the hotel looked like something out of a romantic novel. it was several stories tall, with spotlights illuminating the pale stone exterior. the windows were orderly and curved like gateway arches, some of them cracked open to the wind. small trees lined the pathway up to the ornate front door, where a man in a suit was waiting with his hands crossed behind him. it almost looked like a castle, if castles were mass-produced at IKEA.

“you’ve got to be kidding me,” yaebin said when her friends barely batted an eyelash before grabbing their suitcases from the trunk of the car. “this place looks like something out of the great gatsby.”

“isn’t it pretty?” jieqiong asked lightly, smiling between yaebin and the hotel. “we looked it up online. apparently it’s the oldest hotel in the country.”

“how are we affording this?” yaebin asked, dreading the answer. this was only stop one on their summer adventure, according to eunwoo, a pitstop on the way to the beach resort they were actually staying in. yaebin hadn’t been able to turn her down when she proposed this massive vacation – they had all worked hard the year before, and college had really tried to kick their asses, more than usual, anyway. they deserved something like this. but that didn’t mean yaebin’s wallet was completely on board. she would have to work overtime in the last few weeks of summer after this if she wanted to make rent when they got back to school for the next semester.

“it’s only one night,” eunwoo said, handing over yaebin’s suitcase. “and you’d be surprised how cheap this place is. it would probably cost more to go to a best western.”

“that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

the guy at the door greeted them politely, stepping out of the way to let them pass. yaebin didn’t know what she was expecting, but the inside was even worse. the ceiling was crisscrossed with wooden beams and a giant glass chandelier sparkled in the middle of the lobby. at the far end, past the shiny wooden reception desk and the fancy leather seating area, a giant wooden staircase ascended out of sight.

“ok, now we’re in titanic. how the hell did you find this place?”

“the internet,” eunwoo said, like it was obvious. which maybe it was. “this trip is supposed to be fun, i wasn’t about to book some boring chain hotel.”

the lady behind the reception desk greeted them with a smile, showing the whitest teeth yaebin had ever seen in her life. she was dressed similarly to the guy at the door, in a clean suit buttoned neatly and a crisp white undershirt. yaebin suddenly felt way out of place in her ripped jeans and old tshirt. they’d been in the car all day – of course, eunwoo decided to book a fancy hotel in the middle of a road trip – and she was sure she smelled a little funky.  subconsciously, she took a step back from the receptionist while eunwoo got their room key and fiddled with the handle of her suitcase.

“room 204. second floor, right up the stairs to your left,” the receptionist said, handing eunwoo a golden key attached to a gaudy metal keychain. eunwoo thanked the woman and turned to her friends, nodding to the giant staircase at the far end of the room.

there were a few people in the lobby, but none of them looked up at yaebin as they passed the seating area. through a doorway beyond the lobby, at the base of the stairs, she caught sight of a huge ballroom, the ceilings vaulted and the dancefloor surrounded by greek columns and archways.

“they probably do weddings,” eunwoo commented, barely pausing to look in the ballroom before picking up her suitcase and starting up the stairs. yaebin followed her, a little scared to stain the carpet runner with her dirty sneakers.

“don’t they have elevators or something?” jieqiong asked, pouting.

“it’s one floor up, don’t be a lazy .” eunwoo shook her head. jieqiong slapped her on the shoulder, but didn’t say anything else.

“maybe if you didn’t pack your entire bedroom in that suitcase, it wouldn’t be so heavy,” yaebin added.

“it’s not my entire bedroom!” jieqiong protested. “just everything i need to get ready in the morning.”

part of yaebin was expecting a canopy bed or a claw foot bathtub, but to her relief, the room looked pretty much like a normal hotel room. yaebin flipped the light switch by the door, the lamps on both nightstands immediately lighting up, and looked around the room. there were two queen-sized beds, a mini-bar, and a window overlooking the pool outside, glowing fluorescent blue in the moonlight.

“rock paper scissors for the single bed?” yaebin suggested, pausing in the middle of the room. both of her friends nodded and eunwoo let the door slam closed behind her.

it took three tries, but yaebin ended up winning rock paper scissors, and jieqiong and eunwoo both groaned.

“that’s fine, i like sharing with jieqiong anyway,” eunwoo said, her voice full of spite. “she doesn’t hog all the blankets like you do.”

yaebin stuck her tongue out at her and flung her suitcase up onto her bed.

 

 

 

 

she could hear jieqiong softly snoring and eunwoo’s breathing had long since evened out. yaebin was staring at the ceiling of their hotel room, her blankets kicked into a pile at the foot of her bed. light from the pool out the window was reflecting dimly around the room. her friends had been asleep for what seemed like forever, and yaebin’s eyes refused to close. she was getting frustrated, and it was hot in the room. if she listened carefully, she could almost hear music from the ballroom beneath them.

she had long since lost track of time when she finally sat up in bed, sure now that there was music playing below her. she could only hear it when her ear was pressed against the pillow, but it was definitely there. classical music, with pianos and violins, lots of swoops and curves. like something to be danced to in a historical drama.

the clothes she was wearing to sleep were not really appropriate for leaving the room, but she just slipped on sandals and called it good enough. she was careful not to wake her friends, but neither of them even moved when she opened the door and light from the hallway soaked the room.

it was definitely louder in the hall, the piano almost vibrating through the floor, and yaebin walked quietly down the hall in search of the music. at the top of the grand staircase, she paused, hearing voices mix with the music below. there were people, laughing and talking, and she could hear movement like people dancing to the music.

part of her was tempted to turn around and go back to the safety of her room before anyone saw her. surely she was not dressed for a party, and she wasn’t a crasher. but her curiosity was stronger than her apprehension, and yaebin found herself creeping down the stairs, trying not to make a sound or alert anyone’s attention.

the music was coming from the ballroom they had seen on their way in. the doors were cast open, and the music and laughter and chatter poured out into the lobby unabashedly. was someone having a party? the obvious answer was yes, but yaebin couldn’t help thinking that no party could possibly last this late into the night without slowing down at all. especially since the ballroom had been empty when they passed only a couple hours earlier.

yaebin stopped in the doorway, her eyes wide as she took in the sight before her.

the ballroom was full of people, standing around the edges of the room talking and laughing or sweeping by on the dancefloor, partners with their arms around one another and girls in long dresses fanning out across the dancefloor. it was the middle of the night, but everyone was dressed like they were going to a fancy wedding,

she blinked, and the people were wearing elaborate ballgowns, the fashion of ages past – hair pressed into tight curls and tied close to their heads, white satin gloves all the way to their elbows, petticoats upon petticoats upon petticoats. the men were dressed in coattails and top hats, the woman in dresses larger than themselves, their waists cinched so tight yaebin felt short of breath just looking at them and their hips padded with skirts for days.

she blinked, and the man sweeping past closest on the dancefloor had horns peeking out above his hairline. the woman he was dancing with had wings, large and clear like a dragonfly’s. a girl was swinging from one of the chandeliers ten feet above the dancefloor, her skin fluorescent green. a man at the edge of the room smiled and showed a row of razor-sharp teeth, pointed like a shark’s.

she blinked, and everything was back to normal.

well, as normal as black-tie in the middle of the night could possibly be.

yaebin tugged down the hem of her cotton sleep-shorts, feeling even more underdressed than when they first arrived at the hotel. she wanted to turn and run back out of the party but she couldn’t take her eyes off the swirling dancers in the center of the room. they moved so gracefully, like they practiced the steps daily. she was so focused on them, for a few long minutes she didn’t notice the woman staring at her.

when she finally did become aware of the woman staring at her, yaebin felt all the air rush out of her body. like she had been punched in the stomach, except it was silent and instantaneous and done only with a single look. their eyes locked for who knows how long, but yaebin didn’t know how to look away.

she was tall, with dark hair that hung in loose waves around her shoulders. she wasn’t wearing a long dress like most of the women in the room, but fitted black pants and a matching blazer, left ed and loose in the front. her fingers wrapped delicately around a glass of sparkling red wine in one hand. she watched yaebin with dark eyes.

yaebin blinked, and for only a second she saw dark horns peeking out from the woman’s hair.

she blinked again and they were gone.

and the woman was next to her, close enough to be heard over the music, even though her voice was low. yaebin couldn’t remember seeing her move, but now she was only inches away.

“you look lost, love,” she said. yaebin’s mouth opened and closed silently for a  few seconds before she found her voice.

“sorry,” she got out finally. “i didn’t mean to interrupt. i’ll, um, i’ll get back to my room.” but she didn’t move. she was hardly even breathing. she could hear her heart in her ears.

“don’t be silly,” the woman said, her lips curling up at the ends in a tiny smile. “you only just got here. care to dance?”

“i’m not exactly dressed for dancing,” yaebin pointed out.

the tiny smile on the woman’s  face spread into a full grin. the sight of it made yaebin’s heart flip over in her chest. she blinked, and the white teeth poking out from between her lips were razor-sharp. she blinked again and the only thing strange about her was that she was breathtaking.

“you fit right in, sweetheart.”

yaebin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion before she realized her pajamas had disappeared. she was dressed in a long red gown like the rest of the people there, her feet fitted snugly into dangerous stiletto heels. a diamond necklace glittered at her collarbones.

“wha--”

she didn’t have time to finish her question because the woman had set down her wine glass on a passing tray and taken her hand, pulling her towards the dancefloor before she could think to refuse.

“just one song, come on. one dance.”

yaebin was pretty sure she was about to make a complete fool out of herself in front of this very attractive stranger, and this entire crowd of strangers, because she had never ballroom danced in her life. she wouldn’t know the steps if she was held at gunpoint. she had hardly ever even worn a pair of heels in her life, and definitely not ones as tall or dangerous as the ones she suddenly found herself wearing. she was definitely going to twist her ankle.

but it didn’t matter, because the other woman pulled her close and then they were dancing, blending effortlessly into the crowd. her skin burned where she could feel the weight of the woman’s hand on her waist. she didn’t know the steps but that didn’t seem to matter either. somehow she was able to keep up.

“see, you’re a natural,” the woman said, leaning close to yaebin’s ear to be heard over the music and movement. yaebin could feel her breath on her face.

the music dipped and soared and they danced until it faded out to silence. the woman had promised only one dance and she was true to her word, pulling yaebin from the crowd in the brief silence that followed the end of the song. for some reason yaebin felt a small pang of disappointment.

she let the other woman lead her to the far end of the ballroom, the edge of the party. the balcony doors were open to the outside air and yaebin could see the pool and an expansive garden beyond it. they stopped just in the doorway to the balcony, stuck halfway between the party and the lights and the music and the cool night air. it was quieter here, and the woman didn’t have to lean so close to be heard. she did anyway.

“you dance perfectly.”

yaebin’s cheeks were hot and she knew she must be flushed with color. it was embarrassing, really, but it was the last thing on her mind.

“i never got your name,” she said quietly, realizing vaguely she definitely wasn’t in her right mind. this kind of thing was not like her. but they were standing very close together, and yaebin’s heartrate was still swooping with the music, and all she could think about was what it would feel like to kiss the other woman’s perfect red lips.

the woman smiled, like she knew what yaebin was thinking. “minkyung,” she said in response. “nice to make your acquaintance.”

yaebin turned her name over in her mind, feeling it click into place beside her face. “same to you,” she said, smiling back.

“are you enjoying the party?” minkyung asked.

yaebin nodded, though it was in a vague, far-away kind of way. was speaking, but really, the only thing she could think about with any sort of coherency was minkyung’s lips. “it’s weird,” she said. “i don’t really know how i got here.”

“none of us do, love.” minkyung said lightly. “that’s part of the beauty of this hotel.”

yaebin nodded again, looking up at minkyung through her eyelashes. minkyung was looking back at her with dark eyes, and all yaebin could do was stare at her for a few seconds, transfixed.

minkyung ducked her head and yaebin’s breath caught in in anticipation. for a split second, when yaebin blinked, the irises in minkyung’s dark eyes burned bright with orange fire. but then she was kissing her, and everything left yaebin’s mind except a distant, finally. her lips were soft, and she tasted like the wine she had been drinking when yaebin had first laid eyes on her. yaebin’s eyes slipped closed as minkyung pulled her ever closer and her heart seemed to beat right out of her chest.

 

 

 

 

 

she woke up in her bed, sunlight streaming through the window, eunwoo and jieqiong sleeping peacefully across the room, the same way she had left them the night before. she could still taste the wine on her lips.