One, two, three, ten, twenty. The amount of times BAP appeared at Le Noir increased since your first actual encounter with them. You had thought, perhaps, there was an influx of “business” deals that needed to be handled, but as their appearances became more frequent, you found that these visits were more for pleasure than business. These leisure visits were often done alone. Himchan sitting at the bar and silently flipping through files. Yongguk seating himself in one of the lounge chairs, the same old lighter in hand, sipping on his scotch in deep contemplation. Zelo holed away in the corner of the club, watching the people warily. The same stone cold expression. Youngjae playing a round of darts with fellow club attendees, betting large sums of money and winning most of the time. Daehyun flirting with some of the female patrons that stopped by, filling the club with laughter and giggles. Jongup sitting alone, a book in hand with a sly smirk on his lips. At times you would catch him blatantly staring at you, a predatory glint in his eyes.

They would never approach you though. It was like a game of chess, but both sides were too wary to make the first move. You kept to your own, entertaining and accompanying guest, and they minded their own business. It was an amicable and peaceful relationship. You enjoyed the quiet and serene establishment you were running and did not plan on ruining it by getting involved. It was your personal policy. Care enough to keep them coming back, but not enough to get attached. You recounted the countless warnings your mother had told you about getting too personally involved with some of the men at the club, that it was best to keep your distance. Create yourself a family. Those words echoed throughout your mind. Find those that you feel safe with, they will be the ones who will have your back. And BAP was far from making you feel safe. 

“Here’s your gin rickey and whiskey on the rocks.” You placed the two glasses filled with each man’s poison on the table, flashing the two men dressed in white-button ups and dark blue/black dress pants a smile. 

“You’re serving drinks now, Bearcat?” The man with sunglasses tucked away on his collar raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his whiskey.

“One of my girls caught the flu so I’m bartender today. Don’t tell me you don’t like my drinks anymore, Ralphie?” A mock pout decorated your fuschia colored lips with mock distress filling your eyes.

“Ah, don’t give me that look, Bearcat.” Ralphie scratched the back of his head, letting out awkward laughter.

“Be careful, Bearcat, you keep teasing him like that and he’ll be getting in trouble with the Missus real soon.” The man beside Ralphie chuckled as he took small sips of his gin.

“Oh don’t worry, Max. Me and Samantha are on good terms, after all I have to keep an eye on her husband to make sure he doesn’t go playing with the pretty dames that enter this club,” You chuckled as Ralphie’s expression began to pale. “Oh I’m just teasing you, Ralphie. No need to become as pale as a ghost.” You tapped the man on the nose before sauntering off back towards the bar, Max’s outburst of laughter could be heard as well as Ralphie’s bickering. 

You placed the drink tray on the counter before you examined the array of glimmering bottles that adorned the wall behind you, checking to make sure you had enough inventory. A small hum escaped your lips. It was a simple, sweet, little tune your mother used to sing when you were a tyke. Your self-entertainment was disrupted by a certain customer that had recently frequented your bar. Without the rest of his boys.

Himchan sat at the far end of the bar, files in hand. He could feel the intense stares of some rival gang members pounding against his back, but he didn’t care. He had bigger fish to fry. 

You watched him from a distance for a short moment, studying his movements before going in for the kill. It was a skill your mother had told you to master in this world. Sizing up a man. Figuring out how he ticks. How he thinks. All in a simple glance. It was a skill that would come in handy in the future. You approached Himchan and rested your arms on the cold bar countertop, your chin resting in your hand. There was no reaction. Himchan seemed to be too immersed in the papers he was looking at to pay attention to you. Most of the time you wouldn’t have mind being ignored. It wasn’t your job to babysit people. However, since you were now acting as bartender, it was your job to sell the alcohol. You glanced down at the papers Himchan was studying. Shipment orders and invoices from China. You raised your eyebrow at the peculiar array of shipping documents he had.

“Curiosity is dangerous you know that?” You had to suppress the small jump your body wished to release at the sound of Himchan’s voice. He immediately closed the files, preventing you from investigating any further, and stared into your eyes with a slight smirk on his face.

“Don’t you know? I live for the thrill of danger,” A sly grin of your own appeared on your lips. “So are you planning to order a drink, or take up space in my club?” You raised an eyebrow.

Himchan scoffed. “I’ll have a-”

“Straight scotch? Don’t you get bored drinking the same thing?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Then what would you recommend?” He leaned in closer to you. The two of you were playing a game. Testing out the reactions of the other player. Waiting for the right time to sweep away the victory.

“You want to try something dirty?” You made sure to put emphasis on the last word, a smirk forming on your lips. 

“Always.” He flashed you a flirtatious, all knowing smirk. He knew your game and he planned on winning. 

“My dirty martinis are a crowd favorite,” You winked over your shoulder as you grabbed the ingredients to make your dirty martini. “So you’re not with your boys tonight? The six of you seem as thick as thieves.” You poured the mixture in the martini shaker. 

“They’ll be fine. They’re all grown men and I’m not their mother.” He scoffed, leaning back on the bar stool chair.

“Really? You seem to have motherly tendencies to me,” You teased as your poured the dirty martini into a frosted glass. Himchan grimaced at your words as he took sips of your delectable treat. “Coming here on your own to review a future job without telling the rest of your members so that they won’t be worried? It’s sweet of you.” You poured yourself a glass of white wine, swirling the floral scented liquid before taking a few sips of your own.

“It’s not being motherly. It’s being well prepared.” Himchan slightly growled.

“Did I touch a nerve?” You chuckled. 

“You seem to be asking me all the questions, why don’t you answer some of mine then,” Himchan smirked, placing his drink aside and leaning over the bar counter. “What’s a pretty dame like you doing in a place filled with really bad men?”

“I know nothing else,” You traced the top of your wine glass with your pointer finger. “Plus, they’re not all bad men, they’re just in the wrong circumstance.”

“So which category do I fall under then?” He raised an eyebrow, resting his arms on the countertop.

“Bad,” You smirked at him. “But not entirely, you seem to care for your boys and that means a lot compared to others who’ve been through here.”

“You could say they’re like my family,” You could see a semblance of a genuine smile seem to grow on his lips. 

“And you, their mother?” You teased again.

Himchan scoffed once more and ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t win against you can I?”

“Nope, sweetie. Better luck next time.” You chuckled.

“Hmph, I guess I will concede that I worry about them….” You could see Himchan’s playful eyes slightly dull as he fell into deep contemplation. “I sometimes wonder if I made the right choices…” He swigged down the rest of the martini that was left in his glass.

“There is no such thing as right choices, there’s always gonna be consequences to the choices we make….” Your eyes softened, understanding a bit about how he felt. Many times you’ve wondered if things would have been better if you had taken a different path. You loved the life you were living now...but there was always this sense of what if…”But what makes our decisions worthwhile is that we stick to them, no matter the difficulty.” 

“Hmph, who would've thought I would get a therapy at a club?” Himchan chuckled.

“That will cost you extra,” You decided to let an inkling of a sincere smile appear on your lips as you took away his glass. “Now you should get back to looking through those shipping invoices. The Chinese mafia can get a little antsy when people pry into their business.”

“What did I tell you about curiosity?” He watched you with wary eyes. You were intelligent and coy, a dangerous combination that he wasn’t going to overlook. 

“That it’s enticing?” You chuckled, placing your glass on the countertop in order to attend to another customer.

Himchan scoffed. As you were about to leave his presence, he quickly grabbed your arm and pulled you towards him. “How do you know these files are just an act and I came here for you?” A devilish smirk formed on his lips.

A professional smile replied to his smirk as you placed your neatly painted finger against his soft lips. “Honey, everyone comes here for me,” You push him away slightly. “That and the booze.” You chuckled.  

He let out a laugh, running his fingers through his perfectly combed hair. He had to admit defeat for this round. “You’re really something, Bearcat.”

“Ah-ah, names Y/N. We’re not that close yet for you to be calling me that,” You playfully wagged your finger in front of him before walking off towards the new customer you needed to attended to. “Oh! And by the way, if you want more reliable information as to what the Chinese are doing you might want to talk to Lu Feng down in Chinatown. And be sure to bring a suitcase of cash.” You flashed him a wink.

Himchan snorted, an intrigued and playful smile on his lips. A real smile. Something he hadn’t done in a while. “You are really on hell of a woman…” He chuckled before grabbing his cell phone and making a call to Yongguk. 
 

Flirty Channie makes me swoon! Haha His acting in the MV was just so amazing that it was so easy to translate that character to a story! And Eeek I just love Y/N strong character. Got a soft spot for strong female characters XD Okies enough of me fangirling over my own character~

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