“Oh hey! I didn’t know you were free to have a drink tonight!” The voice is unfamiliar to her ears but Park Chorong can tell how it’s directed at her, even when her eardrums are currently being tormented by a bass-boosted ‘BANG BANG BANG’ chorus; every organ within her body is vibrating along to the music against her free will, and now she’s 100% regretting her decision of visiting this hellhole as a spot for ‘self-relaxation’. No matter how delicious the cocktails are nor how many drinks her gorgeous self can get for the low, low price of free, this spontaneous decision of hers doesn’t seem to be worthwhile anymore- especially when her personal space is still being violated by a drunkard who’s far too blinded by lust to notice her visual cues of ‘ off’. Thus, when she finds herself attracting yet another unwanted company before she can even shake off the first one, she becomes a second away from pouring the remainder of her drink at their faces so that everyone else can conveniently take her hint at the same time. However, to her own surprise, instead of causing a scene and getting kicked out of the club as an aftermath, she ends up getting captivated by the newcomer’s eyes and freezes in place; even with the flashing lights muddling up her vision, she can clearly see the warmth that’s being emitted out of the girl’s pupils and gains a sense of security this overcrowded mistake of hers doesn’t supply. She remains in such a state of enchantment, Chorong doesn’t even react when a firm tug on the arm forces her to take a few steps to the side. The stranger who expressed her astonishment has yet to break character, now proceeding on to the next step. “Damn, what a coincidence! Me and the girls were just about to call you!” her instantaneous ‘friend’ continues to semi-shout over the thumping music once she confirms there’s no signs of retaliation, finally sparing a brief yet menacing glance at the excluded one. “Oh, I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” “N-Not at all.” Chorong is quick to hop on board and shifts even closer to her saviour, granting her the permission to take full control of the situation in her stead. “Let’s um… let’s not keep them waiting, shall we?” So without further ado, the kind stranger wraps a hand protectively around Chorong’s shoulders and leads her away from the scene, increasing their pace when the stubborn bastard starts spouting out ungodly cuss words to the tempo of the beat, almost in perfect synch with T.O.P’s rap verse. It’s only when they’ve reached the direct opposite end of the club the girls slow down their pace, soon occupying two bar stools to catch a breather; Chorong uses this opportunity to sneak another peek at her saviour, subconsciously ogling at her beauty when she brushes back her soft-looking hair. “Holy cow, that was way scarier than I thought it’d be.” the unfamiliar woman lets out a husky chuckle as she looks into the distance, making sure they’ve truly ditched the perpetrator within the sea of drunk, sweaty people. “For a second I thought I was going to have to throw out some of my rusty Taekwondo moves back there, but it seems like his balls aren’t as big as his ego.” Taken aback by her bluntness, Park Chorong bursts into an uncontrollable round of laughter until it gradually dies into a singular huff, her entire body suddenly feeling weak upon releasing all the pent-up tension. “I thought I had to show off my Hapkido skills too, but luckily you intervened before anyone could’ve ended up in the back of an ambulance.” “Hold up… you’ve trained in martial arts too? What rank?” “Black belt, 3rd Dan.” “B*tch same! But that means you could’ve easily kicked his yourself!” “Perhaps, but I honestly don’t have that sort of energy in me tonight.” “Well, thanks for turning me into the biggest on Earth.” “And why is that suddenly the case?” “I mean, you’re probably skilled enough to kick both of our asses- simultaneously if you really wanted to.” “Now that’s just too big of a stretch… though I must admit, I was super close to pouring my drink at your face when you first approached me. Sorry.” It’s the stranger’s turn to burst into laughter this time, finding Chorong’s playfulness to be unexpected (since she does come off as rather hostile when her facial muscles are completely relaxed) yet incredibly amusing at the same time. She’s cackling up so much, a hand of hers is placed over her contracting abs while her deafening volume is gaining herself some judgemental stares, amazingly winning against the music; she fails to notice the attention she’s getting (as tears are now coming out of her eyes), but thankfully everybody’s ready for the next rave and soon loses themselves in the exciting melody, leaving the duo to enjoy one another’s presence within their own world. Meanwhile, Chorong utilises this moment to analyse her companion and boldly scans through every detail; she finds her soft features rather alluring, her almond-shaped eyes fitting nicely with her high-bridged nose, the roundness of her lips whenever she smiles becoming her favourite feature. She’s so mesmerised by those adorably-sized lips, she doesn’t even realise her lingering gaze until she’s snapped out of her trance by another voice. A third person can now be seen pushing her way out of the crowded dance floor and walking straight towards their direction. At least it’s not the douche-bag who tried feeling Chorong up. “You ing !” the new face doesn’t even spare Chorong a glance and goes straight for the other girl’s head, flat-out smacking her without a single drop of mercy and triggering a chain of swear words to come flying out of her lips. “You said you needed to take a leak, but here you are chatting up a babe instead? What happened to our ‘bros before hoes’ code, you ?!” “Jesus- I don’t even get a chance to explain myself now?!” the assault victim snaps back as she shields her head in case of any follow-ups, executing a miracle by not suffering from a concussion. “Also, great job at creating the perfect first-impression for yourself, you imbecile.” Meeting the feisty one’s eyes at last, Park Chorong can only blink rapidly as she struggles with her words, far too baffled by her unique entrance to come up with a response; based on the brief context she was just given, she doesn’t know if she should apologise for hogging up her saviour’s time or to start begging for her life in case she ends up getting smacked next. Yet, it turns out neither of those were even necessary, since her new acquaintance’s acquaintance is just as good as leading a conversation without any help, plus the annoyance in her eyes have now been replaced by a charismatic eye-smile, assuring her that she has nothing against her personally. “Sorry that you had to see that, darling.” the woman with the neat fringe effortlessly breaks the ice, chuckling light-heartedly when she catches Chorong’s flustered expression. “I’ve been waiting for this idiot by the main bar, you see, and she’s been gone for so long, I started assuming she had flushed herself down the toilet or something.” “Oh no, I should be the one apologising in that case.” Chorong frantically shakes her head, “Your friend has actually saved me from someone who wouldn’t stop pestering me, so now I feel like I should apologise for getting her punished for no reasons as well. I’m really sorry that you got hit because of me, um… whatever your name is.” “Who’s the now huh, Jung Eunji?!” “Still you b*tch, since you’ve apparently jumped right past self-introductions.” “I… sh*t, you right. We were too busy escaping from that drunkard to remember.” “But you guys have been chatting for like what, ten minutes already?” “Can you like, stop dissing me every three seconds and let me fix it?” With that said, Park Chorong subconsciously holds in her breath when her saviour extends out a hand, her uneasiness once again dissolving in a matter of seconds in front her comforting gaze; she’s never the type to open up to others on the get-go, yet here she finds herself moving as if she’s bewitched, having accepted the handshake before she even realises it herself. Still, she contrasts against the other by expressing slight hesitance through her loose grip (not because of animosity, but rather her insecurity over her stubbornly-cold fingers), unable to stop herself from cringing with embarrassment when she unwillingly steals her warmth. She hates the misconception of her being a cold-hearted person, yet her body acts like a troll who enjoys creating such ironies. However, the fingers that have wrapped themselves around the side of her palm doesn’t weaken its grip, even for a millisecond. In fact, she proceeds to fully encase Chorong’s hand within both of her own, arching out a wide grin before finally unveiling the information that should’ve been disclosed ages ago. “It’s definitely long overdue, but the name’s Yoon Bomi.” the kind stranger chuckles with a hint of shyness, “Feel free to just call me ‘Bomi’, and it’s very nice to meet you… even when we were brought together by a gross creep. I suppose I’ll have to hunt him down and thank him for this.” “Well, my name’s Park Chorong… and yes, it’s definitely an interesting way to get acquainted, that’s for sure.” she responds with a smile that grows more prevalent by the second, still enjoying the girl’s sense of humour. “Thanks again for noticing my discomfort back there. I really tried to be nice about it, but he just wouldn’t quit.” “And I’m Jung Eunji, your new third-wheel.” the last female chimes in before getting slapped on the side of her arm by her friend, taking in the stinging sensation like a champ. “Now that this is finally out of the way, why don’t we go grab ourselves a drink or two? Bomi and I are actually going to compete and see who can endure the most shots tonight, so maybe you can join us and act as our judge.” Receiving the invitation out of the blue, Chorong fails to come up with an answer straight away and instead turns to look at Bomi, the woman flashing her another wide grin upon meeting her eyes; it’s rather obvious that her two new acquaintances would love to include her within their brawl on who can simultaneously resist throwing up their money and avoid alcohol poisoning, which honestly sounds like a blast when she’s not a participant herself. However, the majority of her limited energy has already been drained clean by the previous incident (not to mention her worsening migraine that’s caused by their DJ’s extreme music adjustments), hence she ultimately makes the difficult choice of turning down their offer by calling it a night. Jung Eunji asks for her number before Chorong can even get up from her seat, soon embracing her goodnight while sticking a tongue out at her friend. Yoon Bomi ignores her childish teases and follows suit afterwards, maintaining their hug longer than the other’s to whisper words of precaution and also to encourage her to reach out for them if she ever wants to hang out sometime. It’s thanks to their benevolence that Park Chorong’s night out ends up on a better note, bidding them a final farewell before sauntering out onto the chilly streets to hail a cab; she praises the Lord for sending her a relatively nice driver, but she praises Him even more for giving her a home that’s actually close-by, since the man turns out to be the type of extrovert who doesn’t know when nor how to shut the hell up. It’s only after her fifth ‘thank you and goodnight’ that she escapes out of the vehicle, finally returning to her safe space. As soon as she walks through the front door, she carelessly flings her belongings to roughly where they belong, the effect of her cocktails finally hitting her full-swing; she’s lacking so much energy (both physically and mentally), she doesn’t bother with checking up on the world’s most timid dog, Sugar, knowing how it’s most likely taking shelter under the kitchen table or hiding within its dog house, never giving in to her efforts nor affection. At this point, she’s tempted into succumbing to her exhaustion entirely by jumping straight in bed, but the yet-to-shut-down rational part of her brain is forcing her to drag her heavy limbs into the bathroom to remove her makeup and to change out of her pink partywear first. Once she meets such minimum requirements, she finally gives herself the permission to cave in and fall lifelessly onto her soft mattress, bouncing on the spot a couple of times before readjusting her position so that she can pass out under the protection of her soft covers. Without even trying, Chorong breaks her own personal record by falling asleep within 30 seconds of laying still, going into April 19th with her head spinning in a clockwise manner and the taste of her last Magarita still lingering on her tastebuds. … But then her slumber gets disrupted by someone’s singing, causing her to groggily wake up just two hours after she had dozed off. With her head now malfunctioning from the unfortunate mixture of alcohol, sleepiness, and intense confusion, Chorong blindly reaches an arm out towards her bedside table and unplugs her phone with one negligent yank, barely capable of peeling her eyelids open to check the time. Turns out, she’s being forced to listen to someone’s karaoke session at the tender hours of 3:23 AM, with such a situation being rather unthinkable. That’s exactly why Chorong jumps right out of her bed when more undecipherable vocals reach her eardrums, having confirmed the fact that the noise is coming from a distance that’s actually far too close for comfort. The situation itself is undeniably odd, but the bigger issue is the fact that Park Chorong lives alone, and she’s been living alone for the past four months already; unless she had made a spare key and gave it to someone while remaining unconscious the entire time, she shouldn’t have a self-invited guest freestyling an original song in the middle of her house right now. Unfortunately, since this is her first time encountering a break-in (plus she was still dead asleep a minute ago), she fails to think logically and misses all the essential steps; rather than dialling 112 and remaining in a safe location until help arrives, she suddenly declares herself as a responsible pet owner by creeping out of her room to retrieve Sugar… even when there’s a 98% chance it’s currently hiding in a spot that’s impossible for her to reach without blatantly exposing herself to whoever’s out there. Regardless, she’s determined to protect her fur-baby no matter what, even if she’ll have to brawl someone in her silk pyjamas whilst semi-tipsy. The worst-case scenario is probably for her to get shot the second she’s caught, but Chorong’s not in the right state of mind to care, anyways. “You’re so soft, lil’ puppy~ oh let me turn on the lights~ ♫” the intruder continues to perform ever so passionately, with Chorong finally being close enough to make out the lyrics. “I’ll never need to worry, my baby~ ‘cause you’re my star in the darkest of nights~ ♫” And all of a sudden, a sense of familiarity strucks Park Chorong and causes her to freeze entirely. Her eyes have now widened themselves to their ultimate limits- but it’s definitely not because of the person’s lyrical skills. Now that she’s practically listening to the stranger’s concert within the proximity of a front-row seat (with a singular wall separating the stage and the audience still), a bulb slowly flickers alight within her brain as she pays extra attention to the voice, currently replaying her most recent memories in hopes to find a cure to her brain-fart; she visualises the rowdy nightclub, the multi-coloured beams, the DJ who at mixing, the salt on the rim of her Margarita, the punch-able man, the girl with the cute lips, the dancing blob of peo… The girl with the cute lips. Chorong from two minutes ago was still too drowsy to figure out why the voice sounded so familiar, but now that she has recalled some very important information (as Bomi’s voice is pretty distinctive in her opinion), she gains a much-needed boost of bravery and finally extends her head past the edge of the wall, taking a peek into her living room to confirm her suspicions once and for all… just to be greeted by the sight of Yoon Bomi doing the Wave for a very-intrigued Sugar. Despite of the odd sight, a great surge of relief proceeds to flood Chorong’s heart as she’s incredibly happy that her house isn’t under the infiltration of a serial killer, but simultaneously she’s being rightfully confused by many, many things; once the sense of relief fades away, she feels as if her head’s about to implode from accumulating far too many question marks at once, resulting for her to now be wide awake. “B-Bomi?!” she gasps as she witnesses the said-girl sway in an unsteady manner that’s far beyond the adjective ‘drunk’, rushing over to give her some much-needed support; she didn’t think her new acquaintance would melt from her touch, but Yoon Bomi does that quite literally by shifting her entire body weight onto Chorong’s body, forcing the poor home-owner to immediately seek for a landing spot. “What on Earth are you doing here, Yoon Bomi?!” she asks once more through her gritted teeth, struggling to settle the intoxicated one down onto her sofa without pulling a muscle. “Also, how did you get Sugar to warm up to you?! She usually avoids human contact at all costs!” “I speak dog!” her sudden guest beams with pride, instantly giving her a demonstration but ending up with slapped shut. “I will call the cops on you if you misbehave, Bomi.” Chorong warns sternly before she retrieves her hand, now stepping backwards to keep a safe distance in between themselves. “Even though you’ve save me from a creep and we chatted for a bit afterwards, we’re still practically strangers. It also doesn’t change the fact that you’re currently trespassing, which can easily land yourself in jail. How did you even know where I live, anyways?” “Eunji! She told the driver and they sent me here~” “Jung Eunji? But that still doesn’t make any sense! I’ve only met you two yest- four hours ago!” “I don’t know~ but what I do know is the fact that your dog is cute~” “Oh God, I need to figure this out before I lose my mind…” Consequently, Park Chorong orders for Bomi to stay put on the sofa (with ‘petting Sugar’ being the only exception) or else she’ll actually call the cops, now making her way back into her bedroom to retrieve the phone that was abandoned on her mattress. Once the device is in her grasp, she dials the second-newest number within her contact list and temporarily zones out during its ring time, flinching violently when the call gets picked up just after 10 seconds; she finds it astonishing how the woman is still speaking in a coherent manner, especially so when her friend’s currently acting like a child whose soul got trapped in a grown woman’s body. “Hello? Is this Chorong-sshi?” “Yes, and you better answer my following question truthfully unless you want your kicked by a Hapkido 3rd Dan, Eunji-sshi.” “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this threat, but okay…?” “Alright, so did you plant a tracking device on me when you gave me a hug?” “Um… excuse me???” “There’s no point in acting dumb now, Jung Eunji!” “I’m not acting dumb! I’m just baffled by the sudden accusation!” “It’s not an accusation when I know you’ve somehow gotten my address!” The confidence within Chorong’s voice does nothing but increase the other’s confusion and frustration, pausing ever so slightly just to take in a deep breath; although she did consume quite a few drinks back at the club, her alcohol tolerance is high enough to withstand any of its side effects, allowing her to think clearly still and confirm her own innocence. “Look, I’m not a sketchy spy who has access to that kind of stuff, nor am I a creep who secretly followed you home.” Jung Eunji sighs into the mic and begins her defence, the tone of her voice being so sincere that Chorong’s already feeling bad for getting so worked up. “After you left, Bomi and I went ahead with our battle and I sent her back to my place with an Uber once she has reached her limit. I stayed back to chat with this pretty chick until 2:30, and now I’m walking my way home. I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about, and I promise you I’m being completely honest here.” “Well… then how did Yoon Bomi find her way into my house?” There’s another pause in the middle of their conversation as Eunji buffers from Chorong’s question, feeling as if she’s about to suffer from a . She doubts that Chorong is bored enough to come up with such an odd lie (considering the fact they’ve just met), but at the same time she doubts that her best friend is clear-headed enough to go on a random adventure elsewhere- not when she had temporarily forgotten her own name at one point. Chorong’s statement is even harder to believe in when Eunji has already confirmed Bomi’s whereabouts 20 minutes before their call; to ensure her friend’s safety, she purposefully ordered an Uber so that she can simutaneously enter her home address manually, obtain the driver’s information and license plate number, and track the vehicle’s location in real time. It’s been a while since the app had announced the completion of her trip (plus she has yet to receive a call from the police department), thus she’s pretty certain that Bomi has already passed out on her couch by now… yet he