“Araso Aboji,” I sighed as I put down my phone.

“Ji Hye-ah wae? What’s with the long face all of a sudden?” Hongki asked narrowing his eyebrows behind his spectacles.

It was 8:30 in the evening when the two of us got together again in the restaurant where the ahjumma we met earlier works. We had to change our uniforms first before going there because well—we just felt like it.

“It’s my father.”

“What’d he say?”

“I think he found out about the failing marks and remedial classes.”

“Ah kuraeyo?—Wait, what?! What did you just say?” he gulped. “Y-your father—then my—Ah!! I’m dead!”

I rolled my eyes as Hongki stared into space.

Not a minute had past when a cheerful waitress came to greet us, it was the ahjumma, “Oh! You two came!”

I smiled at her as I try to push my thoughts away while Hongki bowed his head.

“Aigoo~ I’m glad you two came.”

“De~ kamsahamnida,” the two of us said in sync.

The lady laughed, “You must be a couple, huh? Aigoo~ you’re a lovely one!”

“A-aniyo ahjumma,” Hongki said in defense.

“Aiyoo, kids these days. Don’t be ashamed of your relationship. You must proclaim your love for her. I bet she’ll like that,” she looked at me as I tried to smile in return. “See, she’ll love that. Well I must get going now. Chakaman, I’ll get you the best in the menu!”

With that she rushed to the direction of the kitchen.

Hongki scoffed, “Proclaim my love for her? Ahjumma must be kidding me—Ya! Ji Hye-ah! What’s with your silence in the times of need?”

I shrugged as I let my head fall to the table, “I don’t wanna talk.”

Hongki rushed to my side, “Wae? Mori Apo? What’s with the mood swing all of a sudden? Are you an AB too?”

I hissed at his nonsense and dragged my head up.

As soon as my head was up, someone I knew walked into the restaurant. Unfortunately, as if fate must be playing tricks on me, it was Min Ji with her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s band mates and her boyfriend’s band mates’ girlfriends. Why the hell do I always see her when I’m in a bad mood? She must be a bad omen or something.

So yeah, as I expected her attention instantly settled on me. She squinted her eyes between me and Hongki. A wide mocking grin slowly crossed her face as she eventually walked to our table.

“Annyeong Ji Hye-ah,” she greeted like a b*itch. “So who’s this guy over here?”

I didn’t respond but Hongki did, accompanied with all the nerdy weird side of him, “Annyeong hasaeyo Hongki imnida! Nice meeting you!”

“So he is the only one you got so far? He doesn’t even look cool at all, are you sure you’re still on?”

Hongki furrowed his brows in confusion at Min Ji’s remark.

“I knew it! You couldn’t get those little things I could,” Min Ji laughed as she continued to piss me off. “I’m stupid to even agree with something with an obvious result.”

“Min Ji-ah you’re friend’s quite pretty, why don’t you just let her join us?” a guy who’s with her and not even appealing tried to hit on me. He stood at my side as he swiftly held my chin up with his filthy fingers. I was about to smack the guy to death when Hongki stood up and held the guy’s hand instead. He held it tight as if about to crush it, he wore a stern look like he was about to eat the guy with just his eyes.

“Don’t touch her,” he warned.

The guy backed away shaking his hands in pain.

He looked cool for a second there, I thought.

Min Ji didn’t flinch, instead she stood there with a triumphant smirk, “Naaaa~ let’s give them some time alone. I bet Ji Hye’s enjoying her loser company.”

The side of lips twitched as the word she just used to describe Hongki registered into my brain cells. Now it was my time to stand up as the blood inside me just reached its boiling point. I threw Min Ji my deadliest piercing stare she could ever imagine, the girl flinched back in response.

I walked towards her side, stretched out my hand to place her hair at the back of her ear and then leaned over to whisper on it, “You don’t even know him so You. Shut. The. . Up. or you’ll die.”

I felt her body shiver as pulled my head back. I smirked before leaving her frozen with all her companions shaking her to senses.

I was too overwhelmed with my mixed emotions, starting from the minute my father called until Min Ji pissed me off, that I almost forgot Hongki was still with me. Thinking that he might still be in the restaurant, I turned around only the find out that he was just behind me, just a little behind me. It made me jump that resulted in our heads colliding. I hissed, “Ya! Why the hell are you following me this close?!”

He rubbed his forehead hissing too, “Ya! It was your fault for suddenly turning around!”

“Aish!” was all I got to say. I haven’t got enough energy to argue with such childish issue. My mind’s in so much chaos right now.

Hongki suddenly fell silent as we continued to walk along the cold night street of Seoul.

Breaking the silence first, Hongki’s itchy mouth started to talk, “Are you by chance alright now?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” I responded.

“Well I noticed you’re knees were quivering when you walked right out of the restaurant. You don’t seem like the strong Ji Hye I knew after all. And you didn’t mean what you said to her right?”

“What? I mean what I said, she just insulted you. How could I not react? That girl is too much! And I wasn’t quivering by the way,” as I said that I suddenly felt my knees shake. Damn these weak knees I have!

“You really mean that you would kill her or something? Naaaa~ of course not!”

“You’re taking it much too literally. It was just a warning for her to shut up. And ya! Can’t you just be thankful that I fought back for your sake?!”

“But it wasn’t even true so I ain’t even mad about that. But really—I felt my blood boil when that guy started hitting on you!”

I fell silent as he reminded me of that moment. I felt my ears flush. What’s this? Why am I reacting like this? I am sick, alright.

Hongki noticed my sudden silence, so he cleared his throat and changed the topic, "So is she some kind of an enemy or something?”

 “Yeah I guess so, an enemy who’s at the same time a friend. We actually started as good friends but she kinda change when she found out that the guy she likes, liked me instead. She’s kind of a brat that’s why she took it the wrong way. We didn’t get along from then on; we just stick together because she’s a good friend of my best friend who’s studying in my former school right now.”

“Whoa?! That’s—idk, kinda childish of her.”

“Yeah but aside from that, can I make use of you tonight?” I asked out of nowhere.

Hongki abruptly turned his head towards me; obvious shock was evident in his eyes. He hugged himself backing away a bit, “W-what do you mean you can use me tonight???”

I laughed as I realized the wrong use of words, “Ya! Stop thinking dirty things will you? Geezz~ Well, I kinda felt like having some grilled beef right now. Wanna come? My treat! But if you don’t want then I—”

 My sentence was cut off when Hongki immediately hooked his arm around mine saying, “I was just kidding. Ka ja~!”

I laughed as we continued to walk to find a small restaurant near by.

It’s funny how we left free food for something I must pay.

~~

“Jalmukeshimnida!” Hongki exclaimed as he started shoving the pieces of grilled meat into his mouth, blowing it all inside. He paused for a second when he noticed I wasn’t joining the fun. “Wae?!”

I pouted, “Hmmm…I think there’s something missing.”

He furrowed his brows as he trailed his eyes on the table, confusion evident on his face.

 “Ah got it,” I snapped as I called out, “Ahjumma one soju here please!”

“Ne!!!”  the old lady answered walking to our table with a green bottle. She was about to hand the bottle but then stopped and scrutinized our faces, “Are you two legal?”

I knew she would ask that, wae my face looked so young?! *shrugs* Good thing I always carry along my fake ID which I’ve never used for drinking before but to sneak around clubs. I held it up for the lady to see.

She nodded and set her eyes on Hongki.

Aw man! Now we’re dead. I’d probably end in up in jail if she finds out that I dragged an under aged boy with me to drink. Wut? Wut? That’s not a crime at all---I think.

 To my surprise, Hongki calmly reached for his wallet and brought out an ID. The ahjumma smiled, finally handing the bottle and sooner or later took her leave.

“See where you almost got us into? Tch! What if you’re with someone who doesn’t have these kinds of stuff? Bet you’d be busted.”

 “O______O where the hell did you get that?” I gasped as I snatched the ID on his hands. It was ing a real fake ID!  “Don’t tell me you go sneaking around bars with this too?”

“A-aniyo!” he snapped.

I smiled wryly, “Aiyoo~ I didn’t know you had this side of you. I suddenly wanted to know more about you. Ya, let’s go clubbing sometimes alright?”

He snatched his ID back, “Aniyo! Let’s forget about this, alight?”

I hissed at him before gulping a glass full of soju and made a throat sound ‘kkkkk’ after, “Whoa?! Doing that actually feels good!”

“Ya ya ya! I thought you’re not a drinker at all,” Hongki said in a not-so-approving tone.

“Well this will probably my first time,” I said bluntly as I gulped another glass and shoved a piece of beef in my mouth.

 I was about to pour my third when Hongki snatched the bottle from my hands, “Andwae! You can’t drink! I don’t wanna take responsibility when you got all too drunk!”

I leaned over to him and the biggest meat into his mouth. I pulled the bottle from his hand and whispered coldly into his ears, “Shut. Up. Eat. And. Let. Me. Drink.”

I felt him shiver, just as I wanted him to, as he loosened his grip on the bottle.

I slump back on my seat triumphantly drinking another glass.

“Ya! Won’t you stop whispering like you’re some kind of a murderer into everyone’s ears just like that?”

“I can’t help it. It’s the only way people listen to me.”

“What are you talking about? And will you stop drinking as if you’re in hurry or something, you’ll get drunk immediately.”

“Tch! Drink it with me then,” I strechted out my hand holding the soju towards him.

He looked at me hesitantly but held a shot glass with his left hand while his right on his chest.

I looked at him strangely as he I poured the alcohol into his glass, full.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? This is how we should do it, it’s in our culture.”

“I didn’t know that, I told you it’s my first time. No one taught me about it yet, until now. Tch! I knew it, this wasn’t you’re first time eh?”

Hongki bit his lower lip wanting to take back his words.

I laughed, “You bad boy!”

“Well I just had one glass then…like I’d have now. I'll probably drink too much if I’m in my right age, don’t you think?”

I rolled my eyes, “If almighty Hongki said so. But as for me, I won’t :3”

~~

I didn’t know how much I’ve already drunk but all I knew was that my body felt numb, that my head suddenly felt heavy and that I started to hear buzzing sounds in my ears. I was still aware of what’s happening and what am I doing but the toxins prevented me from having control over my body.

“Ji Hye-ah, stop right there, let me get you home now,” Hongki worriedly said as he seized the probably second bottle of soju on my hands.

“Aniyo Hongki-ah, give it back,” I mumbled stretching out my hands like a little kid begging for her ice cream back.

“Aniyo, you’re making me worried with all of this. Now that I know why the hell you are drinking tonight, even though you’re still illegal, I couldn’t just let you continue. We have classes for tomorrow for Christ’s sake!”

“You’re no fun Hongki-ah!” I puffed my cheeks, folding my arms.

Hongki gasped as I heard him stutter, with all the buzzing sounds in my ears, “Ya, why you puffing your cheeks like that?!”

“Wae?! Wae?! Can’t I do something without anyone commanding me around?!” I pouted as cutely as possible. Yep! I was drunk so I had an excuse to do such disgusting act.

“Y-ya,” he gulped. “You can’t do that! It’s not like you to act cute to get something you want.”

“Fine, then should I do it this way?” I uncontrollably leaned over him to rest my lips onto something I didn’t recognize at all since I couldn’t really open my eyes. I smiled between the kiss as I heard the bottle fell on the table from Hongki’s hand.

Victory!

I got the bottle before it got empty and drunk happily careless of Hongki.

What happened next was…I don’t know... it was all in blur.

~~

A/N: to my underage readers, I don't encourage illegal drinking okay? kekeke~