004

Back home, I change into a simple lace black dress and fix my makeup, adding an extra layer of mascara and eye shadow, swiping red lipstick on my lips.

Once the sun sets in Seoul, the city comes alive as people seem to manifest out of the fog itself. The dull, grey sophistaction of the day fades to sleek, raw excitement of night. To clubs, to parties, dinners, meetings, the destination is irrelevant, just that the night draws us out like moths to a flame. Everything a coverup to hide how terrified everyone really was of this corrupt city.

Miyoko, Misa, Rebecca and Hongbin are already waiting at the entrance of the Cosmo. Everyone looks polished and refreshed for a night of entertainment, and Miyoko even replaced her usual glasses with contacts, her hair pulled back into a braid, leather skirt and gold earrings giving her an edgy look. Hongbin has his arm looped around Misa’s waist as usual, leaving the other two looking rather uncomfortable without their dates. Rebecca especially, she’s staring down at her red pumps like she wants to kill someone. It’s not until the others greet me that Rebecca notices I’m here. Great friend.

“Whoa,” she says as she gives me a once over, “you look hot,”

“So do you,” I say and mockingly wiggle my eyebrows at her. Her eyes are rimmed with smoky liner, giving off the impression that they’re actually glowing. Her hair is softly curled, and she’s painted her nails a lacquered jet black. She squeals in protest at my teasing and jogs in place a few steps, her heels clicking against the pavement.

“Let’s head inside, I’m so bored.”

“You’re bored already?”

“Shut up, Hongbin,”

 The sound of laughter washes over the rest of us as a group of five boys round the street corner. Ravi, Hyuk, and N are all talking and laughing, aside from Leo, who looks to be drifting along the sidewalk with his broad strides. All of them look undoubtedly handsome in their crisp, dark clothes. N even has on a leather jacket. A boy I’ve never seen before is among them, chatting with Ravi. My chest tightens up and I nearly gasp through parted lips.

He’s tall and lean, just a few inches shorter than Ravi by the looks of it. His black blazer fits his shoulders a bit too well, the fabric deliciously tight across his back. Wide, velvety eyes hide under a fringe of layered bronze tinted hair. The curve of his nose leads to a set of full, pink lips, which part to reveal a dazzling smile as he laughs at something Ravi just said. Everything about him makes me wish I had spent just a few more minutes in front of the mirror before coming out tonight.

Rebecca notices my staring and follows my gaze, “Ravi!”

She laughs as she runs to him, arms spread wide like she’s about to take flight. Ravi’s eyes snap away from his friend and he grins, his hands automatically finding her waist as he hoists her up. The fabric of her dress fans out around her in a red blur as he spins her around, hands splayed across the small of her back as he brings her back down to kiss her softly.  

I catch Hyuk’s eye and he pretends to stick a finger down his throat. I laugh and motion for him to cut it out in case Ravi sees him.

Leo strides over to Miyoko and cups a hand to her jaw, lifting her chin up slightly to press his lips to her own. He rests his forehead against hers for a moment before he pulls back and graces her with one of his rare, fleeting smiles. A side that he showed to Miyoko and Miyoko alone.

Hyuk looks hilariously offended at the sudden signs of affection.

Ravi and Rebecca break apart as the boys exchange greetings with the rest of the group.

“This is Ken,” Ravi says and slings an arm around his shoulders, “I brought him along because he would be locked up in his room reading if I hadn’t invited him out tonight,”

“Why are you like this to me,” Ken chuckles softly and glances at his shoes in embarrassment. The friendship between the two of them is like a bizarre mirror image of myself and Rebecca.

“I hope everyone is ok with him tagging along. Sure, he can be a pain in the sometimes-”

“Watch what you say!”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Ken’s a cool guy, I’m sure we’ll all get along,” Ravi seems to be speaking to me at the last part, since he glances in my direction quickly, and I hear Rebecca hum smugly in response, her elbow digging into my ribs.

He turns back to Ken and pats him on the back the way a father would sending his son off to his first day of school. Ken just shoots him a look. With that, the ten of us file through the doors into the Cosmo.

The club is insanely packed for a Friday night, especially for a Friday night. Bodies sway left and right to a pulsing, thunderous beat that reverberates within my bones. I navigate through the crowd and up a flight of stairs with Rebecca at my side, until we find enough room for all of us to sit.

Conveniently, I’m wedged between Hyuk and Rebecca on the leather couches, thankful that the spot next to Ken is taken. Once everyone is settled and the tensions of the school day have started to melt away, we all start to rotate out to order drinks or to brave the dance floor. Ravi and Rebecca are one of the first to go dance, leaving me with Hyuk.

He’s staring over the railing longingly like a lost puppy at the mass of people below him, specifically at a girl wrapped in a striking azure dress. She moves like water across the floor, every step confident and powerful. She definitely wasn’t legal for him.

“No, Hyuk”

Hyuk laughs wordlessly.

“I know. She’s still ing hot.”

Hyuk smiles and eventually leaves his spot next to me to go try his luck on a different girl his age, to which Ken takes his seat.

“Sorry,” he laughs, “I can’t handle sitting next to Hongbin anymore,”

His shoulders brush mine as he settles down next to me and I struggle to maintain a neutral expression, my pulse fluttering. Another round of drinks are ordered before the two of us start talking, the alcohol loosening our tongues.

Ken’s persistent on questions, covering everything from favorite animals to future ambitions. I respond honestly, saying that there wasn’t anything specific I had in mind. He chuckles and shakes his head, launching into a lecture about passion when I cut him off with a laugh and ask to hear more about him.

Ravi and Ken have known each other since high school, the day Ravi decided to become an Augment still burning bright in his mind. After Ravi dropped out of school, Ken decided to focus his studies on engineering. He’s currently enrolled at the University under the engineering program, where he hopes to land a career in the Augment field and dreams of designing a new program.

“You really care about Ravi, don’t you?”

Ken smiles and takes a sip of whiskey, “he’s my best friend. The most selfless person I’ve ever met, brave too,”

I nod in agreement and down my glass.

“Someday I hope to make a difference like he has,”

It’s not until he finishes speaking that I notice the close proximity of our bodies. He has his arm draped over the backrest, fingers almost touching my bare shoulders. His cheeks are flushed a light pink, lashes fanned out as he closes his eyes. He looks so content, almost like he’s thinking something over before he turns to me.

“Let’s go dance,” he says simply. He takes the cup out of my hand and sets it down on the table in front of us. My mind goes blank.

“Hmm?”

He acts like he doesn’t hear me and takes my hand with a grin, leading me down the steps to the dance floor. I almost lose him among the sea of bodies surrounding us. I glance around quickly and see N leaning against the far wall, laughing into his glass. I shoot him a pointed look and he laughs again before heading back up to the others.

Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s the way Ken’s moving that makes the music louder, the lights burn brighter, my heart beat faster. A sense of adventure surges through my system as the music coaxes me closer.

A hot hand wraps around my wrist as I’m suddenly yanked backwards into someone’s chest. I mumble out an apology before I’m grabbed again, harder this time.

“Hey, sweetheart,” a voice purrs, dangerously close. I’m spun around with quick hands as a boy towers over me, a drink in his hand, panting like an animal. His pupils are blown to their full extent, eyes flooded like black ink.

He pushes himself against me and I feel hands wandering down my sides. I immediately shove him away but he grabs my wrists and pulls me closer.

“Baby, don’t be like that,” he slurs into my ear, breath sour with the stench of alcohol. He sinks his head down until he’s level with me, lips practically brushing my nose. “Let me buy you a drink. Let’s have some fun,” he his head and smiles wolfishly. His knee brushes against my thigh as he forces me to back up with his steps and I realize he’s moving us towards the back door. Cold sweat starts to pearl at the nape of my neck despite the scorching lights and immense body heat of the clubbers around me.

The cool surface of the wall is like ice against my back and the boy blocks my escape by pressing his palms on either side of my head, leaning in even closer. I feel his lips move against my jaw and I pull back my fist and jab him in the stomach.

He goes flying backwards, and for a second I’m actually proud of myself before I realize that Ken had actually pulled him off of me.

“, I’m sorry, I lost you in the crowd,” he says to me in a single breath, “are you ok? Did he make you drink anything?” Ken questions, his hands cupping my shoulders. I shake my head and the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile. Behind him, Rebecca turns towards us, concern written on her features and she motions at Ravi.

The boy from before struggles to regain his balance and he nearly trips as he gets back to his feet. He glares at me and even from this distance I can see the blackness in his eyes now replaced with a hateful fire. He throws his glass and it explodes into countless shards at my feet.

“!”

Rebecca rushes over to me and her hand finds my elbow as she quickly ushers me out of the Cosmo, followed closely by Ken and Ravi.

The night air feels wonderful against my hot skin, yet I find myself trembling. Rebecca leads us across the street from the club, until the music is nothing more than a dull throb when she turns to me.

“What happened? Did he do anything to you?”

“He put his hands on me, but Ken stopped him,” I murmur, the places where the boy had touched me burning like grotesque acid. She purses her lips into a thin line, brows knitting together.

“Stop,” I laugh softly, “you’ll get wrinkles,”

Rebecca smiles weakly.

“C’mon. I’ll take you home,”

“I’ll come too,” Ken says. Rebecca and Ravi both nod.

“I’ll tell the others what happened and make sure that creep doesn’t touch Misa or Miyoko,” Ravi says, “take care, Mari” he touches my cheek and gives Rebecca a kiss before heading back inside.

The ride back to Skypeak is rather quiet. Ken gives me his blazer to cover my shoulders and even sandwiches himself between me and another drunk on the train to act as a barrier. Rebecca and Ken both talk quietly amongst themselves in murmurs, sharing jokes to lighten the mood before we pull into the station.

The three of us file into the elevator and Rebecca taps the floor number. We ride in silence together until the car takes us to my floor and Ken and I step out. Rebecca stays in the elevator, probably to wait on the Augment level for Ravi, and waves goodbye as the doors slide shut.

“Welcome home, Mari,” ERRI chirps as the two of us step into my apartment, “greetings, visitor,”

“Uh, hi,” Ken laughs.

“Bye, ERRI,”

“Goodbye, Mari.” ERRI says as her system logs off. I head over to the dresser in order to distract myself from looking at Ken. The fact that he’s walking around in a T-shirt is making it so much harder to think. I start picking out more comfortable clothes to wear than a stupid cocktail dress, settling on an oversized sweater and leggings.

“Hey, I’m going to go shower, so if you want, uh, you don’t have to stay here,” I call out to him, a blush threatening to color my cheeks, “you can head up to Rebecca and wait for Ravi there if you like,”

He smiles, “Sounds good,”

~~

While I’m under the jet of hot water, I try not to think about how a gorgeous boy is sitting in the room next to me. If he’ll be there when I finish I’m not sure, but I’m in no rush to find out. Instead, I take my time and let the warmth do it’s work of erasing the events of the night from my mind, the steam so thick it’s almost suffocating.

I quickly dry my hair with a towel and tie it back in a low ponytail. I in a huge breath of air before exiting the bathroom, clicking off the light behind me.

Ken sits in front of the window with his back to me, and the fact that he decided to stay makes my heart soar. The city lights cast an ominous glow around him, the neon backdrop highlighting his features. He has a mug in his hand, steam curling around his lips as he drinks. He must have gone downstairs to the cafeteria.

“Hey,”

His eyes flicker away from the window and he smiles softly, “hey,”

He scoots over to make room for me and I plop myself down next to him.

“Thanks for waiting for me,”

Ken passes me a mug of hot tea, “no problem. Besides, your place is really nice.” he adds with a chuckle, “the view is killer,”

The two of us laugh and I take a sip from my mug, savoring the warmth that spreads through my body. I let out a sigh.

“Feeling better?”

I nod. “Loads. I’m still a bit shaky, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

There’s a loud rumble from outside as lightning flickers across the sky. Another crash and the clouds empty their contents, rain pouring over the city.

Ken trails into a story about how he and Ravi had once got caught in the rain back in highschool, and I just love how he can easily launch into conversation and bridge the distance between us.

I find myself leaning into his side and he doesn’t protest. With the constant patter of rain against the glass, the warmth of tea and Ken’s voice, low and soft, I feel myself being lulled into sleep.