"People always believe they know a better path to follow, but they never manage to walk along with you through it" ~Serena

San Jose, United States of America, Present Time

Sohyun tried to suppress the nausea and passionlessly stared at the glaring lights of the party that gleamed continuously, mixing with the multiple noisy voices prevented her from thinking clearly.

It made the girl sicken.

She hastily hurried towards the restroom, running away from the loud music that endlessly played in the dance floor, and quickly threw away the glass of lemon vodka that she held unsteadily with both her hands.

Her glance fell on the smooth surface of the wall-sized mirror, lingering on her swollen eyes and her reddened cheeks that made her face scarred and hot with fever.

She ran a hand on her forehead, drying the droplets of cold sweat that had formed on the skin.

It wasn't the first time she overdid with drinks, but this time the girl had really crossed any limit she could ever cross.

Her parties were usually spent behind the plates of a DJ console, which usually implied a certain restraint and maybe except for a few oversights and some pills of ecstasy she usually lived her nights lucidly.

She let out a hysterical giggle and leaned against the white and red tiles of the wall, bending over the sink to throw up.

Sohyun sputtered the yellowish liquid and slightly coughed to clear from the remnants of food that she had gobbled up during the whole party.

It was kinda disgusting, so she washed it all with the flowing water of the tap and scrubbed up, wiping her hands with a fluffy towel.

The brown-haired girl hurriedly tried to clean her face, realizing she had to do without her suitcase since her current clothing consisted in a hoodie and a pair of baggy jeans, the bag didn't fit at all and she had just avoided brining it.

It a little bit, but at least she no longer reeked of strong drink.

She took out a tranquillizer that was kept hidden in her socks and put the pill in the mouth, drinking a few sips of tap water to swallow it down.

Taking a deep breath, the girl finally decided to leave the restroom and newly dive into the crowded room packed of people who drunkenly danced, wandered around and occasionally kissed passionately, slightly bothering her.

She snorted and walked towards the counter at a quick pace, trying to avoid her friends who were still getting down with drinks.

A gentle voice caught her attention as soon as she had taken a seat on a lined chair.

"Hey, Sohyun!" - The voice spoke.

Sohyun turned her head to check who the voice belonged to and spotted a sandy-haired girl who waved a greeting to her from the other side of the counter, a few meters away.

Gayoon had a faint smile and a slightly tired face, but she looked fine.

"Hey Gayoon!" - She shouted back, giving a hearty high-five to her.

Getting closer, the girl noticed that another girl sat near her friend, visibly disappointed by her coming.

The hazel-eyed chick looked quirky with her earrings and her underground-styled clothing, even messier than Sohyun. Mentally realizing that she was probably interrupting a date, she quickly disguised her embarrassment.

"Whops..." - She whispered to her - "Did I interrupt anything?"

Hearing her murmur, the sandy-haired girl indulged in a hearty laugh - "What are you talking about, you idiot, of course you did not interrupt anything" - She stated, quite loudly compared to her whisper.

Oddly enough, it looked like Gayoon was trying to get rid of her...

"She's Daniel's sister" - Remarked, trying to underscore that it wasn't a date at all.

The weird hazel-eyed girl nodded to confirm what the other one had told, and her eyes seemed to switch her attention from Gayoon and rest on her features, instead.

Sohyun rolled her eyes, annoyed by the piercing gaze that seemed to analyze every small detail about her, and puffed a bit.

"Lesbians..." - She muttered to herself.

The stranger held out her hand to introduce, giving a broad smile - "My name is Kylie and just like your friend pointed out, I am Daniel's sister" - She announced - "So... you are Sohyun?"

She nodded and reluctantly shook the offered hand.

There hadn't been too many occasions to know better Jihyun's boyfriend, for Sohyun.

He usually didn't show up during their working time and if he did she would consider him a useless nuisance, but she hadn't failed to look up and down at him and to notice that he were a neat and graceful man who always dressed flawlessly and elegantly.

She had been told that both of the siblings ran independent businesses and she couldn't possibly imagine her like that.

The weird but charming girl somehow looked more like... herself. 

Kylie was dressed somewhere between a pusher of the suburbs and one of those gypsies who tell the future on the corners of the public gardens.

They had a similar hooded sweatshirt, both were a dusty dark-blue and both gave their owners a dowdy look.

The dullness of her clothing was soothed by a colorful headband and by a red scarf. The latter was incredibly out of tune, but it certainly gave a great impression on her.

"I need to go to the bathroom" - Gayoon muttered, gaining her attention again.

She didn't expect her friend to leave them alone and it slightly pestered her, but she didn't argue when she grabbed her handbag and started walking towards the restroom.

"So..." - The girl awkwardly lingered, trying to come up with a good conversation - "You don't seem to have fun, do you?"

"I was supposed to play the role of the lovely sister and meet my brother's girlfriend, but they are way lovelier than me..." - She chuckled, hinting at the couple.

Sohyun took a quick look towards the table that Kylie was pointing her finger to, and immediately spotted the showy couple who were busy in a fairly steamy kiss.

"I guess they just need their time alone" - The weird girl shrugged.

"I feel you, mate" - Sohyun replied, giving her a pat on the back - "I feel lonely and weirded out too when I work, and I have to see all the time people who shamelessly make out and themselves... it's just the way it is"

Kylie didn't utter a word, a little bit affected by the sudden nugget of wisdom.

She didn't expect such a great rush of truth and sincerity by a girl that she barely knew and it touched her but she decided to keep a low profile, not to rush things.

"What is your job?" - She asked with genuine curiosity.

"Hmm... I am a part-time DJ or a maybe full-time DJ depending on the point of view" - Her face drew a grin - "I also do a few jobs with websites and programming, when I manage to, but it's usually not paid at all..."

Kylie dismayed - "You do things you are not getting paid for?"

"My parents pay my bills" - She shrugged with another large smile - "I don't even need to work, I just do it as a passion; Jihyun has always dreamed of being a singer and I am glad to help her..."

"Would you be interested in a real work that you are really paid for?" - She smirked, making her eyes widen.

The other girl took out of the bag a business card with her phone number and winked - "Just call me".