~ Kim HyunA~

At first, Hyuna had thought that having YongGuk hang around the store was odd, but after a while, she accepted his presence as curiousity. He explained that he was just passing through and didn’t plan on staying long, in which Hyuna connected with immediately. She found herself opening up to him and telling him where she had been and where she had wanted to go, only to discover that he had been to many of the same places plus some others. She thought that he had a comfortable personality and was easy for her to talk to. He had a love for nature, and could find beauty in anything.

He hung around the store, chatting and helping to straighten up, but never coming behind the counter. He laughed and joked with her, and was watchful as other customers came in. Despite meeting him the very same day, Hyuna had a trust in this boy and felt more relaxed with him being around. She felt like she could connect with him in more ways than she could with CL or BiRain or even JunHyung.

By the end of the day, YongGuk had told her that she could call him “Guk” for short.

“So,” he says while sitting backwards on one of the chairs, watching her put away the excess bakery goods for the evening, “Where are some good places to eat around here?”

“Well,” Hyuna starts, only to be interrupted by the sound of the store door opening. She looks up to see JunHyung enter, looking tired from a long day’s work. “JunHyung!” she exclaims with a smile, causing YongGuk to turn to face him. “How was your day?”

“Long,” JunHyung mumbles and tries to force a smile. “How was yours?”

“It was good, actually!

JunHyung’s eyes pause on YongGuk and his face twists to discomfort and confusion as his mouth opens but no words come out.

“Oh, JunHyung, this is Guk…or YongGuk I mean. He’s new to town.” Hyuna introduces, “YongGuk this is JunHyung.”

“Nice to meet you,” YongGuk’s face immediately turns pleasant as he stands and holds out his hand.

“Yes,” JunHyung mumbles as he reaches for it and they shake, “Nice to meet you.”

The boys stare at each other for a moment, and Hyuna looks back and forth between them. “So,” she clears , and they break their stares to look at her, “Guk was just asking me about good places for dinner. Since I’m still new around here, I don’t really know of any, but you do, JunHyung!”

“Right,” JunHyung smiles to her and walks behind the counter, Guk’s eyes following him, “There’s some great places to eat at the center of town. The number 5 bus will take you straight in. You’ll find some there.” JunHyung leans on the counter with his hands clasped and smiles to YongGuk.

Guk returns the smile and walks to the counter in front of Hyuna. “That sounds good, JunHyung, thanks. I’ve been meaning to ask you all day, Hyuna, but would you like to accompany me to dinner? Since I don’t exactly feel confident in transportation or anything like that around here.”

“Me?” Hyuna’s eyes widen and she glances to JunHyung, “Um, well…”

“We were just about to head out ourselves,” JunHyung interrupts, looking down at them from the end of the counter.

“Oh, really?” Guk asks, looking to Hyuna with soft eyes.

“I guess so,” she mumbles. After a second she carefully looks to JunHyung and then back. “Would you…like…to join us?” she offers and Guk’s eyes light up as he smiles.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“Yeah, Hyuna, are you sure?” JunHyung stands up.

“Sure! Why not? We can all go get something to eat. JunHyung knows some great places!” she looks to him with eyes that say I’m sorry, but this is okay, trust me.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Guk raises his hands.

“No, no!” Hyuna’s fast to assure him, “You’re new to town! I know how that feels, and JunHyung and everyone took me out all the time and really made me feel welcome,” she smiles to JunHyung and he returns it, “So of course we want to take you out too!”

“Well…great!” YongGuk smiles as he looks to JunHyung.

“I just need to close up shop,” Hyuna says as she quickly finishes putting everything away and cleaning up. She makes sure to lock it with the set of keys that CL left for her, and then they all head down the street toward the bus station.

The trip to the city feels a little awkward as Hyuna sits in between the boys. One moment JunHyung will talk to her about work and the day, and the next Guk will ask her about her travels and her time in Chinju. She tries to get them to talk to each other, about working and hobbies and such, but neither seems to connect on anything. When YongGuk mentions something about what he’s seen in the mountains, JunHyung will talk about something he experienced in the cities. The only thing that Hyuna finds they have in common, is tattoos, as she points out a black ink tattoo on YongGuk’s shoulder blade that says “Do what u like and luv What u do” with three stars above it.

“It means what it says,” he states as he looks to it over his shoulder, “That no matter what you do in life, you should find the bright side and enjoy it. Work for what you love.”

The only positive reaction YongGuk could have received from JunHyung that evening was a nod at the meaning of the tattoo, and then JunHyung flaunted his own, to which Guk also only nodded.

Hyuna sighs as the bus comes to a stop in the city, and JunHyung grabs her hand and jumps up to get off. Guk’s eyes widen with the suddenness of the exit, and he reaches forward and grasps Hyuna’s other hand as to not be left behind as he trails out of the bus last. JunHyung’s eyes stare down at Guk’s hand holding Hyuna’s once they stand on the street, and Guk stares back at JunHyung’s face without expression. Hyuna again clears as she drops both of their hands and wipes them on her pants.

She looks around the street and points to a restaurant, “That one looks good,” she says as she heads across the road, the boys quick to follow her on each side. “I’m hungry,” she says as she grips her stomach. “I’m in need of nourishment.”

“I’m in need of meat,” YongGuk laughs.

“I’m going to be in need of a drink,” JunHyung mumbles.

~ ~ ~

The dinner went just about the same as the bus ride…quiet and awkward with forced conversations and a lot of staring competitions. As JunHyung mentioned upon entering, everyone agreed that drinks were in order after dinner, and JunHyung led the way to a bar down the road.

~ Goo Hara~

Goo Hara sighs as she presses her fingers to her temple, a headache pounding behind her eyes. She grunts as she scratches at her head, her hair tightly pulled back into a ponytail for her bar night attire. She wears a tight top that stops just above her belly button and tight black leather pants with high heels, anything to make her look even smaller than she actually was.

She rolls her eyes and slides to the edge of the barstool as the man next to her leans in again with his alcohol stench leaking out his mouth with every word. He was a big man, tall and strongly built, but after a short conversation with him to find that he worked on a barge at sea, Hara knew he wouldn’t have any money to spend on her outside of the cheap drinks at the bar as well as the intellect of a fish. In other words, she had completely lost interest in him, but was stuck with him at her side until someone new came along. Unfortunately for her, the next person would have to be even bigger and stronger if this guy was to let her go without a fight.

As he starts to mumble something about her beauty, Hara turns around and searches the nightclub for an escape route or for one of her friends she’d come with. She sighs and is about to tell him that she has to use the bathroom when she spots sight of Yong JunHyung entering the club. Hara’s eyes brighten and she brings her finger to , thinking how lucky she was to be here this night.

JunHyung looks good as he wears a white t-shirt with jeans and shoes, his work attire. He always looked good, no matter what he wore. Although he wasn’t bigger than this man at her side, she knew that JunHyung had a reputation for being skilled in fighting. His arm muscles were chiseled and he had a strong neck. His eyes looked fierce as he looked around the club, and the lights shined along the sweat around his jaw and neck.

Hara bites her lips and hops off the seat, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder as she watches JunHyung. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” she says to him without looking.

“Where are you going, baby?” the man coos as he reaches for her hand, but she removes it before he can touch her.

JunHyung seems to be tired, or aggravated as he glances around the bar, and then turns around to talk to someone behind him. And then Hara sees her, that terrible trashy girl from the bakery…Heera or something. Hara’s lips turn up in a sneer as that girl reaches for JunHyung’s hand, and he lets her take it. He pulls her through the crowd, nearing the other end of the bar. Hara watches as they weave through the other people, and then she notices that the girl is also speaking with another man behind her. This man is big, taller than JunHyung with more muscles and a stronger face. Not a bad looking guy at all. He wears casual clothes as well, with a wife beater to show off his chest and abs muscles, as well as his toned arms. The group of three takes a seat at the bar, the girl between both of them. Hara sits back on the stool to watch them, feeling the other man’s hand on her shoulder. She turns her head to the side as JunHyung orders some drinks and then turns to the girl. Hara’s lips twist into a smile as she stands and makes her way through the crowd, the man calling to her as she goes.

She pushes others out of her way as she shoves through the crowded bar and comes out to stand next to the second man with JunHyung. She clears and takes a seat by him, but his attention is on JunHyung and that terrible little girl. Hara rolls her eyes and grinds her teeth in aggravation.

She forces a smile and twists to face the bartender, placing her hand on the man’s broad shoulders.

“Excuse me,” she laughs, pulling the guy’s attention towards her. He looks to her with deep brown eyes. She smiles as she thinks that he has a nice complexion as well. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she smiles to him, blinking her long lashes, “I thought you were someone else.”

“It’s okay,” the guy answers in a deep voice, turning back around.

“Um,” Hara continues, tugging on his shoulder again, “Do you think you could order me a drink?”

The man turns to her again and raises an eyebrow.

“Hara?” JunHyung calls from the other side as he leans into view. “What are you doing here?”

“JunHyung?” Hara exclaims, taking her hand off the guy and bringing it to her face in shock. “How good to see you out again!” she smiles, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you at the club scene.” JunHyung, the girl, and the new boy look to her without expression, and she smirks. “I’m here with my friends.”

“The Kara girls?” JunHyung mumbles.

Hara fakes a laugh, “You remembered what we used to call ourselves? How cute!”

JunHyung rolls his eyes, and the girl looks away from her and towards him, making Hara’s lip twitch with irritation. “What was your name again?” she calls over the blaring music and other people’s shouting.

The girl looks to her with wide eyes, and then glances to JunHyung again. Stop looking at him you little wench, Hara shouts in her head. “Uh,” the girl turns back to her and Hara smiles wider, “Hyuna.”

“Oh that’s right!” Hara points her finger to her, “You were working off your debts at CL unnie’s bakery!” Hyuna again looks between the boy and JunHyung, not replying to Hara. “That’s funny,” she continues, “From what I heard…you should have been let go yesterday.”

“I’ve decided to stay,” Hyuna announces, turning to face Hara.

“Why?” Hara has to freeze her face in a smile to avoid showing her disgust.

“I’m helping Chaelin unnie a little longer.”

Hara blinks and nods, “Oh, I see. Okay.” She shrugs and turns to the bartender to relax her facial muscles. After a second she turns around and leans against the counter, “Who’s your friend?” she asks as she looks down to the guy.

“His name in YongGuk,” JunHyung answers for her and the boy looks up to her.

“YongGuk,” Hara repeats, and then holds out her hand daintily, “My name is Goo Hara.” She smiles.

The boy looks over his shoulder to Hyuna and then back to Hara as he grips her hand, his skin feeling a bit rough but with a strong grip. “Nice to meet you,” he says with a low rumble in his voice.

Hara smiles, liking this boy. “I haven’t seen you in town before, and I’ve seen just about everyone in town. My father is the police chief of Chinju.”

“I’m new,” he answers, turning slightly back towards Hyuna and JunHyung, “Just passing through.”

“How interesting,” Hara says softly, looking down to his arms. “How do you know my JunHyung and Heera?”

“Hara, what are you doing?” JunHyung asks as he moves away and puts himself between her and YongGuk.

Hara smirks at him and takes a look at how his white t-shirt is stained with the sweat of his work. “JunHyung,” she says for only him to hear, “I didn't know that you liked to hang out with such trash,” she glances to Hyuna and back.

JunHyung’s lip curls into a sneer and he lifts his hand quickly, almost to slap her. She shuts her eyes for a moment only to open them to see his hand hovering near her face, quivering. He snarls as his fingers turn to point a finger at her. “Don’t talk about her like that,” he growls, sweat beading on his forehead, “You don’t know anything about her!”

“And you do?” Hara challenges, with knowing eyes.

Hara’s eyes flicker to Hyuna and she closes in a thin smile. She blinks and then her head to the side, “I guess I trust you,” she says as glances to his hand and pushes off of the counter, “It was good running into you like this, JunHyung! And, Hyuna, dear, it was great to see you again! And…YongGuk, was it? I’m so very glad to have met you!” her eyes shift between the three of them with a frozen smile on her face before she stops on YongGuk, “I really hope we run into each other again!” she winks and then turns away in a flash, slipping easily through the crowd.

As soon as she turns, her face fades into anger as she shoves past people and makes her way back to the vacant bar seat next to the big, sailor, who welcomes her return with a boozy smile. Hara shrugs past him and slumps in the seat, her elbows resting on the counter and her face hidden in her hands in aggravation.

Hyuna that ! She screams in her head, A fright like that doesn’t deserve someone like JunHyung! Someone so calm, cool, and collected as him. And she definitely shouldn’t think that someone as rugged and handsome as YongGuk would be interested in her! What does she have that I don’t? Besides dirt under her fingernails.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” the man asks in her ear, and she pushes his face away.

“I have an S-line!” she shouts into her hands.

“Yeah, you do!” The man laughs, putting his arm around her waist.

She grunts as she peels his hand away.

“What happened, baby?” he asks again, “Who upset you? You tell me… and I’ll take care of them!”

Hara’s head snaps up with her eyes open in sudden realization. She turns stares ahead at JunHyung and Hyuna and YongGuk on the other side of the bar, anger rising inside of her. She grinds her teeth and then puts her face in her hands again, crying out loud and heaving her shoulders.

“She’s terrible! Just terrible!” She sobs.

“Who?” the man asks, placing his arms over her shoulders again.

This time, she allows his touch, “That terrible girl!” she cries.

“What happened?”

Hara twists her face to him, forcing out a tear. “That girl across the bar called me horrible names,” she pouts.

“What names?” he asks as his face hardens and his arm flexes across her back.

“She called me a . A . A wench.” Hara turns her face back into her hands and sobs.

“Awe, that’s alright, dear, don’t worry what she says.” He pats her back a little too hard.

“No!” Hara shrieks, “She called me ugly! And she said how much better looking she is than me!”

“What? Who?”

Hara points her finger to Hyuna across the bar.

“That girl?” the man stares at her and raises an eyebrow and shrugs.

Hara sneers and cries louder, pulling his attention back to her. “She has no idea what I’ve gone through to look like this!”

“You look good!”

“She said I look ugly! And those horrible boys next to her agreed! They called me a tramp and called me the most hideous girl they’ve seen!”

“What?” the man thunders, looking back across the bar. Hara cries more, making her body shudder. “Is there anything I can do?” the man asks.

“I wish I would have just slapped her across her ugly little face!” Hara exclaims, sitting up.

“You should have!”

“What I wouldn’t give to see that happen!” she crosses her arms over her chest and glances to him.

“Go confront her.” He mumbles.

Hara rolls her eyes, “I can’t do it now! Those guys will definitely hit me!”

He looks back to Hyuna and Hara turns around and brings her arm to . She clamps her teeth onto her flesh and then turns back.

The man sighs and looks back to Hara as she looks at her arm pulling his attention down to see the teeth marks. “Oh!” He exclaims, “What’s that?”

Hara starts to cry again, “That little brat even bit me! She’s a monster I’m telling you! A little beast!”

The man’s eyes widen and his mouth drops open. Hara twists her chair to face him, and then looks up to him from under her long eyelashes, drenched in tears. She sits up and scoots closer to him, lightly touching his bicep with her fingers. “I wish someone would teach her a lesson,” Hara says softly, “What I wouldn’t give to see someone march right up to her and teach her a lesson! That she can’t act like a wild animal and insult and afflict people like this! My police chief daddy would do it for sure! He would even give a medal to whoever did it for me. But…I can’t go and do that with those two scary men by her.” Hara pouts her lips.

“She really bit you?” the man asks quietly.

Hara nods, jutting her lips out and then burying her face in her hands and crying again.

“Don’t worry, baby,” the man states, taking another chug of his beer and then slamming it down on the counter. “I’ll teach that little girl a set of manners, just you watch and see!” he pushes away from the bar and stomps through the crowd, moving people as he goes.

Hara looks up from her hands and turns to face JunHyung, Hyuna, and YongGuk. She leans forward and wipes her tears away with her hands, and then folds them and places her chin on top, waiting to watch the show… twisting up in a grin.

~ Kim HyunA~

After a couple drinks, Hyuna knew that JunHyung can’t hold alcohol well, and she watches as he downs another beer. She purses her lips, feeling his aggravation and drunken stupor. She sighs as she places a hand on his arm, “Let’s go, JunHyung,” she says, “I’m tired. I want to go, please.”

JunHyung looks from her to YongGuk, who catches his eyes and nods. Ever since Hara, the bar atmosphere had been ruined for them all.

“Let’s get out of here,” JunHyung says, rising and taking Hyuna’s hand to lead her out.

“Right behind you,” YongGuk says, finishing his beer and then getting up to follow Hyuna.

As they shove through the crowd, someone taps Hyuna’s shoulder separating her from JunHyung, and she turns to face a gigantic man with an up curled lip. She blinks and then tries to move around him, but she steps in front of her path. He holds up a finger and wags it back and forth.

“We need to talk,” he states in a strong but distant voice, “Who do you think you are?”

“What?” Hyuna raises an eyebrow and looks around for JunHyung.

“You crazy little animal,” the man continues, pulling Hyuna’s attention back to him.

JunHyung comes back and joins Hyuna’s side. He follows her gaze to the man and looks up to him.

“You ugly little beast,” the man spits to the side.

JunHyung takes a step in front of Hyuna and looks at the man’s eyes, “What did you just say?” he asks.

The man places a hand on JunHyung’s chest, and JunHyung simply looks down to it and then back up. The man’s eyes turn to him, “Back away, little man,” he says as he slightly shoves JunHyung back a step. He then points his finger at Hyuna, “You little monster, you think you’re any good?”

JunHyung jumps in, shoving the man’s hand away and placing himself directly in front of him and before Hyuna. “You drunken bastard,” he says through his teeth.

“JunHyung, stop it,” Hyuna tries to say as she grabs his shoulders to move him away, “He’s drunk, leave him alone and let’s go!”

“Get out of here!” the guy says as he puts a hand on JunHyung’s shoulder and swipes him to the side.

“Hey!” Hyuna shrieks jumping forward and pushing the man’s chest with both hands, but not moving him more than a step.

The man looks to her with his teeth showing, and he raises his hand. Hyuna’s eyes widen right before she squeezes them shut, feeling the firm impact of the back of the man’s hand across her right cheek, sending her head twisting to the side. She squeals as she brings her hand to her stinging face, her pulse thudding in her ringing ears. She peaks through her eyes to see JunHyung throw his fist into the man’s jaw, tossing the man’s whole body twirling with his punch.

“Hyuna,” JunHyung breathes as she places his hands gently on her back, “Are you okay?”

Before she can reply, the man turns back around and spins JunHyung around by the shoulders, planting a firm punch to his face, sending him sliding across the bar floor on his back, his hand to his face.

“JunHyung!” Hyuna cries, hurrying down to his side and looking back up at the approaching man, who looks angrier than a steer in the run of the bulls.

She puts her body over JunHyung’s to protect him from any other incoming blows as the man nears. From behind them, YongGuk jumps out with a clean uppercut to the man’s jaw, sending his head flying backwards. He staggers back a couple steps and then Guk firmly places his foot right between the man’s rib cages, knocking the air out of him and shoving him to the ground, sending onlookers out of the way as he crashes down.

YongGuk’s shoulders rise and fall with his heavy breathing as he turns back to look at JunHyung and Hyuna on the ground. JunHyung sits on the floor, one hand on his mouth, and Hyuna crouches over top of him, her cheek red and swollen. Hyuna looks down to JunHyung, who looks up to YongGuk as he stares him in the eyes. 

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~ LC ~

What do you guys think? This is getting fun for me to write now ;) So look forward to more!