Well, where he carried me off to happened to be a 
bar. We were able to get into the bar without any kind of 
ID check. In fact, we were welcomed in despite the fact 
that we were wearing school uniform. He sat across me and 
looked at the menu as a bartender came over and examined 
us.

“Hi, Jae,” she said, flicking over her hair. “The 
usual?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Two draughts.”

“You know my shift ends at Twelve, though. I won’t 
be able to join you until then.” She gave him a pouted 
doggy look, and I suppressed my urge to vomit. She looked 
as if she’d put on a five kg worth of makeup and 
consistently shot me these dirty looks. As if I wanted to 
be here, really.

“I’m not drinking with you,” Jaejoong said.

She gave that faked surprised look as  
formed an ‘O’ shape. “Then who’re you drinking with?”

“This,” he said, pointing to me.

This, really. He’d referred to me as an object.

“Say hi to Jesse,” he said, pointing to the 
bartender. “And say hi to Thief.”

Jesse gave me a weird look. So now I was Thief with 
a capital T. How convenient of him.

“No, I don’t drink I’m not—”

“Shut up,” he said, cutting me off. “Thief.”

Okay, really. What kind of a guy busts into your 
classroom threatening to kill you and then carries you on 
his shoulder all the way to a bar and tries to force feed 
you alcohol? I mean, what the hell was this guy trying to 
do to me? Because in the movies, you always see guys 
feeding the girls alcoholic drinks and then they kidnap 
them and then them and sell all their organs for a 
certain price…

“I’m not going to do anything to you,” he said, “I 
don’t touch ugly girls.”

Alright. What an .

“Then can I leave?”

“No,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m bored.”

Right.

“Well I’m not going to drink,” I said.

He looked amused. “You can either drink of pay for 
tonight’s drinks.”

Well, I guess paying for it won’t take that much mo…

“Hey Jess, can I have another round?” To my 
surprise, Jaejoong had already chugged the whole pint of 
draught beer before I’d even started on mine. Okay, maybe 
paying wasn’t such a good idea.

“Fine,” I said, but I’m not drinking that much.

“Sure,” Jaejoong said, still grinning his crooked 
grin.

Alright. I guess I could indulge in some alcohol 
once in a while. I mean, how bad could it be?

* * *

“You know…DaMn those R0seee Clobbb Girlzzzzzz….”

“Yeah,” Jaejoong said, taking another sip. Let me 
tell you that he was already on his sixth pint when I, on 
the other hand, was just about the finish my first one. And 
hey, I was thinking straight right now—it’s just that all 
my words were coming out in symbols and numerics.

“I am n0t tips!y…”

“Sure.”

“We should TaKe a p1cture.”

“Why?”

“Becaus3!!!!!!!!!!!” I paused. “Because then MaybE 
I can persuad3 them that I sEdUced U.”

“Really? Is that what they asked you to do?”

I nodded. I could tell he was having fun. He began 
to laugh. When I came to the bar, I was not expecting this. 
He had threatened to kill me, not to get me drunk. And in 
fact, he was not such a bad guy after all…

“You know what would be funny?” Jaejoong asked.

“Wh0T??”

“If you became my girlfriend.”

WhAT?!??!?!!?!

Okay. Alcohol level formerly 99 percent? Now 0%.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.

“I mean, it makes sense,” he said, “if you become 
my girlfriend, I won’t have to deal with all the girls that 
follow me around, and you can tell your flower Club that 
you’ve succeeded in your stupid mission.”

“Rose Club,” I corrected. “Plus, why the hell would 
I go out with you?”

I paused. Wait. Wrong words. “I mean,” I coughed, 
“Why the hell would you go out with me?”

He laughed. “Well, I do have one condition.”

How likely. “What?”

“If I go out with you, you have to come to wherever 
I tell you to come whenever I tell you to come. But no 
visiting during school hours, and no unnecessary dates. Do 
NOT call me out to show me off to your friends. And in all 
other hours, basically, you have to agree to be my slave.”

“Your what? Why the hell would I agree to that?”

“Flower Club,” he said.

Okay, he had a point. If I wanted to get into Rose 
Club, I needed him to tell them that he was my boyfriend. 
But to be his slave?

Rose Club, dignity. Rose Club, Dignity. ROSE CLUB, 
DIGNITY?!

Rose Club. Most Definitely, Rose Club.

“OK, I agree.”

“Really?” He grinned. “Give me your phone.”

I reluctantly gave him my phone. He fiddled with it 
a little and passed it back to me.

“I’m saved as Jae♥,” he smiled. “Don’t change it. 
Don’t ignore my texts, and pick up my calls. If you go 
against any of those rules, our agreement is over.” He gave 
me a look. “And I will kill you for stealing my sneakers.”

For some blood-chilling reason, I believed him when 
he said that.

“Oh, and one more thing…” He reached down at his 
feet and slipped off his shoelace. And then he brought it 
up to my hand and tied it around my wrist. “Lose this and 
you lose Flower Club.”

“Rose Club,” I corrected.

“Whatever,” he said. “I’ve got to go now. Tell Jess 
to put it on my tab.”

I looked at him. Was this really happening? “Wait, 
so when will I be able to—”

“I’ll go to your school tomorrow, three o’clock 
sharp. Tell your Flower Club members to come out to the 
gate. I hate going into your school.”

“Rose Clu…”

“Whatever. See you tomorrow. Bye, girlfriend!”

And leaving me with a total of eight empty beer 
cups, a dirty ashtray, and a worn out old shoelace, 
Jaejoong disappeared. It wasn’t until I asked Jess to put 
the bill on Jaejoong’s tab—to which she shot me a very 
nasty look—that it finally began to kick in.

Jaejoong was my boyfriend. For whatever sick reason 
that he wanted to play this game, he was my boyfriend. And 
I was his…slave.

Oh my God. What the hell did I get myself into?