Hello, all! What's crack-a-lackin', es? Christmas is around the corner and I've been working like a poor house elf *cries* But enough about me, this chapter is for all of you out there. A follow-up to Seulgi's Night of Frivolity if you will ;~) Enjoy!

I dressed meticulously and got myself ready for a good 40 minutes with the intention of hitting the New York club scene tonight. I even applied a thin layer of black eye-liner, which accompanied the dual layer of silver eye shadow I was currently wearing along with one coat of peach lip gloss. I put on a pair of black skinny jeans with my signature black stilettos, a white chest-hugging tank top with the insignia of ‘The Killers’ and a picture of a palm-tree in black printed and ironed out across the front. I covered my body with a newly acquired chique grey trench coat that went down to my waist. And I straightened my hair with my flat-iron. And when I was satisfied with my overall look, I stepped out of my apartment and locked my front door behind me with a loud bang.

After much deliberation, I took a cab through the Holland Tunnel and ended up at Greenhouse, a sense of intense déjàvu rushing through me. Unlike a few weeks ago on that Tuesday night, it was a different crowd tonight. This was an adventurous crowd, likely to do damage at the sound of any scintillating music or conversation which came their way.

I danced for a little bit, trying to lose myself in the crowd. But under the concentrated glare of the strobe lights overhead, I soon became very hot and went in search of a drink at the bar. The bartender smiled intimately at me while handing me a tall Long Island Ice Tea. It tasted awful in my mouth, but I persisted with it, crunching silently on the ice-cubes pooling in the middle. Then a familiar man my age came and sat down next to me, signalling the bartender with a casual gesture of his fingers. I goggled in awe when I realised that it was Suho's friend Kai.

, he looks good tonight.

“Hi!” I greeted, cursing my extra-loud voice which reeked of alcohol.

Kai turned my way and his mouth morphed into a friendly smile. “Seulgi! What are you doing here?”

“I'm just out...felt like having a drink.” And to prove my point, I took another sip from my abominable beverage. “How about you?”

“I'm meeting Suho and my other friends at another club in an hour. I just figured I'd come here first because I like the vibe better.” Kai explained casually. “Are you alone or with friends?” He asked curiously a few seconds later. after telling the bartender he wanted a bottle of Miller's.

“Alone.”

“How come? Are you ok?”

The bass-line of the techno track playing overhead thrummed in my ears while I struggled to maintain eye contact with Kai's sincere gaze penetrating through all my defences.

Why does he have to be so freaking nice to me when I want to forget about everything and everyone tonight?

“It's no big deal. Just...work stress.” I lied.

Kai sighed and took a swig from his bottle. “I hear that. My boss is riding my majorly these days.”

“Wow, that sounds so gay.”

Kai snorted through a mouthful of beer and started laughing. Strangely enough, seeing him be amused by my lame joke cheered me up a smidge.

“Hey, be nice. I'm trying to pour out my heart here,” he teased lightly, smirking at me.

“You're right, sorry. What can I do to cheer you up?” I asked jocularly.

“Dance with me.”

I gave a start at this suggestion. In my plan of drinking my troubles away, I hadn't banked on meeting a familiar face and sort of enjoying myself, least of all with Kai. He's pretty hot and it seemed like he was into me before when we met at the gym. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit attracted to him, even more so with copious amounts of vodka and tequila doing the backstroke in my stomach.

A part of me wanted to thank Kai for trying and ultimately tell him I was going home. But I looked at his dimples, forming slight indentations on his tanned cheeks and I knew I was lost. They reminded me of Irene; any slight action, word or imagery usually did the trick to make me inadvertently think of her. I'll be damned if I don't try to mute my perplexing love for her, if only for one inconsequential night.

“Got anything on you to make the night more interesting?” I asked carefully, surprised by the air of seduction evident in my tone.

With a surreptitious glance in various directions, Kai retrieved a tiny plastic bag from his jeans pockets, containing several white pills that I recognised instantly. Without waiting for a second invitation, I took the pill (not cut in half this time) he offered me and swallowed it whole without blinking. A flicker of worry passed over Kai's face at my actions for the barest second before he smiled once more. He took out his phone and I watched as his fingers danced nimbly over the touch-screen.

He's probably texting Suho and telling him he won't be meeting up with him after all. At this point, I can't even bring myself to care.

“Let's hit it,” I suggested briskly when Kai put his phone away.

The grin on Kai’s face widened even more at my proposal, watching intently as I downed the rest of my drink in one fell swoop. Then he followed rapidly after me while I steadily set the pace for the night’s events. It wasn’t long before Kai was well within my personal space, grinding his body against mine while we swayed together.

, Kai has some killer dance moves.

The pill was beginning to take hold of me (quicker than its diminutive predecessor) and I closed my eyes slowly, drinking in the sensation of the music and the warmth of his muscular body in pressing into me from all sides.

I assume that I was the one who kissed Kai first, because I was the one pulling him through the crowd 5 minutes later, completely out of breath and focused wholly on leaving. We ended up in a cab soon after, kissing ferociously, me practically sitting in his lap while I let him have his way with me on the back-seat of the car. I was completely oblivious to where we were even going, only vaguely aware of Kai paying the driver handsomely before we exited.

And then there were sliding glass doors, an elevator, a flight of stairs and then a front door, and we were finally in Kai’s apartment. As we passed through the living room, I couldn't help noticing that my one-night-stand had quite the collection of Star Wars memorabilia.

Wow, didn't see that coming.

Of course, I stopped thinking hard about that when Kai's hot mouth landed on my neck, leaving bruising marks all over my feverish skin, making my centre throb with pulsing excitement.

After that, I was seriously gone.

Jackets were suddenly discarded of, shirts nearly ripped into two, the fumbling of pants and shoes dispensed of in rash endeavours. And all the while, I was kissing him without any need for air, gravitating towards that moist centre of warmth in his mouth that I desperately craved. I vaguely remember there being a bed, particularly when my back hit the soft duvet and his body covered mine. And then I was well and truly gone, trading flightless fancy for irreconcilable reality as I lunged forward into flamboyant chaos.

I eventually made it back to my apartment around 8am. I probably should’ve expected Joy to be waiting for me to get back. But her standing right in front of the door when I opened it still came as a shock to my senses, heightening my befuddled state even more.

“,” I cursed in fright, feeling a strange sense of déjàvu rushing over me.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Joy snapped furiously, causing me to wince from the sheer volume of her voice.

“Wendy's,” I answered flippantly before I could stop myself.

“You think this is funny? I was worried sick, Seulgi.” Joy spat reproachfully.

“Well then, you wasted a perfectly good evening, because I’m fine, Roomie.” I shot back sarcastically, moving into the kitchen to brew myself a fresh pot of coffee.

“What happened last night? I thought you were coming around to the bar.”

“I said I’d let you know if I was coming down to the bar. You should’ve assumed I wouldn’t be there by me not calling first.”

“And I did assume that, until I got home just after 2am and you weren’t here. What’s going on with you? This isn’t like you at all.” Joy protested vehemently, the anger gone from her voice momentarily.

“You wouldn’t understand, Joy.”

“Then explain it to me!”

“Fine! You want an explanation? Well here it is! I’m in love with Bae Irene. But for some crazy reason, she’s in love with her douchebag boyfriend. And she’s probably at his house right now, basking in the afterglow of their wondrous lovemaking after their super romantic night together last night, celebrating their one-year anniversary. And instead of thinking about that for every minute of the day and feeling tempted to blow my brains out, I decided to go out drinking instead.”

“So I went to Greenhouse and met Kai at the bar, who gave me an ecstasy pill. Then we ended up back at his apartment and I had with him because I wanted to forget just how miserable and lonely I am for one split second. And apparently, doing stupid things is the only way that I know how to cope with this gut-wrenching pain in my chest that just won’t go away every time I think about Irene.”

“But it doesn’t matter how much I care about her, because she’s straight, and she can’t return my feelings simply on default. So I’m ing screwed no matter which way I look at it. This is never gonna go away, Joy, and I’m tired about always…feeling bad. So I took the easy way out because I never do anything crazy or irresponsible ever, I always play it safe. Because being reckless is so much better than just feeling lost and…unworthy all the time.” I concluded loudly.

It was only by the end of my abrupt confession that I realised I had started crying. I could feel that familiar clamminess forming on the bottom of my neck and the tips of my earlobes from tears which had been streaming downwards all the while. And the burn had returned to my chest, scorching me as relentlessly as all the other times when I dwelt on the internal pain of my spurned love. My teeth were literally chattering together, the clicking thumping loudly in my ears. So to stop the terrible noise, my body began shaking even more and I found that I was gasping loudly, my dry sobs coming out in ragged swirls from deep within the hollow in my throat.

In another second, Joy had moved towards me and wrapped her hands around my body, enveloping me in an unmistakably tight hug. Then I realised that she was whispering some kind of soothing mantra in my ear over and over again, her small hand moving across my face and hair while she tried her best to calm me down. I wanted to succumb to her comforting stance, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate. It seemed almost determined to release all of those emotions and feelings pertaining to Irene that I’d kept stored up for months in one heaping handful, whether I liked it or not.

“Did Kai pressure you to have with him?” Joy asked in a soft but strangely firm voice.

“No, it was definitely consensual. Believe it or not, I actually seduced him and suggested that we go back to his place.” I answered, trying to ignore the shaky tenor of my voice. “I can't remember if he used a or not. We were both pretty drunk,” I added a few seconds later as a new horrifying thought made itself known to me.

“Sweet Baby Jesus...” Joy murmured, massaging her temples in weary exasperation.

How could I have been so stupid? I didn’t sleep around, but what about Kai? I didn’t know him from Adam’s side; who knew how many ual partners he had. What if this one encounter had long-term consequences? Like an STD? Or an unwanted pregnancy? Or even worse, AIDS? I could barely take care of myself most days and I’m 25 years old; how the hell would I raise a kid? I wasn’t on the pill either since my usual practice of abstinence worked sufficiently as an effective means of birth control. I was finding it especially hard to breathe in this particular moment as I let the aftermath of my reckless decision sweep right over me with poignant clarity.

Joy must’ve sensed the thoughts that were currently taking shape in my mind based on the look on my face. Then she suddenly found my hands and began leading me forward to the bathroom.

“Come on, you’re gonna take a bath.” She declared firmly.

“Is that a good idea?” I asked weakly while she began opening up the faucets on the bath, the sound of the water gushing out loudly in my ears.

“Sure, it can’t hurt to get you cleaned up. It's not like Kai you. But all the same, it sounds like you had a ty night.” Joy explained kindly.

To my surprise, she didn’t leave the bathroom, but bent over me to help me get out of my clothes, which reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Then after I had gotten into the bathtub, Joy lingered still, kneeling on the bath mat on the floor. Then she grabbed hold of the sponge on the soap rack and began bathing my entire body with warm water. The slow movement of her hand had the desired effect as I slowly got over my embarrassment at my roommate seeing me in this vulnerable position and began to relax under her ministrations.

“I’m such an idiot, what the hell was I thinking just hooking up with someone, even if it was a guy I know? , that just makes it even more awkward! Joy, what am I gonna do? What if I get an STD or get pregnant?” I asked morosely as my mind began wandering once more.

“Ssh, don’t think about it. Just have a nice long soak for now. If you’re feeling up to it later, I'll take you to the doctor to make sure you haven't caught something unsavoury like crabs from Kai. As for the 'baby stuff', you'll have to wait a good two months before you know for sure. But don't worry, I'll go with you to a nearby ‘Planned Parenting’ centre a couple weeks from now, so that they can run some tests. Everything's going to be ok, Seulgi.” Joy answered seriously.

Joy’s suggestions terrified me to no end. But I knew she was right; it was the responsible thing to do. And I owed myself that much after all the ed up things I had done in the space of 24 hours.

“You’re right,” I murmured after what felt like an eternity, staring hard at the silver faucets in front of me.

“Of course I’m right. Tilt your head forward a little,” Joy commanded gently.

I acquiesced and leant forward, giving Joy room to wet my hair with water cupped in her hands. Then she squeezed out a liberal amount of my favourite shampoo in her hand and began massaging it through my scalp while she washed my hair.

After all the worrying I had done over Irene lately and the relinquishing of my energy and time for the satisfaction of her emotional needs, it felt nice to sit back and let someone else take care of me for a change, even if was the smallest and simplest action. It was that very action which helped lift the fog of doubt and worry which aded my mind, if only for a moment.

I knew that things weren’t ok, not by a long shot. But all I could do for now was hope that my fleeting foolishness wouldn't ruin my entire life.

Hee hee, Kai the God strikes again. I don't know why this is quickly becoming a warped theme in my stories; for all we know, Kai hasn't gotten laid a day in his life, poor kid. But I have to ask, can we please keep the 'Kai Hate' to a minimum? He's the Bae (mine, lol) and he's just so darn pretty. I know what you're all thinking: is this going to turn into a lame Seulgi/Kai pregancy story? And why didn't we get a Seulgi/Joy Bath Time sooner? The first question will be answered next chapter. As for the second question, I'm just a tease like that ;~D I'm off to do some cycling in the neighbourhood, don't wait up. Have a happy festive season, all of you out there. Stay safe, healthy and in', pip pip cheerio!