Chapter 6: We're Good Tonight
"Trust me, he's not gonna stop until you give him your number," Mark whispers to me, his breath almost tickling my nape. BamBam winks at him before waving our photo at me with pure contempt. I sigh dramatically before taking his phone and typing my number in.
"Okay, now I can text you my SNS and we can follow each other!" BamBam says, saving my name in his contacts list as "Love" followed by heart emojis. Dear God, I hope the sasaengs don't ever catch my name on his phone screen or he'll be dead turkey. He turns to me and raises his pinky finger. "I promise I won't post it. I'll send you the photos, though, so you'll remember me."
"BamBam, I see your face at work everyday. I don't think I'll ever have a chance to forget you."
"I like her, she's sex—sassy. She's sassy!" Henry interrupts, laughing loudly afterwards. I can't help but giggle seeing the crazy look on his face.
"Oookay... I think it's time for us to leave," Amber says, nudging Henry to stay upright.
"Our driver's outside, I'm taking Namjoon with us. Are you guys gonna be okay?" She asks, taking full control despite the many vodka shots she took a while ago. Namjoon stands up along with Amber, his swagger unaffected by whatever it is he consumed.
"Yeah, we're getting a taxi," Jackson answers.
"Love, how are you gonna get home?" Amber turns to me, her face full of concern.
"I'm getting a taxi too," I give her my most a confident smile as we walk towards the back exit with several bouncers ushering us out safely. So this is what it's like being a celebrity, huh? You get to leave a club without the embarrassment of staggering drunkenly into the the street.
"It was nice meeting you, I hope I bump into you again," Namjoon says. We reach the wine shop that keeps the club away from the preying eyes of the public. I tell him it was nice meeting him too and that I hope he would remember me even after this since we work in different companies. "Of course I would, Love is a very unusual name and that face is too pretty to forget," He retorts, making my cheeks heat up. He notices my reaction and laughs before handing me his calling card.
Amber, Henry, and Namjoon bid their goodbyes. They make me promise to join them again some other time. I say yes, waving and bowing repeatedly as they enter SM Town's heavily tinted car.
"Wait where do you live? We'll take you home," Mark suddenly offers, probably sensing my dizziness after bowing so many times.
"Just in Cheongdam-dong. But it's fine, I can take myself home."
"Oh that's where our dorm is!" BamBam exclaims. "Maybe you're along the way, we'll drop you off."
"No, seriously, I'm fine."
"No, we're taking you home." Jackson says with a finality that instantly stuns me. He flags a taxi and opens the door for us before getting into the passenger seat. Without saying a word, Mark takes my hand and gets into the cab, pulling me along. BamBam squeezes in beside me after waving to some girls who apparently spotted him across the street.
There's a momentary silence as the car eases into Seoul's midnight traffic. I wish I could call Mina to tell her that I'm anxiously stuck in a GOT7 sandwich right now. Mark is silently staring outside. I look at my hand, which he held for a very brief moment. I feel like there's a ghost of his hand on my skin and I can't figure out why it feels like that. BamBam pulls me out of my drunken reverie by asking me for my opinion on his outfit and his hair. I shower him with compliments and he smiles. Jackson joins in and teases BamBam about his relentless pursuit for approval.
They bicker for a while, giving me enough time to steal a glance at Mark. He suddenly turns to me and catches me looking. I smile at him, my head spinning. He smiles back and says, "We're almost at JYPE, are you near here?"
I look outside and realize we're already driving through Dosan-daero. "N-ne. I live right behind Cheongdam Park, actually," I say. Jackson turns to the driver and instructs him to go through Yeongdong-daero. I'm not entirely sure where their dorm is exactly located, but it seems like they know the neighborhood better than I do. "Wow, how do you know my street address?" I ask Jackson.
"I didn't know actually, I was just guessing. Am I right?" I nod in response, "Oh jinjja?! I have friends who live there, that's why I know." I'm not surprised at all. Jackson has a lot of friends, he's just the kind of guy everyone likes to hang out with. I suddenly remember the gifts from Emily and Ellie. I check my watch, it's just a little past midnight. From what I know about these boys they never sleep early unless they have full schedules ahead.
"I see. So..." I start, hoping that the remnants of Tequila Sunset would bring me enough courage and luck. "Do you guys want to hang out at my place for a bit? I have a popcorn maker... I mean, that's just in case you want to sober up before heading back to your dorm," I see BamBam's face light up. He shoots Mark a pleading look, probably hoping that the eldest hyung would say yes. Mark turns to Jackson for wordless advice.
"Do you have cheese popcorn?" Jackson asks, obviously excited.
"Yup, I can make that," I answer, smacking my lips for extra emphasis. I will never regret the day I bought that machine off eBay on impulse. They start cheering like little kids, reminding me of the fact that I'm actually the oldest in the group.
Jackson starts filling me in on his lengthy knowledge of people living in our neighborhood. Apparently I live a block away from this comedian, and that actor. This female idol group lives next street and that idol frequents that cafe. I have been living in this neighborhood for two years and I have never once bumped into any of them. We reach Yeongdong-daero and I ask the taxi driver to turn to the cul de sac hidden off the road by a huge arch.
"Woah," BamBam exclaims when he sees the tall fountain block standing in the middle as the taxi enters the driveway. "Is this where you live?" He asks.
"Yeah, my apartment is somewhere up there," I say, pointing to the east wing building of the residential complex. Before anyone can argue, I hand the taxi driver my credit card and lead them towards the huge foyer of the building. The huge glass door slides open and we find the young receptionist shell-shocked upon seeing my guests.
"Annyeong," I say, waving at her as we make our way to the lifts.
"A-Annyeong haseyo!" She responds warily from behind her black marble desk. She signals for me to come closer and whispers to me. "Ahgassi, isn't that Jackson Wang? Are they your guests?"
"Ne," I answer, watching her ogle the boys behind me.
"Omo! Can I get a selca with them?" She pleads, her phone already in her hands.
"Oh mianhe, but they're not in the best position right now." I whisper back, my panic rising in my gut. "Bimileul yuji juseyo. [Please keep it a secret.] They're not just idols, they are my friends and I respect their privacy. Araseo?" I add, patting her hand carefully and giving her my nicest smile. She nods at me and goes back to her original position behind the desk, throwing occasional glances even after we get into the elevators. Honestly, the last thing I want is for sasaengs to be waiting outside my door, looking for them.
We reach the penthouse floor and walk towards the far end of the hallway. There's a collective sigh of amazement the moment they step in. I'm not one to brag, but I'm brave enough to invite friends over because I hustled hard to make this place pretty. I designed my loft-style penthouse apartment on my own, buying bits and pieces of old furniture and restyling them to complete my shabby chic vision in the span of two years. "Oh my god, your flat is way better than our dorm. Do you live here on your own?" Jackson asks, taking his shoes off by the door.
"Yeah, I'm not really good with roommates..." I say, walking barefoot with my heels in one hand. "You guys make yourselves at home while I get changed. There's food in the fridge if you're hungry."
"Yes please, I'm starving!" Mark says. I point him to the kitchen as I head upstairs. I can hear them wandering around as I wipe my party makeup off my face, tie my hair in a ponytail, and change into my usual white shirt and sweatpants. I polish my bare face with moisturizer and a bit of tint on my cheeks and my lips, just so I don't look like a whole different person to them.
I check the paper bag sitting on top of my dresser for the last time. The packages have been painstakingly decorated with doodles and cute drawings of each member. Emily and Ellie also included Polaroid pictures of themselves in full merch swag, their Twitter accounts handwritten on the space underneath. I can't help but think of them as I head back downstairs, and how they unwittingly managed to help me make new friends after two years of holing up in this nest.