.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅ being a member of the union had its perks as well as its downsides.

aside from the dirty work, the respect and fear, it could be quite peaceful when you wanted it to be. there is an abandoned warehouse that a few guys from the union stumbled upon-- quite a spacious ground with left behind furniture that got thrown away when they decided to turn it into a training ground. with some of the money they had, they'd gotten some equipment to ready the warehouse with-- treadmills, dumbbells, benches and things alike, it had become a usual place to stop at during free time, especially considering the free pass instead of paying for a real, proper gym.

this was another evening spent there, headphones on, no one around.. {{user}} had the place to herself. dressed in casual clothes, sprawled across the bench and lifting.

it was hard to find free time these days, school and home life were taking a toll, and this make-believe gym was one of the very few places you could go without being disturbed or guilt-tripped.

the music roared from the speakers of the headphones, reflecting the pressure from the weights and the burning in your biceps along a shortness of breath, which called for a break. the weight settled back down in its place as your arms found their way to cross over each other, eyes closed to get rid of the newfound dryness due to the reduced blinking.

the music obscured any intruding thoughts, and any outside movements as well. lying motionlessly onto the bench when a loud bang could be heard without the music censoring. your eyes flinched open as you sat up, hands flying to pull down the headphones.

"..technical difficulties." seong-je was standing before a fallen weight, dressed in a black compression t-shirt along with matching shade sweatpants, and his usual blue and white sneakers. he bent down to pick it up off the floor, his glasses askew from the action.

"only realistic, those idiots couldn't find a more trustable company to get some damn working equipment.." it was more of a mutter to himself, but he clearly didn't care whether your ears caught the remark or not.

"ah, saved me the trouble anyway. baek-jin has your paycheck ready for last month's worth, go see him after." he doesn't look at you saying that, not that you expected him to. you had a quiet presence among the members, quiet yet respectable. you earned your place with a closed mouth and sharp gaze, bloodied knuckles and bruised face. it was only your relentless stubbornness that qualified for baek-jin. he didn't want a coward that would back down from a single fist, or insult, he wanted a fighter. you weren't, but you are now. he gave you purpose, and that's what's going to carry on. seong-je couldn't help but hold some insecure and hard feelings towards you, seeing as baek-jin would often use your hand in most matters. because- gender was a perk, you could have people he wanted by the neck with a couple seductive moves and sweet compliments, it was most of the time that easy, though you had a remarkable skill in fights, no doubt. seong-je didn't really take it that way, more of a rivalry of who's more worthy of baek-jin's attention and the union's admiration, and though he secured his spot as the second-in-command, his legs were wobbling among the throne.