Note: Sorry you guys... Forgive me?

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Bottoms Up!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Hey Baby, can I get a ?"

Sun Gyu glanced up from filing her nails, the chipped red of the glittery polish making a violent pattern across her fingers. She sized the man up, her eyes intense and dark, before returning their previous position.

A low grunt, more like a rumble of the chest, then, "D'you hear me, sweetie?" When she continued to ignore him, he slammed his oversized, grimy fist onto the bar top. "I want a goddamn !"

A soft, masculine chuckle filled the air, and the graceful sweep of the one and only Lee Taemin caught the overweight customer's attention. His reddish blond hair was tied back, and despite how much she tried, not even Sun Gyu could deny the twinkle in his eyes, or the promises he made with a simple smile.

"I'm sorry about that sir. I'm just not used to a man like yourself calling me Baby." Taemin's hands went across the bar, slick and busy, his smile mocking the man across from him.

The drunk didn't appreciate the patronizing way the underaged pretty boy was talking to him. "I was talking to the lady," he sneered. He turned to face her, smirking as if she cared.

"Really?" Taemin glanced at the other bartender. "That's too bad. She's off work." Producing a small glass, he winked. "But you've got me. So how about that drink?" He spoke in a too cheerful tone, foreign to the ears of the common bar patrons.

Sun Gyu took note of the soft footsteps, the fruity scent of apples, and felt before she saw Min Iseul enter the scene. A girlish giggle left the waitress's lips as she observed the ongoing interaction.

"Forget it." Pushing himself up and away, the customer gave Taemin one last glare, before leering at the forever ignorant Sun Gyu. Fortunately, he wasn't a man of patience, and left soon after.

"Well then, so much for that ," Taemin muttered. Iseul laughed again, drawing away his attention, and he flashed her a smile meant to charm his way into a girl's heart, and fulfill her deepest fantasies. "A girly drink if you ask me, but every man to his own."

Sun Gyu snorted at his comment and shook her head. "Says the guy who can't drink," she mumbled, without looking up.

Taemin rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, says the guy who signs your paycheck."

She allowed for a few seconds to play with the thought, then shrugged, as if relenting to his retort.

Taemin wrapped his arm around the blushing Iseul's waist, and raised his eyebrow at the former. "Lighten up, geez... At least this one didn't put up a fight. You don't see me sending threatening looks to all my customers."

"Don't blame Sun Gyu, that guy was a jerk." Iseul leaned into his hold, relishing in the warmth. "Did you see the way he was looking at her? I'm surprised she didn't knock him out or something." She held a concerned look, while Sun Gyu went on ignoring them both, glancing at the ancient clock hanging of a deteriorating pillar at the center of the bar.

The entire place was a dump, really. Tacky pink wallpaper was splattered across the building, while long, gangly cracks against its pastel color were artfully strewn across the walls, drawing in a number of multi-legged critters of all shapes and sizes. The bulbs that hung in random patterns above the bar and tables flickered on and off with every sway from the gentle breeze that constantly chilled the customers, as all the windows were lined with broken sills, and the doors never quite closed all the way. The torn fabric stretched across every stool and chair had long since withered into an ugly orange and brown, the cushioned filling spilling out onto the worn linoleum floor.

"If you're going to complain about it, then don't in next time." Sun Gyu turned to Taemin, who gave her a toothy grin. "Did you want me to cover your shift tonight or what? It's 9:30 right now, and I'm leaving otherwise, so make up your mind." And it was with a sense of erse pleasure that she watched his face drop.

"Oh crap! I totally forgot!" he whined.

Iseul frowned, pulling on the arm that was loosening around her frame. "What do you mean? I thought we were gonna go catch a movie later."

He shook his head, gently pulling away. "I can't. I have an early lunch tomorrow with some family members. I promised I'd head home tonight." He lifted her hand to his lips, brushing her delicate fingers with a soft kiss. "I'll make it up to you, alright? Cheer up." Iseul wanted to protest, but he made it so hard when he behaved this way. "I'll be back in a couple days."

"A couple days?! It's gonna take that long?!" She watched him give a noncommittal shrug, so disgustingly characteristic of his careless attitude towards life.

"Something like that. We'll see." He spoke dismissively, moving into the office without noting Iseul's sour expression. Having finished with her nails, arms crossed over her chest, Sun Gyu looked on with half amusement, half pity.

There was a high pitched shriek, the sound of boxes tumbling down from a high shelf, then the sharp noise of rubber scraping against a well waxed floor, before Taemin reappeared. He was shrugging into a light jacket, black beanie hanging sideways on his head, and a folded up piece of paper sticking out from between his lips.

He vaulted over the bar, disturbing a young couple from their make-out session, and ignoring their complaints and non-too-subtle glares, handed the sheet of paper to Sun Gyu.

"I won't be here tomorrow, so you need to look out for this guy. His name is Onew. Just look at the sheet if you need any more information. Do what he says." He skipped backwards toward the exit, giving Sun Gyu a thumbs up.

"And if I don't?" Sun Gyu asked, raising her eyebrow suspiciously.

"You're fired!" he yelled, before slipping out into the rainy night. The flickering light from the neon sign hanging off the door that read, "The Crux" illuminated his figure in a brilliant violet, before the door swung shut, and the bar was once again filled with quiet.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Without bothering to look at its contents, she turned to tuck the paper into her back pocket. While doing so, a small square film slipped out from inside the paper's folds, and fell to the ground.

Bending down to pick it up, she realized it was a photo. Five cheeky males smiled up at her, arms around each other and eyes laughing with pleasure. Their smiles tugged at her own lips, and she resisted the immediate attraction. They were all young, handsome, and nothing she was interested in.

Dressed casually, these men were capable inspirations for the next 500 love songs, and many more heartbreaks. Their obvious friendship was flaunted, and that only made it more apparent that getting involved with any of them was trouble. Second from the left stood Taemin, but she didn't recognize any of the other four.

"He didn't even say when he was coming back..." Iseul muttered, interrupting Sun Gyu's thoughts.

Tucking away the picture, safely within the folds of Taemin's note, she shrugged in response. "He said a couple days..."

Iseul shook her head solemnly, walking away to serve her customers. "That could mean anything..."

Sun Gyu sighed as she watched her dazed coworker walk away. She felt kinda bad for the girl. She like Iseul for the most part, but throw in the reckless Taemin, and she was living in a fairytale. Except without the happily-ever-after.

Oh well, sighed Sun Gyu, as she observed a soaking wet couple stumble into the bar. They seemed to be arguing over something, and it wasn't long before Iseul rushed over to calm them down. Things never quite work out the way we want them to, anyways.

The yelling ceased, and the man sauntered up to the bar, leaving wet, muddy tracks across the floor, the lady with him temporarily out of sight.

"I want a drink," he said, his head hanging down. "A strong one." His voice was low and intense, a soft sincerity underlining his words, and Sun Gyu took an immediate liking to his almost cold presence.

Back to work, she thought, as she served the stranger.

She glanced at the clock again, its endless chiming her only solace of the miserable night, filled with rain, heartbreak, and long, grueling shifts as the boss disappeared.

It can only get better from here, she assured herself.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Well. Hahah. Sorry about that you guys. This took WAY longer than I expected.

This was short, rushed, and something I didn't prepare for.

I decided to go a whole new route, scrapping my previous idea for this. Sorta.

Please tell me what you guys think. Comments are highly APPRECIATED, and constructive criticism is a virtue.

If there are any major changes in character or whatever else, please inform me, and I can make changes if they are unsatisfactory.

Sorry again! Tell me if this is a good start, and if you guys are still interested! I think I lost a lot of readers, so tell me what I'm doing wrong! Hahah!

Hoping for forgiveness and continued support! Stay tuned for future updates!

Happy reading and stay safe this winter season! (If this applies to you!)

OH YEAH! Tell me what you guys think of Taemin's character! Is it too far of a stretch? I kinda like him portrayed this way... Hahah!

Smile! :)