“Hello gorgeous.” The raspy voice said. He was talking to me, but I didn’t want to answer. The last time someone flattered me, I ended up in this godforsaken warehouse. I was freezing, dizzy, confused, and completely not in the mood to be flirted to by a complete creepy stranger. The man, whose face was illuminated slightly had black hair and sharp, feline eyes, lined in black. I couldn’t see anything else. The man didn’t say anything, when I suddenly heard a strike of a match and saw his entire face light up from the flame. I got a glimpse of his high cheekbones, bow shaped lips, carved jawline and a dimple as a result of his constant smirk in his left cheek. I then sensed smoke and haze waft around me, smelling of grass and other herbs. I could see his eyes close in satisfaction and when he opened his eyes again, they were a bit lidded, but dilated, so none of his grey irises could be seen. Only black. 

I stayed silent trying not to take in whatever was bringing his high. He took another loud drag and blew out a rather impressive smoke ring that looked yellow from the terrible lighting in the warehouse. 

“Ahh. That’s better. Isn’t it? More relaxed, if I say so. What about you? You look like you need some.” The man chuckled deeply in his throat. I had no idea what was going on. I was less scared and more intrigued by the character I was face to barely visible face with. 

“How did I end up here?” I asked, much less masculinely than I wanted to. I tried to change the subject, as I didn’t want whatever he was smoking. 

“You don’t remember anything? Did that son of a Joon go and drug another beauty again?” The man asked himself, cursing under his breath. I was really confused now. 

“Who?” I asked. The man snapped out of his mental conversation and answered. 

“Joon. The guy who picked you up at the bar? He didn’t even give you his name before he drugged you? Damn.” He said, shaking his head. As he continued living in his hazy state, his voice dragged on at certain syllables, almost as if he were talking in his sleep. I also noticed that even though he was now higher than Namsan Tower, his voice still rolled out words that were full of excitement and charisma. 

“So he drugs people a lot, I see. Did he...take advantage of me?” I asked. I had to know. I had to be tested for STD’s, cases have helped work on often involved ual abuse, so I was really paranoid. 

“No, no. Don’t worry. He put you up in the Castle and was going to, I presume. But, Bling found you and had to punch Joon out. He didn’t really know where else to take you, so he dropped you in here. And as this is my office, I found you and here we are.” The man explained. He used names I had never heard before. Bling? And who was Joon again? And what was the Castle? 

He seemed to recognize my confusion. He turned around, dragged a large wooden crate towards me, and sat on it, now completely under the light. I could see all of him. He was tall, taller than me anyway, but thin. He wore an eccentric three piece, pin stripped violet suit and dark circles, hastily covered up with makeup to match the insane color of his get up. His tie was the plainest thing on him, as it was solid black to match the stripes lining his suit. His ears were pierced with numerous studs and other ear accessories. He wore about five rings on each hand. His shoes were a metallic silver with a purple gleam to them. His hair was shiny and black and his eyes looked even more mysterious and defined up close. His shortened violet pants revealed dress that looked like New Year’s Eve. He even wore a white and black checkered pocket square and had his fingernails painted a matte black. I took it all in, finally noticing a long intricate pipe that was carved to be in the shape of a castle. I had never looked at someone so busy and intriguing in my life. 

He blew a few more smoke rings before speaking. I tried not to cough. 

“The Castle, is the street’s hotel. Although, it’s less of a hotel, as it is a crime center, a brothel, and gin joint. Joon took you there to have his way with you when my good friend Bling found you. He said you were singing in your drugged state and knew you weren’t from around here. He grabbed you, punched Joon in the face and brought you to me. You should thank him when you get the chance, honey.” The man said smoothly and slowly, breathing in and out deeply, relishing in the euphoria he was experiencing. 

The street. What street? Do I even trust this guy? I was so baffled by what was going on. I didn’t even know where I was or who I was with. 

“You said this was your office?” I asked, stupidly, not being able to ask a useful question. 

“Yep. My warehouse. I basically organize meetings for people and act as the middle man for transactions. Rich people who come around here have no idea what they’re doing with their money, so I give ‘em what’s coming. How else would I make my money?” The man laughed. 

“You scam rich people out of money...” I concurred. “By acting as the middle man...I’m a lawyer you know!” I said loudly. 

“I knew that already. I took the liberty of going through your wallet.” He answered casually. 

“And you’re not afraid that I’ll...wait. You went through my wallet?!” I asked in shock. I was feeling a bit less, well, drugged. 

“I didn’t steal anything, baby. Do your worst, but no one dares to come around here. Crimes happen whenever and there’s no stopping them. The best way to live here, is to become one of them. Don’t you see? This is the only way I can make money. I’m not strong enough to street fight like Min, and definitely not retail material like Bling, and I would become a performer like Taebaby, but that wouldn’t make me as much money, now would it?” He asked, letting the question hang in the air. He listed another set of people who I didn’t know, other than hearing about Bling again. 

Street fighting...for money? 

“Can I know your name?” I asked, beginning confidently, but shrinking back when I saw the man’s eyes narrow. 

“You wanna know who I am, Mr. Lee Jinki?” The man asked me. I was going to ask how he knew my name, but then I remembered that he looked through my wallet. 

I nodded my head. Did I actually want to know who he was? 

“My name is Key. I have a real name. Don’t ever call me by it if you find out what it is.” He answered. “I’m twenty five years old and I would personally like to welcome you to our street.” Key said, not so subtly. Nothing about him was subtle, though. 

Key. He even had a showy name. A costume, I figured. He lived behind this costume. Something within me made me want to be friends with him. I don’t know why, and maybe I’ll never know, but I definitely would come to not regret it. 

“Tell me about yourself, Mr. Gorgeous Lawyer who has nothing on me and won’t tell anyone about what he sees around here.” Key said in one breath, continuing to smoke and blow smoke rings to the side. 

“I’m twenty nine. I’m a lawyer. I...uh...am on leave and I don’t know what I’m doing here.” I admitted. 

“Well, Jinki hyung,” Key said, stressing the “hyung” with a comical tone, “I would personally like to show you around the street, once I’m finished with this.” He said waving his pipe around. 

“You’re pipe looks like a castle...is that a coincidence?” I asked, feeling at ease around him, although I didn’t know why. 

“Nothing around here is a coincidence. You’ll learn that soon enough, no matter how long you stay here.” Key answered, inspecting his pipe. 

“I’m staying here?” I asked. I had an apartment, a nice one and I was on paid leave. Something about Key, made me want to stay. 

“Yeah. Bling has a joint apartment, biggest one around here, since he probably has one of the more stable jobs, owning the record store and all...I’ll take you to him, yes?” He asked me. I couldn’t say no. 

He helped me up, off the ground and I followed him out of the warehouse, and onto the street, being blinded by both the natural sunlight, and the light reflecting off of Key’s large silver shoes. 

A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter! You met KEY!! Sorry for the lack of updates on everything,  I've been extremely busy. COMMENT IF YOU WANT I LOVE COMMENTS!