Chapter 7

It was a cold and clear sky night. Most commoners were in their warm bed by this time yet in downtown Seoul, it was bright and alive with tourists and party goers still roaming the streets. Through the thickness of the traffic, a black sedan car with tinted windows pulled up in front of Club Galaxy, a popular nightclub in the heart of the city. The driver quickly got out and opened the back door.

Yi Jung stepped out and shiver at the crisp air. He wore a thick black coat, but the chill still got to him. He glanced up to the big neon sign above the entrance door. It was written in italic with the nightclub's name and blinked in a shaded of red. The long line that wrapped around the building to enter the club caught his attention. He had forgotten that clubbing was still popular.

"Watch your step," he said, turning around to face the open car door. He held his hand out and Ga Eul took it. She slowly got out, balancing herself up in her high heels. She wore a long red coat and hidden underneath it, a short party dress. Her curly hair was in a nice layer and even in light makeup, she still looked beautiful. She held Yi Jung's hand firmly as he guided her towards the entrance. They stopped in front of a sign that said, "Guest List" and a tall and bulky bouncer suddenly appeared.

"We're here for Song Won Bin's party," Yi Jung said to the bouncer.

"Your names?" the bouncer asked.

"So Yi Jung and Chu Ga Eul," Yi Jung answer.

The bouncer skimmed through a list on his clipboard and with his pen, wrote something down on it. He called someone by the name of "Sunny" through the door and a girl came over. Sunny was a young girl who wore a clingy short yellow dress. Her face and makeup was as perfect as a Barbie doll and the first thing anyone would notice about her is her big breast and hips.

"What's up, Tiny?" she asked the bouncer.

Tiny nodded his head towards Yi Jung and Ga Eul. "So Yi Jung and Chu Ga Eul. Friends of Woo Bin. Show them to his suite," he said as he continue to write something else on his clipboard.

Sunny twirled her fingers on her long dye blonde hair. She scanned Yi Jung, then at Ga Eul, then back at Yi Jung for a little longer. She pointed at Yi Jung, exposing her long yellow polish nails. "Yi Jung? Playboy Yi Jung from the F4 group?"

Yi Jung almost took a step back in surprise. It has been so long since he have been called a playboy. "It's just So Yi Jung now," he replied.

"Okay, Mr. So Yi Jung and Ms. Cho Cha Yah," Sunny said, not realizing she had said Ga Eul's name wrong. "Follow me."

Yi Jung and Ga Eul gave each other an annoyed look, but followed her. It was dark inside the clubhouse. Other than the bar and lounge area, the only other light was the multi-color strobe lights beaming at the dance floor. The place was crowded with mostly young people that were either dancing, drinking, smoking or laughing. At one point, Yi Jung and Ga Eul almost lost sight of Sunny, but her bright blonde hair was easy to spot.

The vibe of the place reminded Yi Jung of his playboy days. Each step he took, made him feel more comfortable. It was like walking back in time when the only things he had to worry about was sleep, eat, and play. The smell of the cigarettes that burns his lungs, the booming music ringing in his ears, the sexy girls looking his way...all made him felt like he was back home again.

They took the stairs up to the second floor where a line of private booths ran along the side of the wall. It curved around the building and had a good view of the dance floor below. Each booth was dimly lit by a small wall lamp. Some of the booths was filled with couples chatting or making out, and a few were Woo Bin's mafia men, drinking and playing cards. But most was filled with cheerful or drunk girls dressed similar to Sunny. Sunny led them to the end of the hall until they reached a door that said, "VIP - Song Woo Bin". She opened the door and Yi Jung and Ga Eul entered.

The room was humid and didn't have the smell of cigarettes. It was big enough to have four set of private booths and its own bar. The only music heard were the loud girls singing at the karaoke lounge in the middle of the room.

Woo Bin got up from the middle booth and walked over to Yi Jung and Ga Eul. "Yo! You guys are early, but early birds get the best drinks," he said giving a fist pump to Yi Jung. "Yo Kardashian! Come serve some drinks for my friends," he called to the waitress by the bar. The waitress was a replica of Sunny, except she had dark black hair and have gone to the tanning salon a bit too much.

"We would had come later, but my omma's babysitting Yoo Eun and I promised her we'll be home by midnight," Ga Eul said.

Woo Bin smirk. Ga Eul always seem to amazed him for being such a good mother and daughter. "Let me introduce you guys to my friend," he said. They followed Woo Bin to his booth where a young girl sat. "This is my very good friend, Park So Min. So Min, these were the friends I was telling you about, So Yi Jung and Chu Ga Eul."

"Hello," So Min said, slightly bowing her head with a smile. So Min was a thin girl and had a small face. She wore a purple dress that covered most of her skin.

"Hello," Yi Jung and Ga Eul said at the same time, bowing back.

Woo Bin sat down next to So Min and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He gestured his hand to Yi Jung and Ga Eul to sit on the opposite side of the table. The moist air in the room made them take off their coats first and Kardashian promptly showed up, taking their coats from them and asking what kind of drinks they wanted.

"Anything with vodka, please," Yi Jung replied as he sat down next to Ga Eul. He felt a little tug on his arm from Ga Eul. She knew a small taste will make him want more and she didn't want him to go home hungover. "I hired my abeoji's chauffeur for transportation. I might as well have a little drink," Yi Jung told her.

"Bring my bro the Dirty Martini. It's one of my favorite vodka drinks here," Woo Bin said, grinning at Yi Jung. "And you, Ga Eul?" he asked, looking at Ga Eul.

"I'll just have some cranberry juice," Ga Eul answer.

"And another two glasses of Cosmopolitan for my girl and I," Woo Bin said to Kardashian. Kardashian nodded and left. "So what do you guys think of Club Galaxy?" Woo Bin smirked. "I just bought this place over the summer and the renovation got done last month."

"It's better than I expected," Yi Jung replied. "I saw the long line out there. Seem like you're doing well."

"Get the prettiest girls, best drinks and music, and people will flock to you," Woo Bin said. "This room was actually the first room I renovated. It has air filters in the ceiling and noise proof walls. It's also where most of the pretty girls prefer to hang out at." Woo Bin winked at So Min causing her to blush.

Ga Eul smiled. "I'm curious, how did the two of you meet?"

So Min sat up with a huge grin. "Woo Bin came to my appa's office to discuss about adding some Samsung equipments for his nightclubs, but my appa wasn't there there that day and I was. So I decided to show him some of our equipments…"

"And I asked her out afterwards," Woo Bin cut into So Min's sentence. He also had a huge grin on his face like he was in heaven. The revelation from them surprised Ga Eul. If Woo Bin asked her out, he must really liked her. It was rare for Woo Bin to ask a girl out.

Their drinks came and they continue to chit chat. Ga Eul and So Min learn they had something in common; they both like to teach. So Min is a student at Seoul National University and is studying to become a History professor. Listening to So Min talk about her dream to travel worldwide and teach others about the Korean culture made Ga Eul miss her career more. It also reminded her of the conversation she had with Jan Di a week ago. Just more reasons to update my resume and go back to what I love to do again, she told herself.

After half an hour and a few more drinks, So Min and Woo Bin were discussing a funny joke when suddenly, the cocktail drink So Min was holding accidentally slip off her hand and spilled on Woo Bin's dress shirt and pants. Luckily, she was almost done with the drink and the stain wasn't as bad. Still, she quickly apologized to Woo Bin and tried cleaning the mess with her napkin when he stopped her and took her hand and kissed it. Then he kissed the side of her eye, nose and finally, her lips.

Ga Eul and Yi Jung sat watching, a bit uncomfortable with how quiet things got. When Woo Bin and So Min began sweet talking and kept on kissing, it made them feel even more awkward. To ease up the tension, Yi Jung decided to pull Ga Eul in closer to him. He didn't like the fact that his friend was having fun while he have to watch. It surprised Ga Eul when Yi Jung smiled, leaned in and did the same thing Woo Bin did to So Min. He also kissed her eyes, nose and lips. It have been a long time since they've display this kind affection in public. Ga Eul smiled when he cupped her one of her cheeks and wrapped his other arm around her back.

Yi Jung watch Woo Bin and So Min from the corner of his eyes and saw they were still having a good time. So he continue on his trek, telling Ga Eul how she's pretty, caressing her cheek, and softly kissing her lips every other second. Ga Eul closed her eyes, enjoying the touches and praises. She wished Yi Jung can speed things up because the baby kisses was getting boring. Her hands grasped onto his arm and shoulder, and she pulled him closer, hoping to hint to him that she wanted more. "Jungie," she whisper on his lips. Just when his kisses became more intense and things seem to be going her way, she heard Woo Bin snickering.

"Aish, look like we got this couple turn on," Woo Bin said and laughed. So Min giggled along with a hand covering her mouth.

The interruption made Yi Jung release Ga Eul. He sat up straight again and finished his drink. Ga Eul cuddled Yi Jung's arm and hid half of her blushed face behind it. She hope she didn't get too carried away at showing her risqué side to her friends. She may be racy behind closed doors, but in the open, she always played the innocent one.

One of the girl's from the karaoke lounge appeared, glaring at So Min. "So Min, you said you were going to sing with us. It's already been half an hour and we're still waiting on you."

"Sorry, Sung Hye. I got caught up meeting Woo Bin's friends and forgot," So Min said. "Ga Eul, Yi Jung, this is my friend, Chung Sung Hye."

Unlike So Min, Sung Hye was more thick with a flat face. She bowed and said hello to Yi Jung and Ga Eul, but was quickly back at pestering So Min. "Yah, Ga Eul. You should join us too," So Min suggested as she got out of the booth to join her friend. "Come meet my other girlfriends."

Ga Eul's red cheeks had gradually disappeared and she agreed to join the girls without hesitation. She didn't want to be stuck alone hearing some guy talks with Yi Jung and Woo Bin.

"I'm surprised you brought Ga Eul to the club with you. I thought you were going to come alone," Woo Bin said after the girls left.

Kardashian brought over Yi Jung's third glass of Dirty Martini drink when she notice his second one was empty. He took a drink of it and smirk. "I'll be leaving this Tuesday for a two weeks business trip, so I thought it'll be a good idea to bring Ga Eul out for some fun. I don't know what happen, but she's been different lately."

"Different as in good or bad?" Woo Bin asked.

"Good. She actually didn't get upset when I told her I won't be around for the holidays." Yi Jung smiled, remembering how the night he told her turned out.

"Really?" Even Woo Bin was surprised. He have heard stories from Yi Jung about Ga Eul's tantrums and clinginess. Sometimes he'll gets confused if Yi Jung was talking about the same Ga Eul he knew.

"Yeah. Maybe I can visit your clubs more often if she keeps up with this good attitude." Yi Jung smirk at the possibility of having somewhere else to hang out at after work than his studio. He was aware clubbing should be the last thing he should do, but the atmosphere of the place is much more relaxing than anywhere he's been at in years. He assumed if Ga Eul can support his long business trips, perhaps she'll eventually support him going clubbing solo.

"So, she's okay with you not being with her on new year's night?"

Yi Jung sighed. "It's not that I don't want to be with her, Woo Bin. It's just that I have to work." He wish everyone can understand what he does is for Ga Eul and Yoo Eun. "She haven't mentioned anything about new year or my trip since I've told her. Hopefully it stays that way." He took a drink and watched Ga Eul with her new friends singing a song called "We Like to Party", by the KPop band, Big Bang. The girls seem to know the lyrics well and danced along with music.

A new group of girls appeared through the doorway and Woo Bin got up to greet them. They were all dressed in skimpy or revealing dresses. A few went to the karaoke lounge and the rest went to the bar.

"You didn't tell me it was going to be a singles party," Yi Jung said when Woo Bin came back to sit with him.

Woo Bin laughed. "It's not. It just happen that I invited a lot of singles, that's all." His cell phone suddenly rang and he picked it up. After a few words over the phone, he left Yi Jung alone in the booth to talk in private.

Yi Jung continue drinking and kept his eyes on Ga Eul. She was done singing a few KPop songs and now singing an American song called "Styles" by Taylor Swift. Listening to the lyrics made him wonder if she was singing about their relationship. Yi Jung grin each time the chorus came on. She would winked at him with a sexy glare only he knew. He watched how her lips move with the song and her hips dance to the beat. It got him thinking dirty thoughts.

After the song was done, Ga Eul came over to the booth. "I'm going to the restroom with So Min and Sung Hye. I'll be back in a few minutes," she said. She about to walk off when she felt Yi Jung's hand pulling up her dress from behind. "Yi Jung!" she said, shoving his naughty hand away and quickly fixing her dress.

"What?" Yi Jung said. "I just want a peek."

Ga Eul inch in closer to him and notice he had a new glass of the Dirty Martini drink. "If you stop drinking so much, then maybe I'll let you have a peek later tonight."

Yi Jung smirk. "Well then, if you're going out there, I want you to wear your coat."

Ga Eul sniggered at him. "Why do I need my coat? I'm too hot to wear my coat right now."

"That's precisely why I want you to wear your coat. Because you're too damn hot," Yi Jung said. He got up and waved at Kardashian to bring Ga Eul's coat over. He wasn't going to allow other men to check Ga Eul out.

Ga Eul got the hint and sighed in annoyance. She knew her fitted pink dress was short and tight, but it was no where near as bad as Sunny or the girls at the bar. Still, with the help of Yi Jung, she wore her coat. "I'll be back, and keep your hands to yourself," she said.

With Ga Eul gone, Yi Jung quickly got bored. He continue drinking until he heard some girls laughing and his wandering eyes found the laughter coming from the bar. All the girls by the bar had the perfect model figures. Yi Jung scanned each girl like skimming through a Victoria's Secret catalog where each page was filled with sexy girls showing lots of skin. He couldn't help it. After all, he was a male with high testosterone. One of the girls notice him looking at her and winked. He immediately darted his eyes away and pretended he didn't see her.

Woo Bin appeared and sat down at his spot across from Yi Jung. "Just when you think you've hired the right men to do their jobs in the mafia, they go messing things up and have to call me for help," Woo Bin said, shaking his head and drinking his Cosmopolitan. "I don't have time to fix other people's problems. My time right now is to party."

"Woo Bin, how did that girl Sunny know about my playboy days?" Yi Jung asked, ignoring Woo Bin's complaint.

Woo Bin smirk. "You probably don't have a clue because you're busy working your butt off at your museum, but at most clubs, you've become somewhat of a legend. Men want to master your casanova skills but can't. Girls are still waiting and searching for you. Most don't even know your face and only recognize you by your tagname, Playboy Yi Jung."

Yi Jung was astonished to know he was still popular as a playboy. He took a drink as he imagine himself as Playboy So Yi Jung, owner of all the nightclubs. It'll be him that gets all the girls and perhaps, sleep with as many of them as he wants. He can get drunk and use his drunken state as an excuse to say whatever is truly on his mind. He can dance like nobody's watching and party like a rockstar. It was a job he was born to be. Like a genius born to invent a cure, or how a tall person should be a basketball player. Yi Jung was born to own the best nightclubs. He wasn't meant to be watching over a lousy museum with a bunch of boring artworks. He questioned himself why he was in the So family and not the Song family. The jealousy made him finish his glass of martini in one shot. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples with his right hand as he tries to figure how life can be so unfair.

The humid air made his sweat trickled down his face and the continuous laughter from the girls at the bar kept ringing in his ears. It sound like it was getting louder and louder. He wanted more martini to drown out the noise, but his glass was empty. Frustrated, he tossed it to the side and finished Woo Bin's Cosmopolitan drink. Still, he kept hearing those same laughs.

Tell them to shut up, he wanted to tell Woo Bin. But when he looked up, Woo Bin was gone and he was alone in the booth again. His only solution was to leave the room and get some fresh air. He slowly got up and his right leg almost fell asleep on him at the first step. Yet for some reason, he was able to regain his balance in thin air.

"Oppa," he heard an angelic voice said. "Oppa."

He blinked his eyes a few times and faced at where the voice was coming from. It was the girl that winked at him earlier from the bar. He looked down at his arm and saw that she have firmly wrapped her hands around his biceps, holding him up.

"Oppa, are you okay?" she asked. She was almost his height and was so close to him, he can smell the alcohol from her breath.

"I'm okay," he answer.

"Are you sure? Because if you're not, I can help you feel better." She licked her bottom lips.

"Yo, Tiffany! I got him," Woo Bin said before Yi Jung even had a chance to think. He yanked Yi Jung away from the girl and pulled Yi Jung towards the door and out of the room. "You're probably more safe out here for now than in the suite. Those girls by the bar can be wild and make you do things you'll regret later. It's also probably better if you don't tell them your name." Woo Bin slapped Yi Jung's back and smiled. "Stay here until Ga Eul comes back. I have to go take care of some business. I'll be back soon."

Yi Jung watch Woo Bin head towards the stairs. A few of the men at the private booths followed him. When they disappeared down the stairs, something caught Yi Jung's attention not far from the stairway. It was a pretty female in a red coat with long, curly hair. She was with a group of girls and they have formed a circle around a tall, handsome man. Yi Jung squinted his eyes and tried to focus on that girl. Even through her coat, her nice curve still stood out. Something about her just seem to glow from the crowd. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and looked harder. "Ga Eul?" he asked himself.

Ga Eul started laughing at some joke the man had said into her ear. She beamed the more he talked to her and she couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face. Who is this man that is making my Ga Eul happy? No one can do that to Ga Eul except me, Yi Jung thought. The way the man looked at her and made her laugh riled Yi Jung up. Yi Jung narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. His blood boiled in anger at what he was seeing. He speed walked like a raging bull towards Ga Eul and the man and bumped into a waitress with a plate full of cocktail drinks. He ignored her as she yelled out some profanity at him for creating a mess. Nothing was going to get in his way. The only thing on his mind right now was making sure that man goes home with an ugly and bloody face.