Ree's hand moved to cover her mouth again, but not before she'd had the satisfaction of saying part of what she'd gone over there to say. Aerin didn't protest when she was led back to their spot at the corner of the bar, but she was still fuming. Who did the man think he was? 

She'd only had two drinks, but the room was tilting slightly as she got unsteadily back onto the barstool. And this was why she didn't drink unless it was in the comfort of her own home.

"Tut-tut little girl, where you leave your manners at?" Ree raised a sculpted brow at her as she spoke. "People will think you're drunk. Wait. That might not be a bad thing. Hmm... No one hates a drunk girl for the things they say and do. You came so close to ruining it for us. You know that?"

"Ruining what for us? And why are you lecturing me? What have I done except speak up for her honour?" Aerin pointed down at a sleeping Bona. "You should've left me to teach that savage a lesson."

"She's too drunk to even remember any of this. Why you defending her honour when the only embarrassment the girl's gonna be feeling is about having her new boss-lady piggyback her drunk ass home?" Ree waved her fingers, a seductive smile pasted on her lips as she looked back over at the table the men were at. "Now behave. Have you seen those boys? No. Men. Real men. If I don't get lucky tonight I'm taking you home with me and spanking you."

The only thing Aerin could do was stare at her friend in quiet disbelief. Had she just been sold out by her oldest friend for a Friday night romp?

"Now stay and watch our drunken munchkin." Ree downed her drink before getting up and walking over to meet the man with the charming smile who was waiting on her to join him on the dancefloor.

▼▲▼

Yoonsung ran a hand through his hair before getting up. "I think my fun is just about to start... so I'll see you gentlemen on the other side of tonight..."

"What's the deal with Frosty?" Jiwon asked, his eyes following the woman who'd been led away right after refusing the drink no one had offered to buy her. "She looked like she was about to dig into you before Blondie shut her up."

"You're asking me?" Jaejin scoffed, but turned to look in her direction despite his disinterest. "Maybe you can go buy her that drink no one offered her. Or since she doesn't need a man to buy her a drink, maybe she can buy you one."

"I still think she's your type, Jin hyung." Junho sighed, a far off look in his eyes as he watched the woman try awkwardly to get onto a barstool. "If she isn't, mind if I...?" He flashed Jaejin a hopeful smile as he said the last part.

"Why would I care, Ju?" Jaejin glanced over at the woman again briefly before shrugging and looking back down at his phone. He'd spent the better part of seven months trying to undo the damage his personal life had done to his business. A woman with an Ice-Princess complex was the last thing he needed in his life.

"Like they say, one bird in a bush is better than..." Junho's brow creased as he tried to remember the rest of the saying, "...one in a nest? Yeah. That's it." He smiled proudly before getting up and straightening his pale blue leather jacket before walking over to the two women still sitting at the bar.

Neither of the two men at the table corrected him or even commented, since everyone who knew Junho well already knew that pointing out his mistakes was a wasted effort.

Jaejin took another sip of Yoonsung's unfinished drink, his eyes moving to the dance floor, trying to find his friend and the blonde woman in the sea of moving bodies, finding them at the edge of the crowd, bodies moving intimately close to one another. "Want to bet Yoon's not leaving here alone tonight?"

"Does he ever?" Jiwon smiled, his eyes following the direction Jaejin was looking in. "That kid is too lucky with women. It's not natural."

"You should be more like him. Give me a few nights alone at home not looking at your ugly ass all night." Jaejin's eyes moved toward the bar as he spoke, falling on the drunken girl he'd sent on her way stumbling across the room toward the dancefloor and the other woman struggling to get her to sit back down.

"I'm not the one who hasn't gotten laid in close to a year." Jiwon's eyes once again moved to see what Jaejin was frowning at. "Granted, that one would probably not have lasted long, she looks ready to pass out. Blondie was more your type. Or maybe Frosty if you're that patient."

"I don't have a type." Jaejin watched as the tall brunette awkwardly guided the drunken girl back to the bar. He also noticed Junho standing quietly to the side watching the two women struggle along, only approaching them once they'd been seated.

"He's so predictable." Jiwon nodded toward the bar where Junho was now leaning casually while talking to the woman, at least an arms-length between them. Another thing everyone knew about Junho, if there was even the slightest risk of getting his clothes soiled or wrinkled, he would not be a part of it.

▼▲▼

Junho flashed the pretty brunette his trademark smile before turning toward the barman. "Give the lady a refill and put whatever else she wants on my tab." He turned back to the woman, looking around her at the girl who looked like she was about to fall off her seat. "I think she's had enough, don't you? This isn't a good place for a girl in her state, why don't you two come over to our table, it's quieter over there. I'll get my driver to take her home once you're ready to leave." 

She looked like she was about to protest, her shoulders tensing visibly, but wasn't given a chance to say anything when Junho raised a curious brow and observed her with the same interest a kitten would a painting of a mouse.   

"Don't kick a gift horse in the head, lady. My friend over there," he said, nodding toward the table Jaejin and Jiwon were at before continuing, "feels bad and wants to make up for his rudeness." He looked back at the barman. "And Kwonie, please send over a pot of coffee. Make it strong." He winked at the barman, then smiled and bowed slightly at the woman. "I'll pull up some extra chairs for you." He turned and made his way back toward their table after one last suggestive sweep of his eyes over the barman.

▼▲▼

Aerin looked on as the man walked away again, not giving her a chance to respond. What was that? Was he honestly expecting her to go over there and spend time with them after the way they'd treated Bona? He seemed polite enough, but...

She raised a hand to stop the barman as he moved to refill her drink. "Thank you. I think we've had enough," she said with a nod over at Bona. "And I still have to get her home."

Even as she was speaking Bona mumbled something unintelligible, thrashing her arm and nearly toppling over with the stool. Aerin had to grab out to her to steady her, but the stool crashed to the ground. She flashed the barman an apologetic smile as she held up the shorter girl. Her eyes moved to the dancefloor, trying to find Ree... there was no way she could manage the drunk girl on her own.

"I'll bring the coffee over to the table, Miss." The barman lifted the stool as he spoke, gesturing over at the table he'd been ordered to bring the coffee to, and Aerin got the feeling he wasn't asking, he wanted the drunk girl away from his bar.

She looked over at table the three men were seated at, silently cursing Bona for putting her in an awkward position.

▼▲▼

"Fifty bucks he'll flirt more with that barman than he will with the girl," Jiwon said with a nod toward the bar where Junho was talking to the brunette, but his eyes kept moving back to the barman.

Jaejin turned to look between the girl, Junho and the barman. He shrugged. "The guy is hot, can hardly blame him." He did not miss the curious look his friend gave him at the careless remark. "I mean, by general standards of judging guys who are hot or not... not that I would notice..." He lifted the glass and downed it. "Weren't you supposed to get me another drink?"

"You realise that you haven't shown an interest in any of these women since we got here?" Jiwon's eyes moved to the muscle-top wearing barman, then back to Jaejin. "Am I the only one..."

"He's coming back. Alone." Jaejin cut off Jiwon's words, thankful for being saved. "Maybe he lucked out."

They sat watching Junho saunter back with a rather smug look on his face, nodding and smiling at the few club-goers who recognised him as Jun, main rapper of Calibre.

"He did not luck out..." both men said simultaneously.

Junho sat down with his usual flair, leaning back to cross one leg across the other. "Straighten up soldiers, we have guests coming over..." he said with a flip of his long wavy hair. He smiled widely at the waiter bringing over a pot of coffee and cups on a tray, accompanied by a plate of macarons – a privilege very few patrons at the club enjoyed. "Would you be a dear and pull up a few more chairs," he said with a smile at the waiter, more an order than a request as he conveyed both his thanks and dismissal with a single nod of his head. "I honestly cannot spend another moment looking at only the two of you... and we all know Yoon is not going to be coming back for a while. If at all." His eyes moved toward the dancefloor as he spoke, clearly trying to spot their other friend who seemed to have vanished from sight.

"Backroom?" Jiwon asked with a shake of his head. It was a question none of them needed to answer, all of them already knew the answer. "You think her friend will look for her? Go make a scene trying to save her from men like us?"

Jaejin shrugged, honestly having no interest in the blonde girl who'd obviously been charmed into joining Yoonsung in one of the private rooms the club made available to VVIP patrons, which Yoonsung and Junho were at Black-Out. If he had to be honest, no one he'd seen for the night had interested him in the least.

He turned to look as the two women arrived at their table, noting the way the frosty one struggled to get the drunken girl seated, a smile touching his lips as Junho slid back into the booth seat he'd shared with Yoonsung earlier, likely trying to put distance between himself and the girl who looked like she might hurl soon. Why invite them over if he was only interested in one of them?

"Thank you for inviting us over." Jaejin's eyes accidentally fell on her when she sat down somewhere to his left as she spoke, straightening her skirt and crossing her legs... her long, slender legs. "It was sweet of you."

It took him a moment to realise she was talking to him, making him shift his gaze up to her face. "Sweet? I think you have me mistaken with that wad of cotton-candy sitting over there, sweetheart." He flashed an apologetic smile before turning his attention back to the dancefloor.

"Cotton-candy... that would be me, love." Junho leaned over with a dashing smile, pulling the tray closer, pouring two cups of the steaming coffee and placing them before the two women. "Don't mind him, he's not around people much... we prefer it that way, for everyone's sake." Despite his sweet tone, he gave Jaejin a look of strong disapproval.

"Yes. It's always the handsome ones who have the worst manners," she said, looking at Junho rather than Jaejin, her voice once again dripping ice.

Jaejin looked down at his phone as it vibrated, a new message in the group chat the four of them were in. It was from Jiwon, a single word. 'Handsome?' He smiled as he read it, then replied with a single word of his own. 'Jealous?'

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