The first thing Seulgi registers, when she startles awake, is the bittersweet taste of alcohol coating the back of her tongue. The various smells in the air, leather and smoke among others, are next. Then comes the splitting headache that’s only mildly soothed by the smooth, cool surface she’s resting her head on. There’s something wet and warm spread under her left cheek and her arms, one draped at an interesting angle over her nape and the other left hanging at her side, are both half asleep. She attempts to open her eyes, only to immediately regret it when blinding lights invade her line of vision, making her feel like her skull’s being cut open.

   She groans, taking deep breaths before slowly, carefully raising her head. The motion makes her neck crack in a way Joohyun would hit her for, but it’s the last thing on her unfocused mind as she concentrates on breathing to chase away the waves of nausea.

   Inhale, pause, exhale. Over and over again. After a few times, the lights that she thought were bright only appear dim and she feels comfortable enough to look around.

   She’s at a bar, notion which, by itself, would already be weird enough for her. The hangover she’s clearly struggling with is only the cherry on top of a day that started badly and only tuned worse as the hours passed. A sudden blackout the night before, caused by the thick snow that has been covering the streets of Seoul for a good week now, had turned off her alarm clock. This, in turn, had caused her to miss most of her morning classes. Her professors, in what is possibly the most unwelcome Christmas present of all time, happened to pick that exact day to assign the students new projects to turn in before the beginning of the holidays, which was way too soon for Seulgi to be able to have a nice life.

   Add that to her already unfinished artworks and Seulgi’s best friend for the following hours had been Photoshop, their close partnership interrupted only by a ten minutes lunch-break, and by that time she already kind of wanted to die. Come the evening and she couldn’t feel her eyes nor her hand anymore, and getting wasted was the closest thing she could think of as an alternative to suicide.

   It was Yerim who recommended her the place while she was waiting for Joohyun to join them for lunch. The younger girl had told her that she’d found the place with some of her friends a few weeks back and that the costumers are usually regulars that come in late in the night to enjoy a quieter environment and the occasional shows from visiting jazz bands. Seulgi had been half-heartedly listening to her, too busy shoveling food into to get back to work as soon as she could.

   Now if there’s something Seulgi, who’s idea of fun is going around looking for art exhibitions (and lord knows how much she’s been teased for being, she can quote, “as fun as watching paint dry”), doesn’t do, it’s drinking ‘till he passes out on a counter, but she really needed to get away from life in general, just for one day. Because being an adult is hard, no matter how easy her parents or even her brother, that adorable blockhead, make it seem to be. She needed a break, she needed to get away from her own head for a minute. Yerim’s words kept replaying in her mind for the whole bus ride home and, really, who better than her thoroughly independent youngest friend would know how to let go of stress for a night?

   Seulgi groans when another wave of dizziness makes her head pulse. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t the best idea she’s ever had (“Because the few others you usually have are much better” a voice that sounds suspiciously like Sooyoung’s snickers inside her mind) but there’s nothing she can do about in now aside from trying to breathe as steadily as she can. She focuses on the bar instead, admiring the simple style of the furniture and the many vinyl records and wine bottles hung on the cream coloured walls. They give nice splashes of colour under the muted lights of the wall lamps that her inner art major self itches to capture on paper despite the headache.

   There are a few couples huddled in small tables by the large front window, while other clients are seated near her at the counter, each with a drink in hand and in pensive silence. A total opposite of the near emptiness she found when she came in an unknown amount of time before.

   The thing that fascinates her the most, however, is the stage in the middle of the wall opposite to her. It’s rather small and surrounded by crimson drapes that, along with the dark wood of the podium, most likely ebony, give off an extremely classy air, like it was summoned directly from the twenties. It’s a simple and quite large place that somehow manages to feel extremely cosy. Vintage enough not to be tacky and definitely Yerim’s style.

   That is what still puzzles her the most. Seulgi still can’t believe it’d been Yerim, petite Yerim, you-were-eighteen-yesterday-stop-growing-so-fast Yerim, to freely give her advice about where to go to get a good drink in Seoul. If she were to be honest, she’d expected it from Sooyoung.

   Seulgi freezes, fingers ceasing their circling motion on her temples. The Sooyoung she knows doesn’t like to be kept waiting and said girl is, coincidentally, the same one that she was supposed to meet in front of their apartment to open the door because she’d forgotten her keys home that morning.

   “No. No no no no no...”

   Getting her phone out of her bag, Seulgi gives a silent prayer that she’s not late, that it’s miraculously still before 11 a.m. and she still has time to get home before the younger girl comes back from work and goes to sleep.

   Only it’s not eleven, not in the least.

   It’s two in the morning and she has five missed calls and twenty texts, more than half of which sent from a worried and very increasingly pissed off roommate. The last one is just a middle finger emoji, fitting the flurry of caps locked words preceding it. Seulgi drops her phone on the counter, then her head in her hands, messing her hair up even more than they already are. “I’m dead. I’m so, so dead...”

   “Um, everything okay?” a soft voice interrupts her train of less than positive thoughts. She meets the attentive eyes of the bartender (Minseok, she remembers, Yerim said he’s a nice guy) as he points to her unfinished drink. “Want another one?”

   Seulgi’s stomach lurches at the mere vision. “Yeah, no, I- I have to go,” Seulgi rummages through her purse, looking for enough money to pay drinks she doesn’t even remember ordering, and leaves it on the counter in a hurry. “Thank you and keep the change, it’s fine.”

   She swivels around on her stool, one foot already on the floor to sprint to the entrance, but the movement makes her head spin and her body stumbles forward with no control. Seulgi gasps, expecting to collapse on the floor in a heap that never crashes because firm hands are suddenly on her arms, helping her upright.

   “Oh my god, are you alright?!”

   Seulgi winces and nods, barely so she doesn’t have to move her head much, and lets herself be set back on the stool, breathing deeply. “Hey, slow down. Take it easy.” The voice is soothing, as the hands that have moved on her shoulders are, and Seulgi lets the stranger steady her down as she tries to concentrate. She blinks her eyes open, slowly waiting for the world to come back into focus, and to her relief things start to become considerably less hazy after a few seconds.

   She looks up with a small, shy frown. “It’s okay, I’m-“ Seulgi’s words die in when her helper finally takes a shape, specifically the one of a very pretty girl dressed in a black one piece, with dark hair falling in curls over bare shoulders, that’s looking at her in concern, her teeth worrying a plump bottom lip. She feels the air leave her lungs at once when warm brown eyes seem to pierce into her soul. “..fine...”

   “You sure?” Seulgi barely notices the hand gently rubbing her arm, too busy staring at this beautiful stranger. She suddenly realizes how messy she must look with rumpled clothes, tangled hair and, most likely, bloodshot eyes. She smells like alcohol, there’s probably a trail of drool drying on her cheek and she really wants to disappear.

   “Yeah... yeah, I am,” Seulgi finally answers, feeling much more sobered up already. She doesn’t know how that’s possible, but she won’t complain. She tries to sit a little straighter in her seat. “Even if I just made the biggest fool of myself.”

   “Happens to the best of us.”

   “No, I-“ Seulgi winces, shaking her head experimentally and finding the ensuing pain to be less intense than before. She closes her eyes and sighs heavily, fighting back an embarrassed blush. “God, I drooled all over the counter.”

   The girl laughs at that and it sounds like a melody. Seulgi must still be pretty hangover, her brain is turning into mush. “Don’t worry, Minseok is pretty cool with things like that. It’s kind of why he was hired, right oppa?” Seulgi turns back towards the bar, meeting the eyes of the bartender who gives her a playful wink. She nods awkwardly in return and brings her attention back to the girl, whose expression mirrors Minseok’s.

   Her rescuer takes a step back, making Seulgi instantly miss the warmth of her palm on her arm. She smiles, softly tilting her head to the side, and now that the lights hit her more fully Seulgi can see that her hair isn’t completely black, but some of the long locks are a deep shade of blue, so dark it looks like the sky at night. She does her best not to stare. “What happened to you anyway?”

   Seulgi considers briefly whether to start from the beginning of her day, but she’s sure the girl in front of her doesn’t have all night. “Life,” she says, shrugging helplessly.

   “Bad day I’m guessing?” the girl asks, sympathetically. Her voice is very soft, Seulgi notices, but charming nonetheless.

   “You have no idea.”

   “So you decided to drink your problems away.” Seulgi can physically feel her cheeks heating up, but the girl’s tone isn’t accusing at all, just plainly amused and interested. Confidential, even. “It’s okay, I get it. But I’d have just slept it off.”

   “Well, I forgot my keys and...” Seulgi grins sheepishly, the warmth on her face spreading further when the girl smiles softly back at her, “my roommate wasn’t going to be home ‘till eleven. And now she’s asleep.”

   “You’re kidding,” the girl gapes at her in disbelief, making a face so expressive Seulgi fights back the urge to laugh and shakes her head to confirm that yes, she’s in fact that unlucky. She’s pretty sure the girl’s eyebrows just shot up more than humanly possible. “I’m- I’m sorry but have you offended the universe? I mean, this is a lot of bad luck for one single person.”

   “She’ll let me in, eventually,” Seulgi considers, then adds as an afterthought, “maybe if I bribe her with food.”

   The girl perks up at that. “Oh, there’s a place that’s open all night not too far from here, you should be able to find it easily,” she says and they fall into a moment of surprisingly comfortable silence after that. The girl simply looks at Seulgi with a gentle expression, then her eyes widen and she bashfully clears , extending a hand in front of her. “I can’t believe I forgot, but my name is Seungwan. Nice to meet you.”

   Seungwan. Seulgi repeats the name over and over in her head as she grasps the hand in front of her, revelling in the warmth of it against her skin. It’s small, but Seungwan’s grip is surprisingly strong and her skin is very smooth. “Kang Seulgi,” she says, feeling a dopey grin unwillingly spread on her face when Seungwan beams at her, all pearly white teeth and nose scrunching up in the cutest way. “This is not exactly the best way to make a first impression, is it?”

   “I’m sure you’re not a drunkard, Kang Seulgi,” Seungwan teases and wow, Seulgi’s pretty sure the abrupt rush of warmth to her cheeks has less to do with embarrassment and more with the lazy wink the other girl sends her way. Seungwan opens to say more, but the sudden dimming of the lights captures her attention. She turns around and Seulgi follows her line of sight, looking at the stage where some musicians are starting to take their place behind their instruments. The pianist starts to press down on the keys, letting the clean sound reverberate through the bar as the bass player and violoncellist quietly tune their instruments.

   Seungwan looks back at Seulgi, an apologetic frown on her face and lips gathering into an exquisite pout. Seulgi really needs to stop staring. “I have to go now, I’m sorry. I hope to see you again,” Seungwan tells her, leaning forward a bit to give Seulgi’s hand a squeeze. She hesitates, looking like she wants to say something again. When she finally opens , Seulgi thinks she can see a light pink dusting staining Seungwan’s cheeks. “I know you have to go home, but I hope you can stay for the show. Bye!”

   Seulgi doesn’t have the time to ask her what she’s talking about that Seungwan has disappeared behind a wall, leaving only a whiff of perfume in her wake. Seulgi keeps staring at her direction with hanging half open, undoubtedly looking like a fool, until someone loudly clears their throat behind her. She turns around, meeting Minseok’s amused gaze, and gulps, shyly bowing her head. “I-I’m sorry about your counter, sir.”

   He laughs, shaking his head at her. “Don’t mention it. Now, you sure you don’t want anything else?” he asks, tipping his head to the side and looking at her knowingly. “Anything specific, I mean?”

   “Oh, no. I really have to go,” Seulgi quickly stands up, pushing forward the bills she previously left on the counter and sliding both her purse and the bag full of her artworks on her shoulder. She unlocks her phone to look at the hour. Half past two. God, she’s so late. “Thank you for everything.”

   “A pity,” he offhandedly mentions, seemingly focused on the drying wine glasses in his hands. “She wouldn’t want you to miss the show.”

   Seulgi rolls her eyes, exasperated, but whatever question she was about to ask gets interrupted when an unknown voice resonates around the bar.

   “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome miss Wendy Son.”

   She brings her attention back to the stage, confused as to why both Seungwan and Minseok would want her to watch a jazz performance, when a figure comes out from behind the dark red curtain just as a delicate piano melody begins to fill the air.

   When she sees that it's none other than Seungwan that’s walking out to take the centre of the stage, stopping confidently behind a microphone that wasn’t there before, Seulgi’s jaw drops.

   Seungwan looks to her right and gives a small nod to the pianist, who begins to add more complexity to the song. It’s a Christmas tune Seulgi’s heard before, something in English she remembers mumbling along a few times, but her mind goes blank as soon as Seungwan opens to sing. Her voice fills the air, pregnant with emotion and sensibility, then soaring with power when the drums kick in and taking Seulgi’s breath away in the process. Seungwan owns the stage as if she were performing in a stadium and Seulgi has to force shut as she watches the singer make the song hers like it’s nothing.

   The music fades gradually as Seungwan hits the last sequence of notes flawlessly and the only thing keeping Seulgi from giving a standing ovation is the fact that she’s  already on her feet. A miracle in itself since her legs feel incredibly wobbly all of a sudden and she’s pretty damn sure it’s not because of the alcohol still circling her system, but whole different reason she’s definitely not ready to acknowledge yet.

   Seungwan. Wendy Son. Son Seungwan.

   Seulgi goes over the names in her minhead like they were a mantra, grinning like an idiot and clapping harder than all the other guests put together. Her eyesight is poor and the dim lights aren’t helping at all, but the dazzling smile Seungwan throws her way is definitely not part of her imagination.

   When the next song starts and her eyes, once again, remain glued to the stage, Seulgi sighs and lets herself fall on the stool. She reaches in her bag to grab a couple of coins, dropping them in Minseok’s outstretched hand without even turning around. She’s sure he’s looking at her, probably with a face that hollers “I knew it” from every pore.

   “So, what can I get you?” God he sounds like he’s trying not to laugh at her. Now she gets why he’s friends with Yerim.

   Seulgi hums distractedly. When Seungwan (or Wendy? She can’t wait to clarify later) looks at her again, Seulgi raises both fists in encouragement. She gets another beaming smile in response, one that draws a similar grin out of her. Sooyoung will be more than happy to keep on sleeping anyway.

   “Just a glass of water please.“

--

   When Sooyoung opens the door of the Kang-Park apartment, she finds herself in front of a barefooted Seulgi, low heels in hand and hair falling out of a messy bun, sporting the kind of smile that gives off her signature teddy bear vibe, all cute and bright with eyes that disappear into crescents. The sight would be adorable if it wasn’t freaking 6 in the morning and the older girl, clearly sleep deprived, didn’t smell like a brewer shop.

   "I got you food," it's the first thing she says, and the only reason Sooyoung doesn't slam the door in her face. That and years of friendship, maybe. She might reconsider that.

   “I should leave you to sleep in the cold.”

   “I talked all night with this girl,” Seulgi gushes, bouncing past Sooyoung without closing the door behind her back. The younger girl’s eyebrow twitches. It’s too early for this. “Her name’s Seungwan. Stage name Wendy. But I prefer Seungwan.”

   “I don’t even want to know,” Sooyoung mutters, collapsing on the couch. A body settles  on the floor beside her and she peeks out from under her arm to find Seulgi staring dazedly up at the ceiling. Looking for her brain, no doubt.

   “She said my eyes look pretty,” Seulgi mumbles, erupting in chuckles a few seconds later. She's lucky Sooyoung doesn't have classes this morning. “She asked for my number, Sooyoung-ah.”

   “Charming, I hope she’s catfishing you.”

   “We both agreed to hang out sometime soon.” Sooyoung just really, really wants to sleep “Is tomorrow okay? Because I don’t think it’s too soon.”

   “Unnie shut up and sleep, you have class in three hours for God’s sake!”

   “I know, she told me she’s a music major! It means we go to the same school!”

   It really is too damn early for this.

Minseok's always wanted to be a bartender. Seemed only fair I gave him the role