It was just a plus to Sungmin's drinking that the bartender was a cute girl. What could possibly be a better distraction? (Although what Sungmin was trying to forget was becoming blurry. Wasn't he still hung up over his dead ex-girlfriend? Or was it something else?)

She was friendly and bubbly, and it kind of annoyed Sungmin, but he didn't say anything about it. He flirted, and she responded in a way that was more or less complying. He wondered if he had lost his charm for the ladies after so long.

"You're not a bad guy," she finally said when he was one too many drinks in. Her voice was soft and caring, and it reminded him of someone he missed dearly but could never see again. "Don't do this to yourself."

"Do what?" he snorted, downing down another glass clumsily and spilling some over himself. 

She pursed her lips, and helped him wipe his shirt. "Don't hurt yourself like you are now. Whatever it is you're trying to run away from... don't."

"What could I be possibly running away from?" Sungmin said, almost laughing. "I'm not afraid." No, he wasn't afraid. What was there to fear when he already lost everything?

"Most of the time, when people come in here, they're running from trouble. Except, it's not so much as running but only hiding for an hour, because they can never really escape," she said quietly, pouring him a glass of water. He was too wiped out to notice. "Sometimes they're running from debt, sometimes from a bad job. Maybe even the law. But a lot of times, they're running from love."

Sungmin was still.

"Men hiding from their family because they're ashamed, or angry, or both. Men hiding from their girlfriends, who maybe they cheated on or maybe it's the other way around. Men hiding from their feelings, and drowning themselves in drinks." She noticed his silence, and decided she found her answer. But she wasn't going to push it just yet.

"One time, a man came in. It was around eleven at night, and I was about to close up," she said. "Turned out the guy's girlfriend just got in an accident, and he was so broken, he couldn't go anywhere else and we were the closest thing nearby."

Sungmin gulped, his body shaking. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"I was the only one working at the time, because the manager left early. I wanted to go home, but I looked at him, and he seemed so defeated." She looked at Sungmin thoughtfully. "So I let him have a free drink, and I let him sit down for a moment as I locked up... When I got back, he was sleeping, and he had his wallet out as if he was about to pay but was too tired to."

She stopped to look at Sungmin, but she didn't question him. She continued her story. "In his wallet, there was an article of the girl's accident. Except... it was dated two years ago. His girlfriend passed away two years ago, and he still mourned for her."

Sungmin almost choked out a sob.

"I let him stay there and sleep. I went home, and went to work early to see if he was still there. He was, and he was awake. He thanked me, and told me everything. Apparently, his girlfriend was hit when he was in a bar. This bar, actually." She laughed a little sadly. "They got into a fight, and he made her cry. He felt so bad, and he wanted to apologize, but it was too late."

Sungmin hurriedly wiped away the tear falling down his cheek. "W-Why did you tell me that?" he asked, his voice rough. 

"Because he was too late. He ran away, and he paid for it," she said softly. "It was a bigger price than usual, but he still paid. Everyone suffers, everyone runs, but it only hurts them."

She placed a warm hand over his cold one. "Stop running," she whispered. 

And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what happened afterwards. It was as if he out, and nothing else was left of that night in his memory.

--

He woke up the next morning feeling like . His muscles ached for no reason, and his head was pounding so hard, it felt as if it might explode. The lighting was dim and unrecognizable, but the person who walked in wasn't.

"Hey," she said, carrying in a cup of coffee. It was the bartender from last night, but this wasn't the bar. It was an apartment. "Good morning."

Sungmin only groaned in response.

"I brought you home because you seemed too... unstable to get home alone," she said, placing the cup beside him. She also had Aspirin in hand, putting it on the nightstand for later.

"H-How...?" he tried asking, but it hurt too much to talk.

"I called my boyfriend, and he carried you into the car and up into our apartment. I tried calling someone in your contacts, but there was barely anyone in your phone. There were about five numbers, and one of them was out of order." It was her number. He never deleted it. "Two of them didn't pick up, and the other said he lived over on the country side."

He only looked at her, not moving.

"But the fifth number -"

Fifth number? Sungmin didn't remember a fifth number. He only had four: hers, Hyukjae's, Shindong's, and his parents'. Everyone else's number was stored in a separate book, because he didn't like having too many contacts in his phone. He thought it made it harder for him to find the people he needed to find.

"-and he said he'd come and pick you up."

Wait, who said that? Sungmin wasn't listening. Who was the fifth number?

"He sounded worried when I called him this morning," she said. "Is he your brother?" 

Sungmin's mind hurt too much to even answer, especially with all the confusion.

Noticing he couldn't reply, she let it go. "You know, you never told me your name," she said instead, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "I know it now, though, because the guy's first response when I called was, 'Sungmin? Sungmin? Sungmin, where are you? Are you okay?'" She laughed softly.

"It was cute how worried he sounded," she murmurred. "Sungmin, I hope you stop running, though. It'll be a lot easy... and less painful," she said, noting his hangover. "Besides, it doesn't hurt to stop and face your fear. It's tiring to always be running."

He only stared. Even if he could speak, he didn't think he would. 

"You know the story of the man and his girlfriend..." she said suddenly. "He's my boyfriend now."

Well, that was news.

"He still loves her," she admitted. "He never got over that lingering regret. But he loves me, too. And I know he does, even though that article is still in his wallet." She smiled softly, and Sungmin wondered how this seemingly ordinary bartender was so understanding. 

She looked at him, and laughed a little. "This must be weird, me telling you all of this. It's just that... he said he was jealous when he saw you. As if I'd fall for you. I told him it was impossible to love two people, but he went quiet. I guess... maybe it is possible. But that love will always be different." She seemed thoughtful, as if she was thinking to herself more than she was talking to Sungmin.

She took in a deep breath and walked towards the door. "Remember, Sungmin - face your fears." And with that, she left Sungmin to his thoughts.

It took him some time to finally get the strength to move. It ached so much, but he pushed himself upwards and moved to reach for the coffee. It was cooler now, but he didn't care. He felt parched, and there was a disgusting taste lingering in his mouth that he wanted to get rid of. He gulped down some of the Aspirin, too. 

He fell back, letting the medicine do its work. Meanwhile, he thought to himself about what the bartender said. Face his fears. Stop running. Loving two people at the same time.

It was as if she knew him, and it was both comforting and scary to Sungmin.

In an hour, she returned, his jacket in her arms. She laid it on him, and said, "Are you feeling better?"

He shrugged. "Not really," he said, clearing his throat. "But better than before, I guess. Hey... what's your name?" he finally asked.

"Sunny," she replied, smiling a bit. "Well, it's not really Sunny, but everyone calls me that."

He laughed a bit. It was appropriate. "Sunny, how do you know so much about life? I mean, you're probably still in college, yet you sound wiser than I do."

She laughed, too. "Experience," was her simple reply. "You'll be surprised to know how much drama a bartender deals with on a daily basis. But I learn life lessons from them, too, so I guess I can't complain."

Her boyfriend stepped in. "He's here."

And Sungmin didn't have to ask who it was.

a/n: Oh, oh, oh, oh wa~ Sungmin's OST is so catchy. // Teresa, I'm sorry I'm a lazy brat when it comes to this story. I kind of... forget, sometimes. Or the inspiration leaves me. T.T But I think I have it again ^^ One more chapter!

And no, I don't know what it feels like to have a hangover -.-" So that's my best guess and inference from reading/hearing about it. I'm too young for that stuff, guys. Too young.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!