I need a moment to compose myself after Alex leaves, trying to hide my humorous grin. Judging by the sudden reserved look the woman tosses me over her drink, I’d say that he successfully proves his point about my sexuality to her. I toss the drag over my shoulder as I come back to her, gesturing to her empty glass. “I’m sorry about that. Do you need another refill?”

Her smile is tight as she pushes it towards me, sitting rigidly in her seat. “Yes, please. Extra strong this time.” 

I nod in understanding and begin fixing her new martini, glancing at the newcomer at the end of the bar. He rolls his eyes at something the person on the other end of his phone says, locking eyes with me as he parts his lips to say something that I can’t make out over the music. 

“So, your name is Jun?” The woman’s voice brings my attention back to her as she folds her arms over the counter, analyzing the diamond rings that glint on her manicured fingers. “That’s cute. Your friend is right; you’re handsome to be working as a bartender.” 

I guess Alex failed, after all, judging by her unperturbed passes at me. My smile is tight as I try to remain polite, stabbing the olive for her martini with more force than necessary before setting it in front of her. “Thank you, Mrs…” I trail off purposefully, raising an eyebrow to allow her to fill in the gap. 

She smirks as she takes her new drink, stroking the stem of the glass while maintaining eye contact. “Ms.” She corrects me, extending a hand for me to shake. “Call me Elanor.”

To be polite, I take her hand and shake it lightly before letting go. “Thank you, Elanor. It pays the bills for the most part,” I say, gesturing to the neon signs behind me. “Let me get this gentleman’s drink quickly. I’ll be right back with you,” I promise, grateful for the opportunity to head towards the opposite end of the bar. 

The man is done with his phone call now, so I feel like it’s the appropriate time to approach and ask for his order. He watches my approach silently, casting a glance at Elanor on the other side of the bar with disinterest. He looks like he wants to say something, but decides to just give me his order instead. “Give me a Four Horsemen,” He says, his deep voice surprisingly easy to hear above the music. 

I nod, trying to make sure my gaze doesn’t linger on his tattooed biceps that bulge from his shirt sleeve as he places his elbows on the bar. “You got it.” 

I retreat to the mixing station to start his drink, grabbing a clean shot glass from the counter. I can feel his eyes like a weight on me as I work, measuring out the different whiskeys. Even as I work, I can’t escape Elanor’s attempts to continue our conversation. 

“So, do you go to school?” She asks, leaning into the counter as she stirs her martini with her olive garnish. 

I smile politely as the bottles knock together when I set them back on their shelf. “Uh, I was. I dropped out to work full time,” I admit, hoping that it will be enough to satisfy her interests in my personal life. It isn’t.

“Oh?” She asks, pressing her drink to her lips, leaving a lipstick stain. At least she has the decency not to ask about the reason, likely assuming the money trouble that college usually brings. “Is there something you’d like to do with your life other than this?” She gestures to the bar and the laughing patrons behind her. 

I set the finished shot on the counter and slide it towards the man at the other end, making sure that he catches it without issue before returning my attention to Elanor. “I’m not sure. I want to do something I enjoy, but I also need it to be well paying so I can pay off my family’s debts.” Usually, I wouldn’t provide so much insight into my life, but it occasionally works to make the customers feel like they know me better. It usually results in better tips. 

Elanor places a hand over her chest. “Oh my, it’s so sweet of you to look after your family. Do they live in the area?” 

I rinse out a few empty glasses and set them out to air dry, busying myself as we talk until more orders come in for me. “My grandmother does. The rest live in South Korea,” I say, knowing that the barrage of questions is about to begin. 

As anticipated, Elanor’s eyes light up and she leans over her glass with interest. “Really? That’s so fascinating,” She exclaims. “Were you born there? What made you move to the states?” 

I take a deep breath, bracing myself to answer her questions. As soon as I do, I make a mental note to turn the conversation back to her and her life so she can do most of the talking. “Yes, I was. I moved when I was around eight or so with my grandmother so she could live her dream of living in an American city. Once we got here, she didn’t want to leave so I stayed with her,” I shrug, hoping to end the details at that. I don’t want to get into the reasons why my parents aren’t living in LA with us, which is inevitably going to be her next question. 

Luckily, the man at the end of the bar catches my eye and taps on his empty shot glass, asking for another. I accept the distraction gratefully, making sure to turn the conversation in the direction I’m more comfortable with. 

“So, Elanor,” I say, glancing up at her from my work. “Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?” 

She takes a sip of her drink, face lighting up at the question. “Oh, I’m a marketing manager. It’s dreadfully boring work,” She says, pouting her lips as she stirs her drink again aimlessly. “I have to seek entertainment outside of the office to prevent myself from dying of boredom.” 

I make a falsely sympathetic face as if I feel sorry for her successful career choice. “Goodness, how terrible. Lucky the city is filled with distractions,” I say, offering a smile and holding up the finished shot. “Let me bring this to my customer quickly,” 

Her smile is flirtatious as she nods, waving me in pardon. “Hurry back,” 

I set the shot in front of the man, offering him a smile. “Sorry for the wait on that,” 

The guy picks his drink up and swirls it in the small glass, glancing up at me. “Why do you entertain her?” He asks, glancing toward Elenor with a sharp, annoyed look. 

Since she’s far enough away not to hear me, I sigh and lean against the counter, taking the moment to breathe from the conversation. “Lonely women like to talk,” I say simply, turning to gaze out at the rest of the lounge. Alex seems to be having an issue with the check at one of his tables, so I decide to keep an eye on them. The customers are big, burly guys in leather jackets, despite the warm temperature outside. I know the type, and they aren’t usually very friendly. 

My customer tips his shot back and gulps it down without making a face at the taste, pushing the empty glass between us. His eyes reflect off of the neon signs, making them appear a bluish-green. I wonder what they look like in normal lighting. “She’ll stay until closing if you keep humoring her. Then, she’ll ask you to walk her home, and I’m sure you can guess what else she’ll ask you from there,” He says, raising an eyebrow pointedly. “So if she isn’t your type, don’t be too friendly.” 

I feel a frown tug at my lips at his advice, knowing that he’s probably right. “Why would you guess that? She seems like a nice lady.” 

He keeps his brow raised as he gives me a look, spinning his empty glass on the bar with his index finger. “Expensive jewelry? Tight dress? Stood up on a blind date? Trust me, she fits the bill.” 

I glance behind him to check on Alex again as he tries to explain the charges on the bill to his customers. The man he’s speaking to stands up from his chair and steps into Alex’s face, jabbing a finger at him. I can’t hear what he says, but his voice is loud enough to reach across the lounge to the bar. Alex raises his voice back, and I know it’s time for someone to step in. He might be small, but Alex won’t back down from a fight, no matter how big the opponent. I press my tongue against my cheek and push away from the bar, tossing my rag into the sink. “Give me a second,” I say, making my way around the bar. 

The argument has begun to draw the attention of the other customers, so I don’t hesitate to interject loudly, cutting off the big man’s accusing tone. “Excuse me, what’s the problem?” 

Alex steps back to stand beside me, showing me the printed bill. Despite his fierce tone, I can see how badly his hand is shaking as she points to the prices, breaking them down for me. “I’m trying to explain why he was charged extra for the better vodka he asked for in their drinks, but he thought it would be a good idea to insult me instead of listening to my explanation.” He says, casting an accusing look at the big biker. 

I look over the bill again before looking at the customers. “I’m the one who made these. I can confirm that the upgraded alcohol is more expensive.” 

The customer folds his arms imposingly, looking down at me. His tone is still raised as he speaks, escalating against reasoning. “He didn’t tell me that. Are you the manager or something? Because I’m not paying for something I wasn’t aware of,” He mumbles beneath his breath to his friends who remain seated, “This stupid fag. He doesn’t even know the prices for things.” 

I set my jaw and hand the receipt back to Alex. “Did they pay already?” He nods, taking a step behind me. “Okay, I’ll ask you politely to leave. We have a zero-tolerance policy for racist or homophobic slurs.” I say, raising my voice to match the customers. 

The big man turns back to me with a raised brow, disbelieving my audacious tone. He looks me up and down for a moment before laughing in my face. “Sure, we’ll leave. And we won’t be back. Good luck explaining to the owner why you lost my business,” 

I stand my ground as he steps closer, attempting to intimidate me with his hulking stature. “If you know Mrs. Harding, you’d know that she’s married to a woman and would kick you out herself,” I say, loud enough to embarrass him in his obvious bluff about knowing the owners. 

He glares at the people who stare at the drama and jerks his head towards the door, signaling for his friends to follow him out. “Whatever, you’re a shitty bartender anyway. You’d better watch your back,” He threatens, whispering in my ear as he brushes past me, knocking my shoulder purposefully.

I turn to make sure they leave before looking back to Alex, who crumples the receipt in his hands and grits his teeth in anger. “Are you okay?” 

Alex looks like he’s holding back tears but tosses the bill onto their messy table in annoyance, still shaking from the encounter. “My makeup looks great tonight. I don’t care what that fat bastard says,”

I sigh, raking a finger through my hair as I observe the lounge, making sure that the other customers aren’t feeling spooked by the encounter. “You look beautiful,” I console Alex, offering him a smile. “And don’t worry about their trip, I’ll share mine with you at the end of the night.” 

Alex shakes his head and I follow him over to the terminal where he’s running. “It’s okay, you don’t have to. How do I void this for Christine tomorrow? I don’t want you to get jumped because of me.” 

I sigh, reaching over Alex to type in a management passcode that can be used to void payments. If she were here, I know that Christina would have calmly refunded their order to avoid escalation, but once I heard the comment about Alex’s sexuality, all chances of responding politely were lost. Though I don’t think that voiding their payment will keep them from coming back with the rest of their gang, I show Alex how to do it anyway and hand him the voided receipt. “Just put this inside of the register when you close it for the night and Christine will handle it.” 

Alex takes the paper and looks up at me, eyes shining with gratitude. “Thanks for stepping in, Jun. Of course that had to happen on the night that we have no managers are closing.” 

I give him a consoling smile. “Of course. Take a break if you need to get yourself together before taking any more tables. Macie can take over any customers you have right now,” I say, noting the shaking fists at his sides. 

He gives me a tight smile before reaching to remove his apron, gesturing for one of the other servers to come over. “Thanks. I just need a few minutes to cool down,” He says, eyes darting to the bar behind me. “You should get back, it looks like you have a few more orders to make. Besides, the hottie has been staring at you this whole time.” 

I turn over my shoulder to see what he’s talking about, thinking that he’s being satirical about Elenor. I’m surprised to see her seat empty with a bill tucked beneath her empty glass, so I turn to look on the opposite end, where my male customer is sitting with his back to the bar, elbows leaning against it casually. As soon as I lock eyes with him, he holds up the shot glass and wiggles it, signaling for another refill. I shake my head and turn to give Macie the news, asking if she can take over Alex’s tables for a few minutes until he gets back before I head back to my station. 

“That was brave of you,” My customer says, turning back around in his seat to follow me with his eyes. They look more grey than blue now, and I notice how handsome he is, in a conventional way. His features are very European and strong, making him the manly type. He’s every girl’s bad boy dream, so I don’t understand why he doesn’t go talk to some of the female patrons who bat their lashes his way. “You’re pretty small to be acting so bold.” 

I snort, collecting his empty glasses to put in the sink before starting on his next shot. “I could have dropped him if need be. I can fight,” I say, taking a moment to glance around to lounge to make sure everything else is running smoothly. The other customers seem riled up by what happened as they chatter excitedly, finishing off their drinks. I anticipate another wave of orders soon, so I make quick work of clearing the martini glasses and collecting the hundred-dollar bill that Elanor left me, along with a phone number written on her napkin. I dump the glasses in the sink and hold the bill up for my customer to see, raising my brow pointedly. “This is why I humor people,” I say before sliding into my back pocket. 

My customer shrugs as I slide him his drink, knocking it back as soon as it’s within reach. “Are you even old enough to be back there?” He asks, looking me up and down. I get that I’m small, but he doesn’t look much older than 25 either, so I wonder who he is to be asking a question like that. 

I frown at his question, glancing at the screen behind the counter that tells me a few drinks are waiting to be made. I grab some glasses and begin working on them. Luckily, none of them have substitutions so I can get them sent out in no time at all. “I am. Why do you ask? If you say it’s because I’m short, I’ll kick you out, too,” I threaten, pointing a bottle of vodka in his direction. 

He holds his hands up in mock surrender, sitting back in his seat. “Never mind then. Can I get another?” 

I push two of the finished drinks onto the counter where they’ll wait until their server comes to retrieve them, raising an eyebrow at the customer as I begin the other two orders. “Do you just want a handle?”

“Why? You don’t want to humor me the way you did with that woman? Maybe you’ll get my number too.” He jokes, holding my gaze infuriatingly. He’s sort of a dick, as cliche as it is for his looks. His crooked grin is so handsome though that I can only muster an eye roll to show my annoyance. 

“I’m not going to woo you for it,” I say, giving him a look. I can’t tell if he’s being serious or just teasing me. He doesn’t look like the type to be into guys, but then again, he’s ignoring all the women that try and catch his gaze, making fools of themselves. Maybe he’s closeted.

“Well, alright then,” He says, standing up and digging his wallet from his pocket. He fishes out several twenty-dollar bills and tosses them on the counter, giving me a pointed stare at his generous tip. “I’ll see you around.” He takes a package of cigarettes out of his pocket on his way out the door, his eyes meeting mine once more before disappearing out into the street.