“No kissing on the job!” Chen, the bar owner, walks in the door and shouts to Bomi making out with some petite girl sitting on the bar top.

Bomi pulls away from the brunette, smirking the smug outta herself. “But there’s no customers.” Bomi whines to the passover owner who was now grabbing a beer for himself.

“I didn’t say no kissing while there are customers. I said no kissing on the job.” He enters his office, ignoring any other excuse that Bomi had.

Chen was a very ‘chill’ guy. He didn’t really care if his employees were spitting in the drinks, or not cleaning the tables correctly, or short changing customers; as long as he was getting some profit, it was fine.

Though, he occasionally likes to give orders to Bomi just to feel a sense of authority, like most men.

“He’s watching through the cameras, we should stop.” The brunette stepped off the counter, into the bartender area.

“Hyeri, who cares? He doesn’t, so come on.” Bomi’s hands land on Hyeri’s waist, bringing her closer and closing her eyes, puckering up.

“I don’t care if he is gonna yell at you or not. I just don’t want him to to us or something, you know men.” Hyeri pushes Bomi away and grabs a bottle off the shelf, inspecting it.

“Here, tequilla. Pour three shots, we’ll play a game.” Bomi shakes her head, “I don’t want to drink.” Bomi’s fear of alcohol was arousing.

“What, chicken?” Hyeri teases, tracing circles onto Bomi’s shoulders, Bomi scoffs at Hyeri. “No drinking on the job.”

Bomi puts the bottle of tequilla back on the shelf and pours some water into some shot glasses. “You didn’t seem to care about that ‘on the job’ when your hand was in my shirt.” Bomi ignores her comment and sets three shots of H2O on the counter.

“We can play with these.” Suddenly the two hear the door swing open. “Sup?” Eunji runs up to the counter and takes a shot, chugging it all in less than a second.

“New mix, Bbom?” Eunji flavours the drink between her tongue and the roof of . “It water, smartass.” Bomi rolls her eyes in sarcasm at the blushing Eunji.

“Whatever. Who’s this?” Eunji eyes Hyeri up and down, smirking in the process. “Lee Hyeri.” The short haired girl smiled at the tattooed Eunji. Hyeri was Bomi’s friend with benefits, they met in high school. Hyeri was pretty much rich, she traveled the world and came back to visit Bomi occasionally. Never romantic feelings, but just ual stuff between eachother.

“Lee Hyeri, how would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?” Eunji grins smugly, glancing at Bomi. She always teased Bomi about not being able to get girls though she didn’t know about Hyeri.  

“I would but I’m going to Melbourne tomorrow.”

“Oh, then how about tonight?”

“I also would but tonight I’m staying with Bomi.” Now Bomi smirked at the dumbfounded Eunji. Eunji wondered how the least charismatic in the world (in her opinion) finally got something done.

“Proud of you, Yoon. You took what I said the other day to heart, didn’t you?”

“Yeah sure, it’s all because of you.” Bomi didn’t bother telling Eunji the back story of her and Hyeri, sometimes she just found it a waste of energy to talk about useless information, plus she was kind of tired.

People started to pour into the bar, mostly middle-aged men and college students. Bomi was working up a sweat, running back and forth mixing and serving. Then she saw a face she has seen before.

“So you’ve decided to accept my offer?” Bomi asks her referring to the date she asked Chorong on about a week ago. She hasn’t thought about Chorong since, and Chorong hasn’t thought of her but somehow Bomi felt that somewhere, there was a line attached between them; therefore continuing their previous conversation.

“Bomi, get over yourself.” Chorong rolls her eyes playfully, amused by Bomi being stupidly arrogant. “You seem nicer today, you look healthier.” Bomi serves up whisky for Chorong.

“How did you know what I wanted?” Chorong asks confounded. “I don’t forget anything about beautiful girls.”

Chorong blushes because of Bomi’s compliment and she thanked god that the club lights hid her facial tone. She’s never been called beautiful by anyone before, at least none that she remembered.

Bomi mumbles a ‘be right back’ when Hyeri calls her, sitting on a stool beside the sink behind the counter.

Chorong takes a look at Bomi, partly because she had nothing better to look at and partly because she was starting to realize that Bomi was the only one that she’s had a worry-free conversation with all week. Anyone at school has been stressing about exams and anyone else didn’t talk to Chorong.

She saw the small girl encircle her arms around Bomi’s neck, pulling Bomi’s head down to kiss her deeply. After a couple seconds, they separated and Hyeri bit her lip. “I miss you, really.” Hyeri said playing with Bomi’s bangs.

“Yeah.. Why do you have to go everywhere?” Bomi says, hugging her long-time friend. Even though they’ve been friends for years now, Hyeri doesn’t know a hint of Bomi’s homelife. She knows Bomi was kicked out and assumed it was because of Bomi, not because of her parents’ negligence.

“It’s my life’s dream, remember?” Hyeri smiled at Bomi’s sweet side coming out, she was usually so smug and egotistic that her vulnerable, sensitive side was always hidden.

“Yeah, I know. I just... I don’t know..” Bomi trailed off, not being able to think of what to say because of the sadness creeping up in her heart. Hyeri was her true friend and seeing your only real friend once every two or three month hurt her a lot.

Chorong watched as Hyeri landed another kiss on Bomi’s cheek, “Get back to work, dummy.” Hyeri smiled at the pouting Bomi and shooed her off. When Bomi was heading back toward the counter, Chorong looked away to avoid eye contact.

“Get me 5 beers, barkeeper!” A construction man with some of his workers shouts from the right side of the bar. More orders come in from the dance floor and from the seating area and Bomi was getting super tired, being the only drink mixer there due to a cheap joint owner.

“Bomi, get me another drink please!” Chorong says to Bomi rushing by her, getting two martinis to some girls that look like they got in through a fake ID.

“Right on it!” She shouts, panting. Finally, the orders slowed and Bomi got some time to rest. “Your whisky, ma’am.” Bomi smiles cutely wiping the sweat off her forehead, satisfied with the work she’s done.

“You don’t have to call me ‘Ma’am’.” Chorong says squeezing the lemon garnish into her drink and stirring it up.

“Well, you didn’t give me your name.. Ma’am” Chorong hesitated to give up her identity for a moment but she said it anyways. Giving your name is like giving everything. Everything you have ever done is associated with your name, your name is you and you are your name.

“Chorong.” She simply answered and Bomi leaned over the counter so she could hear Chorong better. “Last name?”

“Park.” Bomi’s tired face grew into a smile. “Park Chorong, beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Chorong laughed at Bomi’s comment and shook her head. Bomi was making her happy for the first time in forever, she was milking the stress out of her poor overworked body.

“So Bomi, why did you ask me out when you have a perfectly nice girl over there?” Chorong says, pretending to sound jealous which could totally pass as real jealousy.

Bomi shook her head, chuckling. “That’s just my friend, we’re just skinshippy.” Chorong narrowed her eyes at Bomi.

“Skinshippy means making out?” Bomi laughed out loud, now realizing that Chorong was watching her.

“So you were watching me? What, do you want a go at it too?” Bomi teased, making Chorong blush for the 100th time that day being in her presence.

“I’ll kindly decline your offer, and I was not purposely watching, you guys were just really going at it and I got a glance.” Chorong made an excuse for her previous behavior which Bomi shrugged off.

“Are you only like this to me or to everyone?” Chorong wonders what Bomi means by ‘like this’. Was she being rude or nice, or what was different about the way she was acting. “Why are you shutting yourself out from me?”

Chorong sneered at what Bomi said. “Actually this is me being nice.” She snickers quietly, not wanting to sound clueless. She never realized how closed off from the world she actually was before Bomi said this, did she really seem that cold?

“Oh.” Was all Bomi could say because now she felt like she had offended Chorong a slight bit. She now sort of saw a bit of Chorong’s past, it became evident that she was a girl who didn’t like socializing.

Silence was growing between them and awkwardness as well, Bomi smiled bitter-sweetly trying to loosen up the atmosphere once again. She grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels and began to pour it into Chorong’s glass. Chorong signaled Bomi to stop pouring.

“No thanks, I’m gonna head home now. I’ll see you later.” Chorong left some money on the table then exited the building, having trouble dodging some of the dancing people on the floor.

“Bye..” Bomi muttered, a slight pang of guilt rushed into her head sharply. She didn’t know that her stupid comment could’ve affected someone so much, at least it looked like so much. And she also didn’t know that a girl she saw only twice could cause her to feel sympathy. Even though she tried to let it not bother her, it lingered in her heart all night.