| CHAPTER EIGHT |

Tragically Comical

Nigh walks were fun but tipsy night walks were always better. Leaving that bar after three bottles of beer and three shots of Jäger Bomb was the best choice for Jiwon as soon as men started piling up before her more often by the second shot, relentlessly attempting to start up -boy conversations to get laid. By the third shot, she got a little sly note that had a phone number and a hotel room number written on it, together with another shot glass of the same drink she was having – drinks on him.

Done. So done.

She threw her bag carelessly over her shoulder, breathing in the summer night breeze mixed with grill smoke and alcohol aroma, or was she just smelling herself? A busy and stressful day at work today made her do it. Three photoshoots and one big conference meeting with an entertainment company – enough to make a stable careerwoman like her snap and get away from her usual boring routine for once.

But she’s way too smart for that. She couldn’t just get way too drunk all by herself, she didn’t trust anyone enough to allow herself to be wasted all alone.

Instead, she got herself just the right tipsy; walking around Itaewon finding another place to go to, searching for something to eat this time. Probably not a good option either as she looked around this small busy street. Men, a lot of them, they hung outside the pubs smoking and laughing. Music blasted in each restaurant, clashing sounds of beer bottles and shot glasses, young adults and possibly minors illegally drinking surrounded her.

She glanced down her watch, squinting her eyes to see clearly. “Ugh, it’s only ten.” She rubbed her growling tummy aching for food. If she had known this street would be packed at night—she really should have known—she wouldn’t have left her condo unit without a car and decided to take the subway to nowhere for fresh air.

She must have gone crazy, she thought about that at least three times tonight while she was in the subway. Was this going to be her life as a single, no family, lonely careerwoman after-work hours? “I’m so bad with alcohol, .” She tapped her cheek one too many times, trying to process the fact that she only had three shots and her head was already feeling heavy.

Either she was really getting old and her tolerance wasn’t as good anymore or she just drank them way too quickly in an empty stomach – possibly both.

She paused, turned to her right and up. “Cheers Pub, hm. Name but seem busy.” Without thinking any further, she walked in. A staff stoped and asks for her I.D. She showed it proudly and quite in a delight. She still got asked for her I.D. and she was already twenty-eight, awesome. “Okay, ma’am. For how many people?” The young woman asked.

Jiwon let out a laugh, looking behind her. “Do I look like I have someone with me? I get it, I’m alone, as you can see. I’m going to this fun-looking pub, tired and tipsy, all alone because I can and there’s no law that says I can’t have fun alone. Is there a problem with that?” She replied. She was not usually this rude but she couldn’t help it, she felt like the woman had to rub it on her face that she was alone. Also, ther was already alcohol in her system to begin with.

The young staff nervously laughed. “No ma’am, of course. One table at your righthand side is just being cleared up by our staff, for the meantime, please wait. You can take a seat on our waiting bench.” She was prompted to the bench behind her. “Nah, I’m fine.” Jiwon shrugged her offer off and just remained standing there, humming a self-made tune.

“Hm, dude. Are you sure you’re not actually crushing on her then?”

Baekhyun lifted his head, his chopsticks with a decent-sized piece of meat stopped mid-way before it enters his mouth. His chest shattered in irritation as his eyes dropped to his friend, Chanyeol’s cheeky smile. He had known the guy for years now, even before he met Hara and had that little fling with her. The twin siblings had been in the modelling industry long enough for him to know them both very well. He looked at him with a grimace, not liking the word crush being used at all.  “I don’t know but from what I’ve been hearing from Hara and now that we finally got to hang out for the first time in a while, it’s Jiwon this and Jiwon that.” The man interrogated playfully before snatching the meat from his chopsticks and eating it.

Sarcastic laugh, no, more like a dazed laugh sang out of Baekhyun’s mouth. He grabbed his glass of beer and took a few big gulps. Had he been talking about her way too much? He didn’t really feel like he did. All he had told him was his whole three weeks so far, a bit of an update since they were catching up. It might have been mostly about Kim Jiwon but what could he do? He couldn’t stand the woman and he couldn stand rejection – put them together and you get a crazy competitive Byun Baekhyun. He believed that was reasonable enough. “Oh god no. No no no—you’re getting the wrong idea, Yeol. She’s just a very very stubborn woman that, for some reason, rejected me at first sight. I can’t accept that, I’m just trying to teach her a lesson, you’ll see.”

He looked away to grab his glass of beer and drink.

“Okay, well.” Chanyeol stretched his knuckles, showing a big smile. “I’ve met her for work some time ago, she is very attractive I must say, very intelligent and professional too – Miss Independent type. Hara is encouraging me to try and get to know her actually … she’s single too so, why not.” He eyed Baekhyun who was now giving him a mediating sneer, not saying anything.

He poured some Soju on Baekhyun’s shot glass, watching him give that same glare. “I don’t know why I am even asking but … I guess I will, is that okay with you? But if I do it, you better stop messing with her then.” Baekhyun cleared his throat, speechless of the guy’s unexpected words. Did he just not hear his whole plan? It infuriated him. Stop messing with her? Why would he do that when he’s just starting? He wants to get to know Kim Jiwon? no, he started feeling pressure in his head as he shoots daggers at his friend, uncomfortable warmth got worse and worse every second, he watched the guy’s lips curve up into that sly, mocking smile.

“I mean, either way I would still suggest to just stop it? You don’t want to get trapped on your own trap, if things happen. Putting so much efforts into targeting her, that might just lead you to something more than that, you know.” The seemingly friendly advice made his blood boil even more.  

Baekhyun lowered his head, disbelieving laughter escaping his lips. “Dude, you’re really getting the wrong idea.” His chest expanded as he looks up, his hands full of expression as he went on. “The efforts I have been putting is solely to prove to her that she’s no different from any other woman I’ve met. So, until I get what I want, don’t even try to mess with her or I will kill you.”

He eventually softened back up into a smile as he looked down to his beef rice bowl. On their table laid at least four different shareable appetizers that they were eating together with the alcohol and two individual bowls for each of them. Normally, Baekhyun’s Friday nights would be for bars, hook-ups and random parties hosted by some distant friends he didn’t even genuinely like, but lately he had been too hooked at work that he just went straight home after. Tonight was one of those rare nights he got his work done much earlier. Phone calls, text messages and invitations from girls he knew and used to know still came on a d