CHAPTER SIX

Dara exhales as she locks her phone and stares at her reflection in the mirror. She just sent a message to her friends, inquiring if she can drink, well, alcohol. It drew suspicions since it was out of character for her to ask such question out of nowhere.  

What was good thing about asking through their group chat was that they wouldn’t know that she lied when she said she bought some friend chicken, and she intended to devour them partnered with some beer. 

A sigh escaped her lips once again. She just told her friends that she’s cozying up in her apartment, when in fact, she’s inside the restroom of a bar, flushed from the liquor she just downed moments ago. There is no need for them to know that she’s out with Jiyong, and is about to pour all her frustrations and get herself drunk.  

Pocketing her phone, she adjusts her glasses, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and with a nod, exits the room. Threading her way toward their table, Dara slides herself back on her seat and drains the contents of the glass she left when she excused herself. 

As she places the mug down on the table, the man seated in front of her chuckles.  

“Something upsets you back in the restroom?” Jiyong asked as he did the same on his mug, chugging his own drink. 

Swallowing, she shakes her head. “Nothing,” she responds and finally notices another two buckets of beer on top of their table. “Are you planning to get drunk?” 

“I am. Aren’t you?” He stares at the glass of cola next to her that remains untouched. “Should we get rid of that?” 

She glances at the mug and without a word, takes a swig from it. Another chuckle escapes Jiyong’s lips. “I need that,” she says while wiping her lips. 

“If you say so,” he shrugs. 

Her eyes roam around the area, taking note of the surprisingly calming ambiance of the place. The dim light complements the mellow music coming from the band performing on the low stage in the middle of the room. And for a Friday evening wherein she expected the place to be packed, there are still empty tables yet the business is booming and orders seemed to be endless. 

“Here you go,” a guy wearing an apron places a plate of fried chicken in front of them. “Haven’t seen you around for quite a while now, Jiyong.” 

“Corporate stuff is being a pain in the . I missed your specialty that’s why I dropped by, Alex.” He explains with a smile and plucks a piece of chicken from the pile. 

Dara felt the guy named Alex eyes on her. She looks up at him and offers him a shy smile which he responds to with a huge grin.  

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your pretty girl, Kwon?” 

She is about to correct him but Jiyong beats her to it, and speaks. “Alex, this is Dara, my beautiful companion.” Heat rises on her cheeks at his description. “Dara, this is Alexander, a good friend of mine. He owns this place.” 

Her lips part at this and her eyes widen in surprise. Alexander’s laughter resonated in her ears amid the music coming from band performing. 

“I hope you’ll have a good time, Dara. Rest assured that you and Jiyong will not be bothered here since our patrons like him respect his privacy.” Alex grinned. “And they are too busy having a good time,” he said and winked. 

She finds his personality refreshing that her earlier shyness seem to slowly shed away. They engaged in another conversation and with final pleasantries, the guy excused himself and the two of them were left on their table once again. 

Jiyong opens another bottle and pours her mug.  

“Wait!”  

He gives her a questioning look, and she shakes her head. “Something’s wrong, Dara?” 

“I think, that’s enough beer for me.” 

“Would you like something else? Wine or something strong, maybe?” 

She shakes her head once again and chuckles. “I mean, the last time I got drunk, I almost cannot remember what kind of disaster I unleashed.” 

Jiyong laughs at this and continuously pour contents on her mug. “Well, that is the purpose why we are here,” he said and pushed the mug closer to her. He smiles at her. “I brought you here to forget everything, and drink to our heart’s content.” 

“Seriously, Jiyong, I’ll have to pass. At least one of us should be a sober so we can get home safe.” 

“Don’t worry about that. I scheduled us a ride back to our places. I planned to get wasted.” He slips out of his seat and occupied the empty space next to her. “Go on, help yourself. Forget that I am here, and order everything you can take. The tab is on me.” He grins at her before leaning back on their seat which is good enough to accommodate three people. 

From this angle, she cannot help but to admire his profile closer. His face is flushed, and his eyes are closed. Even at this state, he looks beautiful. 

Dara pushes her mug toward his direction. “I’m fine, Jiyong.” He opens his lids and his gaze finds hers. She smiles. “I’ll just watch you. You look like you need them more than I do.” 

Jiyong just stared at her. His orbs move as if traveling on every contour of her face. She suddenly felt conscious but cannot seem to find the strength to look away.  

He leans forward until his face hovers close to hers. “I look like , huh,” he whispers.  

She giggled and shook her head, not bothering to move back. “That was not what I meant.” 

He grins. Suddenly, the warmth of his palm finds her cheek as his thumb caresses her skin. “Stop lying to me, Dara,” he mumbles. The smile on her lips freezes as she stares directly at his eyes. “Or rather, stop lying to yourself.” 

“I’m not.” 

“You are. We both know I am not the only one who needs to get some s out his sys