15. Seojun

CHAPTER 15

SEOJUN

J ack looks so handsome. So wonderful standing there in the black shirt and suit, looking like a domesticated bad boy. He looks like he belongs here, with me. But how can I focus on that when… When his arm is exposed, and it shows the truth underneath?

I knew it was going to happen. I've been waiting for it for days now, I just didn't expect it would happen in the middle of the party.

Although, to be fair, now that I think about it, it must have happened before because I managed to get away and get dressed without him. I've just been too preoccupied with the goal of this party to realize Jack wasn't in the room with me and I wasn't in pain.

Does he remember me? Does he remember all the lies I've told since I met him? Does he remember what we do when the sun goes down and we're sharing a bed?

He smiles at me, but that's not much comfort. This man smiles all the time. Even when he's in uncomfortable situations. But his smile does indicate recognition.

Does that mean he remembers and he's about to expose me to everyone present?

He extends his hand toward me, and I cross the room as if I'm on a tightrope and one wrong move will send me toppling to my death.

Once I reach him, he pulls me into a big hug, and I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable.

He kisses my forehead and leans into my ear. I close my eyes.

"I'm here to the end," he whispers. "We'll find your family. Okay?"

I'm confused. What did he just say?

I crane back and look at him. The confusion must be written on my face because he raises his hand and strokes my cheek.

"No more lies, okay?" he whispers again, and I swallow a knot in my throat as I nod. "After tonight."

I want to feel relief, but the tension in my body isn't so quick to dissipate. Things have just gotten unpredictable. While he was stuck with me, there was a level of control. A level of protection. Now, everything's wide open, and there's no telling what will happen next.

A ding echoes across the room, and I pull my attention away from Jack and to everyone else, clinking their glasses as if they're expecting a speech.

Oh, right.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming." I plaster a smile on my face and a server walks up to me with a tray full of champagne glasses. I snatch two. Jack reaches for one, but it's the first one I down.

"Thank you all for coming tonight to…um…celebrate with us."

I have to admit the room looks absolutely dreamy. I didn't expect Kevin to do such a great job. I hadn't even told him what I liked or what I wanted, and somehow, he's given us my ideal engagement party. If only it was real.

Being so wrapped in Jack for so many days gave me a false sense of truth to the whole charade. Not that I ever forgot the thing between us wasn't real, but it's hard to not buy into it even just a little bit when your fake boyfriend fucks you nice and slow every day, planting kisses all over your body, some of which leave their mark.

"I know this engagement came out of nowhere for some of you—" Jack coughs, and I pause to look at his friends, most of whom don't look too pleased right now. "But Jack and I are so grateful you could make it tonight, regardless."

I continue to scan the rest of the room, to the other guests staring at me. I recognize Bob with the person who must be his wife, and I notice Mortie and Karen there too, among people who I assume are from SPAM also.

But then, on the other side, is a man in dark clothes and face tattoos. He's standing next to a tall, blond man with a scar above his brow and a woman with a bob in a red gown.

I swallow my next words and try to smile instead. I don't remember including these people in the invitees. And there's a very good reason for it.

"Cheers, everyone!" Jack says after a moment of silence. The distraction makes it possible for me to breathe and turn to Kevin behind me.

"Why did you invite them?" I whisper, then down my other glass of champagne.

"I thought it'd be good to pad the guest list a little. Otherwise, it would look suspicious, only having Jack's colleagues here."

I grimace.

He does have a point, but…

"But where did you get these names?"

Kevin lights up and wets his lips a couple of times before he answers.

"I found this little black book in your office."

Damn it. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Kevin! There is a reason why that book is black."

"Because we're villains?" he asks, smirking.

"No." I slap my face. "Because I'm on their blacklist. Because they're my enemies!"

Kevin purses his lips and looks toward the undesirables in the room before he nods.

"That's Red Viper, isn't it?"

I glance at the woman in red and huff.

"Yep."

"I knew it was weird she'd be a friend. That woman hates her own guts."

"Yeah, and me even more."

"Why?"

Before I can tell him, Jack clears his throat and looks at me. I straighten and smile.

"What was that, darling?"

"I was just saying what a wonderful job Kevin did with the party. The apartment looks phenomenal."

"Yes, indeed. It's never looked better," I say and take his hand to join him at his side again.

"Wait a minute," Red Viper says and puts her drink down. Her eyebrows knot in confusion as she takes in everything around her. "This is my apartment!"

Well…shit.

"What?" some of the other guests from my little black book exclaim.

"You!" Red Viper points at me and crosses the room to get to me.

My whole body stills for a moment, but then I turn to Jack and whisper, "Stop her," before I walk up to his friends to welcome them to the party.

"How is everyone today? Thank you all so much for being here." I keep looking behind me as Red Viper reaches Jack, and he asks her a question, but she's still staring at me.

"Who is that?" Robin asks, but Red Viper is about to push Jack away, so I whip my head around.

"Oh great. Talk to you later, guys," I tell them and weave in between them to go to the next group of people.

A group that includes two more guests from the little black book.

"Have we met?" asks the short guy whose bank account I cleaned out only five months ago. Well, one of his bank accounts. The smallest one, sadly.

"Me? I don't think so," I tell him. His supervillain name is Rugrat, and he lives a double life, one as a billionaire philanthropist and one as a crime lord in New Jersey.

"Me? Billions? Stole? No!" What the hell did I just say? Why would I say that?

"How did you know I lost?—"

"I don't know what you're talking about. But enjoy the party. Did you know there's caviar? I'm sure I saw it right… Server! Where are the caviar thingies?" I raise my hand to get her attention, but instead catch sight of Red Viper trying to get away from Jack's friends and failing miserably.

"What's your name, young man?" Rugrat asks me.

I smile at him and pat his shoulders.

"Okay. Good chat." I walk away before I lose control of my mouth again, but Red Viper is on the move again.

Somehow, I find myself surrounded by weird, geeky guys dressed in jeans and T-shirts. SPAM agents.

What is wrong with them? Do they not understand dress code or something? Before I can ask them, I stand behind one of them and look back at Red Viper's progression.

She's stopped to talk to Rugrat, thank God.

"April has been busting my balls this week, man. Apparently, there was a break-in in one of the offices, and she keeps sending me on wild goose chases. She doesn't even know who it was," one of the SPAM agents says.

"You know April, dude."

"And you can't say no to April, or you'll face the consequences," two others chime in.

April? Who is that? And how does she know I broke into the office? Or has there been another break-in?

"You! Pink Boy!" Red Viper shouts, and when I glance her way, both she and Rugrat are glaring at me. "You stole my apartment."

"You stole my money."

They both come at me like a hyena coming after their prey, and when the SPAM agents step aside, I'm left exposed, open to whatever torture my enemies have in store for me.

"Isn't that Red Viper? Isn't she the second most wanted on the list?" an agent says all of a sudden.

Red Viper stops and frowns at the agent.

"Who took my number one spot?"

"I don't know. Some maniac who's blowing people up," the agent answers her. "The Pulverizer." She gasps.

I can't say I blame her. I'd gasp, too, if I wasn't under threat of dismemberment. As if Red Viper made it to the list before me. This world is so unfair.

"That's Motorboat!" someone shouts across the room. "Hey! You owe me a car, douchebag!"

The person in question, a robust woman with big…personalities, ducks just as a vase is directed at her face. The man beside her, a tall, lanky guy with acne who goes by the moniker Motorboat's Boyfriend, growls at the guy who threw the vase, a man who aptly goes by Motorboat's Ex. Honestly, their social circle is a whole Appalachian reality TV show if I've ever seen one. Especially when you consider the ambiguous parentage of Motorboat Boy, a grown-ass thirty-year-old who steals yachts to impress Mommy.

A woman standing next to the string quartet, Mrs. Rainstorm, grabs a violinist's bow and swings it around her, zeroing in on a mountain of a man, Mr. Cloud. Their feud over their supervillain names is a legend on 116th East. Apparently, people still fight one another over trademarks.

"You monster!" a guy in a long black coat and round red glasses turns to the man beside him and wrings his neck with both hands.

Oh, Devil May Care and Little Angel. One of these days, they'll jump into bed and resolve all of their closeted sexual tension.

"Seojun! Seojun!" I'm yanked by the hand, and I look at whoever is trying to undo me. It's not a little black book guest. It's Jack. And he doesn't kill me. Not yet anyway. Instead, he pins me to his body and drags me toward the kitchen.

"Who are these people? What's going on?" he asks.

I look up and bite my lip. "Would you believe me if I said it's the new cast of 90 Day Fiancé ?"

He gives me the most serious face he's ever managed to give me, and I pull him back toward the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.

"They're supervillains," I say when we're away from the chaos outbreak. "And they hate each other as much as they hate me."

He raises an eyebrow. "What did you do to them?"

I shrug.

"You know. Supervillain stuff."

He shakes his head and looks back.

"We need to call the cops."

"No!"

I don't need cops anywhere near my apartment, considering my dubious contract and secret identity.

"Seojun, my friends and colleagues are out there in a room full of criminals without anything to protect themselves."

I open my mouth to tell him he's right. To apologize. But before I can utter a word, the cavalry appears behind him, and they're all as perplexed and concerned as Jack.

"That's one hell of a party," Annie exclaims.

"Who are these people?" Robin asks.

"What kind of party is this?" Zeke asks.

Everyone stares at Jack. They're waiting for answers, and who can blame them. They've suddenly found themselves amid a turf and ego war without any way of protecting themselves or even knowing why.

"I…" Jack starts. "The thing is…these people…"

"I'm a supervillain," I tell them.

He's taken the fall for me enough times. It's time to be a big boy and tell some truths long overdue.

"And Jack isn't my fiancé."

"I knew it!" Annie says, pointing at me with big bright eyes and an almost smile.

"He's my prisoner," I add.

"What?" Annie's almost smile sinks.

"I'm not a prisoner."

"Yes, you are. Well, you were. I don't know why you're still here, to be honest."

"I'm here because I want to help you find them, idiot!"

"But I'm a supervillain."

"You're not a supervillain," he shouts. "He's not a supervillain." He turns to his friends.

"Of course I am."

"Please! You're barely even a villain. He's definitely not a supervillain."

I sigh and put my hands on my hips.

"Uh…I do illegal stuff all the time, babe!" Why won't he accept who I am, for fuck's sake? We've been arguing about this since we met.

"Awww, he called you babe," Annie coos.

Oh crap.

"Slip of the tongue." I drop my voice an octave and clear my throat.

"It wasn't, and you know it!" Annie insists.

Jack puts a hand on Annie's shoulder and steps forward to take my hands.

"Yeah, you might do some illegal things, but…you make up for it. Ergo, not a villain, and not super either."

Why does he have to be so cruel?

"I'm not super?"

"Um…" he starts and brings my hands to his lips. "You're super. Superb even."

Annie and Lily coo in unison.

"But, well, not a villain," Jack continues, ignoring them.

"I beg to differ."

"You can beg all you want. You're still not a villain."

I grimace.

"I guess breaking and entering, stealing, and taking you captive are not villain things then."

Jack rolls his eyes.

"First of all, you didn't break and enter. You signed and entered. You don't steal. You borrow."

"Pftt. You don't even know what you're talking about."

"And you didn't take me captive. You tried to get rid of me. It's not your fault you didn't know what would happen if you signed me."

Sure, he has a point with the last one, but still…

"Fine," I concede. Not because he's right, but because we have far more pressing issues breaking my house out there.

"Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Zeke asks.

Jack gives my hands a squeeze and turns to stand by my side while I give them the CliffsNotes.

"Unbelievable," Robin says.

"I knew there was something off about you, Jack-Jack. I knew you wouldn't keep a new relationship secret. Especially a gay one!" Zeke says.

"And now you're going to kill us, aren't you?" Brandon asks.

"What? No. Of course not. I'm not a murderer, Brandon." I try to reach out for him, but he pulls back into Zeke's arms. "I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant for you guys to get involved. But my power got out of hand as did my tongue?—"

"That doesn't sound like much of an apology," Zeke says. He really is the Alpha protector of the group, isn't he?

I would have thought Jack would be it, but I guess his power might make him a little more gullible than was ideal.

"You're right. Whatever the reason, it doesn't excuse what I did. I'm sorry. Truly. I really like you guys, and I hate that I lied to you, especially that I made Jack lie to you."

I know it's not very supervillain of me to apologize like this, but in all fairness, Jack and his friends don't deserve to be played like that. Besides, my usual victims are other supervillains and terrible rich people. These people are more than deserving of an apology, and it's well within their rights to reject it.

"He really means it, you guys," Annie says. "His aura is all pink and cute now."

I frown.

"Hasn't my aura always been pink?" I live and breathe the color. One would think my aura would be it too.

"Nope. It's been all over the place. Yellow, which usually means you're stressed. Dark red, which is angry. Lighter red, which is dedication and passion, and a little bit of black, which is…"

"Villainous!" I say.

"Depressed," Annie corrects me and I pout.

I'm not depressed. How dare she?

"What is pink then?" Jack asks.

Annie stares at me and the air around me with an intensity I haven't felt coming off her before, and she smirks.

"It means…well, it means you're not a villain. You're a good guy. You've always been a good guy."

"I beg to differ."

Jack tries to say something when Kevin shows up, all red and freaked out.

"It's an all-out war out there."

"They're going to kill me." Maybe calling the police wasn't such a bad idea.

"I won't let them." Jack puts his arm around me and presses me to him.

"You need to get out of here," Lily says.

"We all need to get out of here. But how?"

Lily grins and turns to Annie.

"Okay. Everyone be quiet, and you two get ready to run."

"What? What about you guys?" Jack asks.

"We can't go. You said there are innocent people out there. We've got to help them. So I'll lower the tension in the room," Annie says.

"You can do that?" I ask her.

"If I concentrate and only for a short amount of time."

"But then I can take over and teach these people some manners." Zeke rubs his hands together.

I glare at him.

"Really? You think these criminals will care about a little lesson in savoir vivre?"

Zeke laughs.

"They will when I'm done with them."

"And I can help diffuse some of the hatred aimed at you," Kevin says. "I'll make sure Red Viper and everyone else find themselves with so many legitimate agreements and contracts they'll even think they owe you money."

Robin gasps.

"That—that won't be necessary, Kevin. As long as they're off my case, I'll be happy."

Oh, the sacrifices I must make to be good in front of Jack's friends. I have an opportunity to have all of New York's supervillains owe me, and I can't take it.

Another day. Live to fight another day, Seojun. I can put them under my control tomorrow .

"Fine," I say and turn to Jack looking for his approval, which is the most important one. He knows them better. He knows if they can take care of themselves, and if he thinks their plan is stupid, I'll find a way to get them all out of here. Even if I have to jump out the window.

Jack studies his friends for a moment before he takes a deep breath and smiles.

"Give them heck, guys!"