ten.

“This is the stupidest, craziest, dumbest, most insane idea ever. What the hell are you thinking Son Seungwan?” Seungwan asked herself as she paced back and forth while biting her nails anxiously. “I should leave.” She decided, walking back to the direction of her car before halting in her tracks. “But there’s no other option…” She shook her head, turning back around to walk towards the front entrance of the upscale apartment. “But this is seriously embarrassing.” She whispered, stopping again. “Am I really going to throw away my dignity like this?” She scratched her head. “No, I really shouldn’t. This was a bad idea.” She made up her mind and started walking away from the apartment, but to her bad luck, Seulgi had just returned and caught her standing right outside of her home.

Seungwan cursed when the car immediately braked and Seulgi got out, surprise written all over her face. She would’ve never expected in a million years to find Seungwan here.

“Seungwan.” She greeted, walking up to her and dipping her head politely. “What brings you here?”

“N-Nothing.” Seungwan replied unconvincingly. “I was passing by and just about to leave.” She added quickly. Seulgi raised an eyebrow, seeing right through her and knowing that Seungwan was still incapable of lying.

“Did you have something to say to me?” She asked. “We can go up and talk over a cup of tea or something.” She gestured to the apartment.

“Talking here will be just fine.” Seungwan replied, refusing to get any closer to Seulgi. She mentally scoffed, go inside your house? What are we, friends? Of course not.

Seungwan constantly claimed that she didn’t care about Seulgi, but she felt herself grow worried when she noticed how tired Seulgi looked, as if she hadn’t been able to get any sleep for a long time. She looked skinnier too and Seungwan almost had to physically cover to stop herself from bombarding her with instinctive questions such as ‘have you been eating well?’, ‘how much sleep are you getting?’, ‘is work too stressful?’.

“What did you want to say?” Seulgi prompted, tucking her hands into her coat pockets leisurely while Seungwan was practically on her toes and being highly cautious of the person in front of her. She didn’t even know why she was being so nervous either, it wasn’t like Seulgi would attack her…right? “Has Joohyun recovered?” Seulgi asked before Seungwan could even reply to her first question.

“It’s…It’s been two weeks.” Seungwan stated blankly. “If she was still sick, I would be very concerned.”

“Ah, you’re right.” Seulgi scratched her eyebrow, laughing embarrassedly at herself. “I never got the chance to find out how she was doing so…”

“I didn’t give her your medicine or porridge.” Seungwan blurted out of nowhere. It had been crushing her for the past weeks and she just had to confess before she cracked under the guilt. She coiled back slightly, preparing herself for Seulgi’s reaction.

“I understand.” Seulgi replied softly, not even batting an eyelash at the news. She even looked like she had expected it. “So, are you going to tell me what you’re here for?”

 “Oh. Right. Yes.” Seungwan cleared . “Where do I begin?” She frowned, thinking to herself for a moment. Seulgi waited patiently, smiling a little at Seungwan who was visibly racking her brain to get her train of thought back.

“God, I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” Seungwan muttered under her breath. “But you’re the only person who I can think of that can help Joohyun.”

“What’s wrong? Why does she need help?” Seulgi immediately grew concerned and her patience was gone the moment Joohyun was mentioned. She needed answers now.

“So…Yeri got accepted into a university in the States but it costs a hefty amount for her to move there and study. Joohyun doesn’t want Yeri to give this up but they really don’t have the money for it.”

“I can-”

“I’m not finished.” Seungwan stopped Seulgi from butting in. “You know how stubborn Joohyun is. She refuses to get help from anyone, and especially not you. She’s going to kill me later for telling you all this by the way, so this might be the last time we meet. Anyway, so Joohyun is set on doing this by herself but she needs more income than whatever she’s getting right now and she needed another job that can provide quick and ‘easy’ money.”

Seulgi did not like where this was going and she gripped the hem of her coat, fearing the next sentence that came from Seungwan.

“She works as a club hostess now and I’m so worried about her Seulgi! She comes home at 3am smelling like alcohol and smoke which she hates, but she’s enduring all of it and I can’t stand to see her like this-” She rambled until she was stopped.

“That’s enough.” Seulgi said, still sounding calm but her eyes spoke otherwise. “Where is she working? Text me the address, I’ll take care of this.” She told Seungwan before sprinting back to her car.

Seungwan watched with a slightly agape mouth as the car took off at unearthly speed. She was still mad at Seulgi, she wasn’t forgiving her yet, and she still hated Seulgi…kind of. But she had to admit, Seulgi was still as reliable and cool as ever.

…

She was burning all over with anger and rage by the time she stepped foot into the club. It took all of her self-control to not cause a scene and she was greeted at the entrance by a man with a name badge that told her he was the manager.

“Good evening, miss. Looking for some accompaniment tonight or just drinking alone?”

“Where is Joohyun?” Seulgi didn’t bother with formalities or even manners. Every second that passed that she couldn’t get to her, the more worried she got at the thought of what Joohyun might be going through right now. The manager looked confused as he looked through the system for the hosts.

“Ah, you mean Irene?” He smirked. “You have good taste, she’s new here but she’s already one of our most popular hostesses-”

“I asked you where she is.” Seulgi enunciated through gritted teeth. She didn’t have time for this, she needed to find her now.

“Unfortunately she’s been bought already tonight. With a high price too, since a lot of businessmen-”

“Do I look like I ing care?” Seulgi growled, pushing him aside to look at the computer screen.

“Wait, you can’t look at that!” He scrambled to stop her but Seulgi had already seen what she needed to see and she took off into the club while the manager chased her.

23… 25… 27…

Seulgi reached the door with the right number and she yanked the handle, bursting into the private lounge room which was for VIPs. She was enveloped by a thick fog of smoke which made her stifle a cough as her eyes focused through the haze on a middle-aged man in an expensive suit sitting on the couch with a cigar in his mouth and beside him, staring right back at her with a shocked expression was Joohyun.

She was relieved that she didn’t find them in a compromising position because Seulgi swears she might actually kill someone and go to jail for real if she did.

“What the hell is this?” The man asked, glaring at Seulgi and then looking at the manager who had appeared behind her.

“My apologies, sir! She’s just lost.” The manager grabbed Seulgi’s arm, trying to pull her away but she wouldn’t budge.

“I’m not lost. I’m here to take her.” Seulgi said, meeting the man’s hard gaze with an equally cold stare. “So hand her over.”

The man snorted, throwing his head back and laughing. “You think I would just give her over to you so easily? Get your own hostess, I paid for her.” He said proudly, putting his arm around an evidently uncomfortable Joohyun like she was merely an item for him to purchase and show off.

“Get your dirty hands off her.” Seulgi’s clenched fists were almost shaking as she tried to suppress her anger and desire to strangle the man for even touching a hair of Joohyun’s. 

“Just go.” The manager muttered, tugging her arm. “We have plenty of other choices.”

Seulgi ignored him. “How much did you pay?” She asked the man. “Whatever amount it is, I’ll pay double.”

“D-Double?” The manager gaped as numbers started swimming around his head.

“Are you crazy?” The businessman got to his feet, eyeing Seulgi. “You’re willing to pay ten grand?”

“Would you like to bid higher?” Seulgi challenged.

He accepted it since he wouldn’t let his pride get trampled by a girl who was less than half his age and height. “Fifteen grand.” He said and the manager looked over the moon at the bid prices. 

“Double that, thirty.” Seulgi said instantly and the manager almost fainted from happiness.

The man standing in front of Seulgi held her gaze for longer before shaking his head and laughing scornfully. “You’re ing crazy.” He said. “Fine, take her. She’s not worth that much.” He spat.

Seulgi took two strides to reach Joohyun who was still stunned and hadn’t spoken a word since she entered. She grabbed her wrist, pulling her up from the couch and dragged her to the door. But before walking out, Seulgi turned back around to look the man in the eye.

“Yes, she is.”

…

They sat in silence for a long time in a new and cleaner VIP room, a massive gap between them on the couch and Joohyun just fidgeted with her skirt which was clearly too short while Seulgi stared off into the distance for a while. She had so much to say, but she didn’t want to argue with her and she didn’t want to impulsively say anything in the heat of the moment so she kept silent to calm down first.

Joohyun felt too ashamed to say anything so she stared at her lap for ages and waited until Seulgi finally spoke.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” She asked quietly and Joohyun was surprised that there wasn’t any anger in her tone. If anything, she sounded more hurt.

Her own voice sounded foreign when she spoke. “I need money.” That sounded disgusting the moment she heard it spoken out loud and Joohyun was repulsed at what she had become.

“But do you really have to resort to this?” Seulgi turned to face her, her calm demeanour dissolving slowly. “Selling your looks and…stuff in a dirty business full of dangerous people just to get quick money?”

“It’s not as bad as what you’re thinking.” Joohyun responded immediately. “All we do is serve beverages, chat, drink and sing with customers.”

“It’s degrading and you know it. You should not be here.”

“What other choice do I have?” Joohyun asked bitterly.

“Let me pay for Yeri’s education and travel expenses.” Seulgi said determinedly.

“No.” Joohyun sighed exasperatedly, running her hand through her hair. She knew this would happen and it was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She was willing to bet her life savings that Seungwan told Seulgi despite her specific instruction not to. “We don’t want or need your money.”

“If you’re rejecting my money because you think it’s not clean but then you’re working in a place like this, you are no better than me.” Seulgi frowned. “What would Yeri think if she found out you were putting yourself through this to get money for her studies?”

“I don’t want your help.” Joohyun stated as she stood up. “I’ll sell my organs if I have to, but I won’t let you interfere with this.”

“Now is not the time to be stubborn!” Seulgi stood up to stop her from walking out the door. “I won’t expect anything in return and I won’t use it against you. Just let me give you the money Yeri needs and then we’ll pretend all of this never happened, okay?”

Joohyun was still unwavering with her decision. “No.” She pushed past Seulgi to get to the door. 

Something came over Seulgi that compelled her to move without realising it and Joohyun gasped when she was turned around and forced against the door. Seulgi found herself holding both of Joohyun’s wrists against the door, pressing her back against it with their faces dangerously close. She could almost feel Joohyun’s heartbeat at this proximity and she could hear the heavy breaths from the shorter girl, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Time seemed to pause when the two of them froze in their position, unable to move their bodies or their gazes from each other.

Finally, Joohyun worked up the courage to snap out of her daze and say something which unfortunately didn’t come out as strongly as she intended. “G-Get off me.” She stammered.

It was Seulgi’s turn to say ‘no’. Her boldness and refusal came as a shock to Joohyun who had a hard time keeping her eyes away from the pair of lips that were only a breath away from her.

“Since you won’t accept my money. Then how about you earn it?” Her voice dropped to just above a whisper and Joohyun blinked rapidly, wondering if she heard wrong. “I did pay to have you for the entire night after all, so that makes me your customer.” Seulgi added, finally leaning away a little to give them both more space to breathe. Her grip on Joohyun’s wrists loosened as she stepped back and Joohyun inhaled shakily, not realising she had been holding her breath the entire time that Seulgi was that close to her.

Joohyun felt dizzy and she leaned against the door to prevent herself from falling over. It didn’t help that she was getting a little tipsy from the drinks she had with her previous customer before Seulgi had barged in.

Earn that money? What could I possibly do to be able to earn that amount? Joohyun snuck a glance at Seulgi who was still staring at her intently and she diverted her eyes quickly, the heat rushing up to her face as went dry at the new thought that entered her head. Oh God, what if she wants…

“Sit down.” Seulgi commanded in a soft tone that made it sound more like a suggestion than an instruction. When Joohyun didn’t budge from her spot, Seulgi sighed and moved forward to put her hands on her shoulders and bring her away from the door. She dragged her across the room before seating her down on the couch and Joohyun chewed on her lower lip nervously as she wondered what Seulgi was planning to do.

Then she saw Seulgi removing her coat and she panicked. Her mind started screaming for her to run, while her heart started racing faster than it ever has in her life and her entire body heated up. She felt betrayed by her own body when she realised this was probably not a panic attack and she was just getting carried away by her own wild imaginations. 

Seulgi took a step closer to where she was sitting and Joohyun flinched, squeezing her eyes shut and held up her arms to protect herself instinctively. “No!” She exclaimed. I can’t- We can’t do this!

“No?” Seulgi asked with an amused smile as she guessed what Joohyun was probably thinking about. Joohyun slowly opened her eyes to find Seulgi reaching out to put the coat around her. She stopped moving and Seulgi wrapped the warm coat around her since she was wearing a rather skimpy uniform and the air conditioning was strong in the room. She could only stare at her with a stunned expression since she couldn’t form proper words and Seulgi gave her a brief smile.

“Just stay here tonight.” She said and Joohyun blinked as Seulgi walked over to the far end of the couch and sat down, leaning her head against the backrest. She sighed, making herself comfortable and closed her eyes. “I haven’t gotten a proper night’s sleep in ages.” She mumbled.

Now that she mentioned that, Joohyun realised she was still in her work clothes. She smiled wistfully at Seulgi’s undying love of wearing striped button ups which started when Joohyun admitted that she looked really good in them on their first date. She also didn’t notice it before, but now she could see the evident tiredness in Seulgi’s face. She leaned forward slightly to get a closer look of the younger girl’s face and was startled when Seulgi spoke.

“Also..” Seulgi started without opening her eyes and Joohyun was relieved that she didn’t get caught starring. “You are not going to continue working here after tonight. I’ll make sure of that.”

“I can’t just quit.” Joohyun said with disappointment lacing her words. “I signed a contract to work for at least half a year.”

Seulgi opened her eyes but didn’t turn her head to look at her and she stared at the ceiling pensively. “I’ll talk to your manager tomorrow and sort everything out. Don’t worry about it.” She said calmly.

“How?”

“Money solves a lot of things. I’ll buy the entire club if I have to.” She replied, folding her arms to allow for a comfortable sleeping position and closing her eyes again. Silence settled over the room and Joohyun let everything sink in. She’ll sort out the whole Yeri problem with Seulgi another day but for now, she felt like she owed Seulgi a word of gratitude at the least for tonight.

“T-Thank you.” She mumbled shyly, playing with the sleeves of the coat around her before lifting it up to sniff it in hopes that she could distract herself from all the emotions she was currently feeling towards the other girl in the room.

“For what?” Seulgi asked, fighting to stay awake since she really wanted to know why Joohyun would be thanking her after everything she had done to hurt her.

“For saving me tonight.” Joohyun said softly and her words hung in the air for a long time. There was no response except for steady breathing and Joohyun thought Seulgi had fallen asleep. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; maybe it would be better that she didn’t hear it.

Right before she slipped out of consciousness and into a much-needed slumber, Seulgi managed to mumble a response that she meant from the very bottom of her heart.

“Anything for you.”

...

a/n: Happy Seulgi Day!!
(notice how it's chapter 10 to match her birthdate ahaha surely had planned this since the start)

thank you for 400+ subscribers! so amazed and honoured by the support i've been receiving<3