Gamblers
Title: Gamblers
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Jonghyun/Gwiboon, Onew/Taeyeon
Summary: Jinki thought he got dragged along on this wild ride without his consent; but as time goes on, he’s slowly learning that breaking the law is turning into more of a habit and less of a crime. Then again, it helps when you’ve finally discovered that your purpose in life has nothing to do with selling insurance, and everything to do with helping the less fortunate.
[ Previous]
Last month Jonghyun would have never pegged himself as a gambler. He had a decent job as the foreman of a construction site, he lived with his best friend, he was an eligible bachelor, he visited his parents every Sunday for dinner. The most risqué thing he had ever done was steal a lime from the grocery store when he did a beer run, and did that even count? Sticking it in his pocket inconspicuously and then squeezing it into his Corona later was probably not worth anything close to the crimes he’d committed in the past week.
Jinki was, more or less, in the same ship as Jonghyun, although his morals were a bit more compromised. One time he had only paid for an hour in a two-hour parking meter, and then later he had felt so bad about it he returned to pay for the first half of the next car that parked there. The fact that he and Jonghyun were sitting in the back of a stolen police cruiser made the back of his neck sweat, it made his heart palpitate and he ran his clammy palms over his thighs, trying to keep calm as Gwiboon sped off onto the interstate, heading in the opposite direction of Casino Town.
“Where’d you get the wheels?” Jonghyun asked, not bothering with his seatbelt as he scooted forward and rested his arms over the seat in the partition where the bars weren’t shut.
“The same place we got the helicopter,” Gwiboon said with a smirk, keeping her eyes on the road.
Jinki groaned, sinking down in the seat. “This is so illegal. This is - we’re going to jail. They have cameras in these things, it’s recording everything we’re saying and doing, we’re dead. We’re done for.”
Taeyeon turned around in her seat, holding up a square device and grinning, her blue eyes sparkling. “You mean this?” She waved the camera around, before rolling down her window and throwing it out of the car, Jinki turning around to watch it bust into a hundred pieces on the asphalt of the freeway. “I think we’re ok.”
“What if it has a live feed or something? Like in a satellite,” Jinki protested, feeling a drop of sweat slide down his neck. “Jonghyun, we need to get out of this, can we go back home now please?”
“Can you shut him up? I swear to God he’s really killing my buzz,” Gwiboon huffed as she changed lanes.
“YOU’RE DRIVING DRUNK!?” Jinki covered his face.
“She’s sober!” Jonghyun grabbed Jinki’s shoulders and shook him violently. “Get a grip! It’s a saying!”
Jinki let out a small whimper, sniffling and turning watery eyes to the younger man.
“Dude,” Jonghyun gave a crooked smile. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Do you really want to go back to that desk job you had?”
“There were no guns!” Jinki griped. “I was safe in my cubicle! I had plenty of money that came in the form of a paycheck every other Friday!”
“That’s boring,” Gwiboon drolled.
“It’s safe,” Jinki glared, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“Boring~” Taeyeon giggled, turning around in her seat again, reaching out to pluck the glasses off of Jinki’s face. She put them on her own face and wrinkled her nose, probably blinded by the prescription, and Jinki blushed slightly because she looked totally adorable with that expression on her face.
“Let’s get you some contacts,” Gwiboon said, yawning and covering her mouth. “Tomorrow. We need to find a hotel, I’m exhausted.”
“There’s a Hilton,” Jonghyun pointed as Gwiboon exited.
“Are you dumb?” Gwiboon threw a glare into the rear-view mirror at Jonghyun.
“No, I just have taste,” Jonghyun shrugged, smirking as he leaned back in the seat.
“Ohhh no,” Jinki shook his head, leaning forward. “We can’t just pull up to a hotel in a stolen police car, Gwiboon.”
“Why not?” She snorted. “We’ll just hand it off to the valet and tip him nicely. They’re not paid to ask questions. Then we’ll just dump it tomorrow and rent a new car.”
“A Mercedes?” Jonghyun piped up.
“Are you mentally retarded or do you like to insult the handicapped?” Gwiboon gave a disbelieving look to the brunet.
“Dunno, are you insulted?” Jonghyun asked, scratching the side of his nose.
The car swerved a little as Gwiboon reached over the seat to punch Jonghyun in the knee. Jinki shouted at her to straighten out the car and Taeyeon moved to hold the steering wheel straight, and Jonghyun whined and rubbed at his leg.
Jinki ran a hand over his face, “Can we please just get somewhere?”
Taeyeon handed him his glasses and he put them on gratefully, happy to be able to see clearly again. They managed to convince Gwiboon to drop off the cop car a few blocks away from the hotel, and then spent the next ten minutes shifting and organizing all of their loot into manageable, carry-able bags. Each of them held a fairly hefty bag and they waltzed up to the Hilton (Jonghyun wouldn’t shut up about it and Jinki insisted that he would hold it over their head for weeks), checking in under Jinki’s name this time (he was about to have a panic attack when Gwiboon grabbed his wallet and handed over his credit card) before heading up to their room.
“Can I just go to sleep and never wake up,” Jinki groused as he landed face-first on the bed, dropping the moneybag on the floor.
“That’s no fun,” Jonghyun sat next to him and slapped him on the back with a grin.
Jinki turned his head to the side as the girls disappeared into the bathroom to shower…or whatever it was that girls did in the bathroom together.
“Why are we here?” he asked, propping himself up on his arms and pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“Because it’s different,” Jonghyun answered, shrugging as he grabbed the remote and turned on the television.
Jinki frowned. “Why are you here?”
Jonghyun rolled his eyes, “Dude, our lives sucked. Working nine-to-five, getting boned for money and bills… and come on, these girls are hot.”
Jinki’s finger traced over the pattern on the duvet, “What if we get caught? I mean… we don’t know what they’ve done. We’re accessories.” He whispered, “I bet they’re murderers, hit-women or something.”
“Whatever,” Jonghyun snorted, lying back against the headboard. “I bet they’re harmless.”
“Bet…” Jinki scratched the back of his head. “Gambling. That’s what this whole mess is.”
“Jinki oppa~” Taeyeon poked her head out of the bathroom door, smiling and crooking a finger. “Could you come here?”
Jinki felt his gut drop to the floor, “Uhh, sure…” He got up off of the bed and wandered over to the bathroom, noticing that neither of the girls had showered yet, and that Gwiboon was currently reading instructions on a box of hair dye and had a pair of hair cutting scissors resting on the counter. “…”
“Have a seat!” Taeyeon smiled prettily and (rather forcefully) pushed Jinki to sit down on the toilet, and the man floundered a bit as Taeyeon wrapped a towel around his shoulders and took off his glasses while Gwiboon put on some latex gloves.
“THIS IS NOT HARMLESS, JONGHYUN!!”
Jonghyun sniffed and turned up the television.
--
“Damn.”
“Right?” Gwiboon put her hands on her hips, smirking proudly.
Jinki shifted uncomfortably, feeling awkward and like he was in someone else’s body or like he was wearing new skin. Skinny jeans were really new for him, they felt like they hugged in all the wrong places, his ankles felt like they were suffocating, and the sneakers he was wearing felt a bit too big, also. He was wearing contacts for the first time since high school and even back then he didn’t make them a habit, and he zipped the hoodie up a bit further, wishing he was a bit more layered up aside from the thin v-neck t-shirt. The real shocker was his hair, or lack thereof - his security blanket had been his unruly, unkempt hair but Taeyeon and Gwiboon had chopped it off and dyed it dark and styled it messily, leaving him feeling completely vulnerable.
“Could you stop staring?” Jinki felt the heat creeping up the back of his neck as he tried to avoid the gazes of Gwiboon and Jonghyun.
“Oh no,” Gwiboon smiled, moving forward and looping her arm through Jinki’s. “Nope. You’re hot.”
“Alright guys, I’ve got everything squared away at the… register…” Taeyeon’s steps slowed as she approached the trio, her eyes glued to Jinki.
He gave a shy half-smile, and Gwiboon nudged his ribs with her elbow, pushing him forward towards Taeyeon, who returned the smile just as shyly, both of them going quiet. Gwiboon rolled her eyes and grabbed Jonghyun’s hand, then Taeyeon’s, and started to lead them out of the store.
“Alright, tonight you guys are going to follow our plan,” the blonde said as they exited the shoppe, Jinki and Taeyeon walking behind her and Jonghyun, exchanging bashful glances.
“And that’s ‘we’re going to go along with your plan for ten minutes and then fuck it up’ like you did to our plan the other night or ‘we’re going to completely follow your plan’ plan?” Jonghyun asked, putting his hands in his pockets.
Jinki’s eyes watched the pavement as they walked, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, counting how many steps Taeyeon took between every pace he made.
Gwiboon shoved Jonghyun, “That’s ‘you better follow what I fucking say or else I’ll shoot you’.”
“Whatever,” Jonghyun grumbled.
Jinki’s eyes flicked up to Taeyeon’s face, and she smiled softly at him. His cheeks heated up and he averted his eyes quickly, trying to pay attention to what Gwiboon was saying.
“We’ve gotta lay low for a bit, since we caused such a scene last night.” Everyone nodded their heads. “So I figure we’ll just do some low-key stuff.”
“But we’ve already got so much money, why do we need more?” Jinki asked. Earlier in the day they had split up the money, Jonghyun and Jinki both depositing cash into their bank accounts in small increments so as to not arouse suspicion, as well as opening up a few savings accounts in different smaller banks. Gwiboon and Taeyeon didn’t say where they were keeping their money, and it was probably for the best. “Why don’t we just stick with what we have for now and wait a while? I mean… to avoid any trouble.”
“What’s the fun in that?” Gwiboon rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder at Jinki. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Gee I must have left that back on my desk in my office at the insurance company,” Jinki grumbled.
“So what are you suggesting?” Jonghyun glanced around. “Pick-pocketing?”
“Do I look like a thug?” Gwiboon snorted. “I’m not some scum that likes to pick-pocket.” She smirked, holding up a wallet between her fingers, winking at Jonghyun. “But that’s not to say I’m not good at it.”
“Hey--!” Jonghyun grabbed the wallet out of her hand, opening it. “This is my wallet!”
“Don’t freak out, I’ve had it since this morning. You’re just dumb,” Gwiboon waved her hand, and Taeyeon giggled while casually looping her arm through Jinki’s.
Scanning through it to make sure everything was still in place, Jonghyun shoved his wallet into his back pocket, looking none too pleased. “So what do you have in mind?”
“I saw this rich old hag walking around the third floor with some killer furs,” Gwiboon shrugged. “I bet her room is full of goodies.”
“Jewelry,” Taeyeon said, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
“Earth to Gwiboon, men don’t want jewelry,” Jonghyun pinched the back of Gwiboon’s arm, making her scowl and punch him in the side.
“Idiot, to pawn!” She huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “And maybe keep some for ourselves.”
“What are you guys doing with your money?” Jinki asked, and Taeyeon gave a small smile, shrugging.
“Nonya,” Gwiboon stuck her tongue out, before grabbing Jonghyun’s arm and pulling him along. “Now come on, the old bat will probably be leaving for lunch soon.”
Jinki glanced down at Taeyeon, who still had that soft smile on her face, and the sinking feeling in his gut lessened a fraction.
--
“This is not ok. This is - this is so illegal.”
“Is he going to be like this every time we break the law or should I just start duct taping his mouth?”
“He’s been like this since we were ten years old, I think the asthma makes his cranium shrink and cuts off oxygen to his brain or something.”
“I’m right here, stop talking about me like I’m not here!”
“Could you guys please be quiet? I can’t hear anything while you’re all being so noisy.”
Taeyeon’s ear was pressed against the hotel door right next to the electronic lock, a small device in her hands, fingers pressing over the keyboard as she listened to whatever was going on in the earbuds that were stuck in her ears. Jinki was pacing around behind her, wringing his hands and chewing his lower lip, a sweat breaking out on his brow as he kept watch, making sure no one came around while they hung around the door suspiciously. And fuck were they being suspicious. Gwiboon had a small satchel over her shoulder and Jonghyun was leaning against the wall, watching Taeyeon curiously.
Jinki puffed his inhaler, speaking through a lungful, “Are you sure she won’t be back?”
“She has a walker and the elevator already reached the bottom floor, I’m pretty sure even if she’s gonna come back right now it’ll take twenty minutes,” Gwiboon said, folding her arms over her chest.
“Got it,” Taeyeon said just as the door clicked and the light turned green, pushing down the handle and opening the door.
They moved into the room quickly and quietly, spreading out and being as non-intrusive as possible. Jinki stood awkwardly in the entryway, shifting his weight from foot to foot, smelling the familiar traditional scent that usually accompanied old women, as well as stale cigarette smoke. At first glance it didn’t look like this woman had any valuable assets; her suitcase was open on the chair, some cosmetics were in the bathroom, the bed was un-made.
“Is this supposed to be pay dirt?” Jonghyun asked, picking up a rather interesting looking garment from the bed and giving it a once over before tossing it away in disgust.
“Trust me, it is,” Gwiboon said, moving to the suitcase and opening it, carefully moving a few things around.
In the bathroom Taeyeon started to look through the cosmetics, and Jinki started to feel his palms get sweaty just standing around doing nothing. He wandered over towards the girl, peeking into the shower and noting the shampoo bottles and loofah, shoving his hands in his pockets. Cops could test for DNA right?
“Why aren’t we wearing gloves?” he asked, fingers itching the bottoms of his pockets.
“We’re not taking anything big enough that she’ll freak out and call the cops,” Taeyeon said, picking up a tube of lipstick before putting it back. “So don’t worry about it.” She smiled knowingly, glancing down at his pocketed hands.
“Ah, well, you know.” He blushed. “I watch a lot of CSI.”
“Me too,” she giggled. “Ah!” She found the woman’s clutch, opening it and rifling through the contents, pulling out a few necklaces. “These ought to be worth a bit.”
Jinki licked his lips, “Don’t you ever wonder?”
Taeyeon paused in her pocketing, glancing up at Jinki. “Wonder what?”
He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “… About what you’re doing.”
The girl gave a soft smile, reaching out to cup Jinki’s cheek gently. He couldn’t help but lean into her touch, listening as she spoke.
“We all do things for a reason, Jinki. It just depends on whether we’re doing them for the right reasons.”
“Are you doing them for the right reasons?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.
She leaned closer to him, “Are you?”
“Hurry! We’re hitting the closing mark, we gotta get outta here!” Gwiboon rushed past the bathroom, closing up her satchel, Jonghyun in tow.
Jinki tripped over his own feet as he followed after Taeyeon, the three of them moving towards the door. They were just about to reach the door when -
Click.
They all froze. Gwiboon slapped her hand over Jinki’s mouth to keep him quiet, his knees buckling in fear as he realized the old woman had returned before they could get out of her room. Taeyeon scampered back towards the balcony, opening the doors and waving for everyone to follow her - Gwiboon steered Jinki after her and Jonghyun followed, closing the balcony door quietly behind them.
“Oh my God oh my God,” Jinki gasped as soon as the doors shut and they were out on the terrace. “She’s going to find us, we’re caught, we’re dead, we’re under arrest this whole thing - the jig is up!”
“Why do you talk?” Gwiboon asked, putting the satchel on Jinki’s shoulder as she grabbed the railing of the balcony, swinging her leg over the iron.
Taeyeon followed after her, the two women shuffling on the outside of the railing towards the side of the hotel, before carefully climbing onto the lattice.
“Give Taeyeon the bag,” Gwiboon hissed.
Jinki quickly handed the bag over to Taeyeon, their fingers brushing. She slung the bag over her shoulder and started to descend down the vines, and Gwiboon followed after her.
“What about us?!” Jinki and Jonghyun bent over the railing, watching in horror as the girls landed on the next balcony, twin evil grins on their faces.
“You’ll think of something~” Gwiboon said, saluting Jonghyun and Jinki before the women disappeared.
Jinki and Jonghyun exchanged looks, before swallowing their fear and staring at the balcony doors, which opened.
“Oh my,” the woman exclaimed, startled. “Who are you?”
Jinki felt like he was going to faint.
“The - um - escort service! For your um… special occasion!” Jonghyun gave his most charming smile, trying to hide his sheer terror as he fingered the hem of his shirt. “Your friends wanted to give you a special gift.”
The woman looked absolutely delighted, “I’ve always wanted a gentleman’s service for my birthday!!”
Jinki was starting to think Gwiboon wasn’t a con artist, but Satan’s personal assistant.
--
“Get it off!” Jinki ran into the bathroom, not even bothering to shut the door as he stripped down to nothing, turning the shower on the hottest setting and then jumping inside.
Jonghyun sauntered into the room, laughing and taking off his shirt as he kicked the door shut with his foot. “Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad.”
“I hate you!”
Gwiboon and Taeyeon were sitting on the bed, Gwiboon reading a magazine and Taeyeon watching a movie as they both glanced up at the disturbance. Laughing, Gwiboon arched a brow.
“I take it you figured it out?” she inquired.
“Good ol’ Jonghyun can think on his feet.” Jonghyun looked all too pleased with himself, as he sat on his bed and bent over to untie his shoes.
“And what did ‘good ol’ Jonghyun’ think of on his feet?” Gwiboon asked, rolling onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hand.
“You’re looking at the hottest, kinkiest escort service in town.”
Taeyeon and Gwiboon both stared at Jonghyun for a few seconds, and it was Taeyeon who snorted first, failing in her attempt to cover up her laughter with coughs.
“What?” Jonghyun frowned.
The younger girl fell over, arms wrapping around her stomach and feet kicking as she laughed, and Gwiboon managed to keep her composure a bit better as she sat up, pushing her bangs back and clearing her throat.
“You had sex with an elderly woman to cover your asses,” she said, just to clarify.
Jonghyun shrugged, scratching the side of his nose. “Well… more or less.”
“Why didn’t you just say you were part of the room cleaning service or something?” Taeyeon asked, sitting up and wiping her eyes, still having a hard time catching her breath. “Or - or - why didn’t you follow us down the lattice?”
“You guys are great,” Gwiboon laughed, reaching over to pat Jonghyun’s thigh. “Definitely worth keeping around.”
“That lattice wouldn’t have held us and you!” Jonghyun smacked Gwiboon’s hand away from his leg.
“Oh Christ it’s not like we were all gonna get on the lattice at the same time,” Gwiboon pinched Jonghyun’s wrist.
“Well it’s not like you delicate fairies made the lattice anymore stable by climbing all over it,” Jonghyun grabbed a handful of Gwiboon’s inner thigh, making her shriek and smack him upside the head.
Taeyeon stood up and excused herself with a smile, entering the bathroom, waving away some of the steam. The shower curtain still wasn’t drawn and Jinki was standing with his hands against the wall and his head hanging down, the water cascading over his body, surprising defined muscles standing out against his pinkening flesh. Blushing a bit, Taeyeon shut the door behind her, the click making Jinki lift his head up - he jumped, grabbing at the curtain to pull it shut, his other hand covering his modesty.
Giggling, Taeyeon covered her mouth, “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, oppa.”
“W-well, you know,” he trailed off, and she could see his silhouette standing tense against the wall of the shower.
“I’m sorry Jonghyun made you do that,” she said, glancing down at the floor, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her smile turned a bit crooked, “though it seems like it’d be fun.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you were in my shoes,” he grumbled.
“I’d be saying it if I were in the old lady’s shoes,” Taeyeon said bravely, staring at the shower curtain where she thought Jinki’s face would be.
His fingers pulled the curtain back a bit and his timid eyes met hers, her heart thumping in her chest a bit. “Wh-what?”
“You heard me,” Taeyeon said, shifting against the bathroom counter, a bit fidgety but smiling just the same.
Jinki smiled, his eyes lowering shyly. “I think I know why I’m doing this.”
Taeyeon raised her brows, “Why?”
“Because I’m tired of being afraid.”
She moved forward, kissing his wet lips, some of the shower water running down her jaw and wetting the collar of her t-shirt. He made a surprised sound, his eyes going wide, and when she pulled back, she winked.
“That seems like a pretty good reason.” She pulled a towel off of the rack, tossing it towards Jinki, who caught it with a small smile. “You’re the bravest person I know.”
He looked genuinely surprised to hear her say that, and as she exited the bathroom, she heard him speak quietly.
“Even if you’re the only person that thinks so… thanks.”
Maybe later she’d tell him what she was doing with her share of the money.
-- Continue?
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Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Jonghyun/Gwiboon, Onew/Taeyeon
Summary: Jinki thought he got dragged along on this wild ride without his consent; but as time goes on, he’s slowly learning that breaking the law is turning into more of a habit and less of a crime. Then again, it helps when you’ve finally discovered that your purpose in life has nothing to do with selling insurance, and everything to do with helping the less fortunate.
[ Previous]
Last month Jonghyun would have never pegged himself as a gambler. He had a decent job as the foreman of a construction site, he lived with his best friend, he was an eligible bachelor, he visited his parents every Sunday for dinner. The most risqué thing he had ever done was steal a lime from the grocery store when he did a beer run, and did that even count? Sticking it in his pocket inconspicuously and then squeezing it into his Corona later was probably not worth anything close to the crimes he’d committed in the past week.
Jinki was, more or less, in the same ship as Jonghyun, although his morals were a bit more compromised. One time he had only paid for an hour in a two-hour parking meter, and then later he had felt so bad about it he returned to pay for the first half of the next car that parked there. The fact that he and Jonghyun were sitting in the back of a stolen police cruiser made the back of his neck sweat, it made his heart palpitate and he ran his clammy palms over his thighs, trying to keep calm as Gwiboon sped off onto the interstate, heading in the opposite direction of Casino Town.
“Where’d you get the wheels?” Jonghyun asked, not bothering with his seatbelt as he scooted forward and rested his arms over the seat in the partition where the bars weren’t shut.
“The same place we got the helicopter,” Gwiboon said with a smirk, keeping her eyes on the road.
Jinki groaned, sinking down in the seat. “This is so illegal. This is - we’re going to jail. They have cameras in these things, it’s recording everything we’re saying and doing, we’re dead. We’re done for.”
Taeyeon turned around in her seat, holding up a square device and grinning, her blue eyes sparkling. “You mean this?” She waved the camera around, before rolling down her window and throwing it out of the car, Jinki turning around to watch it bust into a hundred pieces on the asphalt of the freeway. “I think we’re ok.”
“What if it has a live feed or something? Like in a satellite,” Jinki protested, feeling a drop of sweat slide down his neck. “Jonghyun, we need to get out of this, can we go back home now please?”
“Can you shut him up? I swear to God he’s really killing my buzz,” Gwiboon huffed as she changed lanes.
“YOU’RE DRIVING DRUNK!?” Jinki covered his face.
“She’s sober!” Jonghyun grabbed Jinki’s shoulders and shook him violently. “Get a grip! It’s a saying!”
Jinki let out a small whimper, sniffling and turning watery eyes to the younger man.
“Dude,” Jonghyun gave a crooked smile. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Do you really want to go back to that desk job you had?”
“There were no guns!” Jinki griped. “I was safe in my cubicle! I had plenty of money that came in the form of a paycheck every other Friday!”
“That’s boring,” Gwiboon drolled.
“It’s safe,” Jinki glared, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“Boring~” Taeyeon giggled, turning around in her seat again, reaching out to pluck the glasses off of Jinki’s face. She put them on her own face and wrinkled her nose, probably blinded by the prescription, and Jinki blushed slightly because she looked totally adorable with that expression on her face.
“Let’s get you some contacts,” Gwiboon said, yawning and covering her mouth. “Tomorrow. We need to find a hotel, I’m exhausted.”
“There’s a Hilton,” Jonghyun pointed as Gwiboon exited.
“Are you dumb?” Gwiboon threw a glare into the rear-view mirror at Jonghyun.
“No, I just have taste,” Jonghyun shrugged, smirking as he leaned back in the seat.
“Ohhh no,” Jinki shook his head, leaning forward. “We can’t just pull up to a hotel in a stolen police car, Gwiboon.”
“Why not?” She snorted. “We’ll just hand it off to the valet and tip him nicely. They’re not paid to ask questions. Then we’ll just dump it tomorrow and rent a new car.”
“A Mercedes?” Jonghyun piped up.
“Are you mentally retarded or do you like to insult the handicapped?” Gwiboon gave a disbelieving look to the brunet.
“Dunno, are you insulted?” Jonghyun asked, scratching the side of his nose.
The car swerved a little as Gwiboon reached over the seat to punch Jonghyun in the knee. Jinki shouted at her to straighten out the car and Taeyeon moved to hold the steering wheel straight, and Jonghyun whined and rubbed at his leg.
Jinki ran a hand over his face, “Can we please just get somewhere?”
Taeyeon handed him his glasses and he put them on gratefully, happy to be able to see clearly again. They managed to convince Gwiboon to drop off the cop car a few blocks away from the hotel, and then spent the next ten minutes shifting and organizing all of their loot into manageable, carry-able bags. Each of them held a fairly hefty bag and they waltzed up to the Hilton (Jonghyun wouldn’t shut up about it and Jinki insisted that he would hold it over their head for weeks), checking in under Jinki’s name this time (he was about to have a panic attack when Gwiboon grabbed his wallet and handed over his credit card) before heading up to their room.
“Can I just go to sleep and never wake up,” Jinki groused as he landed face-first on the bed, dropping the moneybag on the floor.
“That’s no fun,” Jonghyun sat next to him and slapped him on the back with a grin.
Jinki turned his head to the side as the girls disappeared into the bathroom to shower…or whatever it was that girls did in the bathroom together.
“Why are we here?” he asked, propping himself up on his arms and pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“Because it’s different,” Jonghyun answered, shrugging as he grabbed the remote and turned on the television.
Jinki frowned. “Why are you here?”
Jonghyun rolled his eyes, “Dude, our lives sucked. Working nine-to-five, getting boned for money and bills… and come on, these girls are hot.”
Jinki’s finger traced over the pattern on the duvet, “What if we get caught? I mean… we don’t know what they’ve done. We’re accessories.” He whispered, “I bet they’re murderers, hit-women or something.”
“Whatever,” Jonghyun snorted, lying back against the headboard. “I bet they’re harmless.”
“Bet…” Jinki scratched the back of his head. “Gambling. That’s what this whole mess is.”
“Jinki oppa~” Taeyeon poked her head out of the bathroom door, smiling and crooking a finger. “Could you come here?”
Jinki felt his gut drop to the floor, “Uhh, sure…” He got up off of the bed and wandered over to the bathroom, noticing that neither of the girls had showered yet, and that Gwiboon was currently reading instructions on a box of hair dye and had a pair of hair cutting scissors resting on the counter. “…”
“Have a seat!” Taeyeon smiled prettily and (rather forcefully) pushed Jinki to sit down on the toilet, and the man floundered a bit as Taeyeon wrapped a towel around his shoulders and took off his glasses while Gwiboon put on some latex gloves.
“THIS IS NOT HARMLESS, JONGHYUN!!”
Jonghyun sniffed and turned up the television.
--
“Damn.”
“Right?” Gwiboon put her hands on her hips, smirking proudly.
Jinki shifted uncomfortably, feeling awkward and like he was in someone else’s body or like he was wearing new skin. Skinny jeans were really new for him, they felt like they hugged in all the wrong places, his ankles felt like they were suffocating, and the sneakers he was wearing felt a bit too big, also. He was wearing contacts for the first time since high school and even back then he didn’t make them a habit, and he zipped the hoodie up a bit further, wishing he was a bit more layered up aside from the thin v-neck t-shirt. The real shocker was his hair, or lack thereof - his security blanket had been his unruly, unkempt hair but Taeyeon and Gwiboon had chopped it off and dyed it dark and styled it messily, leaving him feeling completely vulnerable.
“Could you stop staring?” Jinki felt the heat creeping up the back of his neck as he tried to avoid the gazes of Gwiboon and Jonghyun.
“Oh no,” Gwiboon smiled, moving forward and looping her arm through Jinki’s. “Nope. You’re hot.”
“Alright guys, I’ve got everything squared away at the… register…” Taeyeon’s steps slowed as she approached the trio, her eyes glued to Jinki.
He gave a shy half-smile, and Gwiboon nudged his ribs with her elbow, pushing him forward towards Taeyeon, who returned the smile just as shyly, both of them going quiet. Gwiboon rolled her eyes and grabbed Jonghyun’s hand, then Taeyeon’s, and started to lead them out of the store.
“Alright, tonight you guys are going to follow our plan,” the blonde said as they exited the shoppe, Jinki and Taeyeon walking behind her and Jonghyun, exchanging bashful glances.
“And that’s ‘we’re going to go along with your plan for ten minutes and then fuck it up’ like you did to our plan the other night or ‘we’re going to completely follow your plan’ plan?” Jonghyun asked, putting his hands in his pockets.
Jinki’s eyes watched the pavement as they walked, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, counting how many steps Taeyeon took between every pace he made.
Gwiboon shoved Jonghyun, “That’s ‘you better follow what I fucking say or else I’ll shoot you’.”
“Whatever,” Jonghyun grumbled.
Jinki’s eyes flicked up to Taeyeon’s face, and she smiled softly at him. His cheeks heated up and he averted his eyes quickly, trying to pay attention to what Gwiboon was saying.
“We’ve gotta lay low for a bit, since we caused such a scene last night.” Everyone nodded their heads. “So I figure we’ll just do some low-key stuff.”
“But we’ve already got so much money, why do we need more?” Jinki asked. Earlier in the day they had split up the money, Jonghyun and Jinki both depositing cash into their bank accounts in small increments so as to not arouse suspicion, as well as opening up a few savings accounts in different smaller banks. Gwiboon and Taeyeon didn’t say where they were keeping their money, and it was probably for the best. “Why don’t we just stick with what we have for now and wait a while? I mean… to avoid any trouble.”
“What’s the fun in that?” Gwiboon rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder at Jinki. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Gee I must have left that back on my desk in my office at the insurance company,” Jinki grumbled.
“So what are you suggesting?” Jonghyun glanced around. “Pick-pocketing?”
“Do I look like a thug?” Gwiboon snorted. “I’m not some scum that likes to pick-pocket.” She smirked, holding up a wallet between her fingers, winking at Jonghyun. “But that’s not to say I’m not good at it.”
“Hey--!” Jonghyun grabbed the wallet out of her hand, opening it. “This is my wallet!”
“Don’t freak out, I’ve had it since this morning. You’re just dumb,” Gwiboon waved her hand, and Taeyeon giggled while casually looping her arm through Jinki’s.
Scanning through it to make sure everything was still in place, Jonghyun shoved his wallet into his back pocket, looking none too pleased. “So what do you have in mind?”
“I saw this rich old hag walking around the third floor with some killer furs,” Gwiboon shrugged. “I bet her room is full of goodies.”
“Jewelry,” Taeyeon said, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
“Earth to Gwiboon, men don’t want jewelry,” Jonghyun pinched the back of Gwiboon’s arm, making her scowl and punch him in the side.
“Idiot, to pawn!” She huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “And maybe keep some for ourselves.”
“What are you guys doing with your money?” Jinki asked, and Taeyeon gave a small smile, shrugging.
“Nonya,” Gwiboon stuck her tongue out, before grabbing Jonghyun’s arm and pulling him along. “Now come on, the old bat will probably be leaving for lunch soon.”
Jinki glanced down at Taeyeon, who still had that soft smile on her face, and the sinking feeling in his gut lessened a fraction.
--
“This is not ok. This is - this is so illegal.”
“Is he going to be like this every time we break the law or should I just start duct taping his mouth?”
“He’s been like this since we were ten years old, I think the asthma makes his cranium shrink and cuts off oxygen to his brain or something.”
“I’m right here, stop talking about me like I’m not here!”
“Could you guys please be quiet? I can’t hear anything while you’re all being so noisy.”
Taeyeon’s ear was pressed against the hotel door right next to the electronic lock, a small device in her hands, fingers pressing over the keyboard as she listened to whatever was going on in the earbuds that were stuck in her ears. Jinki was pacing around behind her, wringing his hands and chewing his lower lip, a sweat breaking out on his brow as he kept watch, making sure no one came around while they hung around the door suspiciously. And fuck were they being suspicious. Gwiboon had a small satchel over her shoulder and Jonghyun was leaning against the wall, watching Taeyeon curiously.
Jinki puffed his inhaler, speaking through a lungful, “Are you sure she won’t be back?”
“She has a walker and the elevator already reached the bottom floor, I’m pretty sure even if she’s gonna come back right now it’ll take twenty minutes,” Gwiboon said, folding her arms over her chest.
“Got it,” Taeyeon said just as the door clicked and the light turned green, pushing down the handle and opening the door.
They moved into the room quickly and quietly, spreading out and being as non-intrusive as possible. Jinki stood awkwardly in the entryway, shifting his weight from foot to foot, smelling the familiar traditional scent that usually accompanied old women, as well as stale cigarette smoke. At first glance it didn’t look like this woman had any valuable assets; her suitcase was open on the chair, some cosmetics were in the bathroom, the bed was un-made.
“Is this supposed to be pay dirt?” Jonghyun asked, picking up a rather interesting looking garment from the bed and giving it a once over before tossing it away in disgust.
“Trust me, it is,” Gwiboon said, moving to the suitcase and opening it, carefully moving a few things around.
In the bathroom Taeyeon started to look through the cosmetics, and Jinki started to feel his palms get sweaty just standing around doing nothing. He wandered over towards the girl, peeking into the shower and noting the shampoo bottles and loofah, shoving his hands in his pockets. Cops could test for DNA right?
“Why aren’t we wearing gloves?” he asked, fingers itching the bottoms of his pockets.
“We’re not taking anything big enough that she’ll freak out and call the cops,” Taeyeon said, picking up a tube of lipstick before putting it back. “So don’t worry about it.” She smiled knowingly, glancing down at his pocketed hands.
“Ah, well, you know.” He blushed. “I watch a lot of CSI.”
“Me too,” she giggled. “Ah!” She found the woman’s clutch, opening it and rifling through the contents, pulling out a few necklaces. “These ought to be worth a bit.”
Jinki licked his lips, “Don’t you ever wonder?”
Taeyeon paused in her pocketing, glancing up at Jinki. “Wonder what?”
He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “… About what you’re doing.”
The girl gave a soft smile, reaching out to cup Jinki’s cheek gently. He couldn’t help but lean into her touch, listening as she spoke.
“We all do things for a reason, Jinki. It just depends on whether we’re doing them for the right reasons.”
“Are you doing them for the right reasons?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.
She leaned closer to him, “Are you?”
“Hurry! We’re hitting the closing mark, we gotta get outta here!” Gwiboon rushed past the bathroom, closing up her satchel, Jonghyun in tow.
Jinki tripped over his own feet as he followed after Taeyeon, the three of them moving towards the door. They were just about to reach the door when -
Click.
They all froze. Gwiboon slapped her hand over Jinki’s mouth to keep him quiet, his knees buckling in fear as he realized the old woman had returned before they could get out of her room. Taeyeon scampered back towards the balcony, opening the doors and waving for everyone to follow her - Gwiboon steered Jinki after her and Jonghyun followed, closing the balcony door quietly behind them.
“Oh my God oh my God,” Jinki gasped as soon as the doors shut and they were out on the terrace. “She’s going to find us, we’re caught, we’re dead, we’re under arrest this whole thing - the jig is up!”
“Why do you talk?” Gwiboon asked, putting the satchel on Jinki’s shoulder as she grabbed the railing of the balcony, swinging her leg over the iron.
Taeyeon followed after her, the two women shuffling on the outside of the railing towards the side of the hotel, before carefully climbing onto the lattice.
“Give Taeyeon the bag,” Gwiboon hissed.
Jinki quickly handed the bag over to Taeyeon, their fingers brushing. She slung the bag over her shoulder and started to descend down the vines, and Gwiboon followed after her.
“What about us?!” Jinki and Jonghyun bent over the railing, watching in horror as the girls landed on the next balcony, twin evil grins on their faces.
“You’ll think of something~” Gwiboon said, saluting Jonghyun and Jinki before the women disappeared.
Jinki and Jonghyun exchanged looks, before swallowing their fear and staring at the balcony doors, which opened.
“Oh my,” the woman exclaimed, startled. “Who are you?”
Jinki felt like he was going to faint.
“The - um - escort service! For your um… special occasion!” Jonghyun gave his most charming smile, trying to hide his sheer terror as he fingered the hem of his shirt. “Your friends wanted to give you a special gift.”
The woman looked absolutely delighted, “I’ve always wanted a gentleman’s service for my birthday!!”
Jinki was starting to think Gwiboon wasn’t a con artist, but Satan’s personal assistant.
--
“Get it off!” Jinki ran into the bathroom, not even bothering to shut the door as he stripped down to nothing, turning the shower on the hottest setting and then jumping inside.
Jonghyun sauntered into the room, laughing and taking off his shirt as he kicked the door shut with his foot. “Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad.”
“I hate you!”
Gwiboon and Taeyeon were sitting on the bed, Gwiboon reading a magazine and Taeyeon watching a movie as they both glanced up at the disturbance. Laughing, Gwiboon arched a brow.
“I take it you figured it out?” she inquired.
“Good ol’ Jonghyun can think on his feet.” Jonghyun looked all too pleased with himself, as he sat on his bed and bent over to untie his shoes.
“And what did ‘good ol’ Jonghyun’ think of on his feet?” Gwiboon asked, rolling onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hand.
“You’re looking at the hottest, kinkiest escort service in town.”
Taeyeon and Gwiboon both stared at Jonghyun for a few seconds, and it was Taeyeon who snorted first, failing in her attempt to cover up her laughter with coughs.
“What?” Jonghyun frowned.
The younger girl fell over, arms wrapping around her stomach and feet kicking as she laughed, and Gwiboon managed to keep her composure a bit better as she sat up, pushing her bangs back and clearing her throat.
“You had sex with an elderly woman to cover your asses,” she said, just to clarify.
Jonghyun shrugged, scratching the side of his nose. “Well… more or less.”
“Why didn’t you just say you were part of the room cleaning service or something?” Taeyeon asked, sitting up and wiping her eyes, still having a hard time catching her breath. “Or - or - why didn’t you follow us down the lattice?”
“You guys are great,” Gwiboon laughed, reaching over to pat Jonghyun’s thigh. “Definitely worth keeping around.”
“That lattice wouldn’t have held us and you!” Jonghyun smacked Gwiboon’s hand away from his leg.
“Oh Christ it’s not like we were all gonna get on the lattice at the same time,” Gwiboon pinched Jonghyun’s wrist.
“Well it’s not like you delicate fairies made the lattice anymore stable by climbing all over it,” Jonghyun grabbed a handful of Gwiboon’s inner thigh, making her shriek and smack him upside the head.
Taeyeon stood up and excused herself with a smile, entering the bathroom, waving away some of the steam. The shower curtain still wasn’t drawn and Jinki was standing with his hands against the wall and his head hanging down, the water cascading over his body, surprising defined muscles standing out against his pinkening flesh. Blushing a bit, Taeyeon shut the door behind her, the click making Jinki lift his head up - he jumped, grabbing at the curtain to pull it shut, his other hand covering his modesty.
Giggling, Taeyeon covered her mouth, “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, oppa.”
“W-well, you know,” he trailed off, and she could see his silhouette standing tense against the wall of the shower.
“I’m sorry Jonghyun made you do that,” she said, glancing down at the floor, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her smile turned a bit crooked, “though it seems like it’d be fun.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you were in my shoes,” he grumbled.
“I’d be saying it if I were in the old lady’s shoes,” Taeyeon said bravely, staring at the shower curtain where she thought Jinki’s face would be.
His fingers pulled the curtain back a bit and his timid eyes met hers, her heart thumping in her chest a bit. “Wh-what?”
“You heard me,” Taeyeon said, shifting against the bathroom counter, a bit fidgety but smiling just the same.
Jinki smiled, his eyes lowering shyly. “I think I know why I’m doing this.”
Taeyeon raised her brows, “Why?”
“Because I’m tired of being afraid.”
She moved forward, kissing his wet lips, some of the shower water running down her jaw and wetting the collar of her t-shirt. He made a surprised sound, his eyes going wide, and when she pulled back, she winked.
“That seems like a pretty good reason.” She pulled a towel off of the rack, tossing it towards Jinki, who caught it with a small smile. “You’re the bravest person I know.”
He looked genuinely surprised to hear her say that, and as she exited the bathroom, she heard him speak quietly.
“Even if you’re the only person that thinks so… thanks.”
Maybe later she’d tell him what she was doing with her share of the money.
-- Continue?
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