white sheets, bright lights, crooked teeth, and the night life.

you told me this is right where it begins.

it was her job to keep the night alive.

and keeping the night alive she did.

by midnight the club was up and about, jam-packed with people jumping to the beat of the bass so deafening that people’s throats were sore the next morning from all the screaming they did the previous night. drinks were overflowing, skirts were tight, hands were raised, and the speakers were pumping with the latest remixes.

that was byulyi’s talent.

somehow she kept the music going, the club alive, and the people dancing until the crack of the dawn. heels broke away from expensive shoes, and sweat could not anymore be distinguished from the salt sprinkled on their skin before taking one or ten tequila shots.

byulyi was focused and passionate. every week there were at least two new tracks ready to play, and she worked on them throughout the week, sleeping in the morning, and working all night. while she had always been proficient in many forms of art, byulyi had always dedicated her life to music, albeit having to regretfully leave it as a sideline with the fear her mother had established in her subconscious that it would never get her anywhere, would leave her fending for herself on the streets. the atmosphere after the sun had finally set  had always been more appealing to her, and making music was, and will always be, her specialty; thus the moment her current job had presented itself a year before graduation, an offer from a close friend—who claimed “to know people”—byulyi took the job without reluctance, managed a decent balance of work and study, proving the intensity of her dedication to her chosen field and devotion to her first love. the owner was, to say the least, quite impressed. byulyi put her plans of applying for a job in advertising immediately after college on hold, decided to enjoy the start of her twenties a little longer.

almost two years later, and byulyi was still having the time of her life.

and so were the people she had blessed with her unique sounds.

when her set ended just a little after two in the morning, and a new disc jockey had taken her place at the booth, byulyi was surprised to be stopped in her tracks, the color magenta flooding her vision amidst the dim lights. it was not the ideal color for clubbing, and her whole look seemed all in all peculiar—tight skirt, and a bustier top in the same shade of pink—but somehow byulyi found it fitting for the bright smile that presented itself in front of her. the girl had chestnut brown hair in waves, adorned with a headwrap made out of pearls. her eyes sparkled to match her smile. byulyi stared, both confused and entranced.

“does the dj have time for one dance?”

it took a while before she realized the question was for her, continued to look at the girl dumbly, until the other girl giggled, took byulyi’s hand in hers, and lead her to the dance floor. before byulyi could say anything, the girl had finally let go of her hand, leaving byulyi to follow the glaring pink that made its way among the crowd.

what would she get out of humoring this girl? byulyi thought, although she kept walking, bumping shoulders with the other club goers, watching as the girl’s brown waves flowed behind her. hopefully, at least, a name.

the girl stopped by the bar, turned around to meet byulyi’s gaze with the same smile—

blinding—

which made byulyi feel like she should, at this point, stop.

retreat.

it felt like driving on a highway in the middle of the night, and purposely swerving in the next lane as a truck approached, honked its horn so loudly, in deafening volume, yet neither refused to press their foot on the break.

crash.

“hi.”

the word slipped out before byulyi could stop it. the club was dark, with multi-colored lights flashing from the ceilings, her rosy cheeks turned the color of emeralds, hiding how flustered she currently was. when the girl finally spoke back, expression amused, byulyi felt an odd sense of relief wash over her.

“hi.”

the girl turned to the bar counter, picked up two shot glasses—the cocktail had such a distinct blue color that it almost looked like it glowed. she handed one to byulyi, who gradually took it with obvious hesitance. the shot glass  had touched the other’s lips before she noticed byulyi had not moved, and she retracted her hand, curious. although the girl, and the drink, both looked harmless, byulyi could not help but be suspicious. this was a club, after all. the other girl seemed to read her mind.

“don’t worry,” she said. “i didn’t roofie it. here.” she gulped down her own shot, before taking the one from byulyi’s hand and did the same. she placed the empty shot glasses back on the counter. “completely safe. you can watch the bartender make new ones, and my hands are completely empty.” she playfully wiggled her fingers in the air as if to prove her point. when the new set of shots arrived—this time in neon yellow—the other girl nodded her head toward them, hands still in the air, telling byulyi to go first. byulyi knew she should not, yet somehow she found herself taking both shots, the  alcohol burning . she grimaced, realized the drink had red bull and whiskey in it.

the other girl laughed, putting her hands back down to her sides. “it’s wheein,” she said, to which byulyi merely tilted her head. the girl grinned, radiant under the colorful lights. she repeated, voice loud, “my name’s wheein.”

“byulyi.”

“i know.”

for a moment, byulyi wondered how wheein knew her name, and suddenly felt stupid for forgetting that she had just been on the podium a little while ago, her name in bold letters by the club entrance every weekend. the smile on wheein’s face was unfaltering. “come on, let’s dance.”

wheein pulled at byulyi’s arm, lead her to the dance floor where she proceeded to wrap slender arms around byulyi’s shoulders. it was a bit awkward, and it would not be surprising, byulyi thought, if she pushed the girl away. after all, they had just met. instead, she let wheein move them in time to the rhythm of the music while she figured out where to place her hands. byulyi settled on resting them on wheein’s hips, swaying in time with the music, and the other girl smiled.

byulyi felt herself getting immersed into the sound and the movement, found herself quite enjoying this little dance, did not even notice when wheein inched closer until they both looked up, meeting each other’s gaze. finally, it was byulyi’s turn to smile, a casual, lopsided one—and wheein lowered her gaze, biting down onto her lower lip, obviously flustered. her cheeks would have matched the shade of her skirt if it were not for the constantly changing color of the lights.

“hey,” byulyi began, a hint of a smile in her voice, tension almost gone now as she felt the curve of wheein’s waist.

wheein lifted her gaze to meet byulyi’s once more. they stayed like that for a while, dancing with their bodies pressed close to each other, blaring music making them forget that they were surrounded by people. byulyi decided that wheein’s eyes definitely did sparkle, and she was lucky enough to get a better view of them up close like this. she felt her heart thumping so hard in her chest, almost in time and as loud as the bass that made the walls of the club shake. just as byulyi was about to open to ask wheein if she wanted to  head out, go somewhere quiet—maybe take a stroll, or get some food in a twenty-four hour diner—she felt glossy lips pressed against hers.

byulyi’s eyes widened, grip on wheein’s waist tightening in shock. she stood motionless until wheein pulled away, immediately averting her gaze somewhere else so she could not see byulyi and her obvious bewilderment. wheein looked at the bar, thought about drowning herself in some vodka and iridescent poison until she would be deemed immobile by the time the sun rose. she thought about apologizing, if that would make the whole thing even more awkward, and possibly horrific. all these thoughts ran through wheein’s head, and, with the help of the alcohol she had previously consumed, made her light-headed. wheein decided to let her current tipsy state take its course, and finally say something—

only to be silenced when byulyi cupped her cheeks with both hands, and kissed her once more.

everything was a blur after that—

a whole montage of running down the streets in byulyi’s combat boots and wheein’s pink stilettos, lips colliding desperately the moment the empty elevator shut its doors, drunken laughter and playful shushing in the quiet hallways, fumbling for the keys to wheein’s apartment.

the door closed behind them, and suddenly wheein felt her back pressed against the door of her apartment, fingers quickly losing grip of her keys. there was the clinking of keys as it hit the carpeted floor, before byulyi captured her lips with her own. wheein gasped against byulyi’s lips when she felt cold hands pushing her skirt up, fingers grazing her now-exposed thigh.

they made their way to wheein’s bed, clothes strewn all over the floor. they were left in their underwear, falling onto the white sheets, the soft material caressing their bare skin; their hands touching what they could reach, lips swollen as they traveled downwards.

there was only the sound of harsh breathing resonating in the silence of the apartment.

there was only their heartbeats echoing loudly in their ears.

there was only them, in the darkness—

and in the light.