Thursday
Bright rays of light shone through the window blinds as I cracked open my eyes. The weight of Tae's leg across my hip pinned me down. I managed to turn over to face him. Brown trestles of hair sprawled across his sleepy face. I cuddled into the inviting space against his chest. The top of my head perfectly fit just under his chin.
Tae rouses slightly, he wraps his arms around me, pushing me into him.
"Sleep well?" There was a tired rasp to his voice.
"Yeaa. So comfortable. Don't wanna get up" I mumbled, burying my face further into his neck. My hands had become pinned between our bodies and I couldn't move them.
"Should we just stay here all day?" Tae mumbled back. He gently ran his hands up my back, then gently through my hair. "If only" I sighed sleepily as I indulged in the sensual ambience of his embrace.
After a while longer of just enjoying the warmth of our snuggle, Tae reluctantly got up and went for a shower. I lay still in the softness of my sheets while I waited for him to finish. I reached over for my phone to check if I had any messages. There was one from Kookie.
JK: Heeey, by any chance did you see Tae last night?
Jia: Yeaah, he stayed over at my place last night…
JK: Ohhh, is he okay?
Jia: Yeah, I think so. I don't know if he wants me to tell anyone this but, honestly, I think he's going through a hard time...
Jia: Maybe try and talk to him when you see him later 😕 He will probably tell you what's up if you ask...
JK: Ok, thanks Noona 🙂 btw, was thinking….
JK: Wanna go for a run with me tomorrow morning?
JK: I need to build up stamina 💪🏻 Thought it could be fun if we did it together 😁
Jia: Yeah! For sure, I usually run in the morning anyway! 😊
JK: Okay! Then, I'll come by yours early tomorrow
Jia: Sounds good, see ya then 😙
I clicked my phone shut. A few seconds later Tae came out of the bathroom completely dressed and ready for the day.
"Your turn" He motioned smoothly with a nod of his head towards the bathroom.
"Okay" I slid out of bed and got up to take a shower. Not long after I was ready to leave the house. Tae had made some toast for us in the meantime. It was surprisingly delicious, or maybe that was only because he insisted on playfully feeding half of it to me. On the other hand, I assumed he couldn't cook. Then again, I guess that depends on if you consider making toast as cooking. The way Tae waved me off as we separated for class left me feeling happy. The class wasn't half bad, the aftertaste of spending time with Tae was that of floating in sweet bliss.
During my lunch break, I texted Jin to tell him the good news about work. I'd been meaning to mention it to him since yesterday but it had slipped my mind because Tae came over so unexpectedly.
Jia: Guess what ~
It wasn't until I'd seated myself down for my afternoon lecture that he replied.
Jin: You won the lottery?
Jia: if only 🥲 kkkk
Jia: My boss let me start taking on new clients at work 😙
Jin: 😏😏😏😏
Jin: You're lucky I'm free tonight then
Jia: Wha so soon? 😚
Jin: Yeahh
Jin: Finallyyyy have an excuse to drink with you
Jin: Think it's only fair I warn you
Jin: I can drink a lot so you'd better be ready for me kk
Jia: 😉😉noted
Jia: I'll see you tonight ~
I got home feeling excited about seeing Jin. I quickly put away my things and gather what I need for the night. Instead of wearing a dress from work, I decided to pack my sexy black dress into a bag so I could wear that instead. Maybe I was overreacting but it felt a little bit special because he'd technically be my first client and by now we were also good friends. I already knew we were going to have a good time just like we always did and I couldn't wait to just get there and see him.
I threw some heels and jewellery into my bag and other random bits and bobs. Perfume, sparkly body oil etc. Just in case. Then I changed into something casual, wrapped myself in a warm fluffy jacket and left for the club.
The streets seemed lively tonight with lots of people out and about which only heighten my spirits further. I got changed and went into hair and makeup straight away, adding some shimmer oil to my skin so I smelled fresh and had a pretty glow. I felt gorgeous tonight, there was no denying I was riding a confidence boost. I started on the floor helping out at Luna's table. We drank a bit, laughed and chatted with her client, Mino. Funnily enough, he was quite young, our age to be more specific. Some clients didn't like revealing their jobs but he was fairly open about it. He was a rapper and a hot one at that. Luna may have even liked him outside of work but that was just my guess.
Not long after Mimi came over and tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I could be excused from the table. Mino said it was fine so I got up and left with her.
"Omg Jia, there's this handsome guy who just got here. He's at reception and he's requesting you!?" She was trying to keep her voice down but she was having a hard time containing her excitement.
"Oh that's my friend, he's here?"
"Holy shit yeah, he's here, wait, do you want me to go and seat him?? Omg okay, sorry this is just like, I need to calm down. I'll be back" she rambled, her voice still an excited hush. I didn't even have time to reply before she quickly set off to go and seat Jin for me.
Mimi was usually very collected so it was pleasantly surprised to see her giddy. And, on top of that, I appreciated her helping me out with getting him settled in.
I waited behind the private area for a little bit and watched as she bowed to him and offered him a seat.
She sat across from him, laid down a menu and started talking. I couldn't hear what she was saying but the excitement as she talked and pointed out things on the menu was so cute. Then, someone new came into the picture. I was hit with momentary shock as I watched it unfold before my eyes.
It was Serina. She was heading over to his table... She wasn't supposed to be doing that. Then again, the confidence in her stride gloated number 1. It was obvious she had no qualms about trying to steal someone else's client.
God, great. I needed to do something. I wasn't about to let her fuck around, I didn't care who she thought she was so I walked over.
As I reached the table my gaze settled on her. She was sitting right beside Jin. There was hardly any space between them which made it hard to hear what she was whispering to him as she lent in. I shifted so I stood beside Mimi, whose expression was of absolute incredulity, her jaw hung slack as she ogled at the pair across from her. Serina pulled away, her voice now more audible.
"We could have an amazing time if you pick me. It's not too late to change your mind" Serina giggles cutely as she tucks a strand of her long black hair behind her ear innocently.
What the fuck was her problem... Despite my anger boiling inside, I was just a few seconds away from letting it all out but before I could, Jin mockingly laughed.
"No thanks. The only girl I'm here to see is my little princess Jia. Oh, speaking of- Here she is now" Jin's eyes lit up as he gazed in my direction. Any annoyance I'd felt prior melted away and was replaced with pure bedazzlement. What an absolute sweetheart.
"Jin. Glad you could make it" I smiled sweetly. Not even bother to look at Serina who was now scowling from my peripheries.
"You look fucking stunning. Come here- oh sorry uh" Jin paused for a second as he looked beside him and made a little 'shoo' motion at none other than the clubs' numero uno.
"I believe you're in Jia's seat so if you could move that'd be great" Jin proceeded to say. I had to hold in my laughter with everything I had. But god I wanted to laugh so bad but no, right now I needed to stay composed.
Serina reluctantly got up and left without a word. I slipped into the seat beside Jin. He instantly placed a peck softly on my cheek.
Mimi who hadn't said a thing up until now finally spoke. "Wow, okay, um. Jin, I am so sorry about that-" she was quick to try and apologise but Jin just laughed airily.
"No, no, not at all. Now, where were we?" He looked back down at the menu which he was so rudely interrupted from reading.
"Right, so, ah Jia! Now that you're here, we were just about to place an order" Mimi gave me an excited smile. Her enthusiasm was adorable.
"Indeed we were, I was thinking you might like some champagne to celebrate your semi-promotion, what do you think?" Jin looked over to me, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Yesss, omg can we?" I clapped my hands together excitedly. Champagne was always fun and it meant we'd get to do a champagne call! It was not a huge deal but it was still somewhat of importance.
"Anything for you, you know that" Jin rested his palm against my thigh as he leaned back into the padding of the booth couch. Those big brown eyes settled on me. Mimi immediately excused herself from the table and went to set up for the champagne call.
"I'm so happy you're here" I beamed. Not bothering to hide my excitement anymore.
"Me too, let's have some fun" Jin was wearing a classy black suit. He looked incredibly handsome and it was no wonder Serina had just tried to poach him only moments ago.
"How was your day?" I asked as I placed my hand on top of his which was still lingering on my thigh almost possessively. For the most part, he didn't touch me like this so when he did it had so much more of an impact.
"The usual, practice practice. How about you?" He tilted his head slightly. Lips noticeably pouted.
"Yeah, just class, nothing too interesting" I continued with small talk, still way more distracted by just how enticing the fit of his shirt made him look right now.
I noticed Wyniee from the corner of my eye as she came over and bowed before introducing herself. I was glad to see her. She was one of the girls I liked quite a bit. Wyniee asked if it was okay if she joined our table. Jin glanced at me and I gave a small nod to let him know it was alright and that she was one of the nice ones.
"Sorry if I interrupted anything" Wyniee began to say.
"No, it's okay! Actually, I wanted to introduce you to my friend Jin" I giggled.
"Oh, so you guys already know each other! That's cute. "I guess you're here to support Jia, right?" Wyniee looked back from me to him happily.
"Yeah. Have to make sure she isn't getting into any trouble" Jin joked followed by a light squeeze to my thigh. This served as a reminder that I was his right now.
"Oh no, she's totally fine. You can count on me to look out for her too." Wyniee sent a wink my way. She was sweet and I was glad she'd come to join us.
Mimi finally returned with the bottle of champagne, a small ensemble of girls to hype the occasion including Rina and a girl named Rosè in tow. Mimi enthusiastically recited the champagne call chant into the mic. It filled the lounge seeing as it was a little bit louder than the music was. The flirty chatter amidst the surrounding tables shifted to curious glances in our direction. This kind of thing always tends to do that. I still found it amusing how it also made other girls clients feel inclined to do their own champagne call to try and compete against each other and escalate the overall hype of the night.
Wynnie and I joined in on the chant as Mimi, Rina and Rosè surrounded the table. Rosè quickly set down the glasses and ice bucket she was holding while Rina swayed from side to side and clapped along cutely.
As the chant finished, Mimi handed the mic over to Jin so he could say a few words. He took it confidently and stood up. I followed suit and waited to hear what in the world he would say.
"Ahh Ahh," he began to say as though testing if the mic was working.
"Here's to the most beautiful girl in the world and her future success and happiness. May she be blessed with both as well as a super handsome guy like myself by her side to support her in her future endeavours" I may have giggled a bit at the overflowing confidence he emitted. His charm had undoubtedly ensnared me.
"Thank you, with that said, I just want to add that not only for me but may there be success and happiness for the both of us in whatever the future will bring. Cheers!!" I called out!
"Cheers!" The girls responded enthusiastically. Rina popped open the bottle and started pouring it over a few glasses before handing it over to Jin who started chugging from the bottle. The girls and I cheered him on as he went. I held a napkin under his chin to catch any spills until he lowered it and passed it to me. There was just less than half left. I finished it off. The weight of the glass bottle left my hand as Jin took it from me and placed it down on the table. A mischievous smirk followed. Rosè and Rina took their drinks and excused themselves. Mimi, Wyniee, Jin and I were left seated around the glass table.
"Jia. Anyone would think you were a pro at this" His brow raised fondly, I felt him nudge softly at a response.
"Like you can talk, You drank that like it was nothing~" I cheekily rebutted. "Mm that was pretty impressive" Wynnie chimed in. Mimi nodded along too.
"Should we get a couple of bottles of soju then?" Jin looked over from the girls to me.
"Yeah, sounds good" I smiled. Mimi went off again to retrieve the drinks. "So, seems like you can drink a lot then?" Wyniee beamed from across the table.
"Should we find out?" Jin teased. He looked so comfortable and confident as he did. Was it the drinks?
"Come to think of it, we've never had a drink together before tonight, have we?" I sent a smirk his way.
"If I knew you liked drinking earlier, it would've been a different story." Jin cheekily retorted.
Mimi returned with two bottles of soju and some bong bong grape juice for mixing. She was quick to pour everything for our table.
The nights' pleasantries continued until it was nearly time for my shift to end. We'd all drank and joked around. It was the most fun I'd had at work since starting there. Jin took care of the bill and the girls said goodbye to him. I walked him to the front door and back out into the lobby. Jin decided to wait for me to finish so that he could walk me home afterwards so I quickly went and got my things and left for the night. I met him just across the street from the club where he was waiting for me.
I hadn't bothered to change so I was still in my little black dress and heels under my coat. Jin wrapped an arm around my shoulder and rubbed it soothingly as we started to walk home. We were both a little drunk and started talking about weird hypothetical scenarios for some reason.
"Hmm. Okay, what about this-" Jin leaned in closer as I raised a brow at him in anticipation. I never knew what to expect to come out of his mouth. It was a complete mystery half the time.
"Hypothetically, What would you do if I just grabbed you and kissed you right now?" Jin's arm was still around me and had found its way to my neck. The feeling of his fingers gently brushing my hair back was only adding fuel to fire off his loaded question.
"Ahhh" I hesitated, was this hypothetical? I got the feeling that it might not be...
"C'mon, don't play all cute now, you're always avoiding, can't do it forever you know" Jin teased. He was right, maybe just this once. I'd take the leap.
"I… Would kiss you back" I finally admitted. I was forced to stop in my tracks as he did so. I turned to face him as he looked down at me. He'd dropped his arm that was around me but it was only momentarily.
His hands cupped my cheeks. My eyes closed. His plump lips were sweetly pressed against mine. A longing overcame me, one that I may have been suppressing for a while. His kiss deepened as though he'd read my mind. I blindly reached for his chest, needing something solid to lean against. I was teetering on the brink of falling apart.
My mind was blank as he slowly pulled away, our eyes met, his hands still cupping my cheeks. Those plump lips of his were only inches apart from my own. The whole world had been stopped, blocked out and it was only us at this moment that seemed to be floating.
"This.. is a dangerous road we're walking down Jin.." The words left my lips without meaning to.
"I don't care" he whispered. Brown orbs glazed over as I stared into them. I couldn't move. A small moment passed, silence filled my mind but my heart ached intensely.
"I know you feel it too. Do you trust me?" Jin's gaze softened. I nodded. I trusted him.
"Then trust me when I tell you it's going to be okay" He placed a small peck on my lips before pulling away. His hand entwined itself into my own, fitting perfectly like pieces to a puzzle. Still, in a daze, I let him lead me down the street towards my place. We stopped again at the front of my apartment building. My mind slowly took off, gaining speed as worries flitted by one by one. My job, my relationships with other people... It wasn't so clear cut. But could I even tell him that?
I gulped, scared of what his reaction might be but, I needed to know and so did he.
"Jin. What about my line of work? You know I have to see other guys. And. Apart from that, I've got some complicated situations happening for me right now. Involving other people. Boys.." I stopped for a second. Feeling as though I was about to break down into tears. It was overwhelming.
"It's fine. I've said it before. Do whatever you need to do. As long as what we feel for each other is genuine I can live with it. Whatever it is" He stepped closer to me, closing the gap between us. His hand reached around to the nape of my neck. Firmly, he claimed my lips yet again. I let my mind become blank as I let him take over. His grip now entangled in my hair dominantly. He had a different temperament.
I let out a shaky breath as we parted and he took claim to my waist instead.
"Jin, just promise me... You'll always talk to me if something bothers you. I'm scared... I don't want to hurt you. Or lose you" I mumbled as he guided me up to the building entrance.
"I promise" His voice held a steady resolve.
"Okay. Thanks for tonight... To be honest... I wish it didn't have to end" I mumbled.
"Are you trying to hint at something? Cheeky girl" Jin chuckled.
"Don't tease me!" I felt heat reach my cheeks instantly.
"Huh? Who's teasing who?!" He playfully retorted. I softly pushed at his chest and he laughed. We said good night and he kissed me one more time. By the time I had washed up and was laying in bed my mind was completely at a loss for thoughts.
The crossroads I seemed to be facing was just too overbearing. I didn't want to let it drown me, I closed my eyes, hoping that Jin was right. That everything would be okay.