Psh. Who did this man think he was? The King of Barland? Such a conceited jerk. If it hadn’t been all his fault, I could be at home eating a bucket of ice cream or something. All in all, I just hate him down to the bone. Perhaps I was exaggerating a bit, but did he really have to humiliate me in front of everybody?

            “And here is the room where you and Yong Sook-ssi will be staying at for the night.” We had stopped in front of a tiny room which could only fit one person.

            “WHAT IS THE  MEANING OF THIS?!” I growled throwing the owner a glare. “This can barely fit one person, more the less even fit two!”

            “Well then, Miss,” his eyes twinkled with mischief, “It to be you, doesn’t it?”

            “YOU!”

            “I what? I’m being so very hospitable and you’re here with your big mouth complaining like there was no tomorrow-“ I jumped. He had pushed the last button, and boy will he regret it. I pulled at his hair in several directions before his posse had jumped into the fight as well and pried me off the owner.

            He began to fix his messy hair into place, “Aish, you little-“

            “And it reeks too much of cigarette smoke in here. I’m pretty much second-hand smoking. If you’re the cause of my death, I’ll be sure to haunt you every single night,” I complained as I moved down the hall. Yes. I was lying. For a consecutive three years, I had been working with a cigarette-polluted air. My nose had adjusted to the horrid smell a long time ago. But if this little white lie was to be told so that I could sleep better, why not? It’s not like anybody expected a girl like me to work at such a place.

            “Myungsoo,” one of the men from his posse whispered unintentionally loudly, “There is one-“

            “Just be quiet Sungjong,” the owner—who I assumed was called Myungsoo—then neared me. “Look here, miss. If you’re not content with this room of ours, I have a better place where you can sleep. On the street. Now if you will, I can show you-“

            “Sungjong-ssi, was it?” I made eye contact with the man who had spoken recently, “Where is that room by any chance? You see, your little friend here,” I gestured to Myungsoo, “is so very kind to kick us to the streets. I can always say you guys assaulted me and give this bar a bad review. Oh, I can even say you’re overworking your workers, Myungsoo-ssi. So if you don’t show me this room of yours right now, I’m not afraid to-“

            “Woohyun, go show them the room,” Myungsoo barked an order before so happily smiling at me. What a fake smile.

            “Thank you Myungsoo-ssi,” I returned the just as genuine smile before dropping my voice into a whisper. “Little son of a b*tch.”  

****

            “Here’s your room,” one of the friends of Myungsoo’s—his name was Woohyun, if I remember correctly—handed me the card to the room. Sighing, I pondered what would be in that very room as I unlocked it. Myungsoo was no kidding. It was a capacious room, something that could be considered as a suite. Who knew there would be suites in such pubs? I was beyond impressed.

            “Hey, b*tch,” Myungsoo’s voice chimed into my ear, his breath ghosting into my earlobe. I shuddered in discomfort.

            Snapping my head backwards, I threw Myungsoo the best glare I could come up with, “What?”

            “Is this still too polluted for you, Miss Princess?” Way to throw out the royalty address card. Well played Myungsoo, well played.

            “Yes-“ I teased before I paused midway, shooting him a look, “It’s good.” My eyes then glanced over Myungsoo’s shoulder and saw his group of friends hoisting up Yong Sook’s dead-to-the-world body. “Can you just put him on the bed?”

            “Us?” One of Myungsoo’s friends—was it Hoya?—pointed at the rest of men behind him. I simply nodded in reply. “Alright.” PAK. There went Yong Sook’s limp less body as they so carelessly dumped him onto the bed.

            “Well uh…” I scratched my head as the seven men stood there awkwardly, “Thanks for helping. You may go now.”

            Myungsoo then scoffed, “Who do you think you are? Excusing us as if we’re working for you? Pathetic. No, you won’t be staying with him,” he cocked his head in the general direction of Yong Sook, “I don’t trust you two.”

            I raised an amused eyebrow while crossing my arms over my chest protectively, “Is that so?”

            “Who knows if you two will do something in here. If you haven’t noticed, this is one of the V.I.P rooms. I’m not willing to lend it out to just anybody,” he then muttered something incoherent that I couldn’t quite catch. Probably something not worthy of my time.

            “Then where am I going to stay?”

            “What,” Myungsoo belittled, “you don’t have a house?” I gulped. Truth was, I seriously did not have a house. It was considered more of a shack. And with the income I was getting…I was nowhere near to purchasing a comfy house. Not everybody’s life is perfect. Not everybody is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. This was a luxury to me, and yet here this man—who I barely even knew—was jeering his mouth away.

            Myungsoo took my silence as an answer and decided not to push it any further. “You’ll be staying in the room next door.”

            “Yet you said you didn’t have any other rooms.” And yet again, here comes my ego and pride.

            “L-ah, isn’t that your room though?” “Where will you be staying now?” “Myung-“ Myungsoo waved away his friends’ protests, silencing them almost immediately. “The room next door is connected to this one, so you feel free to go venture or whatever. And that way, you can feel closer with Yong Sook.”

            I suspiciously eyed Myungsoo. Was this man—who for the entire night was pushing me to my limit—actually being nice for once? But after noting his friends’ crossed faces—though I did not know the reason to why it was like that—I decided to believe him. “Fine. Thank you.” I nodded my goodbye before turning to step into the next room. But the thoughts of Myungsoo or Yong Sook never left my mind, and instead kept on lingering in my mind for the entire night. I was restless even though I was still a little hazy from the two martinis I had downed. What can I say? I have low alcohol tolerance.

****

            “Myungsoo, I really don’t know why you let a girl you barely even know stay in your room,” the oldest one out of the bunch then took a sip out of his Bloody Mary.

            “I mean, yeah sure, she’s pretty and all, but Myungsoo, I know you never allow just anybody to stay in your room.” Woohyun shook his head as he toyed with the straw hanging on the corner of his cup.

            “I agree with both Sunggyu and Woohyun hyung,” Sungjong tapped his finger on the base of his glass cup. “The last time you let anybody sleepover was when-“ Just as his lips were about to form a name, Hoya quickly interrupted him.

            “What we’re trying to say here, is that we’re shocked that you allowed someone to stay in your room. You barely even let us go in, more the less sleep there for the night!”

            “Y-Yeah,” Dongwoo stammered since he grew a little tipsy from his strong rum, “How well have you known her?”

            “Myungsoo-ah,” Sungyeol finally chimed in his voice after hearing all his other friends inform Myungsoo about their own personal feelings and thoughts, “I’m not saying that I don’t support your decision, or I do support your decision. The decision is yours. But if you’re merely seeing her as another…” he momentarily paused, “her, then I suggest you just send her out.”

            SLAM. The sound of liquid pouring out of a bottle reverberated in the compact secluded room. All this while, Myungsoo had been drowning himself in the strong alcoholic beverages. He strived for numbness, and numbness was what he got. He droned away those useless words said by his fellow friends. His friends knew nothing. They knew nothing about love. Or heartbreak. Absolutely nothing.

            Pain. The girl sleeping on his bed, this very moment was somewhat similar to her. Funny thing is, he didn’t even get to ask the girl for her name. She’ll be gone by tomorrow, just like her. 

Hope you guys enjoy this update and have an amazing 2013! (: