Hwan's POV
Usually, my Saturdays are spent sleeping, eating and binge-watching old Nickelodeon shows.
Not today, apparently.
This particular Saturday was spent picking out what to wear to The Ace Club. I still couldn't believe I had agreed to this.
Turns out that yesterday Dr Terrence asked everyone what they were doing for the weekend and most people were going to hang out at the Ace Club, so she had the ridiculous idea to make it a company 'hangout'. All she needed was my stamp of approval which I foolishly gave.
Which leads us back to here.
After hours of deliberation, I finally settled for an outfit. A long-sleeved white button-down shirt, black jeans and black loafers with two silver chains to accessorize.
Simple but stylish.
Giving myself one last glance in the mirror, I ran my fingers through my neatly styled hair. It had been such a long time since I'd done anything like this. In fact, the last major party I'd been to was in high school.
To say I was rusty was a major understatement.
Let's just hope this doesn't go too badly.
The blaring of a car horn outside informed me of my friend's presence. I'd asked James, my coworker and now friend, to come get me. We met yesterday at the board meeting and pretty much hit it off.
With a sigh, I rushed downstairs to meet him. We greeted each other with smiles and compliments before I got into the car. Turning down the radio, he pulled out of the parking space, making light conversation as he did.
"So, are you excited?"
Shrugging in response, I decided to be frank. "Not really. I'm more nervous than anything."
"Oh please, Hwan," he chuckled with an eye roll, "I may have known you for less than twenty-four hours, but I'm certain you're always nervous."
"I'm not ashamed to admit you're absolutely correct."
"Lighten up, man! We're going to have fun so there's nothing to be nervous about. We'll just grab some drinks, get a little drunk and maybe get laid. Nothing to worry about."
Turning to the brown-haired man beside me, I shook my head. If I wasn't any wiser, I'd actually believe what him.
With his handsome face and built body, it was obvious James was no stranger to partying. Which is exactly why I was certain his advice didn't apply to me.
I'm Park-Lee Junghwan – partying is NOT my thing.
"If only it were that easy, my friend."
-
Hannah's POV
I sipped slowly from the glass of champagne in my hands, already bored of the so-called company 'hangout'.
Currently, I was sitting at the bar with one of the IT guys from work – Maven or Masen or whatever – and the dude was talking my ear off. To make it worse, he kept on making passes at me, much to my revulsion.
Honestly, the only reason I was putting up with this conversation was because I had nothing better to do.
I'd expected this company hangout to be lame considering how uninteresting my colleagues are, but I'd hoped it would be better than spending another weekend at home.
I guess I was wrong.
Sighing, I excused myself from the torturous conversation before Maverick could make another 'joke' that I wouldn't laugh at. Making my way to a random group of people, I found them doing shots and out of boredom decided to join them.
It's not like there was anything more entertaining to do.
Without hesitation, I downed my first shot of vodka. Then the second. Then the third.
I was about to go for my fourth when a man suddenly stumbled to our table and snatched it from me. He proceeded to smash the glass and giggle, while I stared in disbelief. Then he looked at me with a pout, before moving on to sniff the air.
Suddenly howling loudly, he startled most of the people around, myself included. The man continued to do this severally, taking pauses every few seconds to giggle and catch his breath.
Still in shock, I gaped at the very obviously wasted man before me. His face rang a bell, and I quickly realized who he was.
His name was Jason or Josh or something, and we met at yesterday's board meeting. He appeared pretty normal then; who'd have thought he had such a low alcohol tolerance?
Just then, a hand clamped over his mouth to silence him and I frowned upon recognizing who it was – Hwan.
I really didn't know why but something about him just made my stomach lurch.
His dark eyes always seemed to glisten, contrasting with his ghostly pale skin and pink pouty lips that though conventionally attractive, made him less than ideal in my opinion.
He was so strange – like an innocent, awkward child.
I hated it.
"James, stop it! Everyone is staring!" Hwan desperately tried to control his drunken friend who was refusing to budge.
"But I don't want to go to bed, Mommy! I want to stay up with you and Daddy!"
"I'm not your mom, James," the sober man replied in obvious frustration, struggling to pull James away. "Let's get you home, buddy."
"No! I want to stay with Daddy!"
James suddenly broke free from his grip and made a beeline toward me. Throwing his arms around me, he engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug.
"Save me, Papa! Mommy is being mean to me!"
Horrified, I bit down on his arm with as much force as I could, causing him to let go of me and fall to the ground. Checking to make sure my outfit was intact, I hissed venomously.
"You idiot! Keep your stupidity to yourself!"
Hwan, who had been watching in shock the entire time, rushed to his friend. The latter was lying unmoving on the ground as Hwan tried to revive him. Looking up at me, he began to panic.
"What did you do to him? He's not waking up! Please call an ambulance!"
"Don't drag me into your shenanigans!" I yelled, irritated at his accusation. "I didn't do anything to the idiot!"
"There's no need to insult him. He just had too much to drink."
"That is not my problem. Just keep him away from me!"
He was about to respond when the manager arrived at the scene. "What's going on here?"
Before could speak, Hwan beat me to it. "I don't know what this lady just did to my friend but he's unconscious."
"I didn't do anything!" I angrily defended. "Your idiot boyfriend assaulted me!"
"He was drunk! You should've let me handle him."
"Spare me the bullshit! You were barely controlling the idiot."
"Stop calling him that!"
"Or what? What could a lowlife like you possibly do to me?"
A look of unmistakable hurt flashed on his face, my words clearly offending him. He opened his mouth to reply but no words came out, so he looked away instead, clearly accepting defeat. Smirking victoriously, I scoffed as I stalked toward him.
"Nothing. You'll do nothing. That's exactly what I thought."
Now standing right in front of him, there was nothing but a few inches separating us. I could hear his slow, heavy breathing clearly as it mixed with mine. His inky eyes were fixated on my cocoa ones that glared at him with as much hatred as I could muster.
To my surprise and annoyance, he didn't look away. Instead, he just stared blankly at me, eyes devoid of any recognizable emotion.
Yet somehow, they still held that unmistakable spark.
"I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave."
The manager's voice brought me back to my senses and I stepped away from Hwan. Turning to him, I hiss in annoyance. "Excuse me? Are you kicking me out?"
"Yes, Ma'am. You're both disturbing-"
"Are you out of your mind or are you just looking for a reason to be unemployed? Do you know who I am?"
The stupid man had the audacity to shake his head and shrug, angering me further.
"I am Princess Hannah Umel Oba of Afi Kingdom, daughter of His Royal Highness King Umel Robert Oba, king of Afi Kingdom and Governor of Cross River State."
"I don't know who that is," the man retorted, unimpressed. "What I do know is that you need to leave or else I'll call security."
"No need for that. I'll show myself out. Enjoy the rest of your evening. After all, it is your last night of employment."
With that, I picked up my seven-hundred-dollar clutch and stormed out of the damned place feeling beyond enraged.
I was seething.
Stomping to my Range Rover, I hastily searched my aforementioned clutch for my keys. To my utter annoyance, I couldn't find them there. Sighing frustratedly, I flung the purse away.
Realizing that I'd probably left them back inside the club, I let out another frustrated sigh.
There was no way in hell I was going to do the walk of shame and go back to ask for my keys. That was just too embarrassing.
But if I didn't, that meant I wouldn't have a ride home and would have to end up sleeping in the parking lot of a club.
Maybe I could just take a cab and come back for my car tomorrow?
I scoff at the thought. All those drinks are messing with my head.
No way would I be caught dead taking a cab.
Wondering what to do, I heard someone approaching and turned to see my least favourite person right now – Hwan. His unconscious boyfriend's arm was draped across his shoulder as he struggled to move across the parking lot.
The sight was most pitiable, and I almost offered help when he stumbled and nearly fell under the weight of his friend.
In many ways, my current predicament was all his fault. So, his struggle was deserved.
After much trouble, he finally made it to his destination which was a black Ford Ranger truck. He managed to set his friend down in the backseat and cover him with a blanket.
Feeling my eyes on him, he turns and acknowledges my presence with a glare. I simply scoffed in response.
How cute.
"Am I supposed to feel intimidated?"
"No," he retorted, "l doubt robots can feel emotions."
My mocking laughter filled the parking lot, loud enough to travel the distance between us. "Wow! That was such a great comeback. What other third-grade insults do you know?"
"Not many. But I'm assuming you'd know a lot since you're basically a Regina George knock-off."
"It's so cute when you try to be tough," I jeered, stalking towards him. "You remind me of a puppy. All bark, zero bite."
"Of course. Why would I ever bite you? I don't want rabies."
Glaring icily, I closed the distance between us so that I was just a few inches away from his face. He tried to back away but instead slammed into the cold metal of the truck behind him – leaving him trapped between the vehicle and me. A scowl rested on my face as I spoke, my voice low and threatening.
"You'd best control your tongue, boy. For your sake, I'd advise you not to test me."
Looking away, he attempted to hide his cheeks which despite the relative darkness, I noticed were a blush red. It was common knowledge that he got flustered easily, but this was just pathetic.
Rolling my eyes, I stepped back from his personal space and turned my attention to the truck behind him.
"I'm assuming it's yours?"
Regaining his composure, he shook his head as he held up the car keys. "It's James'. He drove us here, but I don't know how we're going to get back."
"What do you mean? Can't you drive?"
"I don't have my license yet."
Of course, he doesn't know how to drive at his age. Leave it to Hwan to be utterly useless.
"So, I'm guessing you need a driver then?"
"Yeah, I actually-"
Before he got a chance to finish, I snatched the keys and walked to the driver's door. Getting in, I started the engine and turned to his shocked figure.
"Are you going to get in or are you going to keep staring like an idiot?"
Shutting his previously agape mouth, he hurriedly hopped into the passenger seat next to me. Turning to him, I motioned toward his seatbelt.
"I'm neither in a good mood nor entirely sober. If I were you I'd hold on to something."
Not waiting for a response, I hit the gas and zoomed out of the parking lot, causing him to scream in terror.
Music to my ears.