Seungwan slowly leaned back in the worn leather chair, wood and metal gears creaking despite her slender and light frame. Her hands were drawn to rest below her chin, fingers tented as her eyes focused on the digital clock sitting atop her desk. Bright red numbers, glowing with almost ominous intent, slowly ticked off numbers, 8 pm drawing closer and closer. It was Friday night meaning that woman would be here soon. Already, possibly.  

Her full, sculped lips drew into a deep pout. The competing sense of frustration and excitement that poured through her, diametric and contradictory, was leaving her unsettled. Tonight, she was going to finally confront that woman. Tonight, she was going to stand face to face with her, looking into her eyes up close, and see just how beautiful she actually was.  

The sound of her desk phone ringing snapped Seungwan out of her thoughts. She quickly leaned forward, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. Snatching the receiver, she forced herself to pause, the sudden worry of looking desperate filling her. Then she paused, face screwing up as she mentally told herself not to be stupid. Nobody was watching and judging. "What's wrong with you," Seungwan whispered softly to the empty room, "you're not a teenager."  

She placed the phone to her ear, the bartender's voice coming through the earpiece before she could even give a greeting. "She's here," the voice said in a low but urgent whisper. "She's asking for the Pappy Van Winkle."  

Seungwan's eyes grew wide, and if anyone had been in the room to see, might have thought they would simply pop out of the sockets and roll across the desk. "Which one?" She asked, her voice almost cracking. She already knew before it was spoken.  

"The 23-year-old bottle."  

Seungwan bit her lip and hung her head forward, an unhappy noise pouring out from somewhere deep within her chest. It was pained. So deep it might have been coming from her soul. "Tell her the manager has to come and unlock the case. Keep her busy until I get there," Seungwan said before hanging up without so much as saying goodbye. It was a lie. Sooyoung had a key to the case but she needed time to get down there before an argument could start.  

Her office sat high and overlooked the cavernous bar. Long and narrow, the bar's ceiling was a full three stories high. Wood tables of heavy oak sat upon wrought iron pedestals with flickering LED candles that gave their stained surfaces a lustrous glow. The tables were lined along one wall, elegantly dressed men and women sitting and drinking. She'd struggled at first with the idea of instituting a dress code and in the end, was happy she had. Men in tailored suits and women in beautiful dresses simply fit the glamorous aesthetic she had sought for the bar.  

Along the other wall was a long bar, the surface dark cherry with a strip of light oak inlaid along the edges. She had three bartenders working on a Friday night to keep up with the constant stream of drinkers. This had been her dream and passion.  

The landing outside her office was wide but narrow, a heavy railing of polished wood and rough iron stretched across it at what would be waist high for most people. For her, it was almost chest high. She grabbed the railing and looked down, eyes narrowing as they raked the length of the bar. She paid the patrons no mind, glossing over them until she reached the far end and the small woman who occupied the furthers seat.  

This woman had started coming into the bar just a few months ago, every Friday at 8 pm like clockwork. She was happy to have regulars, those who came in frequently were the backbone of her clientele. They spent the most and kept her afloat. This woman tested her limits. She strode to the end of the landing, a spiraling metal staircase that reached down to the bar's floor.  

Her heavy boots rung on the metal. She gently smoothed the black dress shirt over her body. She hated to admit she had dressed up for this, pulling herself into tight leather pants and slipping on a long-sleeved dress shirt of dark black with pearl buttons. She'd wondered at her own reasoning when she'd clasped the cuffs shut with crystal cufflinks. She told herself it was to be more impressive when she confronted the woman. Deep down she knew it was different.  

She'd watched her for the past month, a mix of awe and annoyance. She'd seen the way the woman would slip from happy and cheerful to somber and moody. There was an iciness to her cheeks and a warmth that seemed to seep out when she drank. She'd asked the bartenders about her and had been told just how beautiful the woman was up close. She was intrigued. Now she had a reason to speak to her though, if things went the way she imagined, it would most likely be the last.  

"You're not going to have an argument," Seungwan said to herself as she reached the bar's main floor. She reached up and straightened the collar of her shirt before squaring her shoulders. "Just a corrective conversation. That's all it is."  

Her eyes settled on the woman as she stepped behind the bar. She had expected there to already be some kind of confrontation at the end, fully anticipating the woman being angry at being denied her chosen drink for so long. Instead, there were laughter and smiles. Sooyoung appeared to be flirting with playful winks and coy glances, the woman eating up the attention. That seemed to irk Seungwan even more.  

With narrowed eyes she made her way down the bar, the other bartenders quickly stepping aside seeing the intention in her gait. "Sooyoung," Seungwan said as she reached the far end, her voice carrying a dangerous note. Sooyoung suddenly stood rigid and straight, a moment of hesitation passing across the tall woman's features before turning to face Seungwan with a winsome smile. "I'll take it from here," Seungwan said as she hitched a thumb over her shoulder, effectively telling Sooyoung to scram.  

"The manager is here," Sooyoung said in a sing-song voice before slipping past Seungwan, their bodies grazing despite sufficient room. It wasn't an accident. Sooyoung just liked to touch. Seungwan was certain, given the chance, Sooyoung would be happy to do a lot more than simply touch. She had been tempted but learned, early on, there was no tying Sooyoung down. Casual flings just weren't Seungwan's thing.  

As she settled her feet, turning fully to face the woman, Seungwan felt the breath escape her body. She'd gazed across the bar to meet a pair of eyes so dark a brown they were almost black. They were like brown smoke. A smoke she'd willingly choke on. The soft curve of the woman's nose, the set of her jaw, and the fullness of her lips sent a shiver down Seungwan's back that settled into a tingling of her toes. "Be strong," Seungwan told herself.  

She'd always been weak for pretty girls. It was why she let Sooyoung get away with so much. It was why Yeri ran roughshod over her. She had to steel herself against that gaze knowing this woman could control her if she let her. "I'm Seungwan," she managed to croak with a polite bow of her head. Apparently, she thought, all semblance of confidence was being thrown out the window. "I own and manage The Alley."  

"Oh," the woman said, eyes suddenly flashing with a happy light. "Owner! Then I can compliment you on how wonderful this place is. I don't go anywhere else to drink. "  

"Then you only go out to drink once a week?" Seungwan asked, head canting just a touch, voice laced with curiosity. The woman gave a quick nod, black hair bouncing and bobbing against her slender shoulders. Seungwan had to chastise herself again, telling herself to stay on course and not get distracted. She had wanted to reach out and caress those dark, silken strands but told herself to stick to her guns. "Might I have the pleasure of your name?"  

"Joohyun," the woman said with a smile, warm and tender yet that warmth didn't seem to touch her eyes and a polite bow of her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Seungwan."  

Her name sounded like honey dripping from that woman's lips.  

Seungwan in a long breath and steeled herself. "The thing is, Joohyun," even the woman's name felt like when uttered, "I was wondering if I could interest you in something to drink that is, perhaps, a touch less rare?"  

The smile immediately slipped from Joohyun's face. Eyes blinking, lips curling and twisted as a look of incredulity overtook her features, Joohyun leaned back in her stool as though reeling from a punch. "Why?" Joohyun asked, voice airy and breathless. "I am more than happy to pay. I know it's expensive."  

Seungwan pursed her lips and inhaled deeply as she set her gaze on Joohyun. Part of her wanted to simply open the case and hand over the bottle. She wondered why she was so infatuated with this woman she'd only seen from a distance before now. Still, she needed to explain. "I understand," Seungwan began slowly, a hesitance in her words, "and it's not a matter of money or expense. It's a matter of waste."  

"Are you saying that I am wasting my money?" The question held a knife's edge, the corners of the woman's eyes tightening. The look of incredulity on her face and slipped to a hostile glare.  

"Not at all," Seungwan said quickly, holding up a hand hoping to stay the woman's ire. "It's your money and you use it as you see fit. I appreciate how much you have spent here but, when I speak of waste, I mean the booze."  

"I don't get it," Joohyun said, challenge in her voice as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Why is letting me have a few drinks a waste? I'm paying for it."  

"You have been buying whole bottles," Seungwan said as calmly as she could. She tried to unfocused her gaze, hoping that blurring the face before her would make this easier. It did not. "You take two drinks and then leave the rest. Legally we cannot resell that bottle to someone else afterward." A pained expression overtook Seungwan's face, a long string of memories pouring through her mind. Every expensive and rare bottle of booze she'd been forced to pour out behind the bar.  

"Please," Seungwan said, her voice turning pleading, eyes almost desperate as she spoke, "don't make me pour out any more. Finding those bottles is a labor of love for me. I want them to be enjoyed. I want them to be loved and cherished not just tasted and discarded." She'd reached out as though to take Joohyun's hands, instinctively wanting to grasp and squeeze them in her desperation, but snatched them back.  

"Oh," Joohyun said, the woman blinking. "I had no idea."  

A pause hung between them. Seungwan's eyes were begging. Joohyun sat there busily chewing her lip, eyes narrowed in concentration or consternation. Seungwan wasn't sure which. Then Joohyun's eyes drifted to the seat beside her, empty, and the woman's face paled just a touch. "I see your point. I just," Joohyun said, her voice falling to a whisper. Seungwan had to lean forward to hear, face heating as she drew closer. "I have my reasons which I'm sure you wouldn't understand."  

"People often spill their tales to bartenders," Seungwan said with a smile.  

Joohyun looked at her askance a moment before shaking her head. Then, with a long sigh, Joohyun cocked her head and asked, "Perhaps we could come to a compromise?"  

"Compromise?" Seungwan asked, her own voice full of surprise. That wasn't what she had been expected. Drawing in a deep breath, the scent of fabric softener suddenly filled her nose. It was disconcerting, wondering just why the woman smelled like fresh laundry. Almost as though the woman wore it like a perfume. She shoved that thought away and simply asked, "What do you mean?"  

"Make me two drinks," Joohyun said thoughtfully. "Expensive drinks. Drinks that two people with all the money and time in the world would drink together," the woman said as she leaned forward more, crossing her slender arms across the edge of the bar. "I only plan on drinking one of them. After I leave, maybe you could drink it? My gift and apology."  

Seungwan blinked. Working as a bartender before opening The Alley, she had received many strange requests ranging from awful drink requests to indecent proposals, but the way Joohyun was looking at her, almost desperate and lost, pulled at her. Those smokey eyes somehow wrapping her in misty tendrils, squeezing away the last vestiges of willpower. "I can do that," Seungwan found herself saying. She wasn't sure if it was her mind, her heart, or her libido that drove those words.  

Joohyun visibly relaxed, the woman's body simply going languid and soft, tension easing from arms and shoulders. A slow, happy smile tugged at the corner of those soft lips. "You generally drink harder drinks like bourbon and whiskey," Seungwan said as she stepped back from the bar. She flashed a grin as she pulled the cufflinks from her sleeves and tucked them into a pocket. She began to slowly roll up the cuffs of her shirt to expose the dark lines of flowers inked along her forearms.  

Joohyun sat there, watching with wide eyes as Seungwan slipped a hand beneath the bar to draw out a white, linen apron. In a practiced motion, she snapped the apron, the fabric cutting the air and then whipped about her with a flourish. Her movements were fluid, trained, as she tied off the strings.  

"Wow," Joohyun uttered. The woman was eyeing her with surprise, voice softly stammering a moment before saying, "Yes, you could say that I like a bit of a bite to my drinks."  

Seungwan was in bartender mode, moving with quick, sharp motions. It had been a while since she'd done this, her time in Vegas as a show bartender a wild and surreal few years of her life. Now she was summoning those skills, consciously finding herself wanting to impress this woman. "Do you like the burn or just the headiness of the drink on your tongue?"  

Seungwan produced a crystal tumbler from beneath the bar. A large silver jigger and stirring spoon followed. "I don't care so much for a burn but I love a strong flavor," Joohyun said, settling into her seat and watching with rapt attention. "I think that's why I buy the expensive stuff. A lot of taste and smooth as it goes down."  

"Got it," Seungwan said, flashing a brilliant smile. There was a sudden flush on Joohyun's cheeks, the woman's gaze suddenly jerking away. She could tell those dark eyes had been gazing at her forearms and wondered if it bothered the woman. It wasn't uncommon for her to get a reaction here when she bared her arms. Most often it was revulsion or confusion. "Want me to roll down my sleeves?" She asked.  

"No," Joohyun said with a shake of her head. "It's pretty."  

The compliment seemed to caress her. Those tingles seeping back into her toes. She cleared and said with a grin, "I can make it smoother with just a touch of sweet. Willing to give it a try?"  

The woman's eyes were on her arms again, a soft lip caught between teeth. Joohyun didn't say a word but instead gave a nod. Seungwan drew in a long breath and went to work. She took a pair of silver tongs from the station at the bar and from a freezer below pulled out a large chunk of ice, dropping it into a glass mixer. Taking an icepick, she attacked the chunk of ice, chipping it down into small pieces.  

She then turned, pulling a bottle from the back of the bar, having to get up on her toes to reach the top shelf. As she turned back to the bar, she spun the long and narrow bottle in her palm before tossing it up, twisting in the air. It looked like the bottle might fall but she quickly flung up an arm, knocking it with an elbow to send it bouncing back up. Joohyun gave a yelp and reared back as it started her way but Seungwan's hand was snatching it from the air and setting it on the bar with a loud thud.  

Eyes were turning to watch, people leaning over the bar. There was a sudden expectancy in the air. She didn't care about those eyes. She wanted Joohyun to watch. "We'll start with a good Kentucky Straight Bourbon," Seungwan said as she grasped the neck and pulled out the stopper. "It took me a lot of work to get a case of this from the United States. Not as expensive as the Pappy Van Winkle, but truth be told, the flavor is amazing."  

She poured a tiny draught out into the crystal tumbler and nudged it over to Irene, "A little sip." She gave a playful wink and was rewarded with a small blush. She took the jigger between two fingers and measured out a shot and a half before pouring the brown liquid over the broken chunks of ice. She watched as Joohyun brought the tumbler to her lips and tilted her head back. When the woman's eyes fell shut, the small drop of bourbon easing onto her tongue, Seungwan could only grin.  

"That's good," Joohyun whispered.  

Then Seungwan was spinning again, pulling another bottle from the shelf. She spun it in her palm as she turned, a red liquid splashing about inside the bottle. "And next comes Campari." She flipped it upwards and grasped it by the neck, turning it over high above Joohyun's tumbler. A small dribble poured out and splattered into the crystal cup. "It has a bitter orange taste with a hint of spices. Take a smell and taste."  

As she poured a measure into the jigger, she watched Joohyun draw the tumbler to her nose. The woman's eyes fell shut as she drew in a deep breath. "Oh, that smells wonderful," Joohyun whispered before taking a taste. Seungwan almost dropped the bottle as she watched the soft, pink tip of Joohyun's tongue slip from to ease across full lips. Finding composure, she poured the contents of the jigger out over the ice.  

Then she was taking another bottle, flipping it, and spinning for show. "Finally, a sweet vermouth to bind the flavors together." She quickly poured out an ounce in the jigger and flipped the dark liquid into the glass. Setting the bottle and jigger down, she took the mixing spoon in hand and spun it through her fingers. "The drink is called a Boulevardier. It's a classic drink with a rich flavor you just might like."  

She plunged the spoon into the mixing glass and began to stir. There was a breathlessness between her and Joohyun, the air quiet and still save for the soft clink of the spoon touching the edges of the glass and the crunch of ice grinding together. When she was done, she set the spoon down with a flourish, grabbed a strainer, and emptied the drink out into the tumbler, pulling the mixing glass higher and higher until the final drops of the cocktail splash out.  

"It's pretty," Joohyun said with a smile, eyes the deep red drink. "It's almost like velvet," Joohyun whispered and started to reach for it but her motion was cut off with a soft tsk from Seungwan's throat.  

"Not quite ready," Seungwan said with a wink and a moment later was setting a twist of orange peel into the glass. "Now you can drink it."  

Seungwan leaned back on her heels, eyes intent as Joohyun slipped slender fingers around the tumbler. The woman brought it up to her lips, eyes soft and glistening, gazing at the liquid before taking a slow sip. A soft sound of happiness issued from Joohyun's throat, eyes fluttering as the taste of the cocktail filled . Her own lips were grinning, pleased with the reaction, as she pulled out another tumbler and poured the remaining mix into it. "Here is the second drink," Seungwan said. "Did you want to pick someone to give it to?"  

Joohyun's head cocked, a single eyebrow rising like a hammer on a revolver. There was a bemused quirk to the woman's lips as she asked, "I thought the compromise was that you would drink it?"  

"I don't drink when I'm working," Seungwan said, a touch of sadness in her voice. "I haven't put ice in it, so if you insist that, I drink it, I'll put it in a fridge in the back and have it after we close."  

"That would make me happy," Joohyun said, face relaxing and her smile turned disarming. Seungwan couldn't hold back the tingles that swept through her again. "It's a beautiful drink," the woman said after taking another sip. "Served by a beautiful bartender."  

Seungwan heard a loud snort to her left and glanced sidelong to see Sooyoung there, the tall girl smirking. Her own cheeks were turning beet red from the compliment. She was opening to say something in kind, feeling it opportune to praise Joohyun's beauty, when the woman suddenly lurched the side. A look of pain swept across the woman's face as she grasped her side, eyes darting towards the empty seat.  

There was a look of sorrow and contrition in Joohyun's gaze, the happy smile slipping into a tight line. The woman whispered sorry to nobody in particular and then, with a sheepish look, started sipping her drink again. Seungwan could only watch, confused, wondering exactly what the hell just happened. She was afraid to put her questions to air, instead just letting whatever that was pass by in quiet acceptance. When Joohyun finished her drink, she heaved a little sigh and reached up to pat her cheeks.  

"Want another?"  

Joohyun's eyes searched up, that smokey gaze locking onto Wendy's questioning one. There was just the slightest shake of the woman's head, her voice seeming to ease out from her lips with a mix of sad contemplation. "No," Joohyun whispered. Those words carried a roughness like they had been forced from those lips by threat. "Not tonight."  

"Not tonight," Seungwan echoed hollowly. She struggled to keep a tone of disappointment from her voice.  

"Next Friday," Joohyun said, the woman visibly pulling herself together. There was a smile plastered to her lips, wide and happy that never seemed to resonate in her eyes. "Will you be my bartender again? Introduce me to a new world of drinks?"  

"Absolutely," Seungwan blurted out. That word had poured directly from her brain and out , no filter stopping them. Deep down she wanted nothing more than to share her passion with Joohyun. To take this woman on a journey that only she could steer. To make those eyes shine with true happiness.  

For a second Seungwan thought they did, a quick flash of glee behind the smoke, only to be gone as quick as it had arrived. Then Joohyun was clearing and looking away, fumbling for the purse that was set on the bar rail by her feet. Joohyun bent over reaching into it and when she came back up with her wallet, Seungwan shook her head. "We'll call tonight a draw. You've spent so much here in the past we'll call this one free. I can't make you pay if we're sort of sharing a drink together, can I?"  

"I suppose not," Joohyun whispered softly.  

Seungwan was left not sure what to say. Where did she go from here? She shuffled on her feet when a tap on her shoulder made her jump. "You have a call, boss," Sooyoung said, the girl standing so close it scared her. She'd been so focused on Joohyun she never felt or noticed Sooyoung sidling in on her.  

"I better go," Seungwan stammered and with a final smile, she flashed Joohyun a grin. The woman gave one to match and with resolve, almost forcing herself to look away, Seungwan turned and weaved her way down the back of the bar. She had to plan what to surprise Joohyun with next Friday.  

They had a journey to make.