In the dim light of an underground room, a dozen of gorgeous girls dressed in bright elaborated clothes, waiting for their name to be called; they are the SM girls.

SM Club is one of the most renowned hostesses club in Seoul. With its strategic location in the middle of the ritziest postcode, Gangnam, exclusive minimalist set-up and excellence services money can buy; the club is rank as one of the best in the industry for the past few years.

With a long list of flawlessly groomed gorgeous girls, carefully trimmed eye brows and long curled lashes, porcelain clear skins, pouty shimmering lips and their perfectly luscious hair; they made their name as the most-sought after girls in the field.

The club which had his own long history is owned by a credible young man known by his peers as Heenim; with a given name of Kim Heechul. A respected figure among all the others club owners and been known to groom a mass number of reputable hostesses in the industry.

Just like any other clubs, SM practiced Host Rank System and their current top 5 hostesses are JiWoo, TaeHee, EunHye, Luna and Victoria.

Among the five, JiWoo and TaeHee have been in SM the longest, scouted by Heenim himself, while EunHye; an experienced hostess with such jovial personality, was recruited from other club due to some circumstances that only Heenim and EunHye knew about.

As for Luna and Victoria, they were college best friends that initially joined the flashy industry to support their college tuition fee and end up enticed by the wages and excitement. Both of them continue working in SM even after graduated with a reputable degree.

With their looks and charms, these five top hostesses have been marking their name ever since.

To succeed in this challenging and competitive field, there are certain rules that a hostess must remember at heart to survive and remain relevant in the industry. Never to mix emotion with work, always remain professional in front of a client and never to fall in love with one.

With the nature of their work, it is almost impossible for them to remain in a serious relationship. But somehow Victoria had proven that it is possible, despite the never ending fights they had most of the time.

“I’m telling you Luna, he’s getting on my nerve every single day” Victoria whines to her best friend. Both of them are sitting in the changing room they share with the other 3 girls, getting ready for their shift. Gorgeously clad in cobalt blue cheongsam with high cut on both sides, hair perfectly braided to the side, Victoria looks like a true goddess. Unfortunately her mood did not match well with her striking appearance.

Luna stares at her reflection in the mirror, applying the bright red lipstick on her lips “But it’s not like you sleep your clients”

“Exactly!” Victoria raises both hands exasperatedly, twirling on her chair dramatically. “We’ve been together for almost 3 years. Can’t he have a little faith in me?” Victoria pouts her luscious lips as she slouched in deeper, hands stiffly hanging at her side.

Nichkhun Horjevkul, the man she’s been with since her senior year in college. With his mixed-blood looks and charms, he was practically an idol back then; worshipped by many their college girls. He is someone Victoria never thought to fall in love with. They were from different faculty but their interest in Arts & Dance brought them together. And after the many meet and greet at dance shows and theaters, their paths finally crossed; their chemistry was undeniable and they fell in love almost immediately.

But, just like any boyfriend would react, Nichkhun had a hard time to accept Victoria’s choice of financial aid. He who comes from a well-established family could not understand Victoria passion and pride in her petty job. He did everything he could think of, offering to help with her tuition fee, getting her part-time job interviews and even try to convince her staying with him will be more cost efficient. But everything was in vain as Victoria stubbornly held onto her principle.

Then as soon as they graduated, he asked Victoria to quit SM, proposing her to work at his Father’s company instead. But again, Victoria refused to depend on him.

Luna turns around frowning at her friend “Song Qian, do you still love him?” she asks, knowing how much it annoys Victoria to be called by her given name.

Victoria stares vacantly at Luna and sighs “I do” her voice low and uncertain. “It just that… I’m really tired of the fights…”

Then a soft knock on the door interrupts them before it creaks open.

EunHye peeks in with her innocence smile “Victoria, there’s a guy outside looking for you”

“A client? Uncle Jack?” Victoria looked up at the clock hanging up at a corner, puzzled as her client for the night already called earlier saying he’ll be slightly late for their appointment.

EunHye shakes her head “He doesn’t looks like any of our client. I think he’s in her mid 20’s, looking kinda awkward and shy. He said he knows you”

Victoria abruptly stands up and rushes out to the lobby. As soon as she steps into the waiting area, her eyes widen at the sight of the guy. Her guess was right; Nichkhun is waiting in the lobby. He had his back to her, scanning the flashy notice board with all the pictures of the hostesses working in the Club. “Anyone you interested in?” Victoria teases as she steps closer to her lover.

Nichkhun turns around and gives her a sheepish smile, pinkish shades colored his fair cheeks “I found mine” he stretches his hand towards Victoria.

Victoria immediately took his hand, fingers entwined as she leads him into the club. They sits at the bar “Any drinks for you?” she asks playfully, holding an expensive bottle of red wine.

“No. I have class tomorrow” he answers politely. Nichkhun is a substitute teacher at one of the most elite private school. With his handsome boyish look and perfect manner, Victoria always teases him that his student might fall for him. “Sorry to come here unannounced” he says, taking the small glass of coke Victoria places in front of him.

Settling next to Nichkhun, Victoria places her palm on his thigh “It’s okay. My client will be coming in late. Besides, I always wanted you to come and see me at work” Victoria smiles sweetly. Knowing how hard it was for him to step into the establishment.

“I want to apologize about last night. I was being mean” he reaches out and holds Victoria’s hand tightly.

Victoria nods as she squeezes Nichkhun’s hand affectionately, knowing how their fights have been pulling both of them apart lately “It’s alright. No big deal.”

He gives out a smile of relief before continuing “I have news for you?”

Victoria’s perfectly trimmed brows arched high, looking expectantly “Yes?”

“They offered me a job as a permanent teacher. I thought of telling you personally” he replies hesitantly.

“That’s great. Let’s celebrate this” Victoria beaming excitedly happy for him. Her smiles soon fade as she sees the hesitance in Nichkhun’s smile “Aren’t you happy?”

“I am, but I asked for some time to think about it” he finally answers, pulling his hands from her grips and both hands on his laps.

Victoria sensed something amiss. “And why is that?” she asks attentively, leaning closer.

“The school is in Mapo” he turns to Victoria and there’s a glint of doubt in his eyes.

Then at that very moment someone called Victoria with a sing-song voice “Victoria darling, I’m so sorry I’m late”

Victoria turns around and sees her client walking into the club clad in an expensive dark grey suit. Victoria quickly puts on her professional mask and smiles brightly at him. She turns to Nichkhun and gave him ‘I’ll be back look’ before heading towards her client.

“You make me wonder whether you are going to cancel on me again” Victoria replied flirtingly as she gives a peck on his cheek.

But as soon as she turns around, Nichkhun already on his feet, lips purses tight. He then walks away without a single word. Victoria could see his cheeks are flaming red probably in anger. She sighs and leads her client to their favorite spot in the club.

As they settled in the dimmed corner, Victoria receives a text message from Nichkhun “I hate your job. I hate knowing you flirt and sell yourself with those creepy old men. I want you to quit and come with me to Mapo. I can arrange other worthy job for you there.”

Victoria gives out a long sigh. It’s going to be a long night.

*******

It is half an hour past 2.00 in the morning. Victoria takes a cab home feeling a bit tipsy with all the drinks she had. She normally can hold her liquor well, but due to the fight she had with Nichkhun, she was drinking under duress.

But feeling a bit nauseating, she pulls off the cab a distance away from her apartment, squatting down at a corner throwing up; a goddess falling off her grace. Victoria takes almost 10 minutes to pull her together and decides to get some fresh air instead, walking a bit wobbly towards her favorite park.

Nichkhun and her used to had their late nights date there, holding hands and sharing small kisses under the moonlight; a distance memory. As soon as she walks in deeper on the maroon pathway, pulling her long coat tighter fighting over the chills, she finally feels better as she heads to her favorite spot, a small fountain lightly illuminates in the middle of the park. It’s her favorite place for solace “Maybe I should make a wish”

Victoria kicks off her high heels near the fountain and start digging her pocket for a coin to be tossed in. Kneeling on the small space of the fountain, she clasps her hands and makes her wish aloud “I just want to fall in love again.”

But as expected from someone with an inability to balance herself thanks to the high alcohol consumption, she almost trip into the fountain.

 “Are you trying to drown yourself? It’s not deep enough you know” a pair of strong arms suddenly grabs her waist and pulls her straight back to the ground.

Victoria turns around staring at her savior, drown into the stranger’s clear brown eyes “What a beautiful eyes you got” she mumbles under hear breaths.

“Thanks” the guy chuckles and let her go, bent down to pick his pack of beers and her high heels.

“Thanks for saving me” Victoria late remarks make the guy laughs instead. Then she quickly adds “Drinking alone? Let me accompany you instead” without waiting for the stranger response, Victoria pulls his hand and leads him to nearest bench like a professional hostess she is; barefoot.

Surprisingly the guy did not hesitate and play along, quietly amused. He places the bag of beer cans between them then gently place Victoria’s flashy high heels on the ground. They sit next to each other admiring the fountain from the distance. He then opens a can of beer and passes it to Victoria.

Being in such good mood, Victoria happily introduces herself “I’m Victoria. I’m a hostess at SM Club. Are you a host yourself?”

The stranger let out a hearty laugh “Do I look like one?” he asked with a smirk but without a hint of sarcasm. He is genuinely interested to know her answer.

“Well, it’s quite late and you do have that mysterious look” Victoria giggles as she took another gulp of her drink.

His wavy brown hair sway lightly as he shakes his head “I’m from Gu-Jung Private School”

“Eh. That’s the same school my boyfriend teaches. Nichkhun-ssi” Victoria exclaims.

The younger guy nods, acknowledging the name.

“So you’re a teacher as well” Victoria continues without waiting for a reply. “Nichkhun-ssi got another job offer in Mapo and wanted me to quit my job” Victoria paused to take another sip “Lately we’ve been drifting apart due to all the fights over my work. Maybe I should just quit and follows him.”

“Will you be happy then?” the guy asks, eyes staring straight ahead.

“At least we’ll stop fighting” she shrugs cutely before exchanges another sigh “I know being a hostess is not a prestigious job or as honorable as a teacher, but I earned a lot and I earned it myself. Do you know how hard to find a decent job with only an arts degree. Well a teacher like you should know right how competitive the world out there.”

Victoria continued her rambling, sipping the can of cold beer empty “Today my best friend asked me whether I love him or not, I can't even answer it. I mean I’ve been with him for almost 3 years and I still can’t give a straight answer. I'm in deep aren't I?”

The guy offers a small smile instead “Life is too short to be worrying about things that hold you back. We should live our life the way we want to. If we can't even do that, why bother living”

Victoria looked at him and smiles “You teach philosophy don’t you?”

A pause follows, as if they are out of topics, but both simply enjoy the quiet company of each other, staring at the beautiful night. Then she breaks the silence “Hey, thanks for listening. I feel much better now.” Victoria stands up “But don’t tell Nichkhun about our conversation ya~” 

The guy smiles and stands tall next to Victoria “Should I walk you home? It’s pretty late”

She quickly shakes her head “Thanks but I should not trouble you further. Besides, it’s only a 10minutes walk from here.”

He nods and walks over to the nearest trash bin as he tosses the empty cans in it.

Victoria walks away but turns around abruptly and shouts from far “Hey what’s your name? Will I see you around?”

His lips curl beautifully as he bows “Kim Jong In. We’ll definitely meet again!”

************************

I know I should be updating my other fics, but I can't stop thinking of this pair lately (^_^).. Forgive me ya~

ENJOY...