I thought I would wake in the restaurant, but the morning sun greeted me as I lie down, so I knew I wasn’t in the restaurant anymore. I thought its my room, but when I saw the walls, I knew it wasn't.

 

I tried to sit, but my head hurt too much. Plus my body's all red and itching (maybe I'm really allergic to alcohol. My whole body itches after I drink.) a lot. I'm so irritated I need to breathe slowly and look around. There I saw a painkiller with a glass of water and a cup of coffee on the side table, and also a note saying, "I hope these can make you better. Will be back in 30 minutes." So I took the painkiller and drank the coffee, and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

 

Usually the bathroom is where I see my forgotten dreams again, where I analyze who I was with in my dreams and all. But since I still remember my dream last night, I began to ponder why it seemed so vivid. So real.

 

And this house. Who's the owner of this? There's nothing in here, no pictures of the owner or even his family, just paintings and a lot of good furniture (and some big bear bricks). Well yesterday I remembered calling Daesung oppa (I checked my phone a while ago so I'm sure it wasn't a dream) but I realize just right now that he's still in Japan so it couldn't be his house.

 

Maybe the owner’s a man. The room is more like for a man, and the scent here in the bathroom is so different in the girls’ bathroom back in the sharehouse (yes, men and women have different bathrooms there, to avoid some things that needed avoiding). This bathroom smelled of lemon and mint, unlike the our bathroom that smelled vanilla and apples and other sweet scents.

 

A knock from the outside suddenly came. I covered myself with a bathrobe first before opening the door.

 

 

"Hi." It was Seunghyun-ssi. My eyes went big but I succeeded on forcing them to be back to normal.

 

"Ahh…" I don't know how to react. The back of my head hurt as I breathed. Part of me changed from being disappointed to angry, but part of me is still saying these are all part of a dream.

 

"Daesung called me yesterday. He's really concerned about you."

 

"Yeah thanks to him, we meet again." I can hear the bitterness in my tone, but he ignored it and just smiled. How dare he?!

 

"I brought you clothes. It was my nuna’s, though… Anyway let's continue the talking downstairs when you're done." He continued his stupid smile, gave me the clothes and undergarments, and closed the door, not even a hint of annoyance had shown.

 

 

When I'm done bathing I wore his nuna’s clothes, and also did my make-up. Then I went down.

 

I saw him cooking in the kitchen near the counter. He saw me, smiled and motioned me to sit on a stool. I sat and watched him suspiciously as he do the cooking. Then when he's done he sat beside me. I rolled my eyes and made sure he sees it, but like a while ago he ignored it.

 

 

"How was Cloud?" How could he know my dog’s name?

 

"Good." I didn’t want to ask though, because I don’t want to have a conversation with him, so I answered a word. He pouted and nodded. I tried to concentrate on my food.

 

"How's the food?"

 

"Fine." And then I heard him breathing heavily.

 

"Look, I was sorry for what happened the last time we met and besides you still haven't touched the food–"

 

Finally I looked at him, who's also looking at me. "Can we just eat in peace?" Maybe to his surprise, he just nodded and looked at his food. But because he looked so pitiful I breathed hard, and tried to speak again. "Thanks for letting me to sleep here." I breathed as I continued poking the egg. I still don't want to have a meal with him.

 

"No, I'm sorry." I know I said I like to hear those words from him but right now I don't know why it feels so uncomfortable... "Did you sleep well last night?" Maybe he felt that I'm already uncomfortable, so he carried on and changed the topic.

 

"Yes."

 

"Don't you need to go to your cafe?"

 

"Yes, after this maybe." I replied.

 

"Okay, let's finish this then I'll bring you there."

 

"No." I put the fork on my plate and looked at him, kind of alarmed. "I can manage going there. Thanks—"

 

"I guarantee you it would be hard..."

 

"– for offering anyways." I smiled at him, silently saying I don't need further help. Not now that I'm sober.

 

 

I excused myself and collected my things before going outside (to stop talking to him. Why did I even started anyway?!). He escorted me there although I said I can find the door on my own (he insisted that his house is big and maybe I won't be able to see it). I bid a goodbye, and went outside of the building. I walked a bit and waited for a taxi, but it seems none is actually driving its way here.

 

Maybe this place is really rich all of the people here have cars.

 

God I'm ruined! I should've said yes when he offered!

 

No, Sunhee. Keep your pride to yourself and just walk away. Don't even think of going back with the word 'please' on your mouth. He did the same ages ago!

 

But it was sorry he had to say. Not a please.

 

God!

 

I don't need anymore thinking. I just walked further and further from his villa, hoping to get a taxi if I stayed away on the 'elite' part of this place. But it was no luck.

 

Not until a black motorbike stopped in front of me. The person is in his Power Ranger-style clothing that I thought he might be some kind of a hero, but when he took his helmet off, I saw a smiling Choi Seunghyun. I pursed my lips and erased what I was thinking a while ago.

 

I looked somewhere else. Of course it is annoying to have him there, seeing me at my worst!

 

 

"I thought you might really, really need a ride." He smirked. I just rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, this is also a way of saying sorry."

 

"I said no nee–"

 

"Lee Sunhee-ssi." I stopped upon hearing his deep, warning tone. I looked at him. "Please spare me some act here and just ride in."

 

I considered, but in the end I just rolled my eyes and said an "Oh, whatever!" before riding on. He helped me, and gave me his helmet after.

 

"Thanks."

 

"No problem." I can almost see him wink but then I decided to blink my eyes so I can avoid seeing it and just wore the helmet he gave me.

 

 

He kicked the engine to life, but before he place his hand on the controls, he looked at me first, maybe to know if I'm now ready, and suddenly he reached for my hands and placed them on the side of his stomach.

 

 

"Hold tight." He smiled again. My stomach turned because of annoyance and awkwardness but I did nothing. I just coughed before we went off.
 

 

He parked just near the café door. I swung out of the bike, took off his helmet, then gave it back to him.

 

 

"Thank you." I said before walking to the cafe entrance. I don’t want seeing yet another teasing smile from him. But before I come in, he shouted.

 

“WAIT SUNHEE-SSI!” I heard his footsteps coming to me, and I abruptly stopped and faced him. He is smiling while running, and stopped too when he was a good distance from me. “I just wanted to ask one last thing.”

 

“What is it?” I asked politely. I should be, he gave me a ride.

 

“Did you, in any chance, remember anything.”

 

“Well,” now that I thought about it… “I didn’t remember what happened exactly…” His eyes went from being joyful to being dismayed.

 

“Okay. Maybe I should go.”

 

“Thanks again.” I waved and started to wal inside the Sonic when I heard my phone rang. I stopped and picked the phone up.

 

"Sunhee, it's me."

 

"Oh, Daesung oppa."

 

"Are you fine now? Hyung said you did something horrible yesterday.”

 

“He was just saying something a while ago! He’s asking if I remember something.” I imagined Daesung oppa is grinning from ear to ear. “Yah oppa please tell me what happened.”

 

“Well,” he sneered, “you did a lot of puking yesterday."

 

"Really? I was that disgusting yesterday?" Daesung oppa laughed.

 

"How are you now?"

 

"Uh. Ready to be swallowed by the ground, or maybe ready to kill him, I guess?" But then he laughed at me again.

 

I and Daesung oppa talked about his whereabouts for some more minutes before we decided to say goodbye. At exactly seven, Taehyung arrived with a rolled paper in his armpit. Well it was unusual to see him holding reading materials, and so I raised my brow.

 

 

“What has gone to you, Kim Taehyung?”

 

“Where did you sleep last night?” He asked me with an accusative tone. I will never get used to this, and so I’m always speechless when they ask me questions like that.

 

“Well…”

 

He shook his head in exasperation. “That’s not important at the moment. This,” he put the paper in front of me, “is important.”

 

“What’s this?”

 

“I printed it from a certain newspage. Read it.”

 

 

I read it, and my whole body began to feel hot with anger.

 

~-~-

 

Minhee is furious of what she had learned from last night.

 

She was already annoyed when she learned Sunhee drunk on another restaurant (she has to question her loyalty with this), and worse she learned her assistant Hoseok is planning something else. He just said he wanted to have a dance school with Jimin, and she knows she have to be happy for him, but apparently she can’t. It’s just too much.

 

 

“So you’re going to leave this place? You’re going to leave me alone?”

 

“No. I mean…” Hoseok answered formally, his hands hidden on his back, shaking. He’s really afraid at Minhee. Or rather, of what Minhee can do. She isn’t the one you want to mess with.

 

“Then why are you planning crap like that with that crappy Jimin?” Minhee said just before Hoseok can continue.

 

“It’s our dream years ago.” He replied. “I mean, it’s coming true right now, why not just wish me luck?” Minhee glared at him, and Hoseok gulped. He knew what that glare means.

 

 

Hoseok just knows Minhee a little bit much. They have this sort of love-hate relationship; they were friends since the beginning of Ardent Spirits. Hoseok helped Minhee since the start although they only just met (because of that crappy Jimin). Hoseok is kind like that, helping someone who needs help. Minhee and Hoseok became real friends after that, and though they have a weird relationship their friendship always overcomes hardships.

 

 

Minhee didn’t say anything and just glared, so Hoseok continued the talking. “I’ll continue the job here while the school isn’t done yet.”

 

“And if it is done?”

 

“I’ll…”

 

 

Minhee looked at the floor. She depended on Hoseok from the first day until now, and she doesn’t know how to actually let go of someone she trusted so much. Someone she liked so much. It’s just so hard to take things right there and then. She always imagined Hoseok to be with her side everyday, but apparently it will end tonight.

 

 

“Go out.”

 

“Minhee-ssi --”

 

“I accept your resignation so just go out!” She screamed and Hoseok went out, almost tumbling as he did so.

 

Minhee chuckled, but then her tears started to stream as her smile becomes bigger. She stood up and went in to get drinks, and then as if she is still talking to someone, she held up her glass, “Cheers.” She clinked her glass with the bottle and drank bottom’s-up, her tears still streaming down. “I mean, I wanted to have this bar to console some broken-hearted maidens but I didn’t realize I would need this place to cry on too.”

 

 

She sniffed and sighed heavily before drinking once more.

 

---