It's a beautiful night to go home. To take a warm shower and sleep after such a tiring week. Yet her legs lead her to this place that is a total contrast of comfort, something she actually does not seek in this silent night.

What is she even doing here?

Joohyun takes a sip of the gin she ordered at the bar, grimacing as the liquid burns . She really can't drink something strong, even when her brain has been screaming for some. That's why, after a sip of torture, Joohyun simply ordered a glass of beer that has the highest percentage of alcohol. At least, in the beer class.

This is not the type of a bar a professor of a prestigious university like her will visit. It's loud, thanks to the live band that was performing on the small stage at the far end of the bar. The air stinks like expired beers, with smells coming from cheap perfumes and dizzying cigarettes making it overwhelming for her senses to take. But there is no one who looks like they are the same age as her students nor dressed like the professors, so it's a simple plus from Joohyun. She goes to this bar to run away from her lecturer life. It would be no fun if she got caught by her students or meeting her co-workers for drinking in a place like this. 

Then again, the bar is far from the type of bar youngsters like. Even though it's loud, the ambience is rather calm. Everybody minding their own business with their own drinks, while listening to the sound of a familiar song that was sung in such a horrible way. Joohyun can't complain when she knows the bar must be hiring desperate bands who just want to make money so they can survive simply from performing.

The loud stinging sound coming from the mic brings her attention to the stage. There is a guy standing in the middle, probably supposed to be the MC when he's already working as the waiter from the uniform he wore. He tapped the mic a few times, the tired expression on his face made Joohyun silently sympathize with his situation.

"Our next performers will be a rock band," he paused for a while to yawn, the mic easily catching the noise and blasting it for the whole bar to listen, "FiftyFive!"

Lazy claps resonating around the club here and there. Joohyun didn't bother to join as she chose to bury herself inside the horrible beer the bartender gives her while her mind wanders. Thinking about what she should do to make the grades of her students become slightly better than what they are right now.

As soon as she heard the strum coming from the electric guitar, her eyes only focused on one thing.

It's common for the invited band to do a cover on a popular song instead of singing their own song. Usually, Joohyun would not give her slightest and just mute her surrounding as she enjoys her cheap beer. But this one is different.

This one captivates her somehow.

Everything about this band is charming, if Joohyun needs to put it into words as best as her drunk self can do. She has listened to tons of cover songs before, but none of them hits the same like this one. Joohyun never realized she had a liking towards the rock genre, but the rearrangement of the song is too unique for her to not appreciate. Almost as if they just made the popular song into their own piece.

And turns out, there’s another reason why she can’t bring herself to look away from the small stage that was filled with four members of the band. 

Usually, in the center of people’s attention, stood the vocalist who either sang the song half-heartedly or sang it as badly as they could. But this one is different. This one is magical, turning up the ambience of the whole club simply with her presence. Her voice is also one of a kind, something Joohyun never heard coming from this place. A voice that should be gracing themselves in a big stage filled with crowds, wearing a t-shirt with their band’s name printed on the cloth.

The vocalist is a woman, much to Joohyun’s surprise because the club manager only invites women singers if they are a soloist. She has short hair that moves like she was in the middle of a shampoo commercial everytime she bangs her head. Her stature is pretty short for a rock band vocalist, probably the same as her. But she managed to look tall as she performed on the small stage, and turned the club as the venue for their concert.

Where did the club manager found this band?

Joohyun gasped when the eyes of the vocalist suddenly landed on her. Normally, in a situation like this, Joohyun will immediately turn her gaze away and pretend like nothing happened. But somehow she stayed rooted in her place, staring back into her eyes that she was unable to read because of the distance between the bar and the stage. It’s probably because of the alcohol in her system that makes Joohyun dares enough to do this, without thinking about the consequences.

She simply sent her a smirk before focusing back on the crowds that started to gather in front of the small stage, also liking the performance of the band like Joohyun. Some of them sing along to the song they recognize, even though the band changed it to their own rock rendition. 

All of them jump, hyped up with the performance the band delivered. The vocalist also jumps along, liking the energy she receives from the crowd and tries to give it back to them.

For the first time, the club is alive. Something Joohyun never experienced as a regular in the place no one will ever recognize her.

The stage goes on for an hour, a time limited by the club so they can charge for more if the band wants to perform longer. Joohyun silently watched with a glass of beer that kept getting refilled if they were empty. She lost count of how many times she had drunk the cheap beer, to the point the bartender started to give her free snacks as a service.

"Can I sit here?"

Joohyun mindlessly nods as she takes a sip of her beer, not realizing that there is someone who is taking the empty seat beside her. The fragrance of cheap beer mixed with cheap perfume suddenly got replaced with something luxurious. Something that does not deserve to be in the middle of a place like this club. 

Her head turned around to see the vocalist of the rock band earlier taking over the spot beside her. She ordered a drink, something stronger than a beer but Joohyun is too buzzed with alcohol to listen clearly to what she said.

"Can I smoke?"

"This bar already smelled like cigarettes so, why not?" scoffed Joohyun, letting her head hang low just right beside her glass of beer. 

She heard the woman laugh from her reply, but from her peripheral view, she can see her taking out a box of cigarettes and taking a white stick out before slipping it between her full red lips. Her fingers grasp a small lighter this time, easily lighting up the other end of her cigarette to produce a foul smoke for her lungs to inhale. Her neck is decorated with meticulously drawn tattoos due to having lots of details Joohyun easily spotted in such close proximity. The woman has her short hair slicked back this time compared to the messy style she sported on the stage earlier, showing off her side profile that looks so gorgeous in Joohyun's eyes she can't stop watching every movement she makes. 

Okay, that is enough drink for tonight.

"So, what do you think about the stage?" she asked after taking an inhale of the foul smoke, knocking some of the ashes on the ashtray the bartender gave her as soon as she started smoking.

"It was good," Joohyun nodded her head, she doesn't know why she nods. She drinks her beer to wash the awkwardness off from her system.

"Really?" she responded while raising her eyebrow. "I was expecting more than that."

"You caught me watching you throughout your performance. Isn't that enough of an answer?" replied Joohyun boldly, something that she doesn't know she has inside her system. The woman laughs again, like her slurry answer is proof that Joohyun is the funniest comedian of all time. "I never heard something like your band coming from this club before."

"Oh?" she piqued her interest with her answer. "And what usually people perform in this club?"

"Horrible song covers," Joohyun answered quickly, thanks to her experience as a regular in this club. "Something off-note and just unpleasant to listen to. That's why most of the customers here don't give a everytime a band perform. They never serve like the waiters."

"So what you are just saying is our band is good?" she asked after listening to drunk Joohyun's fact spill about this club and their decision to hire horrible bands. "I sound good and pleasant for you to listen to?"

"Too good. You sound like you don't belong in this club," added Joohyun, pointing her index finger to the woman who sat beside her. Her eyebrow remains raised, but there is amusement etched as the expression on her face. Joohyun doesn't know for sure. She's drunk. "I have a friend who always uses high brands perfume, something you smell like right now. No one in this club ever smells like you, until tonight."

"Ah, so you judge our performance based on what perfume I wore tonight," this time, it was the woman beside her who nodded. "Thanks for letting me know the criteria."

Joohyun simply pouted because that's not what she meant but at the same time, she's too drunk to properly make a good argument as her reply. "Right, whatever. Yes, I enjoyed your performance. I think it was good. Can I have another glass of beer?"

She is rambling at this point but she doesn't care. She's drunk, beside her there is a woman whom she thinks is attractive and still finds Joohyun interesting. There is nothing for her to lose.

"How many beers have you drunk tonight?"

"I don't know, I didn't count," Joohyun shook her head, which resulted in that action being the worst decision she made for today. The world started spinning, and there is no way she will throw up in front of the attractive vocalist.

And it seems like she doesn't need to keep up with her counting because the bartender easily flashes his fingers towards the vocalist to tell her how many glasses of beer Joohyun has drunk tonight. She nodded as her answer, before chuckling towards Joohyun. "I didn't expect you to be a lightheaded person."

That hits her ego stronger than what she expects. Joohyun groaned into her palm, trying to compose herself and make herself presentable to be more convincing before she slurredly said, "I'm not drunk."

"Your face is red," the vocalist pointed out. "Unless you can convince me that it was because of another reason, I'm still pretty sure that you are drunk."

Joohyun curses under her breath for being so easy as a person. She wants to say it was because of another reason to convince her (and herself) that she wasn't drunk and beyond wasted. But Joohyun can't come up with any other reason besides you are attractive and you are so cool performing on the stage earlier and I can't stop looking at you like a weirdo. 

"I'm Wendy, by the way."

There is a frown blooming on her forehead. She just used an English name to introduce herself, so it might be her fake nickname. Joohyun needed to come up with the same fake nickname quickly to not look like she was a rude person to keep others hanging in their shared conversation. Her brain thinks hard, she overworked them at this point. But it works as they suddenly recalled her about that one night with Sooyoung. "I'm Irene."

Wendy raised her eyebrow again, there was a smirk on her face. Her eyes pointed towards where her chest is. "I thought you were Bae Joohyun? The name written on your worktag?"

Bae Joohyun, you are so stupid. How come you forget to hide your worktag inside your purse?

Constant stream of curses leave her lips again as she unclasps the worktag she wore on the pocket of her blouse and tuck it deep inside her purse. There goes her chance of her covering her identity because of her own stupidity. If Sooyoung is here beside her, she is sure the taller woman will have the time of her life laughing over her forgetful self.

"Calm down, Wendy is only a stage name," giggled Wendy, trying to make the situation better but Joohyun was too busy cursing herself. That's why she ignored her and chose to dwell in her misery, disregarding the existence of someone who sat beside her. But Wendy is not a woman who easily gives up. At least, that's what Joohyun got when she tried to have another conversation with her. "So you are working at the university? That sounds interesting."

"Yeah, I'm one of the lecturers," sighed Joohyun, thinking there is no point in covering her private life anymore because Wendy knows her real name and has found out the university where she works at. 

"That's cool!" exclaimed Wendy, genuinely sound interested in her life. "You must be super smart then. What is it like to be a lecturer?"

"I'm not super smart. I just happened to like studying and teaching other people about what I know," corrected Joohyun in the best way she could as a drunk person. Ever since she was a child, she never liked to be called smart. She just studies well compared to the other kids. "And it's like every other job, I think. Tiring, frustrating in some parts. Sometimes fun and enough as a reason for me to continue on this path."

Wendy nods, taking a sip of her drink and Joohyun can't look away from the sight of her tattooed neck bobbing, swallowing down the liquid. She flashes her a smile, the smile that looks suspicious for Joohyun's liking. "You know? You also look like you don't belong at this club. Don't professors have their own gathering place that screams elite and not something cheap like this?"

"They have," admitted Joohyun, recalling the numerous times she got invited to drink together with her co-workers but she always rejected using the same reason over and over again. She's tired and she just wants to sleep. "But having professors around you all the time is one of the reasons why being a lecturer is frustrating. That's why I always come here because there is no way they will visit this club willingly."

"Why?" Wendy asked again. "Because they are old?"

"Also a snob and always think they are right," snorted Joohyun, honestly revealing too much about her workplace but she doesn't give a anymore. "But that doesn't mean that all professors are annoying."

"I know," Wendy smiled again. "You are the perfect example for that."

Joohyun thanked the heavens for already turning her face red because the sweet words Wendy just said earlier literally made her heart skip a beat and she can feel her skin turn much warmer. She cleared to regain her composure, and the ever so understanding bartender decided to refill her glass of beer for the nth time.

The rest of the night went away smoothly as they grew comfortable with each other and as their conversation grew into something both of them could not stop. Giggles and laughter are everywhere as they keep learning about one another. It resulted in them practically getting kicked out from the club because they are way past the closing time and they are still talking like old friends who just met each other after years of being apart. 

If Joohyun decided to convince Wendy that she wasn't drunk earlier, this time she would literally prove to Wendy how wasted she is by needing her help to have her legs function and move like sober limbs.

"Thanks for tonight," giggled Joohyun, her eyes barely open at this point. "That was fun. You are a good singer."

"And thank you for the praise," beamed Wendy, still holding her close by having her arm around her waist. It feels oddly comfortable for Joohyun that's why she just let her. "Can I drop you to your place? It's late and it's hard to get a taxi at this hour. And I also don't want anything to happen to you."

"My mom said I need to be careful with strangers," Joohyun said, ending her sentence with a hiccup that makes the smile on Wendy's face become wider. "You are strangers, Wendy. What if you are the one who does things to me?"

"This is my first time touching you and it's for helping you walk and stand on your own feet," reasoned Wendy, pointing her eyes towards her legs who barely have a strength to hold her body weight without anyone's help. "If I have had bad intentions ever since we started talking, I think I will not wait this long just to do things to you."

"That actually sounds convincing," nodded Joohyun, agreeing with the reasoning Wendy just gave her. "But you are not allowed to drive by law. You were also drinking too."

"Those were mocktail. That means, I'm completely sober right now," Wendy grinned this time, knowing she just won against drunk Joohyun in this completely useless conversation they both currently have. "So, mind telling me where I should drop you off?"

Joohyun stayed silent, before she let Wendy lead her towards her car and tell her where she should drop her off.

The whole ride towards her apartment complex was only filled with silence and the song played from the midnight radio Wendy is currently listening to right now. Joohyun barely knows all the songs that were being played, because they are old songs and she never tries to learn her parents' music taste for as long as she lives and breathes.

But listening to Wendy humming to every song that was being played, once again brings a comfort to Joohyun that she can't explain why.

"Here we are," announced Wendy once they arrived at the place Joohyun easily recognized because of how familiar they were, even when she was in a completely wasted condition. "This apartment looks nice."

"Thanks for the ride, Wendy," murmured Joohyun, almost incoherent. She's tired, she's sleepy, she just wants to sleep on her bed and call the night off. But it feels wrong to end the night she spends together with Wendy just like that. That's why she tried to end this with small conversations. "Are you sure you will not do anything to me, stranger?"

"And got beaten up by the security guy for disturbing you?" Wendy replied lightly, pointing to the guy who was standing just right at the entrance of her apartment complex. Joohyun made a tiny ah after seeing the figure. "I prefer not to have my face turned purple."

 "Right," Joohyun nods as she continues. "Is your stage name really Wendy?"

"Yes, Joohyun, Wendy is only my stage name," chuckled Wendy from the drunken question. "I can tell you my real name if we meet again."

"Really?" asked Joohyun, somehow she is being super interested with the prospect of meeting Wendy for the second time. She never felt like this in her first meeting with someone, even with Sooyoung. "Give me your phone."

"For what?" asked Wendy, complete with a thick furrow between her eyebrows. Joohyun didn't answer, only handed Wendy her opened palm. She silently asked for her phone. Wendy simply chuckled from the gesture before she took her phone out from her pocket and gave it to Joohyun who was still waiting.

Joohyun does not waste her time in opening her contact and typing her phone number. She might be drunk, but that doesn't mean Joohyun did not remember her own number. At this point, it's simply a muscle memory to type the numbers. "Here."

Wendy checked her phone to find out what Joohyun just typed while the latter decided to take the seat belt off and leave the car. The fresh breeze of night wind immediately greets her as soon as she is outside. For someone who hates the cold, Joohyun loves to be embraced by the night wind. 

She turned around when she heard the sound of the car window being opened. Joohyun leaned down to find Wendy looking at her with an amused expression on her face. "y Professor?"

"Not so many people have acquired my phone number, so you should feel grateful that I willingly added my contact in your phone," rambled Joohyun, this time she didn't even understand herself. But it brings a laugh out from Wendy, so Joohyun thinks it's okay if she just made herself look like an embarrassment in front of such an attractive woman. "Be careful on your way back, Wendy."

"Of course," Wendy flashed her smile again, causing her heart to stop beating for the nth time. "Good night, Professor Bae. Sleep tight."

"Good night, Vocalist Wendy," Joohyun giggled from her own stupid reply. "Sleep tight."

Joohyun turned around, giggling to herself while she was humming the song Wendy sang earlier in the club. She heard her own voice and compared it to Wendy's voice that was playing in her mind, before breaking into a laugh as she thought she sounds super ridiculous compared to her. She almost fell to the floor because of that, but the security guy quickly helped her to walk into the apartment complex safely without her face planted on the floor of the lobby.

Tonight, she thinks about the rock band's vocalist in her sleep. 

---

this story will be in shorts chapters and i will focus more on their relationship later on. that's why the introduction will be so short and i will just include important scenes only to be written.

thank you for reading and i hope you like it. see you in the next chapter1