C H O P P Y | kwon minsik

t w e l v e ; encounter

        Dahye reached for Jay's hand across the table. "You don't have to worry about me, okay? I'm perfectly fine, Jay. I'm not gonna let him get to him even if that's what he's trying to do."

        Jay put his hand on top of hers as he stared at her with warm brown eyes. "I know that you can take care of yourself, baby Dae. It's just... I don't know, I just don't like him popping out of nowhere, y'know? Why wait for now?"

        Dahye shrugged, her voice quiet over the loud music. "I guess he got bored of whatever new girl toy he has," she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not gonna let him ruin this night out of all the possible nights he could have."

        Both Jay's and Dahye's eyes traveled to the two, shiny gold trophies placed carefully near her purse on the table. Engraved on the plaque jutting our from the bottom of the trophy indicated the categories she had won. A smile graced Dahye's features as she felt proudness envelope her body. Jay knew Dahye had worked incredibly hard on her album and each and every one of the songs. She had chosen to reveal some of the most vulnerable pieces of her being to her fans and the world, and talked about her struggles with alcoholism and depression after her breakup with Seyoon. He felt proud of her, both for winning the awards and for having such a tolerant and supportive fan base who encouraged her to be strong and made her feel loved after the album was released.

        "You know, I know just the right place we can put these bad boys," Jay nodded at the trophies. Dahye laughed at him, shaking her head at his comment.

        "Don't tell me that you reserved a space for me in the award cabinet back at home."

        Jay smiled sheepishly. "Well, that's actually just what I did, complete with a display light." He stroked his thumb over the skin of her hand. "I just want you to know how incredibly proud I am with you, Dae. You've come so far in such a short amount of time and you're the greatest best friend and colleague I could have ever asked for."

        Dahye smiled back at him, her heart warm and content with happiness. "I couldn't have done any of this without your help or guidance. You deserve as much credit as me for all of my accomplishments." She then looked at her purse and back at Jay. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air. Can you tell Kisok that for me? I don't want him to think I ditched him." Dahye said as she pushed away the bubbly golden drink away from her and gathered her purse.

        "Sure," Jay nodded. "I'll text you when we're leaving, okay?"

        Dahye gave him a thumbs up as she turned away and walked out of the ballroom, the thumping beat of the rap song playing over the speakers accompanying her on the way out. She breathed out in relief when she finally reached the main lobby. Dahye bowed at a few people who acknowledged her and smiled as genuinely as she could at that moment. She hadn't realized how much her feet were hurting in the skyrocketing strappy heels Hoody had given her for the night, and bit her bottom lip when she felt the smooth leather bite into the back of her shins with the movement. Dahye knew it would be a little too weird even for her standards if she took of her shoes in the middle of the lobby, so with wobbling steps she made her way to the hotel bar that lead to the balcony.

        The bar wasn't crowded at all. Except for the few people lingering about, the two bartenders, and a young man sitting at the counter, it was mostly empty. Dahye's eyes shifted onto the man, catching the sharp silhouette of his jawline, his broad shoulders hunched over what was probably his phone. Even though it was dimly lit in the bar, she could see that his dark hair fell across his forehead in wisps, and there was something glimmering on his left ear, likely a diamond stud. Shaking her head, Dahye moved around the tables placed around as best as she could without disturbing the guests. Soft, classical music was being played by the pianist at the corner and Dahye was glad to hear something else other than loud rap songs pounding through the wall of the ballroom and her skull. Gathering the ends of her dress, she pushed open the large glass door and felt the night breeze hit her bare arms and collar. It wasn't too warm since they were close to the rooftop, and the cold air was a nice change from the constant smell of perfume, champagne, and cologne she had spent inhaling for the last few hours. It was clean and crisp up here, and Dahye closed her eyes, inhaling as deeply as she could.