“You ready?”

The window's wide open, and the familiar drone of twilight reverberated through the room. Cars and taxis manoeuvred down the crowded streets, couples returning to their apartments after dinner dates, bars pushing open their doors and switching on their flickering neon signs.

“Of course.”

Piper lifted a small rucksack on to her back and practically leapt over the bed in front of her, towards where Seungho sat on the windowsill, grinning. His silhouette was steady against the mingling cloak of bluey sky and shadow, the smell of smog and spiced street food was invigorating and inviting. Nothing could quite match the homely ferocity of city streets after the sun had nestled behind the hills and the stars began twinkling above their heads. The way that streetlights stream down like liquid gold against the stark, cold ground. How people stagger and dance inelegantly down the alleyways, enjoying the atmosphere. The way prejudices are lifted and spirits are high, just for a sweet and fleeting moment.

 

As Piper stepped on to the cold metal fire escape that sloped down the wall, she heard calls from the sidewalk beneath her.

“Hey, Piper! Seungho!” shouted Mir, his crimson hair being whipped about by the wind. He lifted his hand and beckoned the pair towards him.

She cringed and placed your finger over her lips- her parents were still trusting that she had a 'busy day at school' and that she 'was going to have an early night', sleeping soundly in her bed. They weren't foolish for thinking so, just too trusting to a seventeen year old girl with her own room.

Fortunately, she didn't choose such a path this evening.

“Oh, sorry!” he mouthed and pretended to lock his lips and throw away the key behind him, making Piper smile at his naivety. She stepped over the hole in the platform, gripping on to the edge and allowed herself to fall controlled downwards on to the concrete ground. Seungho followed suit.

“Hey Mir!” Piper said, and Mir 'ped' his lips again, walking towards the two.

“Hey Pip, good to see you again.” he replied, and lightly tugged on one of her pigtails. He turned to Seungho, who was taking out a metal flask from his jacket, and chuckled.

“Grandpa, you shouldn't drink!” he chided. “Bad manners! Disrespectful to our community and our society!” Mir began poking him in the shoulder as he spoke. “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Piper and Mir snickered and Seungho broke in to a smile, taking a swig of what smelled like whiskey, then tightening the lid again.

“Want some, Pip?” he offered, and shoved the flask in to her hands. “It keeps you warm.”

She unscrewed the top, tilted her head back and gulped it down, then spluttered. The liquid seemed stronger than ordinary run-of-the-mill whiskey, which was how Seungho liked it.

“It's alright,” he assured, trying not to laugh. “Straight whiskey isn't everyone's cup of tea.” Piper wiped the liquor from her chin with her jacket sleeve, and pouted.

“You know, it's your fault for encouraging me to drink! I'm not even of age.”

"Bad influence on our youth!" Mir chimed in, laughing again.

 

The group sat on the stairs of the fire escape, chatting idly and watching people dawdle by, like an island alone in the sea, watching passing ships. After about fifteen minutes, a group of four appeared through the tangling webs of signs and lights. Three sturdy and muscular young men and a stout but well-proportioned young lady, all waving and jogging towards the stairs where the others sat. The girl spoke up first, panting.

“I'm so sorry we're late, we got held up.”

“How?” Mir asked, and stood up from his seat.

“Police stopped us and Thunder had some weed on him.” said Joon, leaning against a wall, wiping sweat from his neck and panting.

“So you ran?”

“Yeah,” said G.O. “W ell, we avoided them. He's been in trouble before, they know his face.”

“Couldn't you have just walked?”
The group was silent.

“It was Thunder's idea!” said Joon, and he thwacked him on the head with a newspaper he had taken from the apartment's steps beside him.

“It was not! Tesh, tell him!”

The girl laughed and crossed her arms.

“I'm not telling anyone anything. Stop being so immature.”

“Says the girl who stopped running from the ing police to ask if she could pet someone's dog.”

“Shut up!”

Seungho stood up and the bickering paused.

“Guys, the night isn't getting any younger. Let's go.”

“Fine.” said Joon, “But Ethel is still stupid.”

“Don't call me Ethel ever again, Mr Lee Chang Sun.”

Tesh playfully shoved Joon's shoulder and walked back over to G.O, and the group began their walk in to the central city.

*****

Piper's cheeks were red with cold, and her nose was almost numb. The wind made her skirt flutter and her hair ruffled, but she loved it. Winter at night was like a thin piece of dark chocolate- bitter, striking and a palate cleanser from the sticky sickly sweetness of noon sunshine. It was past twilight now, and the sky was sprinkled with stars. When they passed an area with shorter buildings, she could see the moon's curved and thin glare in the east, a familiar but not entirely pleasant reminder of things she'd rather forget.

“Almost there.” mumbled Thunder, as the group turned another corner.

“Remind me, why are we coming here again?” said Tesh to G.O, who had his arm around her shoulder.

“Ask Seungho. I've never been.”

“You'll like it there, it's... homely. I've got a couple friends there too. Thunder's been, says it's got good music.”

“Sounds alright.”

“See,” G.O said, and gestured towards a large and obtrusive neon sign, blaring “The Red Flower- Bar and Pool Hall” in to the darkness. “Just over there.”

 

Seungho and Thunder walked through the entrance before the rest of the group, and a large amount of shouts and affectionate greetings from the inside of the pub followed.

“Wow, they're pretty popular here...” said Mir and he hesitated, before taking Joon's hand and striding in with a smile on his face, possibly from Joon's protesting. The two lovebirds followed, and Piper trailed behind them, attempting to look like she knew what she was doing. The interior was smoky and stunk of tobacco and rum, unkempt and intimidating men surrounding the billiard tables, jeering at her. Piper felt a sudden rush of self conciousness, and scowled at the men as she ran her finger over the closed edge of the knife in her pocket. Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to start a fight with them, but at least she was confident she could totally stab them if need be.

 

She wandered over to the bar, roaming between tables and people, casually fanning the smell out of her face as inconspicuously as possible. Joon and Mir were busy flirting with a pair of ladies who were clearly disinterested, sending drinks over and attempting to wink in their drunken state, which turned in to more of a sloppy and strangely timed blink. They noticed Piper, and beckoned her over to them, motioning towards the women with a point and a thumbs up. Piper cringed, but mouthed “Good luck!” towards the pair of admirers.

G.O and Tesh were engaged in a passionate public display of affection, which Piper would rather not sit and watch, so she found a place next to Seungho and Thunder.

“Ooh, who's this?” said a man as Piper approached the group they were sitting with, and he rubbed his hands together.

“Ah, Piper! Hey, have a seat.” said Seungho, and he pulled up a chair beside him.

“Your girlfriend?”

“No, I'm not.” said Piper, and she rolled her eyes. “Just a friend.”

“You're open for business then?”

“I'm not a e.”

The man chuckled and wiped spit from his chin.

“Thunder, what's the time?” asked Seungho, trying to change the subject.

“Yes.” Thunder turned to Seungho, chuckling lightly, his eyes bloodshot. Piper noticed the smell of was particularly strong on him.

“Seungho, we should get moving.” Piper said, and rubbed Thunder's back. Thunder was a man's beard and giggling hysterically.

“It's like a billion fairies...”

“Come on, let's go.”

Seungho lifted thunder by his shoulders and pulled him away from the man (who was beginning to look slightly enraged at Thunder's comments), guiding him to over to Joon and Mir.

 

 

The pair was now playing pool at an empty table. As Piper approached the game, Mir pocketed a ball and began whooping and clapping his hands.

“Guys, we're leaving now.”

“Aww, come onnnn, Pip!” said Joon as he stumbled over from the other side of the table, placing his hand on her shoulder. “It just got good!”

Mir was standing behind him, taking another gulp from a glass of liquor, tilting his head backwards.

“Mir, how'd you buy that? You're younger than me!” Piper whispered forcefully as she pushed Joon's hand off her shoulder.

Mir laughed and took out a fake I.D, waving it at arm's length.

“Thought so.”

Thunder was draped over Seungho's arms, and was hugging him tightly like a small child.

“We gotta go, Thunder's stoned off his . And I'm pretty sure it was something more than just weed, from the way he's acting.”

Joon ran his hands through his hair and shook his head.

“Yeah, yeah, let's go, hang on...” he mumbled and began walking up to the bar, but Tesh pulled him back by the collar of his patent leather jacket. Her other hand was linked within G.O's and her neck was adorned in love bites from the past hour, most likely.

“Wha-”

“You've had enough.” she said, and began pulling him away.

“Tomorrow you have school.” G.O added, and almost laughed.

“Don't be like that...”

Joon mumbled to himself, and the group walked through the shroud of thick smoke and sluggish people, towards the glowing green exit sign at the end of the room.

*****

Well, that's all for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! This is a W.I.P, so expect editing often.  See you soon!