< Jungkook's asking for you, so take care of him first then stay with Kangdae and his friends ]

I send a quick 'Ok' once again and fill the last glass with the Vodka. "Have you received the text Sookyung sent you?" the one with the glasses hanging on the neck of his shirt takes a sip of his drink, and I straighten my back to get the bottle down. "I did."

"Ask him if she can dance for us," the one, who seems to not have heard me a few seconds ago, persists, willing to have me as a lap dancer. Kangdae does not even let me opine myself, so I put an end to this moment, feeling the need to be with Mister Jeon. "I have to check on another V.I.P members, so I'm coming back in a few minutes, gentlemen," I speak like the rules tell me to do, and they all nod to me, so I get out of here and go back to the man I have been wanting to see.

I knock on the door and warn him about my entry before scanning the card and coming in.

"I'm all yours, Mister Jeon," I close the door behind me but see him stand before the mini fridge, the TV playing some music at a low volume in the background. "Hey, so, uhm...I've been trying to open it for the past ten minutes, but it doesn't work. I tried to use my card and enter the code, but I can't remember it," his wavering and slow speech joins the sound of the music but makes me understand that he is tipsy.

This does not happen often, but I noticed that he only gets drunk on the nights when he expresses a lot of struggle. He shows lots of signs of torment most of the time, and this gets me to worry about him and wonder why he lives that way, why he spends so many nights here, why he does not have a family, why he seems so lonely, but I do not have the right to talk about it or ask him any question, so I stay quiet to not put my nose into his business.

I take my card out to check if he is just too intoxicated to do it properly and realize he is not holding his card the right way, and the fridge opens in an instant.

I peek at him. "Can you hand me your card so that I can check if yours is the problem?" I kindly request it, and he gives it to me, so I close the fridge and try with his, but this does not work. I pass it in front of the scanner in case the QR code might have a small problem, but this is not effective at all.

"Your card doesn't work anymore, so I'm going to see Sookyung and ask for a new one for you, is that okay?" I keep his belonging with me, and he smiles at me, but I realize only now that his eyes are very glassy. "Okay. Thank you very much," he licks his swollen lips but runs his fingers through his blond hair, and his eyes look me up and down but get followed by a frown.

He does not say anything but takes a look at his Rolex, barely able to remain still and know what he has in front of him. Given the look in his eyes, he, for sure, cannot even read the time. "Did you...get changed, or am I crazy?" he focuses back on me, not doing it in a sexual manner but seeming confused. "I did, but are you alright?"

"I am," he contradicts what his body language says, so I grab his strong arm. "You should sit down," I move him back towards the sofa to make him go on it. "What were you looking for in the fridge?"

"For something to eat, I'm starving," he states after telling me that he was not hungry two hours ago only. "I'm coming back with some food," I step towards the fridge and open it to get some water out of it, and I put it in front of him but grab the only bottle that he left full, which means he drank a whole bottle of champagne.

"I'm coming back, Mister Jeon," I keep the bottle and get out of here, and he nods, so I make my way down the stairs and move towards Sookyung's office. I do not waste too many seconds since I want to go back to Mister Jeon as soon as I can, and I knock on the scary man's door.

A short moment afterwards, it gets opened, and I face him, this tall and powerful man in who I used to find comfort. "What?" he does not let me go in but already expresses some bother, so I make it quick and show him the card. "Mister Jeon's V.I.P's card doesn't work anymore. He needs a new one..." I hand it to him, and he grabs it. "Come in," he steps inside, so I follow him and close the door behind me.

I stand on my spot and wait for him to come back towards me as he is looking in the drawer that contains all the duplicates of the V.I.P cards.

"I wanted to ask you a question," I hide my hands behind my back and clear my throat. "Kim Kangdae and his colleagues were requiring—"

"I know," he cuts me off and closes the drawer to head up to me. "Only focus on Jungkook, he's our most important client," he gives me the brand new card. "You do whatever he wants, and you give him whatever he asks for. Understood?"

"Yes," I comply, not minding this rule. Mister Jeon is the only man I would do anything for without complaining. "Thank you," I do not forget to tell him, and I turn around to go back on my way, but his tough hand pulls me in by the hip. "Has he asked for a dance or favor yet?"

I shake my head, holding the handle of the door. "Not really. I asked him if he wanted me to bring a colleague to him, but he told me that he only wants me with him."

"Good," he does not say anything about it but opens the door, and I go out. I do not stay with him but move towards the bar, and I look into the fridge to take some food and leave some cash on the counter, then I go back to the first floor in a hurry, not making him wait for too long, and I open the door without knocking on it, but I stumble upon him sleeping on the sofa, with his legs spread, his hands in his pockets, and his head resting on the back of the leather sofa.

I close the door in a kind manner, and I lay the card in front of him. I place the food down as well, but I lay my eyes on him again to check his breathing. I would not want him to be drunk to such a point that he passed out.

"Mister Jeon," I touch his knee to wake him up, peeking at the tattoo on his neck, his Adam's apple moves right when he hums, and he deeply inhales and turns his head towards me. "Hmm?"

"I brought you some food, and your new card is here," I let him know, and he checks the table. "Oh," he brings his long legs closer to each other and straightens his back to sit more properly but holds his head. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"No problem, is your head aching?" I worry about him, and he nods but gazes down at the food. "You can sleep if you want, don't worry about it. I'll wake you up once the people are leaving," I do not suggest giving him a painkiller since he consumed alcohol.

"Thank you," he turns his head in my direction and removes his hand from it to lower it down to his other one and hold them together, and he gives me one of the most caring smiles ever. "You're a sweetheart, you know that, right?"

"I'm just here for you," I shrug, not knowing how to respond to this. He stares into my eyes without saying anything more, getting my heart to race in a matter of short seconds. He breaks this contact, doubtlessly not feeling the same as I do, and he rubs the back of his veiny hand with his thumb.

If he was not so tipsy, I would have mentioned the talk he wanted to have with me, and which I want to know more about, but this is not the right time. I hope he is going to feel better soon though, I do not like to see him in this state, I hate it.

"Would you like anything?" I ask, noticing that he is not doing anything but staring into space. "Do you have a lot of work to do right now?" he glances at me, and I shake my head. "Not if you need me. I'll have to stay with Kangdae and his colleagues if I do not stay with you because they want me to do some dances and stuff."

His eyes keep their look steady on me, not realizing how much of an effect this has on my entire body.

"Dances and stuff?" he focuses on that part of the sentence only, and I nod to confirm what I wish was a lie. "Yes. They want me to dance for them." 

"Stay with me then," he states and grabs the bottle I brought him to drink. "Are you sure? Don't you want to relax and rest?"

"I'm fine," he lies to me. "There's no way you'll dance for those perverts. So stay with me, okay?" his protective side shows again, and my chest warms up for no reason known. This feeling he gives me is so strange but pleasant. This is like butterflies but so much stronger, and the best about it is that he does not cause them to me with a touch, but with a look, his voice, his words.

"Okay," I agree, not refusing to spend time with him since I know that I will not get into trouble for that. Once he is satisfied with my answer, he puts his bottle down and gets a red macaroon, he eats one of the two, but then heads the other up towards my mouth. I lean forth to take a bite, but he chuckles. "Take the whole thing."

I do not complain or show any bother, I eat the entire treat. "They're so good," he chews on it, his sharp jawline moving at the rhythm of each bite. I smile without knowing why but swallow what is in my mouth, and he gazes up into my eyes.

His slender fingers slide between one another, but I cannot maintain this contact, this is too profound. I remember that he wanted to have a talk with me tonight, and I do not feel like he is in the right mind to do it, so I will wait for tomorrow.

"When was the last time you hung out with a friend?" he asks me out of the blue, and my eyes focus on him again. "Long ago...Why?"

He exhales through his nose but grabs a macaron to eat, and takes a sip of water. "Is it because you don't want to, or because you don't have the right to do it?"

I think twice before answering, always fearing to make a mistake. "I don't have anyone," I tell him, lying because I have to. He stares into my eyes, certainly feeling pity for me. I can see through them, I can read all the unnecessary pain he feels for me, and I hate it.

"Is there something you'd like to do if you have the opportunity one day?" he bites into another yellow treat, but I do not even have to find an answer, I already know what I would love to do, what I always wished for. "Cheonjeyeon Waterfall and Nami Island. It's like a dream for me."

"Oh, those are such beautiful places," he understands why I mentioned them. "I once visited the Nami Island in Autumn, and it was so amazing. I'd love to visit it again."

Visiting it with him would make it hundreds of times better, but he does not know that, and I cannot let him know.

"Is it your choice to not have any friends?" he shows some incredible curiosity, maybe because he has me by his side for much more time than usual. "Not really. I just never go out or meet people, so it'd be difficult to make friends."

"And on the internet?" he believes this could be a solution, but I awkwardly smile. "I never really have time for that."

"And...here? Aren't you friends with any of the girls? Or Jae, the bartender?" he mentions my co-workers, if I can even call them that, so I shake my head, sadly. "I'm not. There's one person who I can trust here, and this is Cherry. He is so caring with me, but I haven't seen him in days," I only give his nickname, calling him a 'he' since the girls here are the only ones who he is okay with calling him that.

"Cherry is the tall woman, with long black hair, right?" he reminds himself of him, and I nod, smiling at the thought of him. "I miss her a lot. I thought she left, so I didn't ask anything, but she's such an amazing woman," he expresses a lot of appreciation for her, and I remain quiet.

He does not add any more compliments but grabs the last treat, and instead of eating it, he holds it between his index and middle fingers, and he brings it to my knee. "And you're an amazing woman as well."

I gaze at him, my pulse getting stronger. I smile but glance down at his hand which is warming my skin up without touching it. "Have this," he moves it up.

I do not do anything unnecessary but take it, and I eat it. "Thank you."

I am not used to eating such sweet food that I love, I always crave it, never have the right to consume it, so I am savoring every bit of it.

While I am chewing on the macaroon, he leans back on the sofa and looks for something in the pockets of his trousers, seeming bothered. In the process, he accidentally applies pressure on the remote control, and the images on the small TV change.

Erotic scenes of a woman in lingerie who is being sexual in front of the camera. Those scenes I know after the number of times I saw them while serving some V.I.Ps.

He sighs but quickly takes hold of the device to go back to the music, with a black screen only. Then, he reaches out for his suit jacket and rummages into the pockets of it.

"Have you lost something?" I ask him, trying to help. "My cigarettes."

His cigarettes? He told me he stopped.

"You said you weren't smoking anymore..." I repeat the words I once heard from him, and he looks at me. "Did I?" he questions me as if I was supposed to know it more than he does. "Yes, you did..."

"Oh..." his response confuses me, but he does not speak, he drops his jacket to leave it where it was. "Anyway..." he pulls his hair back and puts his elbows down on his thighs to hold his hands together but gazes down at his glass. He brings one hand up to rest his head on it, and he touches the rim of the glass with the tip of his middle finger while staring at it but seeming in his mind, in a daze. He rubs it, but the sensation this spreads through me makes me feel weird.

I clench my thighs against my hands but glance away, realizing how wrong my thoughts are just by watching him rub his finger over this item.

"Would you want me to call a uber and bring you home?" I grip my hand and gaze up at him, but his eyes stare deep into mine. "Hm. No, I'll sleep in my car. No worries."

"Sure? Wouldn't it be uncomfortable?" I worry about him and his back, but he softly smiles. "It won't be the first time."

I wish it was not the case, this is so sad to hear.

I do not know how to respond to this, but my watch does it for me. I take a look at the text I received but feel all my peace of mind disappear. "You should sleep a little here, I need to go and serve some clients..."

"Already?" he acts like I have not been here for a while, but the meaning it has affects me a lot. I smile but nod. "Yes. I have to."

"Well, as long as you don't get into the other VIP's room and dance, I'm okay," he does not exude the same emotions as his words do, and since I do not have a choice but to listen to my boss, I stand up and bow to him. "Drink water only, okay?"

"I will, sweetheart. Don't worry about me," he gives me his word, and no matter what I wish I was allowed to tell him, I step out of the room and go back to do the part of my job that I do not like.

•••

2 am.

"See you, Chaewon," I bow to him as all the clients are leaving, but as expected from him, he leans towards me and speaks in my ear, his hand touching my waist. "Are you free?"

"I'm not," I shake my head but see, from the corner of my eye, Sookyung walking up to us, with the man I love to see. "Hm. Alright then, see you tomorrow," he rubs his hand over my side but finally walks out of here. Now, the last person who has to leave is Mister Jeon, who is right next to Sookyung.

Once they reach me out, my eyes only focus on the taller man, and he smiles at me. "See you, sweetheart. Take care of yourself," he tells me goodbye in the sweetest manner, and I return the same kindness but watch him step out.

I am now alone with Sookyung while the other girls are in the rooms in the back to get changed. "Come in my office," he gestures me to do with a movement of his head, so I lead the way and walk up there by force.

Once I am in, he closes the door, my body not even stressing out anymore since I am used to this. He walks up to his desk, which is right in front of me, and he leans back on it. "Your clothes."