Chapter Text
Roh Namgyu, a depressed, lonely, twenty-seven year old, woke up as usual. He groaned as he fumbled around his nightstand for his circular glasses and phone. Sitting up and putting on his glasses, he opened up his phone, swiping away all the scam emails.
He got up, the floorboards creaking with every step. He had been meaning to get someone to fix the numerous broken floorboards, but he couldn’t even afford to pay his rent. He’d been avoiding it for a few days now ever since his paychecks have been decreasing. Working as a bartender at Club Pentagon was slow. Namgyu was sure that he would get laid off soon, so he figured—why bother trying? He didn’t greet members politely, was rude to most of his coworkers, and was late practically every other day. This led him to several complaints and even more scoldings from the manager. Minimum wage was what kept him alive.
His feet felt cold against the floor as he walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, but to no surprise, most of the food was moldy or expired. He grabbed an expired vanilla yogurt and tore it open, eating the whole thing in under ten seconds. His only breakfast for the day.
Namgyu opened up his phone again, the clock reading 11:56 A.M. Work started at one all the way until eleven. Working his butt off for ten hours straight and yet only receiving minimum wage was criminal.
He tossed the empty yogurt in the overfilled trash bin and headed for the shower. He turned on the water so that it could warm up while he stripped his clothes, but with how old his apartment was, only cold water was left.
God, I need to get out of this hellhole, Namgyu thought as he took off his shirt. He glanced over at the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe I can sell my hair as a wig. There’s things that do that, right?
Then he traced the lines of his arm tattoos. Can people sell their tattoos for money? He was getting desperate here.
A second job wasn’t possible. He worked seven days a week for ten hours straight. If he picked up another job, he wouldn’t even have had time to sleep.
Onlyfans? That was always a decision in the back of his mind that he genuinely considered for quite some time, but he couldn’t stand to record himself in such an intimate act.
He sighed briefly and took the rest of his clothes off before getting in the shower.
—
The time was 12:27 P.M after Namgyu got out of the shower and put on his usual work uniform. The long sleeve white undershirt was covered in unidentifiable stains, since he rarely washed his clothes. The black vest was wrinkled and the red tie was too. His tight black pants felt suffocating just putting them on and taking it off. His uniform may not have been as neat as the others, but it wasn’t like he was really able to do anything about it.
Before exiting his apartment, he made sure everything needed was in his bag. Phone, wallet, cigarettes.
He locked the door and left the building without looking back. He took a cigarette out of his bag once in the parking lot, lit it, popped the edge inside his mouth, inhaled, and slowly exhaled the smoke out his mouth. The euphoria rushed through him quickly, but was equally quickly ended. He then proceeded to throw it on the ground without a care before getting in his car.
—
Namgyu stepped inside Club Pentagon feeling nothing but dread. He brushed past people, trying to get to the bar before his manager realized that he’s a few minutes late. Although his apartment was only fifteen minutes away, traffic was exceptionally slow and he knew that his manager would’ve never believed it. He pulled that trick too many times—except this time it was actually real.
He slipped behind the bar, and thankfully nobody noticed he was late.
Except, for one person.
He tried to avoid eye contact with his coworker Gyeongsu, who seemed to have a staring problem with Namgyu.
“What?” Namgyu asked condescendingly, looking back at him with a glare. He usually wouldn’t act this rude to Gyeongsu since they were friends, but every day his mood is fluctuating.
“Late again?” Gyeongsu tutted, putting a wine glass that he had just finished polishing away. “This is your third time this week. And it’s only Thursday.”
“Don’t say anything to Semi. You know she’ll go all feral at me.”
“She’s gonna notice, dude.”
Just then, the manager walked into the bar. Her footsteps seemed to echo despite the ear bleeding music blasting on the speakers.
She stared down Namgyu as if to tell him that he’s dead.
“You’re late for the third time, Namgyu.” She crossed her arms. “How long are you going to keep this up?”
Namgyu gulped. “Semi, you have to trust me on this one. There was hella traffic.”
Semi laughed out loud, obnoxiously. “You pull the same one every single time. If you’re going to make excuses, at least create some new ones.”
“I’m telling the truth this time!” Namgyu’s face burned up, flashing a shade of light red across his face and ears.
“You’re a bad liar. Just get back to work.” Semi walked away before Namgyu could say anything back. And he was glad she did, otherwise he would’ve said some things that would’ve gotten him fired and banned from every club in the country.
“She’s such a bitch…” Namgyu grumbled to Gyeongsu. “She thinks that she’s superior to all of us like she’s god or something!”
“She is the manager.” Gyeongsu shrugged, polishing another wine glass.
“You’re really siding with her?” Namgyu scoffed, an eyebrow raised.
“No. I’m just saying that she’s practically the boss.”
Namgyu rolled his eyes and fixed his tie before grabbing a rag and wiping down the counter. Sticky. No matter how many times he tried to clean it, the counter just stayed sticky. It just kept layering and getting worse with the numerous drinks people spilled.
Neon lights bled into his vision, a mix of purple and green. If that wasn’t already bad, it kept flashing constantly like a thunderstorm. But Namgyu had already gotten used to it, as much as he still hates it.
“Vodka soda!” a raspy voice yelled across the bar.
Namgyu pretended not to notice him and hoped that Gyeongsu would take that one, but Gyeongsu was already busy helping another person.
“I’m talking to you, bartender!”
Namgyu clenched his jaw, fists curled up. His mouth twitched into a smile as he turned around and said, “That’ll be 11,540 won, sir.”
The customer slapped a few bills on the counter, scratching his beer belly afterwards. Namgyu took it, but his fingers touched a sticky orange residue on them. He groaned and stuffed the money into the register. The customer was way over, but Namgyu decided not to tell him in hopes that he could get away with a nice tip.
“You’re really going to get fired at this rate,” said Gyeongsu as he finished his own interaction.
“So be it,” Namgyu replied impatiently. “At least I’ll be out of this fuckass place.”
“And then what?” Gyeongsu asked. He was so goddamn nosy. “Starve to death?”
Namgyu didn’t answer and instead worked on the drink. His hands worked like it was on autopilot. He’d made so many drinks in the course of two years that it was almost natural to him.
He set the finished vodka soda on the counter, not bothering to even get the man’s attention. He was too busy hitting on a woman way younger than him.
Namgyu grabbed the rag again, desperately trying to clean the stickiness off the counter. Despite working here for so long, that one little thing always bothered him the most. And ironically, it was the one thing that would never go away.
A group of five men around their early thirties walked in, chattering louder than the music. They were almost hollering and being a disturbance to everyone else in the club. Namgyu poked his head around to get a look at the guy. Punks. Tattoo-covered, mullet-wearing punks.
They strode to the bar and gathered around, scaring all the other people away. Even the previous man left, and he hadn’t even noticed that his drink was already done. Namgyu tried his best to ignore their insanely annoying voices.
“Hey uh—that girl bartender with the short black hair!” one of the muscular men called out as he sat down, pointing directly at Namgyu.
Namgyu sighed and looked up, disdain spread across his entire face.
“I’m a dude,” Namgyu said, trying to keep his composure calm.
The man’s friends jeered at him, chuckling to each other while he was embarrassed.
The man tried to salvage his mistake. “Hey but uh…I swing both ways, you know? You’re hella hot and sexy. Say, why don’t you take a shift off, and me and you can go to my place?”
As Namgyu was seconds away from punching the guy, Gyeongsu appeared just in time.
“Sorry,” Gyeongsu said to him, clearly agitated. “he can’t. He’s not interested in you.”
The guy scoffed. “And who are you, his boyfriend? You don’t speak for him.”
His friends laughed obnoxiously at the remark as if it was actually creative.
“Please leave me alone,” Namgyu said, more angry than defensive.
“Come on, I know you want it,” the man cooed and reached over, grabbing Namgyu’s arm. Namgyu yelped and tried to retract his arm away, but the man’s hand wouldn’t budge. Gyeongsu pushed the hand away, and that’s when the man finally let go.
After making sure Namgyu’s arm wasn’t bruised, Gyeongsu said, “Please leave before I call security.”
The man’s face dropped, and so did his friends’.
“Sensitive bitches,” he muttered one final time before getting up and leaving, the rest of them following him.
Gyeongsu’s tense body softened as he left. He turned to Namgyu with concerned eyes.
“Can’t believe he tried to hit on you like that,” Gyeongsu said. “You should get a fake girlfriend or something next time you’re in a situation like that. I’m not always going to be there to defend you.”
The thought of a fake girlfriend almost made Namgyu cringe. “Hard pass. And how would I explain that to a girl? ‘Oh, can you just pretend to date me for the rest of your life so that people don’t try to hit on me?’”
“Yes! That’s exactly what you should say!”
“Grow up. It’s not happening.”
Gyeongsu grumbled quietly, but loud enough for Namgyu to hear. “I’ve been your friend for the two years you’ve been working here. It’s sad how lonely you are. You really need a partner. An actual one.”
Namgyu couldn’t care less about dating. If he could barely take care of himself, how will he have the responsibility to date somebody?
“As if you’re getting any action yourself,” Namgyu shot back, playfully.
“More than you! And I’m talking to this girl right now, actually! We met a few days ago at the mall and she approached me first!”
Namgyu rolled his eyes, not believing a second of his fake story.
Semi walked in again, eying Namgyu. “Namgyu,” she said sharply. “VIP room 2. A client named Kang Dohyun requested specifically for you.”
“I’m busy—“
“Busy gossiping with Gyeongsu? Don’t keep the client waiting.” She walked away before Namgyu or Gyeongsu could argue.
Namgyu glanced back at Gyeongsu with disbelief.
“Don’t worry,” Gyeongsu said. “I’ll manage by myself.”
Namgyu sighed with that confirmation and headed to VIP room 2.
—
Namgyu’s chest felt heavy as he opened the door. The room smelt of expensive cologne and alcohol—yet also stuffy. A man in his thirties sat on a leather couch, an arm draped behind the couch like he owned the damn place. He smirked when Namgyu walked inside.
“Took you long enough,” Dohyun said, though not in a harsh manner.
Namgyu ignored his remark. His hand was still curled around the doorknob, ready to escape at any moment. “What can I get you?”
“Already got it.”
“Drink. What drink do you want?”
Dohyun scoffed. “Aren’t you guys supposed to provide me some services? Isn’t that part of your job?”
Namgyu’s fingers tightened on the doorknob, feeling a sudden sense of worry. “No, we don’t provide any sexual services if that’s what you mean,” he said shakily.
“What about non-sexual ones? Just come over and sit. I didn’t request you specifically for nothing. Put yourself to use.” Men like this always pissed Namgyu off.
Namgyu didn’t sit. Instead he repeated, “What drink do you want?”
Dohyun sighed and groaned, crossing a leg over the other. “Damn useless bitch. Just get me some whiskey. Neat.”
Namgyu didn’t hesitate to get out of the room, walking down the hallway as fast as he could to get out of any proximity from that guy. He gave Namgyu a weird sense of unsafeness that he couldn’t quite describe. It was just a silly feeling in his gut, but still made him feel weird.
Namgyu arrived back at the bar, quickly starting on the whiskey. Gyeongsu looked over at him.
“Back already?” Gyeongsu asked, eyebrows raised.
“He wants whiskey,” Namgyu responded, emotionless. The drink was done in less than thirty seconds and he immediately headed back to the room.
The glass cup felt a bit cold in Namgyu’s hand as he walked back. The orange liquid inside trembled with the careless steps he was taking.
He arrived at the room sooner than he expected, opening the door with the cup in hand.
“Here you go, sir,” Namgyu said as he entered, stepping forward and placing the drink on the glass table in front of him.
Dohyun grabbed it and took a small sip, exhaling a breath of relief. “Tastes even better knowing that you made it.”
Okay, a bit weird and gross, but Namgyu’s heard worse from other clients. At least it wasn’t inappropriate or anything.
“If you need anything else, I’ll be at the bar,” Namgyu said straightforwardly before leaving without another word.
He shut the door tight, taking in deep breaths as he walked back to the bar. That guy still gave him major creeps, especially with what he just said. But he decided to just shake it off, since he was probably just being irrational like always.
Namgyu made it to the bar without any problems. He wanted to just rest his head on the counter, but couldn’t due to all the sticky residue on it.
“I’ve been on my feet all fucking day…Has it even been an hour yet?” Namgyu grumbled to Gyeongsu, wiping his face down harshly.
“Relax. Just pretend today is just like any other day.” Gyeongsu has said this phrase so many times that Namgyu predicted he would say that. The same exact one every time Namgyu complained about work.
“Anything fun happen while I was gone?” Namgyu asked, resting his hands on the counter.
“You were only gone for like five minutes. And no, nothing happened at all. Business is slow today.”
Just like any other day.
Namgyu just stared at the counter, picking at a hardened substance. The neon lights continued to flash and flicker, and almost made Namgyu wonder why people actually enjoyed it. It was unappealing, although Namgyu was used to it. Not to mention the music too. He’s heard so much R&B songs that he practically knows every single one of them.
Just then, Kang Dohyun was approaching the bar. Namgyu cursed inside his mind, but still put on a face that didn’t look totally disgusted.
Dohyun reached the counter and sat on a chair directly across from Namgyu. He rested his elbows and the counter and whispered to Namgyu, “I know you guys don’t do sexual services…but what’s stopping you from doing it outside of work?”
“Sorry, sir. I’m not interested,” Namgyu replied with a tight jaw. No way this was happening for the second time with a different guy now.
“You’re special,” Dohyun continued and wrapped his hand around Namgyu’s wrist, completely disregarding what Namgyu said. “every other person I’ve requested at least tried to pretend to be eager to be at my service. But you don’t try. That’s alright though. I like the attitude.”
Gyeongsu frowned, ready to step in. However, that wasn’t needed as Dohyun was yanked back onto the floor. He fell on his back with a yelp, the stool even scraping against the ground.
Namgyu looked down at him, then looked up at the culprit. A tall male figure stood between him and Dohyun. The man was looking back at Dohyun, giggling to himself at what he did to him, but when he turned back to face Namgyu, Namgyu instantly recognized the face.
Thanos. The rapping legend Thanos. The same Thanos Gyeongsu had constantly ranted about. The same Thanos Namgyu would secretly listen to in his car. The same Thanos was looking directly at Namgyu.
A crowd started to surround them, but mostly because Thanos was there.
“Who the hell are you?!” Dohyun yelled from the ground.
Thanos turned back around, flashing a mocking face at him. “You don’t know me? I’m Thanos, his boyfriend.”
Yeah, how could he not know Thanos?
Wait.
His boyfriend?
Gyeongsu gasped loudly, covering his mouth like he was flabbergasted. The crowd around them broke into erupt murmurs, some even cheering. Phones were pulled out, cameras recording and snapping pictures of every angle. Semi had already walked in and heard everything.
Dohyun’s eyes widened in shock as the realization dawned onto him. “You’re the Thanos? And you’re dating him? Oh, I’m so sorry—“
Security arrived and actually did their job, dragging Dohyun by the arms. He kept stumbling over useless apologies, begging for forgiveness as he was taken away.
Namgyu stood there, heart pounding so fast it might’ve exploded right there on the spot.
Thanos turned to him once more. “You okay?”
Namgyu was too shocked to answer.
Semi was already rushing to them. “Namgyu, what the hell was that?!” she snapped, eyes darting back and forth at Namgyu and Thanos.
“Just defending my boyfriend,” Thanos responded casually.
She opened her mouth, then closed it when she noticed the several phones and cameras around them. “We need to discuss this privately,” she whispered to them.
“No,” Thanos countered. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
He glanced at Namgyu. “Right?”
This situation would’ve escalated very quickly if Namgyu denied it. He felt the piercing stares of everyone awaiting his answer.
So he nodded with his head down.
Thanos smiled and turned to Semi. “See? Me and Namsu don’t have anything to discuss.”
“His name is Namgyu.”
Thanos turned a light shade of red. “Oh. Right. Namsu is the nickname I call him.”
Namgyu groaned in his head at how unbelievably forgetful Thanos was.
—
When his shift ended, Namgyu’s phone didn’t stop vibrating. Family, friends, and past acquaintances kept sending him videos that had been posted of the event.
‘THANOS CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP AT CLUB PENTAGON’
‘WHO IS ROH NAMGYU?’
‘FAMOUS RAPPER SPOTTED DEFENDING BOYFRIEND FROM HARASSMENT’
Namgyu lightly slammed his head against the wheel over and over again, just wishing that everything would stop. In his entire career, this might’ve been one of the worst things that’s ever happened to him. Being forced to pretend to be in a relationship with a famous rapper.
He got a call from an unknown number. He picked it up, ready to hear a saesang screaming at him or something.
“Hello?” Namgyu asked groggily.
“It’s me, Thanos. Sorry about what happened earlier. Can we talk?”