Natalie’s POV:

I slammed my car door shut and sighed heavily as I walked towards the club.

The obnoxious, pulsing music grew louder as I approached the doors.

Well, cheers to another week of hell.

I walked inside to be greeted by HimChan—a fellow employee as well as friend—who was already behind the counter, cheerfully taking orders.

It was an ordinary night. There were some familiar faces as well as unfamiliar, and the bar stools were filled up like usual.

I changed into uniform—which consisted of a white button up, an uncomfortably tight black skirt, and a black apron—and began aiding HimChan with the orders.

Tonight being a hectic one like the norm, I had no time or mind to focus on anything else but my duties. I continued on with my routine, paying little to no attention to anything else.

“Nat, can you take out the trash?” Daniel hollered from the kitchen.

I rushed inside and grabbed the b trash bag—quickly replacing it with a fresh one.

I hurried outside and threw the bag into the dumpster. On my way back, I caught a glimpse of a tall man—dressed in all black—standing alone in front of the club. A bud of orange flame glowed from the cigarette that rested in between his lips. He removed the stick and dropped his arm before blowing out a puff of smoke—which went directly my way. I grimaced as the stench of tobacco filled my nose.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” he said aloud. I was unable to make out much of his face due to the darkness.

I looked around to find no one but us two.

Assuming that he was talking to me, I simply replied, “Yeah.”

Realizing that I had been out for longer than I intended, I rushed back inside.

The fatigue began kicking in. I checked my wristwatch and sighed in relief when I realized that I only had about 5 minutes left of my shift. I finished washing the last of the cups before allowing myself to rest on one of the bar stools.

The club was slowly emptying—the majority of the remaining people within the room were employees.

“Long day huh, Nat?” HimChan came out from the kitchen with a towel in his hand. He began wiping down the counter.

“Mm,” I yawned in agreement.

The doors squeaked open and I felt a hand plant firmly onto my shoulder, startling me. I turned around to find GiKwang staring at me.

“Damn Nat, you look drained,” he observed before placing his palm onto my forehead as if he were checking for a fever. I weakly swiped his hand away.

 “Let’s go Nat,” he urged.

“Go where?” I groaned tiredly.

“Go home, obviously. I came here to get you,” he replied sarcastically.

“GiKwang, how many times do we have to go over this? I have my own car; I can drive myself home,” I argued irritably.

“And how many times do I have to answer your question? You’re my girlfriend, Nat, I have to—“

“I’m not your girlfriend,” I cut him off clean.

It was true. Gikwang and I met a few years ago at this club along with a few of his friends and yeah—we went out a few times, but we never really became labeled as “official.” I couldn’t bring myself to feel the same way he did about me. He was wealthy and was born into an extremely respectable status. I didn’t want to destroy his reputation and drag him down into this hellhole of a life with me. I had my life, and he had his, and I believed that it was best to keep it that way. Despite the complicated and unstable relationship we had with each other, I loved and respected him so much—but only so much as a close friend. However, he persistently claims me to be his partner.

“Nat, stop it. You know I hate it when we talk about—“

“If you hate it, then stop seeing me, GiKwang,” I interrupted. I was not in the mood to argue. I changed back into my normal clothes and left outside to my car.

Of course, being the stubborn guy he is, GiKwang followed right behind me.

He harshly grabbed ahold of my arm and spun me around to face him. In contrast of the hard, fixed look in his eyes, the gentle touch of his palm to my cheek perfectly balanced it out.

“Nat, you know damn well how I feel about you,” he whispered. “Please just accept things the way they are and give—“

I lightly shoved his hand away and refused to directly look at him.

“GiKwang, you’re better than this. Don’t hurt yourself and your future over someone as incapable and worthless as me. I know you’ve heard this many times, but you deserve better—honestly,” I spoke bitterly. I felt my eyes beginning to water.

We stood there for a while—in the puzzling atmosphere—unsure of what to say to one another. I awkwardly tucked a lock of hair behind my eyes and sniffed.

“Well, uh, it’s getting late. We should both be on our way now. Good night, GiKwang,” I broke the silence before unlocking my car and getting inside.

Turning on the engine, I pushed on the gas pedal and slowly began moving out of my parking spot. Before driving off, I caught a glimpse of GiKwang’s distressed eyes in my rear view.

And I swear, at that moment, my heart broke into millions of pieces.

I’m so sorry, GiKwang.

I pushed harder on the gas pedal, and drove off into the darkness until he was no longer visible.

I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! \o/ If you'd like, feel free to leave me any kind of feedback! ^-^ ♡