with his pointer finger; a silent command to take in the tip.

Raelyn did so and Seokjin rolled even closer to the desk, until his sternum was pressed against the edge and Raelyn was folded up in the small space on her knees, locked between Seokjin’s thighs with the tip of Seokjin’s cock resting on her tongue.

He didn’t taste salty yet, the lack of arousal resulting in a lack of pre-come but Raelyn knew that would change sooner rather than later. Instead, Seokjin tasted clean; like his laundry with a slight hint of natural musk. It was familiar and comforting to Raelyn.

She suckled on the tip briefly, rolling her tongue around it and even dared to press it into the slit, gaining a muffled moan from Seokjin. The party didn’t last long as Seokjin knocked his knee punishingly against her shoulder.

“I said cock-warm me, don't give me a blowjob.” He scolded her from above the desk, his voice distant but full of authority.

Raelyn pulled back a little with warm cheeks from being too greedy and opted to rest her cheek on his thigh instead, enjoying the weight of Seokjin’s cockhead between her lips.

She wanted to take him in fully, have his cock completely into her mouth as it grew harder bit by bit, to let the weight press down onto her tongue while she choked on the tip. But, from experience she knew that she had to earn that with patience.

Seokjin’s soft cock wasn’t too big and fit in her mouth completely but he was definitely a grower. Once fully erect, Raelyn struggled to fit two-thirds into her mouth.

An impatient whine escaped her mouth and earned her another press of Seokjin’s knee against her shoulder.

“Stop distracting Oppa or you won’t get anything.” Seokjin threatened from above her. The prospects of cock-warming Seokjin for a long period without ever going past the tip was pure torture in Raelyn’s’ mind and wouldn’t give her the satisfaction she needed at all.

So she settled again, eyes closing this time and breathing in Seokjin’s scent with each inhale. The salty taste of pre-cum was slowly making its way into Raelyn’s mouth while she felt Seokjin’s cock fattening up against her lips.

“Good girl.” Seokjin praises her after a while, pulling her back from her sluggy headspace a bit, “You can take more now.”

Raelyn didn’t hesitate and slid down, taking the rest of Seokjin’s cock into her mouth and pressing her nose into his dark but trimmed pubic hair. She could feel her eyes flutter shut in satisfaction as Seokjin closed his legs around her shoulders a little to keep her in place.

The full weight pressed down onto her tongue, growing slowly thicker and heavier as Seokjin got harder from being engulfed in warmth and wetness. Distantly, she could hear a pen scratch on paper; it made a shiver run over her body.

Seokjin acted so unaffected while he locked her under his desk and silenced her with his cock. Every other member could walk into Seokjin’s room and not know immediately what was going on and that made Raelyn drift right back into that drowsy headspace.

Maybe Seokjin would converse over her head as if she wasn’t even there, answering Namjoon’s or Jimin’s question about her whereabouts with a lie as they had no clue that she was currently silenced by his thick cock.

She would have to be careful not to gag as the tip pressed deeper into her mouth the harder his cock became. Unconsciously, she pulled back a little to avoid that scenario and suckled for a second, running her tongue along a vein on the underside.

“Since you can’t seem to keep your mouth still, let’s do this another way.” Seokjin reprimanded her firmly, guiding her off his now-fully-hard cock as he slid the chair backwards. Wrapping his hand around her wrist, he guided her back up to her feet and stabilised her when she swayed in place for a second.

Then he turned her around, pressing a hand against her lower back to get her to bend over his desk. He hooked his fingers in the hem of her sweatpants after he was satisfied with the angle she was standing in. Her pants and panties came down to the floor quickly.

Seokjin pushed his thumb right against her opening, spreading the wetness there around her lips and downwards to massage her clitoris lightly with slow circles.

“That’s why you couldn’t keep still.” Seokjin sighed contentedly. “You liked warming my cock a little too much.”

Raelyn whined in confirmation and arched her back a bit more, pressing her hips against his thumb needlingly.

His thumb pressed inside two times before he switched to his pointer and middle finger, pressing them inside completely down to the knuckle. The stretch was sudden and a full body shiver made its way over Raelyn’s skin.

Seokjin pulled out just as quickly as he pressed in and delivered a sharp slap to her ass cheek, transferring the wetness on his fingers to her skin. Raelyn gasped and clenched her hands around the edge of the desk.

Not being able to see what Seokjin would do next made this so much more exciting.

“Up.” Seokjin commanded and the previous excitement was short-lived when she was pulled upright by her elbow and turned around to face Seokjin. The skin of her ass was still stinging.

“Let’s see if you can stay still better and be less distracting when you sit in my lap. Fifteen more minutes and then Oppa will fuck you until he comes.”

He guided Raelyn to sit on his lap facing him but before she was able to take a place on his thighs, Seokjin held the base of his cock and shot Raelyn an expectant look, eyebrows raised upwards.

With a nod of his chin and a hand on Raelyn’s arm, he manhandled her downwards, hovering right over the head of his hard cock. Slowly, he rubbed it against her entrance, making her hands tighten on his shoulders.

It took her a moment to realise that Seokjin was waiting for her to sink down at her own pace because he didn’t really prepare her. It was another limit they had discussed; Raelyn liked a little pain.

Two of Seokjin’s fingers had been a stretch already but his cock was thicker and longer. So, Raelyn braced herself and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth before she slowly started sinking down.

The head of Seokjin’s cock slipping in made her gasp out loud, fingers curling in Seokjin’s shoulders. Raelyn, however, was determined to be good and after a small breather, she started sinking down inch by inch until she was fully seated on his thighs, hips flush together.

“That’s a good girl for me.” Seokjin whispered into her ear as she leaned on his shoulder with her forehead, trembling from the effort. The sensation was almost too full, her walls clenching around his cock. Playing this scene with Seokjin added enough to her arousal to make small drops of slick wetness slide down her lower lips.

Raelyn wrapped her arms around Seokjin’s neck, nuzzling into the crook of his shoulder as he rolled himself closer to the desk again. She could feel the wooden edge press into her back as Seokjin bent forwards slightly to finish his work.

It was hard for Raelyn to stay still in his lap, the pressure inside made her cheeks heat up and she had to actively fight the urge to let her hips rotate in small circles to get more stimulation.
Not even clenching was allowed from Seokjin; every time she did so, she would receive a sharp flick against her thigh as a reprimand.

“Five more minutes until Oppa is done, babygirl.” Seokjin whispered after a while, using one hand to stroke up and down her back in a comforting gesture. Raelyn pulled back from his shoulder to look at his face for a moment.

Seokjin was looking back at her with something akin pride in his eyes, flaming up the heat in Raelyn’s stomach. She loved making them proud and happy. His lips were plum and dark pink; a dead giveaway he had been biting them.

Thank god, Raelyn thought. It would have been a bad sign if Seokjin had gone unaffected by her cock warming him for half an hour straight. He was still hard though, another indication he was enjoying this as much as Raelyn was.

“Kiss?” Raelyn begged softly, finding the plumpness of Seokjin’s lips nothing but appetising. It made him smile, genuinely, his eyes lighting up.

The hand that wasn’t on Raelyn’s back found its way to her chin to hold her still as he pressed a soft, lingering kiss against her lips. It was slow, how Seokjin pressed a bit harder, nipping at her bottom lip, before he coached her mouth open with a flick of his tongue against her lips.

He made sure that he was in charge, pulling back when Raelyn became too enthusiastic and his hand on her back sliding down to her hips to keep them from rocking back and forth.

“Five more minutes.” Seokjin whispered against her lips when he broke the kiss, pecking them shortly before guiding her head back to the crook of his neck with a gentle hand on the back of her head.

Patience is a virtue but impatience gets things done, Raelyn thought to herself. Her hips couldn’t stop rocking in jerky motions every now and then and sounds of discontentment left her lips.

“Can’t wait any longer, baby?” Seokjin asked when he tried to stop Raelyn’s hips from rocking once more. Raelyn whined in response. “Okay, let Oppa give you what you need then.”

 

The change was sudden. Seokjin rolled away from the desk and Raelyn could just lift her face from his neck as Seokjin gripped her hips and started thrusting fiercely without a moment to adjust. To be fair, she had had fifteen minutes to adjust.

 

But the sudden movement in exactly the right way built up her pleasure too quickly, an orgasm exploding inside of her body after the first few thrusts. She squealed and Seokjin chuckled in response, breathily at that, but he didn’t hold back.

 

His hips kept on pistoning as one hand slid from her hip, underneath her shirt up to her breast. Seokjin fondled it with a happy sigh, before making eye-contact with Raelyn and pinching her nipple sharply. Raelyn whined, arching into the touch.

 

She was extra sensitive, the first orgasm only just weaning off. But Seokjin seemed to be on a mission, sliding his hand back to her hips to get a good grip and increasing his pace a tad more. His face buried in her neck and he didn’t hesitate to bite down.

 

It wasn’t a gentle hickey but a full set of teeth, destined to leave their mark and show all the others that Seokjin had been with her.

 

“A-ah-” Raelyn stuttered out in pain, “Seokjin-oppa, please.”

 

“You’re mine. Trying to be such a good girl but you’re just desperate for us.” Seokjin spat at her. He retrieved his face from her neck, using one of his hands to trace the bite-marks he left behind. “Say it.”

 

“I am, ah-, I’m yours.” Raelyn replied, holding onto his broad shoulders desperately as Seokjin kept fucking her deep.

 

Seokjin seemed satisfied, bringing his hand down but not to her hip. He let it slide between Raelyn’s leg, thumb finding her clit with ease as he started rubbing and thrusting at the same time. That sensation, in combination with her previous orgasm, made Raelyn spasm, trying to move out of Seokjin’s lap.

 

“You wanted it badly, so take what you get now, baby girl.” Seokjin was gleeful saying it, curling his one hand around Raelyn’s hip tightly to hold her there.

 

It didn’t take much more than a minute for a second orgasm to run through her body. It was a white bliss, muting Raelyn’s senses for a moment. She was pulled out of the bliss not much later, by Seokjin manhandling her off his lap. She whined at the loss but was bent over the desk just like a few minutes ago.

 

Seokjin slipped back inside with ease, the new angle giving him more strength to keep her in one position as he started up his pace again. Raelyn’s whole lower tingled, her legs almost too weak to keep up.

“It’s too- too much.” Raelyn moaned, shuddering against Jin in oversensitivity while coming down from her second orgasm.

 

“I told you I would fuck you until I come.” Seokjin said, not stopping the harsh snapping of his hips, “So be quiet and take it.”

 

Raelyn just cried in response, actual tears welling up in her eyes as the heat in her belly started building again and her legs actually gave out. The desk held her up though, the perfect position for Seokjin to keep on fucking her.

 

“Begging for it first and now it’s too much,” Seokjin kept on telling her, becoming more breathless by the second. His hand slid over her back up to her hair to curl his hand into it. “Oppa still has a lot to teach you. Maybe we should train like this every day.”

 

Raelyn wasn’t capable of answering with Seokjin curling a hand around her throat to give it a squeeze. She was completely dwarfed by his big body rocking into her with force, pounding a third orgasm out of her.

 

It overcame her, every nerve-ending in her body lighting up while each muscle in her body contracted and spasmed. She could feel her body shake against the wooden desk and Seokjin’s chest. The sounds around her were distant and muffled as she drifted on the cloud of her third orgasm, even though she knew she was the one making some of those sounds.

 

It lasted long, so long that she barely noticed Seokjin coming inside of her too. Only when he pulled out slowly and she felt his release dripping out and down her thighs, Raelyn let out a desperate whine.

 

“Shht-” Seokjin tried to calm her, “I’m not leaving. We can cuddle.”

 

“Stay?” Raelyn begged, lip jutting out into a dramatic pout automatically. Her body was sticky from sweat all over and she was sure that if Seokjin stepped away from her, she would slide off the desk like a piece of cloth. Her legs had no strength at all and Raelyn could feel the bruises on her hips forming from the edge of the desk.

 

“I’m staying, don’t worry.” Seokjin sussed as he slowly sat down on the chair he had been seated on previously, hands never leaving Raelyn’s body. He manhandled her pliant body into his lap with ease and she curled up immediately, tucking her nose in Seokjin’s neck.

 

It must not be comfortable for Seokjin to sit butt-naked on the chair with sweat sticking to his own skin. But, Raelyn’s legs were tingling all over and she could feel Seokjin’s release still dripping out. That was not very comfortable either.

 

“We are disgusting.” Raelyn whispered with a breathy laugh and Seokjin hummed in affirmation, large hands stroking her back.
“And naughty, especially you.”

 

“It’s all of you that have a crazy high libido.” Raelyn huffed, scraping her teeth on Seokjin’s neck as a warning. She wasn’t all bark but could bite too. Seokjin knew and a hand in her hair tugged her away quickly.

 

“You’re way too mouthy after three orgasms.”

 

“Try harder for four next time.”

 

“If my refractory period was a bit quicker I’d fuck you again until you pass out.”

 

“That's a yellow boundary for me, old man.” Raelyn argued back as Seokjin’s hand released from her hair and brushed his thumb over Raelyn’s flushed cheek instead.

 

“Yah-” Seokjin’s eyes narrowed but there was a grin on his lips, “No respect for your elders at all. Let’s see if I indulge you next time.”

 

“You will.” Raelyn assured them both, “You always will.”

 

“For you, yes.” Seokjin admitted with ease, “Now let’s shower. You’re right, we are disgusting.”

 

“Will you give me a head massage?” Raelyn asked, trying out her puppy eyes.

 

“Spoiled brat.” Seokjin sighed, but in the end, he took a full five minutes to massage the shampoo in her hair and rubbed every limb of her body with the utmost care once they made it to the shower.

Notes:

Heyyyy,

It's been way too long but so much happened. I graduated and started a full-time job. And it was summer of course.
But, this was a naughty fantasy of mine so I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know!

Stay safe!