“Let's go out tonight.” Seungcheol, or S.Coups as he was known to most people outside of his family and small group of close friends, said while absentmindedly staring out the window of their hangout.

“I have a paper deadline tomorrow.” Mingyu replied, more focused on the game of billiards he was playing.

“So? You're here playing games, might as well go out. Just tell the professor you had a family emergency so you couldn't finish it on time. Wouldn't be the first time.”

“Did you have anything specific in mind?” Soonyoung asked while he tried making a trick shot.

“There's a new club opening tonight. It's called W-8.”

“What kind of a name is that? I feel like I've heard about it though.” Soonyoung leaned on this cue stick with his hands. He watched Mingyu miss a shot and was walking around the table trying to find the best angle for his next move when he remembered. “Wait a minute. Isn't it owned by Woozi and his group of misfits? Why would you want to go there? They definitely wouldn't be too happy if we showed up so I...oh I get it. You're in the mood to piss some people off? Okay, let's go. Call Seungkwan too. He'll get pissy if we exclude him.”

“I'm not looking to piss anyone off.” Seungcheol answered while he took his phone from the desk and pulled up the contact information of their youngest member. “I just want to see if their hospitality has improved since the last time we went to one of their clubs. Not that their club stayed open long after we- oh hey Seungkwan. Yeah, it's me. We're going out tonight.”

<>

Jihoon looked down from the window of his private room. He could oversee the dance floor and bar area but was away from all the noise and people. Just the way he liked it. In control from the sidelines. Even if it was opening night. He had spent half his life in clubs, basically grew up in them. His mother never liked it whenever his father would bring him to one of the clubs he owned. Although her concern was most likely more about the business going on in the back and behind the scenes. His father had actually kept him out of most of that, but he wasn't stupid. He knew the clubs were a front.

He became the manager of one of his father's clubs when he was seventeen. One employee had been stupid enough to make fun of him, asking if he could even reach the top of the bar. He never dared to do it again after he'd gotten out of the hospital a few weeks later. In the years that followed Jihoon had pretty much taken over for his father as far as the clubs went. Along the way he had made sure he wasn't surrounded by his father's men only. He felt more comfortable with his closest friends. Minghao had become his second in command when it came to running the clubs; Jeonghan always knew how to give customers and business relations alike what they wanted or convince them that what they offered was what they wanted; Wonwoo wasn't really much a club person, but he was always around to offer a fresh perspective or offer words of advise to a stressed out Jihoon; Seokmin was the most loyal friend he could think of and even though Jihoon worried sometimes that Seokmin wasn't fit for this line of work he'd never trade him for anyone in the world.

“Don't you think you should come down for a bit? It is opening night after all.”

Jihoon turned around to find Jeonghan leaning in the doorway. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a high quality fashion magazine, gorgeous as ever. “Come on. I'll hold your hand if you're scared of all the people trying to compliment you on your awesome new club.”

“It's not just my club. Minghao did as much as me. And please don't hold my hand. There are enough rumors about us going around. People think we act like a married couple.”

Jeonghan snickered and walked closer. He followed the line of Jihoon's jaw with one of his slender fingers, “What? I'm not good enough for you?”

“Babe, no-one can even come close.”

“Good. As long as you don't mind me sleeping with other people.”

“You're not sleeping with me so go ahead.”

It had always been like this between them. Flirting, joking, but nothing more.

“Come on. Time to be social.”

++

After greeting the most important of their business contacts and some of their most influential clientele Jihoon decided he had been social enough. He'd done his job, he could leave the rest of playing the host to Jeonghan and Seokmin. They were more the people person types anyway. He looked around for Jeonghan to tell him he was going up to his office again. He spotted him on the edge of the dance floor. Something about his body language bothered Jihoon and he quickly walked over. He gently tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Jeonghan seemed to have trouble keeping his head up and he looked at him with unfocused eyes. Jihoon reached up to cup his face, “Are you okay, baby? You don't look so good.”

Jeonghan tried to reply but his speech was slurred. People who didn't know him like he did might think he was just wasted, but Jihoon knew what Jeonghan was like when he was drunk and this wasn't it. He cursed under his breath and looked around for Seokmin. Luckily he was close by and when their eyes met Seokmin could tell something was wrong and he came right over.

“I think Jeonghan's been drugged. Help me get him to the back.”

Minghao, who had been at the back together with Wonwoo, nodded and looked at his friends after checking out Jeonghan. “You're right. He's been drugged. Looks like ruffies or something similar.”

“Do you want me to call your dad?” Wonwoo asked cautiously, he could tell Jihoon could explode at any moment now.

“Do you think I want my dad to know about this? That some like this happens in one of our, my, clubs?! On ing opening night. No, I don't want you to ing call my dad.” He impatiently ran his hands through his hair and took a breath. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, Wonwoo. Did any of you see who Jeonghan talked to tonight?”

“What do you expect? A list of all the people in the club? He's talked to so many people.” Minghao replied with a snap.

“I know that. I meant did any of you see him talking to someone who looked suspicious or handed him something to drink?”

“Again. Do you want a list of everybody in there? We don't exactly attract the most innocent of people.”

“Just think, all right. You're not helping.”

“I...I saw those Ruby kids.” Seokmin interjected.

“Who? Oh you mean the rich boys?” Jihoon hadn't expected those idiots to show up tonight, but then again, they always did whatever they felt like. “And?”

“Well, I saw at least two of them talking to Hannie. The muscular one and the tall one whose dad owns those private hospitals.”

S.coups and Mingyu. Jihoon knew who he was talking about.

“I only saw them talking and I didn't think too much of it. I know there's been trouble in the past but Jeonghan looked like he was handling it. I guess it is a bit weird they showed up tonight.”

“Drugging people to get what they want does sound a bit like an entitled rich boy move...” Minghao thought out loud.

Jihoon took a moment to think.

“I really don't like those rich boys, but I just don't see them do it. Drugging people isn't their style. They like the people they pull on to actually be aware of it. Besides, if it was they were after, and with Jeonghan it's usually what people are after, I'm pretty sure those two wouldn't need to drug him to get it.”

Minghao scoffed, “Well, that's true. Pretty sure he already did it with at least one of them.”

“Did anyone see anything else?”

“Well,” Seokmin hesitated, “I saw Carrot gang. The small one was talking with Jeonghan and he seemed a bit...annoyed.”

“Dammit Seokmin, you basically saw all of our rivals in here tonight and you didn't think it was a good idea to tell one of us?” Minghao raised his voice and took a step in his direction.

“I...things had been okay lately. I wasn't even sure if we still really had a problem with any of them!”

“We do when they just decide to walk in on our turf without good reason! Wouldn't be the first time those s tried to take something that belongs to us.”

“Today at the library...” Wonwoo interrupted their fight with a small voice, “That Joshua one...or Jisoo I think his real name is, anyway, he came up to me and said he'd heard about the club opening and he said he was sure it was going to be a night to remember. I didn't think much of it, but now...”

Jihoon could feel his anger rising and he started pacing the room trying to keep a level head. “Wonwoo, Seokmin, take Jeonghan to the apartment upstairs. Make sure he's okay. Hao, go check if any of that ridiculously named Carrot gang are still at the club right now. Bring those ers to me if they are. They won't get away with this.”

“Do you really think they did it?”

“I'm sure of it.”

<>

“What a great idea to go refill our supply of very expensive booze, Shua!” Hansol lifted a half-empty bottle of overpriced alcohol with his one hand while gesturing to the bottles that were proudly displayed on their coffee table with the other. He took took a gulp straight from the bottle before passing it to Chan.

“Don't drink it all in one night though. Especially you, Chan.”

The youngest rolled his eyes as he handed the bottle to Jisoo after taking a sip.

“Guys, guys.” Jun, wheezing because of laughing too hard, said “I also took this lamp in the shape of a flamingo.” Sure enough he proudly held up a flamingo-shaped lamp.

For a moment the room went quiet as they stared at the lamp. The flamingo even had a little crown on his head. The next moment they all bend over dying of laughter.

Hansol wiped a tear from his eye, “I stole a bottle of wine that could probably pay for my groceries for a few months and you took a flamingo lamp?! That's amazing.”

“I just figured, booze doesn't last, but who knows how long we can enjoy this lamp.”

Jun got up, a bit wobbly, placed the lamp carefully on the table next to their neon phone and plugged it in. He nodded proudly. He felt Jisoo wrap an arm around his shoulder, “It's perfect. I'd call this outing a success.”

“Did we have to leave so soon though? I know we weren't exactly on friendly grounds, but we were barely there before you dragged us away again.” Jun questioned.

“I noticed some was happening with one of them and I didn't want to stick around for that drama. Besides, the Rubies were there too I noticed. I get enough of those smug faces at college.”

“Do you think he was okay?” Jun asked.

“Are we supposed to care?”

“Don't be mean, Chan.” Jisoo reprimanded the youngest.

He scoffed and shook his head, “You know they wouldn't give two s if one of us got drugged or anything right? Why should we be bothered?” He leaned back into the couch and stared at nothing in particular. “His friends got him before whoever drugged him could do something else to him. He'll be fine.”

Joshua nodded. “Yeah, probably.”

Hansol felt his phone buzz. Luckily for him the rest of his friends were focusing on other things or they might have seen the smirk that appeared on his face when he saw the message.

<Did you leave?>

Hansol chuckled. He decided not to point out that it had been Seungkwan who had contacted him, not the other way around. This had been a pretty good night.