Chapter Text
"Good morning little one," is what Koo wakes up to. He blinks sleepily to see the stranger standing above him, smiling down at him softly.
Koo wants to cringe away. He still doesn't like this stranger, and he doesn't like that the stranger is the one to pull him away from his sleep.
It was good, too. Koo has never slept on a window, and with such soft blankets, and Mr. Jung had been so nice to him the day before. Koo almost wishes he could relive yesterday. It had gone so good.
Except for Yoongi. And this stranger. He's the one who put Koo in his punishment clothes. It wraps around him, like this giant pillow case, and it makes it harder for Koo to stay grounded.
But Koo can't say anything.
"Good morning," he warbles out. Judging from the stranger's chuckle he didn't quite say it right but Koo doesn't really care anyway.
"You look so cute here. I assume you like this spot?"
Koo shuts his mouth from where he's about to yawn, and blinks up at the stranger. This stranger put him in these clothes. He punished Koo.
What if Koo told him he liked this place? What if he took it away?
Koo closes his eyes and swallows the headache that's about to consume him like it does after he receives a dom's touch. Still, Koo can not lie.
Because if he gets sent home, then Koo will be never be able to lie again.
"It's lovely." He mumbles quietly, hoping that the stranger just won't hear it.
Luck isn't in Koo's favor, because - "Wonderful, darling, up now." The hands dig onto his body (his body covered in that miserable cloth that makes him feel like an ugly lump) and forcefully pull him up. Koo doesn't like it, but mostly because it makes him feel heavy, especially the way the stranger seems to exaggeratedly groan (but he's smiling too, what is this? A joke?).
"I put out some clothes for you, sweetheart. I figured you'd like them. We're going out today, and then you can have a house tour when you get back, okay?"
"Okay," Koo mumbles, not wanting to make a problem.
He gets up and walks slowly to the bathroom, not noticing the way the stranger stands still, stumped at Koo's initiative and willpower. "So obedient," he murmurs, stunned as he flops down onto where Koo was sleeping.
The stranger stares down at the fluff blankets, running his hands over the material. "Maybe he'd like some more...."
Koo doesn't know how long he has but he tries to hurry so he doesn't take too long.
The clothes the stranger picked out for him, that Koo was dreading looking at, weren't that bad. They were still plain, scarily plain, so Koo's sure he's still being punished, but they still had a sense of some style, even if it was so peasant like.
The shirt was white and plain, but at least Koo's skin would be visible. It would let him show off his arms, and even if Koo didn't like them, it at least didn't have a hood so Koo can let his hair down. The pants were even more ratty, with large visible rips and stitches missing all over. Koo isn't even sure how the stranger found these clothes, because the rips were so weird it was like someone intentionally cut it, but the idea of the stranger making poor pants just for Koo is so painful he tries not to think about it.
There's a tag at the back that says Faded Jeans, and Koo wonders if these pants were specifically made for his punishment.
He shivers.
The Jungs were very quick to produce entire clothing items for that.
Not daring to rip the tag off, he tucks in, trying to adjust so it doesn't make him uncomfortable.
The material of the jeans is rough and cutting, which is going to be good for helping Koo stay grounded, but when Koo stares at the mirror, he thinks it almost makes his waist look....nice.
Koo never though he'd do such a thing, but he tucks his white shirt into the blue-colored item. The color is faded and there are almost-white streaks where the color is almost entirely faded around the waist line, but....Koo's waist looks good. And when he pulls the shirt up a little to puff it up....Koo can almost pretend he's in one of the outfits Mr. Choi would put him in, with the satin shirts puffing up as they go into his slacks. His waist still looks good.
He's still wearing his clothes that Mrs. Jeon gave him underneath. He can't bear to part with it, and it's perhaps the only thing still keeping Koo from crying (well, that and his years of training. But. Still. It was very helpful) and so he keeps it situated so it hides under clothes, pushing at the lace straps so they don't appear under the holes (maybe they're there to make sure Koo's lingerie isn't on - but they haven't yet told Koo that he has to take it off so maybe it's okay).
Koo opens the door nervously, hoping the stranger won't chastise him for trying to make his punishment look good.
He doesn't.
The stranger looks up him up and down and then smiles when he says, "Ready to head down?" There is no comment on his appearance, which at first makes Koo almost-sad but he reminds himself that it's for the best.
Koo walks downstairs with the man. All of the men from the dinner last night were there, though the array of servants were gone, only one or two scuttling about. Koo walks down the stairs with the stranger, staring down at the steps determinedly so he doesn't lose his footing. Unelegance is not befitting of a Jeon.
He sees the stranger's hand wavering weirdly in his peripheral vision, almost as if he wants to hold Koo's hand, but he ultimately never makes a move. Koo is too focused on the stairs anyway.
When he gets to the bottom he looks up to see everyone looking at him. Mr. Jung catches his eye first, and Koo is momentarily entranced by just the sight of the dom. Mr. Jung was now Koo's first solid dom touch after he was with Koo the night before.
Koo technically ruined it, since the first touch is meant to be a staged scene that sets the dynamic for time to come.
The realization hits Koo just then— that's why they were going out. Mr. Jung's house is small, so maybe he wanted to give Koo his first lesson in a harsh facility. Koo winces just thinking about it, the facility rooms were always worse because he could never stay in them afterwards or even be near them, and Koo needed a little cooldown time after a punishment before he was ready to move to anything else.
Koo hopes Mrs. Jeon let Mr. Jung know of that.
The stranger bumps his slightly and keeps moving, reminding Koo not to stop. Koo blushes at his blunder and follows, eyes wandering to Taehyung, who gives him a little smile, and Jimin next to him, who smiles more widely. On the other side of Mr. Jung is someone who's name Koo has already forgotten and Yoongi.
Koo tilts his head in confusion. Both Yoongi and the man stare at Koo blankly, but they don't look mean at all, like they were before.
In fact, when Koo reaches Mr. Jung, Yoongi steps slightly forward. "Sleep well?" he asks, and his voice is...cordial, but emotionless.
Koo nods with a half-bow. Yoongi is still the head-sub, and Koo will be directly under him at the Jung manor. If Yoongi will be nice, when Koo must behave well. Prove that a Jeon is above such matters.
"Let's do quick introductions, since I'm sure you've had a lot to take in already," The man next to Yoongi says, gesturing to himself. "My name is Namjoon, and you already know Hoseok," Mr. Jung gives a little wave, and Koo half-bows again with his wave, "over there are Jimin and Taehyung, and next to you is Seokjin." Koo turns to the stranger who straightens at being introduced. "The one and only."
Namjoon sighs. Yoongi holds his hands behind his back, watching Koo with lazily analytical eyes, as if scanning Koo for hubris.
"And you've met Yoongi." Namjoon waves a hand towards Yoongi, who gives Koo a half-bow, which Koo returns with a full-bow. He must look good-natured. Mr. Jung is watching him curiously when he stands straight.
"Shall we get going, then?" The question is hit directly at Koo, but this— this Koo was prepared for. He tilts his head innocently, straightening. "If you desire." His reply is practiced and perfect, though Mr. Jung doesn't quite nod in approval like Mr. Choi would.
It makes sense, of course. Mr. Choi was his teacher. Now Koo would have to demonstrate what he's already learned— there's nothing to be approved here, Koo simply must.
"Then let's go." Mr. Jung turns and leads them towards the door, Namjoon following right after, Jimin and Taehyung glancing over at Seokjin who gestures for them to go forward. Yoongi waits a beat, glancing at Seokjin and only moving when the man gestures for him to go on.
Koo watches this with interest, remembering that Seokjin had sat right next to Mr. Jung at the dinner the night before. He was up there, then, far above Koo. But he was staying behind.
"Shall we?" Seokjin outstretches a hand. Koo takes it, a little surprised. He wonders why Seokjin was sticking to him like this, wonders if Seokjin was going to be his new trainer like Mr. Choi, but Mrs. Jeon never let Mr. Choi sit at the table.
Then again, customs are different?
Koo steps out the door and into the sunshine nicely, enjoying the sun on his arms. This shirt would at least keep him cool, which would be a small compensation for the humiliation.
It hits Koo, then, as he steps into the car after Seokjin, seeing all 6 men situated already, 3 on each side, that Seokjin must want to watch him be humiliated every step of the way. That's why he's going to stick to Koo.
But then it hits Koo again: all of the others were wearing jeans like Koo.
Koo's mouth falls open as he stares at Jimin in particular. He already knew the dom had a pretty style, even if Koo had never seen anything like it, but now the dom was wearing pants like Koo's, though his seemed even more faded, but they had the same holes and stitches.
Seokjin and Namjoon were wearing slacks, but Mr. Jung was wearing something like Koo's, except there were no holes in Mr. Jung's clothes. They were fully stitched, and Koo wondered if it was making a statement? That Koo was below Mr. Jung?
Yoongi wasn't wearing the blue pants or slacks, instead wearing some kind of black form-fitting cloth. Taehyung was similar.
Koo would have to ask his servant friend later. He doesn't understand this clothing tradition. None of their clothes were pretty or fancy, but Mrs. Jeon had talked about them with something like respect. What sort of fancy tradition was this that Koo had never heard of?
Koo stares at his own clothes, glancing at Seokjin's slightly more formal wear.
His pants were ratty, but...so were everyone else's.
Now Koo was confused and fascinated with such difference of customs. What is it that differentiates his rank with his clothes? Was it his shirt? But Taehyung's wearing a shirt, too, it's just black.
Koo stares at the cardigan, sliding his eyes away when he catches Taehyung looking at him curiously. The dom was wearing a brightly colored cardigan over his shirt.
What if...what if the clothes weren't a punishment at all? Koo wonders slowly. He stares out the window, now feeling a little light-headed. What if Mr. Jung can't...afford the real clothes? Suddenly more things make sense, like why Taehyung looked like a driver, and why everyone was dressed like they were.
Mr. Jung and Namjoon were still wearing a suit yesterday, but maybe it's in the wash now.
Koo clenches his fist, squeezing it between his thighs to bring back feeling. Does Mrs. Jeon know she gave him off to commoners? Was Mr. Jung just that scary? Koo doesn't dare look back at Mr. Jung, but he thinks of the dom. He has a lot of presence, even now, so that Koo can feel him nearby without even having to look at him.
So these clothes...they weren't punishment.
This is Koo's new life.
Koo bites his lip. He's not supposed to, but he's looking out the window so no can be bothered by his inability to behave right then. He's stuck with these clothes, forever.
Seokjin wasn't being mean.
He was helping Koo realize his new life.
Humiliation burns down Koo's neck. Mrs. Jeon had given Koo away, but Koo can't help the Jungs if they don't have the money to afford real clothes. And they were scary, too, Koo can't afford to offend them again.
The comfort of the realization that he's not being punished is not enough to override the horror of the idea that this is how it will be for the rest of Koo's life. Drab. Plain. Muffled.
Koo glances back now, taking in everyone again.
Jimin and Seokjin, he decides. They had the best clothing. So they must be the richest ones.
Seokjin was the one who had come to give him his clothes. Koo hadn't liked him, but what if his outfits would have been worse if anyone else had come?
Yoongi— Yoongi was head sub. Koo's supervisor. Maybe even his teacher. If Yoongi decided his clothes—
Koo shivers, feeling the lace under his white shirt scratch against his body as if reminding him of his old life. "Cold in here?" Seokjin asks, his hand on his thigh drifting closer to Koo. Koo reaches closer, too, not taking the hand himself but offering his, palm-up. Seokjin is important. Seokjin has money.
That's why he found Seokjin so familiar: he reminds Koo the most of home.
(Koo wonders why he disliked him.)
Seokjin takes him up on his offer, to Koo's joy, squeezing. Seokjin's gesture is meant to be comforting, and it is, but unbeknownst to him the comfort Koo derives is one of focusing on pain to help himself stay focused and in charge.
Koo isn't struggling, at least not like he was yesterday with those awful clothes, he hopes he can get by with never wearing those again, but Mr. Jung's presence makes him feel a little. It's not much because Mr. Jung isn't using his dom authority at all, he just is, and that's more than enough to pull at Koo, and make him get closer.
But Koo also needs to keep Jungkook in mind, and while Jungkook would also be affected, he wouldn't drop just because he was in the same room as Mr. Jung, and so Koo has to try really hard so he doesn't drop either.
The car stops, and it's apparently time for them to get off.
"Shall we?" Seokjin says as everyone gets off, Jimin and Mr. Jung glancing back at Koo before they step off.
Everyone in the car is absorbed in Koo's presence, wanting to know more about him, learn more about Hoseok's singular sub-match. The sub's quiet and mellow nature is itself an enigma, as most subs would display more signs of nervousness when in the presence of so many new people and that too, so many high-authorities.
Yoongi was rather impressed. He imagined that having a score of 4 meant that Jungkook would be entirely submissive, open for anyone and everyone and unable to say no. The sub had shown quite a bit of resistance, though not dramatic or forceful. Jungkook seemed to be in his own head, almost entirely unbothered by his surroundings.
To have Hoseok, Jimin, Namjoon, and Seokjin in a car was enough to have Yoongi's head spinning on a bad day because of all the scores. But Jungkook seemed largely unphased except for the occasional physical reaction to Hoseok; everyone else seemed to fly over his head.
That must be the reason for their match, things were starting to piece themselves together.
Yoongi was also a lot less appalled by Jungkook the more the image of the sub dressed like a skank on their doorstep disappeared from his mind, being replaced by this new silent creature. Yoongi was still glad he showed up to find the new sub, imagine if Jungkook had been sent around the house looking like that.
Seokjin helps Koo off the car, and Koo tries to stay near him, not wanting to get lost.
"Have you ever been here before?" Mr. Jung asks, giving Koo a smile. He's being very nice, and Koo is thankful for that even as he shakes his head. They've gotten off at some brick lot, a row of buildings going down the street. People are walking with bags in their hands, and Koo thinks he knows what this place is, even if the name is slipping his tongue.
They walk inside, Seokjin staying by Koo's side in the back. Yoongi also seems to hang back, looking like he wants to walk on the other side of Koo, but Koo is too busy staring at the stores around him to give him space. Their body guards circle around the perimeter, and Yoongi knows he can't disrupt it too much, so he ends up walking ahead, trying to figure out when he can stand by Jungkook.
Koo's clothes are always brought to him, except for fancy occasions where the tailor would come to show Koo his clothing options. It seems like they're going to do something similar here.
Koo steels himself.
He can do this. He needs to fit in anyway.
It starts off better than Koo thought.
The store they enter is polished and though Koo doesn't quite get to see it from the back, it's almost like a hush falls over them when they get there. Namjoon mutters something to the man in charge and then the line almost splits until they're all looking back at Koo. The man there scans him, nodding and then gesturing for them to follow.
This time, the rest of them do hang back, except for Hoseok who holds out a hand for Koo to take.
Koo follows quietly, standing straight and graceful as he sees everyone looking at him. He must still carry the Jeon name, and prove its worth.
They lead him to a sitting area where Mr. Jung sits and a man comes out to take Koo's measurements. He does it from the back first, but then he moves forward and Koo gasps.
It's the tailor! His tailor!
The man seems to recognize him as well, giving him a firm nod and polite, tight-lipped smile. It surprises Koo, because the tailor never smiled. He was always so mean and gruff and ordered Koo around. But now he does it all quietly.
Koo is overjoyed to see a familiar face. Does this mean he's getting clothes like his old ones?
His smile falters. Can the Jungs afford that?
He glances over at the rest of them, who are now also taking their seats. The tailor gets on his knees to take a measurement and Koo inhales sharply, glancing over at Mr. Jung who was now on his phone, tapping away. Koo doesn't want to seem bad-behaved.
The tailor never really kneeled. Often he sat on a chair and Koo had to reposition himself so he could take measurements easily.
Koo's knees bend, and he's about to get down when the tailor grabs his knee, throwing a warning look at him. His fingers dig into Koo's joints, and it hurts a little, but in a familiar way.
Koo stands straight again, still confused.
"Is everything alright?" Jimin asks from his spot on a chair. Taehyung's leaning on him, tapping away at his phone. Koo blinks down at the tailor, who evenly replies, "Not at all, sir. Just making sure he doesn't fall."
Jimin still keeps staring at Koo, who blinks back. The tailor has answered. The question clearly wasn't aimed at Koo.
But Jimin just raises an eybrows. "Jungkook?"
"I'm fine, sir." he replies back, a bit too hastily but his reply is still practiced.
Now both of Jimin's eyebrows are up, but there's a smile tugging on his lips. A forced one, anyway, since he's sure Jungkook would know to call him hyung, but Koo doesn't know that. "What happened to hyung?"
"Hyung," Koo corrects, unsure but no one seems to tell him not to use the word. "hyung." He repeats once more, this time to himself.
His reaction doesn't go unnoticed by anyone, including the tailor, who hurries in his measurement taking to avoid the eyes of the men around him. Particularly Namjoon and Hoseok, both of whom are aware of his previous entanglement with the Jeons.
"You can sit now," he offers to Jungkook when the boy doesn't sit even once the measurements are over. Jungkook flounders, still looking at him with a bit of confusion that the tailor knows comes from his "different" behavior, but it would do him no good to be the one to show the Jungs what the Jeons were like.
It was not yet clear how the Jungs will treat Jungkook, but if it's anything like Yoongi, his previous behavior with Jungkook would have to be correct for something a bit more accommodating.
Jungkook ends up sitting next to Mr. Jung, who gives him a bright smile.
So nice. Koo thinks. He likes when Mr. Jung is nice. If Koo adapts to their life nicely, will he be nice more often than not?
Koo has already caused a fuss but they haven't thrown him in punishment yet. So maybe the Jungs were more lenient with punishments? Koo isn't sure if he prefers that to his fancy clothes, but maybe it depends on much nicer they were.
The tailor leaves and then it's quiet again. Mr. Jung has put away his phone and is instead staring at Taehyung and Jimin a few feet away, playing some sort of hand game and trying to get Yoongi involved, who is a lot less enthusiastic. Namjoon is quietly talking to Seokjin about something work-related, and it's then that Hoseok feels he should talk to Jungkook.
But what does he say?
Jungkook was so calm next to him, so at ease in such a situation that Hoseok doesn't quite know how to speak to him, even when his dom nature tells him to pull the boy into a hug. Jungkook doesn't look like he wants a hug at all, staring almost indifferently at his surroundings. He would remind Hoseok of Seokjin if it weren't for how the boy seemed to keep himself on the down-low, as if he doesn't want to call attention to himself.
Hoseok wishes they could get past all the flowery-introduction stuff so he could get to know Jungkook.
The tailor returns, articles of clothing in his hand that he had prepared when he heard that Jung Jungkook would be the recipient of. The measurements were a confirmation, but he was confident in his work.
As expected, Jungkook's eyes glitter when he sees the clothing stack, much of the material and cuts looking familiar.
Jungkook tries to reign himself in, and he reacts even better when Jimin says, "What is that garbage?"
The tailor stifles a frown, glancing over at Jungkook who stays silent. He understands immediately of course, so he needs to quell the situation. "This is the garment style Jungkook-sshi would be most used to." The tailor would offer to make changes, but that's a direct insult to his pride as a high-class tailor, so he doesn't. His patience is waning, though.
Jimin grits his teeth, feeling angry just looking at the scraps. Lacy and bejewled. It looked highly uncomfortable. "Irresponsible fuckers," he mutters quietly, "putting pride over a sub's health and comfort."
Yoongi squeezes his forearm. He's more sympathetic to the situation, too, understanding that Jungkook, at least to his old family, can't stand up for himself. And if he had any doubts (a few), the entire interaction with the tailor confirmed it.
Jungkook is cowed by anything even remotedly associated with his old family.
"Burn them," he says, glancing over at Jungkook to see some sort of reaction.
Koo stares blankly at the clothes. They were so nice, but the Jungs didn't want them. The tailor glances back at him, waiting for him to say something, but Koo wouldn't dare, because he understands. The Jungs must not be able to afford this, and it must be embarrassing. Yoongi was definitely the type to overreact when he's trying to cover up the shame. They must be embarrassed.
It's okay. Koo can adapt. Koo was preparing to take on a new domship this whole time. Koo will not be scared away by this.
(He still has his own on underneath his shirt. It takes all his willpower not to shift so he can feel it scratch his skin, to remind himself that it's there.)
Koo doesn't say anything.
And he won't, ever.
Because he understands now.