This is just a warning. This story is an AU, which is also a bit of a spin-off of 'The Heirs'. And this is also ridiculously long, just warning you now. Also as you've noticed this is just part 1 and I'm writing as I go so I don't know how long this is. It may be 2 parts, 3 or more... I'm not sure, that's also the reason why I posted it already.

Myungsoo's Beautiful Stranger (Part 1)

It was a Friday night, and the club was b with energy. The DJ was at his booth – an elevated stage in front of the dance floor – playing and mixing music that was blasting through the speakers of the club. An army of bodies was moving to the rhythm and beat of the music on the dance floor. The temperature was cold… but not for the ones at the dance floor, the air was thick and heated even though cold air was blasting through the air vents. The dim lighting looked brighter because of the kaleidoscope of different colored lights that seemed to be omnipresent in the club.

But amongst the throng of people in the club, there seemed to be someone who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else but where she was at the present. She was sitting inside of an exclusive private booth (for VIPs) in the club where the music was a bit muted so that it could allow conversations to take place. Quietly sipping her cocktail, she listened to the conversation that was going on at the table… 'If it could even pass as one.' she thought with a roll of her eyes, it was more of a gossip than a proper conversation.

So, instead of listening to the mindless chatter that was going on… she decided to make the most of the current situation that she had found herself in and listened to the music. As much as she loved her friends, there was an end to her patience. And it was teetering to the edge ever since they (her friends) dragged her from her office to go 'clubbing' as they had said. 'Clubbing' seemed to mean drinking alcohol and gossiping as it turned out… or maybe it was more, but it was her current definition because it was what they were doing at the moment. 'Or maybe dancing was also included?' she asked herself.

With that thought, she concentrated a bit more on the music that was playing. Slightly bobbing her head to the beat, she begrudgingly admitted that the music was good and the DJ has good taste. Letting herself get lost to the music, she did not hear the hushed and giddy turn of their conversation (gossip) until one of her friends squealed… or is it two? Three?

She did not even mind her friends when they squealed, it's not like it was a scream that could mean that they are in danger. Knowing her friends, it must just mean that they had stumbled upon a nasty (intriguing(?)) piece of gossip, or – she was not able to continue that train of thought because someone cleared their throat. When she looked up from her cocktail to see the person who could've been trying to get her attention… or someone else's, she was not sure but it's better to be safe than sorry. And what she saw were some familiar faces and another one that she doesn't recognize, so it was natural that her attention focused on the people she knew and totally ignored the odd person out.

"Taec! Khun! Jihoon!" She enthusiastically greeted them and all but leaped out of her seat to hug them, it was a good thing that she was sitting near the edge of the velvety booth couch, or else she might've run over someone in her haste to get out of the booth.

"Amber, long time no see." was the greeting that gave Jihoon her when he hugged her.

"Yeah, it's been too long `Ber. Where have you been hiding?" Taecyeon asked her while he enclosed her inside his arms. Amber laughed at that question and she might have even heard Min saying "Where do you think? In her office." Which might be true, or not.

"Yeah, we haven't seen you since last year." was what Nickhun said when it was his turn to hug her.

"Well, you know – I've been busy; the company was not going to run by itself." She answered.

"That's an awfully long hug, Khunnie. If I did not know better I'm going to be jealous and I would think that you're cheating on me with Amber." Victoria teased from where she sat, not even bothering to stand up and break the hug herself; she was sitting in beside Min who was on her left, and Ailee who was on Min's left.

Nickhun feigned a gasp and squeezed Amber tighter, enough for her to stutter in a breath when he hugged her tighter but only for a second before he loosened his hug. "How, did you know? I thought we were being discreet. Amber, I think we need to elope." he told her but Amber's head was buried on his chest and her shoulders were shaking with laughter, and Nickhun could hear the silent giggling coming from her. And could see the amused expressions of the people seating at the table and could feel the amusement coming from behind him that were from his friends. And then he could even feel the raised eyebrow that was coming from one of his friends if that was even possible.

And then someone cleared their throat again and Amber could tell that it was the same person who did the same thing just a while ago, and could also feel that the person was getting impatient from being ignored.

Amber extracted herself from the hug, wiped the tears from her eyes from too much laughing (thank god for the waterproof makeup that her friends put on her), and turned around only to find an unfamiliar face. Unfamiliar but somewhat familiar, she felt that she had seen his face somewhere.

The man smiled – a perfect set of white teeth were shown – and introduced himself, "I'm Kim Myungsoo, I believe we haven't met before." and then she offered his right hand for a handshake.

She returned the smile and did the same, "Amber Liu – or Liu, Amber if you follow how Koreans arrange their names… I think I've seen you before." she said after a bit of a pause, and then she took his hand with her own for the handshake but remaining holding onto it, and seemed like she was thinking of something hard if her furrowed brows and pursed lips were any indications. The hold on his hand was not tight nor loose… but firm. And he could not, for the life of him, find the urge to separate their hands by his own. If it was another woman he would've done so by now.

The woman – Amber – his mind supplied, had pixie cropped dark hair; the cut was masculine but it seemed to suit her as it highlights her almond-shaped brown eyes, tall nose, and full pink lips (and she looks much too natural to be artificial). Her makeup was almost non-existent, a little eye makeup and a bit of color on her lips and that were it… and he was glad that was it, it almost seemed like a crime to cake her face with makeup, her pale skin seemed to glow instead of looking sickly. Her elegant slender neck was on display because of her hair, but it could be thanks to the modest cut of her sleeveless simple white blouse that only had a few buttons that adorned it. The blouse was not tight fitted but, rather, it looked comfortable to move around in… but it doesn't hide her curves. Her long legs were encased in a pair of black trousers, it was not even a pair of hot pants, tight-fitting skinny jeans or a skirt but it looked right on her… and dare he says it y, the trousers only hugs her hips and then it just flows freely in a straight cut up to her feet. Her feet were encased in a pair of smart-heeled black shoes, not too high to impede movement but not too low to be called flats. All in all, she was a stunning but practical woman, someone who he hadn't met in a long time.

His assessment of her was cut off by her soft 'ah'. And then she pulled her hands from his, the first thought that came through his mind was that he missed the warmth from her hand, but that was a ridiculous thought. They just met.

She snapped her fingers in a moment of triumph of remembering where she had seen him and told him so.

"You were in this month's issue of that magazine 'The Most' right?" she asked him.

"Amber, you read showbiz magazines now? Is the world ending?" Ailee asked dramatically, Amber turned in their direction and she could see Min and Victoria looking as if a scenario like that was happening as Ailee had said. They were clasping each other's hands and someone had even made a Sign of the Cross, Amber rolled her eyes and she could see the guys shaking their heads in amusement and smiling because of their girlfriends.

So Amber explained, "No, Woori showed it to me. You know her – always holding those magazines of hers – I swear, I think most of her wage goes to those magazines." she said with another roll of her eyes. She returned her attention to Myungsoo, he was a handsome man. The magazine photo did not do him justice, cropped dark hair with eyes like night, tall nose, naturally pink lips, and a shapely jaw… Amber could see why he was tagged as the next sought-after bachelor in town after the mass media had come to the knowledge that her friend's boyfriends were no longer in the market (not single). Her friends (Nickhun, Taecyeon, and Jihoon) were the kind people that grace magazine covers seeing that they were CEOs and heirs of successful business in Korea, like:

Nickhun Buck Horvejkul was an American-born Thai that migrated to South Korea, is an heir of an international recording label that one could almost say that Crescendo Music can almost monopolize the music industry by itself. Not to mention the dashing good looks that accompanied him, he was given the moniker 'Thai Prince', it was almost ironic that he does not resemble a typical Tha