In the less populated section of the city sat Paradise, an unsuspecting bar wedged deeply in an alleyway. A sign hung from the brick of the alleyway entrance alerting those passing by of its existence, but that wasn’t enough to get people off the street to stop by for a cheap drink. Usually the bar was discovered through word-of-mouth and many new customers were surprised by this. Although Paradise looked like anything but from the outside, the inside was where the magic happened. Cheap alcohol, friendly bartenders, and a cozy atmosphere kept people coming for years. During the week it could be quite but once Friday rolled around the place was packed. Still, things never got too crazy in Paradise. It was the perfect place for people to relax and chat with friends over a beer undisturbed.

     It was the perfect place for people like Taeil and Bibi.

     The two sat with their backs against the bar, their eyes scanning all the faces scattered throughout the place. As much as Bibi wanted to enjoy her rum and Coke she couldn’t help but focus her attention on Taeil, his unusually solemn face worrying her to the point she couldn’t stomach the drink.

     “What’s with the long face?” She asked turning to him.

     Taeil sighed. “It’s so… dull here tonight! I was really hoping for some action.”

     Bibi couldn’t believe the words out of his mouth. “Wow, really, Taeil? That’s what’s bothering you? The lack of you’ll be getting tonight?”

     “It’s been two weeks, alright? With you not being in the mood lately I have to figure out something!”

     She shook her head. “Whatever. It’s only 9, the night is young.”

     The relationship between Taeil and Bibi was quite strange. They were tattoo artists who specialized in inking up the local gangs, their work revered for its consistency and beauty. They worked together and they lived together above their tattoo parlor, and judging by the way they always stuck by each other’s side but squabbled like children, it was no wonder most people assumed they were married. An open relationship was probably a better term for them, but if asked about how they felt towards one another both would be quick to spit out the word ‘hate.’ This didn’t deter them from their work as artists and it certainly helped with their other job. Considering their indirect connections with all the gangs they were occasionally hired to do gang-related work, but because Bibi and Taeil often acted like an old married couple, no one ever suspected a thing.

     Paradise was their bar of choice, the place where Bibi would help Taeil scout out some hot young thing to bring home and where she would flirt and toy with the bartenders to her heart’s content. Tonight was one of those nights where they were feeling less than romantic towards one another and wanted to branch out a bit, but to Taeil’s dismay there was no one good enough for his choosing.

     That is, until she walked in.

     Naturally Taeil was too glum to notice but Bibi picked up on her pretty round face right away. Her wavy black hair went just below her shoulder blades and her dark brown eyes were accented by precisely drawn eyeliner. Her style was minimalist yet chic, almost Parisian in nature. She walked into the bar like she owned the place, her lips curving into a smile when she caught the eyes of fellow customers. Just as Bibi was about to point her out to Taeil she looked her right in the eyes setting off an alarm in Bibi’s head.

     Her! It was her.

     Bibi leaned in close to Taeil. “Hey, look at that girl walking with that tall guy in the blazer. Don’t make it obvious.”

     Taeil nearly choked on his beer as he glanced at the girl. “Holy , she’s gorgeous!”

     Bibi smacked the back of his head. “Yeah, but look at her.”

     His eyes squinted through his thick-rimmed glasses as though he was trying to see through her. He studied the way her hips swayed as she walked over to a table, the way her hands pushed her hair out of her face before she sat down. As his imagination slowly started to wander he suddenly locked eyes with her and that’s when he felt the same sensation Bibi had felt. Taeil casually blinked away and leaned in close to Bibi’s ear.

     “So, you think that’s her? You think that’s the one everyone’s been talking about?”

     Bibi nodded and took her rum and coke from the counter. “They said the owner of Muhan was a woman, and you know by nine or ten at night on a weekday this place can turn into gang territory. Let’s just wait and see what happens. If you can, try to flirt with her. I’ll be busy with this cutie,” Bibi said as she nodded to the bartender and winked at him.

     Taeil nodded and looked back in the girl’s direction.

     Something seemed off about her, about that guy… He could feel it in the pit of his stomach that tonight might not be like every other night.

**********

     The night had been going just as expected for Haneul. After relaxing for a few hours when she arrived home from work she got ready and met up with Howon at the bar. He greeted her just as usual and everything seemed to be back to normal between them. They joked and laughed about silly things, and after the first beer Haneul felt comfortable enough to put her guard down just slightly. It had been a while since she visited Paradise, and although she was with someone she knew she had to be careful just in case. It didn’t help that some creepy guy was staring and smiling at her from across the bar every time she merely glanced in his direction, but after working late nights at a convenient store Haneul was used to strange characters.

     It was around ten when Howon sat back down at the table with their third round of beers. Haneul wasn’t usually a lightweight but it had been a while since she last went out just to drink, so already she was beginning to feel the alcohol’s effects. Of course, that didn’t stop her from giggling when she snatched the beer out of Howon’s hand.

     “Thank you, Howon!”

     He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Just drink up, OK? I told you tonight is my treat!”

     With that said Haneul pulled her chair close to his so their knees touched. Howon blushed but the lighting was too dim for Haneul to notice. She forcefully linked her arm with his and brought the bottle of beer to her lips.

     “Love shot!”

     “Haneul, we’re not doing shots, we’re drinking beer…”

     She sighed. “Just do it!”

     And so he obliged. They both laughed as they gulped down their beer and crashed them back onto the table when they were done. With each day they spent together Howon was finding it harder and harder to detach himself from her. Haneul was serious but had a sense of humor. She could be a hard- but she was always willing to listen. Haneul was a diligent and determined worker but was always so kind to Howon. He had been warned not to get attached, but there he was doing love shots and losing his head over her.

     The merriment was quickly killed when he looked up in the direction of the bar and saw the bartender giving him that look. He quickly remembered what he brought her here for, and his laughter died out instantly.

     It was time.

     “Haneul, I’m going to get us one more drink, then I think we should head home,” he explained as he stood from his chair.

     She smiled and nodded up at him. “Yeah, that’s a good idea, I’m kind of tired.”

     He went over to the very end of the bar and waited. The couple was still sitting at that bar and Howon wasn’t about to draw any unwanted attention from them. Although they looked harmless he could feel the black-haired male’s eyes on them for quite some time. The young woman had separated herself by that point and spent much of the night talking to the bartender, but when Howon stood at the counter the bartender tore himself away from her and casually walked over to him.

     “Hoya, my favorite customer!”

     “Cut it out, Sungjong, she only knows me as ‘Howon.’ I don’t want her to overhear.”

     Sungjong glanced in Haneul’s direction and smiled. “Alright, alright. She hasn’t suspected anything weird?”

     Hoya shook his head. “No, not to my knowledge, at least. She’s already tipsy so she’ll happily drink whatever I give her. You got it ready?”

     The younger male nodded and grinned. “You bet! I told Sunggyu I’d text him whenever she started drinking it, so I’ll keep an eye out from here.”

     Suddenly the atmosphere became tense. Both males looked over and found that black-haired male staring at them. When he realized he had been caught he got up from his stool and walked over to the brown-haired girl who had been chatting up Sungjong.

     Hoya sighed. “Can you do this without being seen?”

     Sungjong nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it now. By the way, it takes about five minutes to kick in from her first sip, so try to get her to really swallow it down, OK? The more she intakes the better and longer it will work.” And so he began the procedure. Sungjong took a bottle of beer and opened it up as quietly as he could. The whole time he was keeping an eye out for anyone who may have been watching but fortunately no one was including that strange couple. From his pocket he took a small vile of a clear liquid and quickly poured it into the beer. After shoving the vile back into his pocket Sungjong handed the beer to Hoya along with an unaltered bottle and sent him off.

     There was no turning back now.

     Hoya couldn’t believe what he was about to do but he was no longer at liberty to make his own decisions.

     He set down the special beer in front of Haneul and took a sip of his own before sitting down. Haneul thanked him and picked up the fresh bottle before nodding at him with a smile. As she brought the bottle to her lips Hoya stared at her blankly and watched everything unfold in slow motion. His heart began to race a thousand beats per second as she tilted her head back and let the cold beer pour through her lips and down . What Sungjong put in her beer wasn’t going to kill her, thankfully, but it would make her dizzy and eventually pass out giving Sunggyu the perfect opportunity to enter the bar and literally sweep her off her feet. Hoya looked over at Sungjong who was now on his phone, presumably texting Sunggyu and allowing the next stages to unfold. When Hoya realized Haneul had guzzled down nearly half of the beer he knew he didn’t want to be around to watch whatever would happen next, so he excused himself and went to the bathroom.

     Sungjong put his phone away and went back to talking to that girl whose name he learned was Bibi. She was older than him by a year or two but that didn’t take away from her mesmerizing beauty, and although Sungjong knew he shouldn’t be distracted at a time like this he just couldn’t help himself around pretty girls. As for the gentleman who had been with her for part of the evening, he was now nowhere to be seen.

*********

     What am I doing? Haneul is about to be kidnapped and I’m hiding in the bathroom…

     Hoya splashed water on his face and stared into the mirror. He couldn’t even recognize himself anymore. The old Hoya would have been sitting back there and watching everything unfold with a smile on his face. The old Hoya would have loved to see the downfall of anyone who dared to hurt his beloved friend Sunggyu, but that old Hoya was gone. In all the years he spent getting to know Haneul for this one moment he never really learned about her true backstory, just about the one she wanted people to believe was true, but despite knowing of the fabrication he let it go. Over time he began to believe the lies Haneul told about herself and where she came from, and now Hoya and her were real friends. He deeply cared about her, and although he was glad the old Hoya was gone, he felt disgusted that the new Hoya was such a coward and let Sunggyu indirectly control him like that. If he was really a man, he wouldn’t care about avenging Sunggyu’s past for him, he would care about being a decent human being.

     But that’s where Hoya was torn. Should he support the friend whose side he vowed to stay by even if that meant harming others, or should he go against him and realize that people change and not everything your friends stand for is good and true?

     There was so much more to it than that. Hoya’s relationship with his family was practically nonexistent but that didn’t mean he wanted harm to come to them. If Hoya went against Sunggyu and Sunggyu learned he did it on purpose, he wouldn’t hesitate to punish Hoya through his family. Sunggyu was the leader of a gang. He had contacts, he had deals with other people. If Sunggyu wanted to he could have Hoya’s entire family tree destroyed in a matter of days. Being a gang member meant living a life within intertwined webs. Nothing was simple anymore.

     Hoya splashed more cold water on his face and sighed. As he took one last look in the mirror he nearly screamed when he noticed that guy standing behind him.

     “What the ? When did you get here?”

     Taeil rolled his eyes. “What, I’m not allowed to piss in a restroom?”

     Hoya said nothing.

     “So, are you going to keep standing there or can I wash my hands?”

     Again he said nothing but moved over so the guy could clean up and get out.

     Taeil eyed Hoya as he dried his hands and adjusted his glasses. “You don’t look so good. Drink too much?”

     Hoya shrugged. “Yeah, uh, I guess I did…”

     Taeil grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Well, the last stall is the cleanest if you feel like puking!” He gave Hoya one last look before exiting the bathroom, leaving Hoya in great confusion.

     He sighed. Maybe I’m thinking about this too much… I’ll go back out in a few minutes…

*********

     After the third beer Haneul wasn’t quite drunk yet but she was certainly getting there. She probably should have paced herself better and she knew she could have done without that fourth beer Hoya bought for her, but after he put it down in front of her she had to drink it. Hoya had been so nice to her the entire evening and she didn’t want to be rude so she managed to chug almost half of it before he left to use the restroom.

     Five minutes had passed before Haneul started to become impatient. She looked at her phone and saw that it was only ten thirty. She didn’t have to be anywhere the following morning but she was suddenly feeling exhausted and wanted to go home.

     C’mon, Howon, I’m tired. Maybe I just need some fresh air…

     Haneul stood up to go outside but as soon as she pushed in her chair the room began to spin. Had she drank too much? When it came to alcohol Haneul knew her limits and generally four beers would get her drunk enough to dance without inhibitions but not enough to make her sick. It had been a few months since she last consumed any alcohol, so perhaps Haneul’s body wasn’t prepared for the evening. Whatever it was, Haneul couldn’t take a few steps without feeling a pounding in her head. She stared down at the floor with her hand in her hair, the other hand reaching out for something to stabilize herself.

     She gasped as she felt like she was about to topple over but someone grabbed onto her arm and kept her upright. Haneul looked over and couldn’t recognize the person through the haze, but she could tell it was a male with glasses.

     “Excuse me, who are you?” She managed to mutter.

     “Are you OK? Did you drink too much?”

     Haneul didn’t know how to respond so she nodded.

     Taeil looked over at Bibi who then took that as a sign. Bibi threw down some bills onto the counter and quickly left the bar. The bartender had gone to the backroom to get some more glasses giving Taeil and Bibi the chance to act fast. He allowed Haneul to lean on him as they made their way to the door but just as they were about to exit a voice called out loudly across the bar.

     “Haneul! Haneul!”

     Haneul looked over her shoulder and saw Hoya coming towards them.

     “Hoya!” She slurred, her free hand reaching out for him.

     Not wanting to cause a scene Taeil guided her over to her friend. He kept glancing over his shoulder looking for Bibi’s car as he knew they wouldn’t have much time left.

     “Hey, what do you think you’re doing with her?” Hoya asked as he glared down at Taeil.

     Haneul smiled. “He got a taxi for me!” Taeil never explicitly said anything of that nature but it sounded good enough for him not to interject.

     Hoya frowned. “Oh, did he? Haneul, you don’t need a taxi. I think you need to stay here, you can barely stand.”

     “If she wants to go home why not let her do as she pleases?” Taeil finally said as he glared right back at Hoya.

     “Because she came here with me and she’s my responsibility.” Hoya took a step closer to Taeil and clenched his fists.

     Haneul laughed and stuck her hand into Hoya’s chest. “Hey, I’m s- so tired, Howon. I want to sleep in my bed.”

     The presence of other people in the bar deterred Hoya from grabbing Haneul and shoving Taeil aside. If someone called the police because he started a fight he would put himself and Infinite at risk for being discovered. The local gangs weren’t completely hidden from the authorities but the members’ identities typically weren’t known. All he could do was grit his teeth and let Haneul make her own choices.

     “Fine, but don’t call me crying when you get robbed, or worse.”

     Haneul was barely able to lift her hand to wave goodbye and Taeil began guiding her out the bar. When they got outside and were finally near the street Haneul’s breathing began rapid and she frantically looked around. She forgot where she was and her vision was more clouded than ever.

     “Hey, where’s the taxi?” She mumbled with tears in her eyes.

     Taeil kept silent.

     Just as he was about to take out his cell phone and call Bibi, a black car came roaring around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of the pair. Bibi rolled down the window and nodded to Taeil.

     “Alright, girlie, we’re going to bring you home now,” Taeil said as he guided Haneul to the backseat.

     As the last of Haneul’s consciousness slipped away from her she took one last look at the alleyway. She couldn’t remember what day it was or who she came with, but something caught her eye just as she was about to go into the car. A group of three guys in black suits walked toward the alleyway, the one in the middle stopping as he noticed the car. When Haneul looked him in the eyes she became overwhelmed in memory. The black hair, his slightly parted lips, the way his brow furrowed when he was concentrating…

     Is… is that Sunggyu…?

     Her world went black as Taeil pushed her further into the backseat and slammed the door.

 **********

     “You idiot!” Sunggyu shouted as he smacked the back of Sungjong’s head.

     “Don’t get mad at me! I’m not the one who was supposed to be watching her, he was!” He said as he pointed at Hoya.

     Hoya shook his head. “What was I supposed to do, huh? I couldn’t force her to stay here, there were other people in the bar!”

     Sunggyu growled. “You’re both part of Infinite, this is everyone’s deal! I can’t ing believe this. She’s gone.”

     Woohyun sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “What were you doing all night anyway, Sungjong?”

     “Working! Cleaning, making drinks…”

     “Talking to some chick,” Hoya interrupted.

     “Shut up, Hoya. At least I wasn’t busy getting drunk and trying to makeout with some dumb enough to be your friend.”

     Hoya lunged at Sungjong but Woohyun and Sungyeol quickly held him back.

     Sunggyu sighed. “Alright, everyone calm down. Yelling at each other clearly isn’t going to get us anywhere…”

     “I don’t know what you want to do, Sunggyu, but we’ve been making a commotion in this backroom for too long and customers might get suspicious. I have to get back to work,” said Sungjong as he walked out and went back to the bar. 

     Woohyun glanced at the others. “Well? What now?”

     An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Sunggyu stood thinking.

     “Plan B.”

     Hoya gasped and looked at everyone. “Plan B? Sunggyu, if we get the bank involved that will put us all at risk…”

     Sunggyu nodded. “I know, but we’re running out of time. Haneul’s not stupid. When she wakes up tomorrow she’ll know something wasn’t right about tonight. We can’t let her continue to live in suspicion. By the end of the week we’ll stage the robbery with her as our prize.”

     Silence fell amongst the members as everyone mulled over Sunggyu’s words. Internally Hoya was screaming with joy that tonight’s plan failed. Haneul was back in safety’s arm for the moment, but he knew very well that the failure of Plan A meant something more sinister was coming. They would ‘rob’ the bank where Hoya and Haneul worked and kidnap Haneul in the process but something in the back of his mind told him to worry. He could tell by the look in Sunggyu’s eyes that now he would do whatever it took to bring Haneul back to Infinite’s headquarters, even if it meant blood spilled from the innocent.

     But Hoya wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. A rubberband could be stretched only so far before it snapped, and Hoya could feel his sanity drying out and ready to break at any moment.

     He couldn’t do this anymore. He had to find a way out.