KIMMY
Getting into work right after class is always so tiring. I'm always exhausted when I get in here and of course, it doesn't help that I have to be here damn near all night.
"Hey, what can I get you guys tonight?" I smile at the patrons as they approach the bar.
"Two shots of Henessey and a sex on the beach." The guy replies.
"I don't want that fruity ass drink." The woman next to him responds.
He smacks his teeth and looks at her. "What do you think you're about to drink? You're a lady. You're not supposed to be drinking no hard shit like that."
I stare at the man as the woman frowns at him.
"Anyway," I say. "We've got whiskey, tequila, vodka, Hennessey, Dusse, Grey Goose. Theres some Hypnotiq back here too if you feel like getting slammed like it's 2013."
Her boyfriend looks at me in disbelief and I blink at him.
"Ouu, can you mix the Hpnotiq with something? Something kind of tasteful but with a kick?"
"Yup." I smile at her and she thanks me.
She looks happy as I make the drink for her. She sits at the bar with me while her boyfriend walks off with his friends.
"He seems like a killjoy." I tell her.
"He isnt always like that." She defends. "Just as of lately he has been."
"A killjoy?"
"Yeah.. but just in general, he's been seeming more protective, I think. He's been getting mad about what I wear like I wasn't wearing this kind of stuff when he met me. He tried to tell me that my homegirls are fake because they always talk bad about him. Like I vent to them about our little disuptes as like second opinion and he gets mad saying they're trying to break us up."
"Girl..." I look at her as I pour her drink into the glass. "I'm gonna be real honest with you."
She looks at me, ready for what I have to say and attentive.
"Run." I tell her.
"Run?"
She looks confused.
"Get the hell out of that relationship. It starts like this and next thing you know, you're isolated from the world and being emotionally abused. He's already trying it, pushing his limits to see how far you'll let him take it."
"...that's what my mom said."
"Listen to your mother. You may love him but she loves you way more. I'm telling you." I say with a sigh.
She takes the drink and sips on it. "You know he told me he deleted his instagram a couple weeks ago. But my friend said his page popped on her finsta recommendeds. He didnt delete it, he just blocked all of us. He's been liking other girls' pictures and stuff. But they dress how I dress but he's telling me to stop it."
"Because he's a loser." I put emphasis on the word. "Who gets a bad bitch and then wants them to stop being a bad bitch? Losers, that's who."
The woman looks down at her drink for a few seconds before nodding.
"You know what? You're right. I don't have to take this from him." She knocks back the glass of alcohol before getting up from her seat.
I watch as she marches over to her boyfriend. He ignores for a few seconds before she grabs him by the arm and pulls him away. He looks frustrated and annoyed as she does so.
She tells him off and he screws his face up at her.
"Causing trouble, Kimmy?"
My best friend's voice calls as she approaches the counter. She sets a tray down and takes a seat.
Her feet are probably killing her in those heels. She's on her feet most of the night as her job entails and isn't too fond of wearing heels through all of it.
Only when she comes back to the bar does she get a good sit down.
"I'm not causing trouble." I defend myself. "Her boyfriend is an asshole. And we don't date assholes."
"Well, no, we don't. But you don't date anybody so."
"You're right. I'm very pro breakup. Men suck."
"Yeah, that's very true. Can you get me six glasses of vodka. Four with ice, salt on the rim for two of those. And two glasses of Hennessy."
"I got you." I grab the glasses and set them on the tray. "How was school today?"
"Eh." She shrugs. "Rakem showed up to class today and had the audacity to wave at me like we're buddies or something."
"Did he forget that he cheated on you or something?" I screw my face up.
"No. But he said he didn't 'want us to be beefing' so I just 'okay' so he'd leave me the hell alone. I didn't know 'not beefing' equated to being friends." She rolls her eyes.
"It doesn't." I pour ice into four of the glasses on the tray. "Tell him to fuck off."
"Yeah, I did and he looked at me like I was acting crazy for saying that. Then he proceeded to say 'thought you weren't going to act bitter?'"
"Ugh." I roll my eyes. "I hate men."
"Yeah, I've gathered that." Leilani says sarcastically. "When's the last time you got laid? You're being pissier than usual."
"A couple weeks ago. Classes have been kicking my ass. And I've been studying for midterms. I don't have time to get laid. Nor the energy."
"You could be a pillow princess for a night?" She suggests.
"I'd rather feel the pain of the second nipple piercing twice."
Leilani hisses and scrunches her nose as she rubs her boob. "Ouch."
I finish making her drinks and she grabs the tray off the bar.
"You're coming over after work, right?" She turns back to ask.
"Yeah. I'll just have to leave early in the morning though to make it to my class on time. You're gonna have to get up to lock the door after me."
"That's fine. I don't have a class until 10:45 so I can just go back to sleep after you leave."
"Lucky!" I call after her as she walks to her assigned section.
I sigh as I grab a damp cloth from under the counter. I wipe the bar off, cleaning the now vacant spaces of patrons that have gotten up to dance.
From there, time goes by at a reasonable pace. Or at least, it feels like it does.
Making drinks, pouring shots, fulfilling section orders. A casual night, a typical night.
An easy night.
Looking at the time, it's almost eleven. I've got two more hours to go and then I'm out of here. Maria will come in at one o'clock to bartend until close.
I look around to see if any new patrons have approached or if anyone is in need of a refill.
A man with blonde hair and ridiculously blue eyes makes eye contact with me and smiles softly.
"Need something?" I ask as I walk over.
"Yes, actually."
British accent.
Fun.
"Could I have another whiskey sour, please?"
"Of course. Coming right up."
"Thank you."
As I'm making his drink, I hear one of the most incessant sounds to ever come out of people's mouths in a club. Or anywhere that serves alcohol, really.
"Hey, barkeep!"
Hearing the words of a tipsy man to my right, I continue to do my current task. He whistles to get my attention and my eyes roll.
I finish making the blonde man's whiskey sour, placing it in front of him.
"Thank you." He says again , politely.
"You're welcome." I reply for courtesy.
I look around the bar again, both for show and for my job, to find a trip of men walking over. They're all about the same height, one of them being about two to three inches above the others.
I recognize them, of course. How could I not?
Outside of the fact that they're regulars here, one is a small business owner, the other does work with my boss and the final one... I have to see with him more often than usual now apparently.
Namjoon Kim, owner and founder of Koya's Cafe. Starting in downtown, he opened the first book cafe in the city four years ago. He's one of the most eligible bachelors in the city as well with a net worth that he always fails to remember when interviewed. He doesn't care about the money.
He just likes coffee and koalas.
Taehyung Kim, no familial relation to the first but a very good friend. He's the founder of a company catered to a much less... PG audience.
Specializing in the education of both sexual health and sexual pleasure, Taehyung's company makes adult toys and provisions of all kinds. His company had a bit of a slow start to it once it caught on... it blew.
From toys to protection to accessories, Sinful Desires makes it all.
And last and probably the most paradoxical, the man everybody knows but knows nothing about.
Jungkook Jeon.
The metaphorical thorn in my side for the next two weeks until he passes that damn exam.
"Mr. Kim." I greet Taehyung. "What can I get you tonight?"
"Oh, you know. The usual."
Whatever section that your friend works in.
I raise an eyebrow and he smiles at me.
"Your section is reserved and waiting for you. Leilani should be down any minute to escort you there."
"Barkeep!"
The three of them look in the direction of the tipsy patron and I take a deep breath, not giving him my attention.
"Can I get you a drink while you wait?" I ask Taehyung.
"Yeah.." He says, eyes darting around for the man yelling like a fool. "Just an old fashioned for right now, please."
"And for you boys?" I look to the side of him at his friends.
"Gin and tonic for me." Namjoon replies, moving his attention onto me.
I look to Jungkook whose eyes are already on me.
"Vesper. Double."
I start to make their drinks, ignoring the alcohol induced laughter penetrating my skull.
All of a sudden, a glass slams on top of the bar.
I pause making the drinks for the trio and look up to see the culprit. He smiles smugly at me before he leans against the counter.
"I need four shots of Dusse." He holds up four fingers. "Doubles. And quickly."
"And I need you to back your drunk ass off my bar."
"Excuse me?" He looks offended by my words, eyebrows pinching, nose turning up.
"Get. off. my. bar." I pause between each word, annunciating each one for him. "You're rude, drunk, and yelling. And I'm serving other patrons." I gesture to the three men in front of me.
"Unless you want a personal escort out by a bouncer, I suggest you learn to be respectful and wait your turn." I stare at him and he looks at the men to the side of him.
All three of them are looking at him like they'd step on him if they could. It makes him uncomfortable to leave his empty glass on the bar and retreat as he mumbles to himself.
"Does that happen often?" Taehyung asks.
"Every night. Not with him specifically but he's a frequent one." I finish making his drink and set it on the bar.
"Hm." Taehyung hums as he grabs it. "Thank you." He sets a 50 dollar bill on the bar and I pocket it.
"Thank you." I reply.
I make Namjoon's drink as Taehyung looks out into the crowd of dancing bodies. Some of these people are borderline dry humping and I'm going to have alert security about that.
As I set Namjoon's drink on the counter, Leilani comes to the bar. She smiles in greeting when she sees the trio.
"Hello, gentlemen. Reservation for Kim?" She looks Taehyung up from his shoes to his dark drown eyes.
"Yes." He replies as he drink her in.
"Right this way." She gestures for them to follow her and Namjoon grabs his drink off the counter.
"I'll be there in a second." Jungkook calls to them.
I finish making his drink without another word and he picks the glass up, putting it to his lips. He takes a sip and licks his lips before looking at me.
"See you in class tomorrow."
"Mhm." I reply.
He walks in the direction of their section and I take a deep breath in.
Just two more hours.
Two more hours.
••••••
The next morning is a blur.
My alarm goes off at 7:30 and I wake up at Leilani's house kind of groggy. I have a headache (but what else is new) and my body feels heavy.
Again, what else is new?
But to my absolute surprise, Leilani is also up. Already showered and scampering around the house, she's dressed and opening her laptop up as she grabs her work bag.
"I thought that you didn't have class until 11?"
Though she wouldn't be holding her work bag for class.
"Don't tell me he called you in."
The same man that owns the club we work for at night, also owns the office building that Leilani works at during the day.
It's why he's only at the club some nights. He's usually too tired to come during the night, leaving just the club manager in charge.
Mr. Gray knows that Leilani is in school. He has her hours that she can work due to her class schedule.
He know this and yet, here he is, calling her in for something that she'll likely miss her first class for.
In other words, he's a dick.
"Not called me in but expects me to do all this work from home." Leilani says, frustrated by the situation.
"Why? He knows you have class. There can't be anything that important that somebody else can't take care of."
"He sent me overviews and scans of paperwork." She begins to explain. "Mr. Kim made an appearance at the club last night more for business than leisure. Apparently, he owns a lot of shares to a lot of successful companies and is impatient as hell. He told Gray that he's not signing anything or doing business with him for anything until the terms of the contract are completely finished."
"Well, I mean, that makes sense. He's covering his own ass." I say. "We know Gray's shady as a boss. I don't even want to know how shady he is as a businessman."
"Yes, I know but the deadline's been moved from two weeks until like two days from now and that's fucking insane."
I get out of bed and rub my eyes as I yawn.
Her studio apartment doesn't leave much room for many things to be put in it.
But she doesn't have too much anyway. She's a minimalist, in a sense, and prefers the simple things in life.
I do not.
"I'll help. Just let me get ready first." I say as I walk into the bathroom.
I pee before I do anything else and wash my hands after. I brush my teeth and wash my face before taking a quick shower. I get dressed in the room before walking to Leilani's desk.
She's printing papers and sorting them into manilla folders.
"What are these and what am I doing with them?" I ask, grabbing the first finished pile of folders.
"Documenting the year's current and possible investments." She speaks, not taking her eyes off the screen. "In that top folder are the companies that Mr. Kim co-owns. They're small businesses, nothing too crazy. I think he's looking to expand a couple of them with the help of the joint contract with Gray. Hence why this deal is going to take twice as long as any other one to actually get rolling."
Ah, right. Because he probably doesn't want Gray to get his hands on anything that he's involved with. His business is his and whatever they do together is theirs. Nothing more, nothing less.
"I think all that has to be done to those is filling out the paperwork on our end." Leilani continues. "It's just copying notes and numbers from what Kim's team faxed over. The business names, investment amounts, share holder possibilities, original CEOs. Things like that. Mostly computer entering."
My brows knit together at a sudden realization.
Why does he need a contract with Gray to help launch small businesses? He's listed top 10 in the country for contractual affairs. This man is loaded.
Leilani may have better insight given the fact that she's attending school for this type of stuff. But I can't ask her now. She's already overworked and I'm not gonna push it.
"Alright. I'll finish these before I leave for class." I walk to the bed and take my laptop out of my bag.
Opening the first folder, I find the name of Mr. Kim's business. Sinful Desires. This looks to be the one and only business under Kim that's going to be contractually involved with Gray.
Under that section are lines from the contract specifying total exemption of future launches under Kim's name.
One is an entertainment label based in Seoul, South Korea. The label is unnamed, unidentified with Taehyung Kim and someone named Yoongi Min listed.
I just fill in the blanks on the paperwork for our company using Mr. Kim's name. The label itself is untied to Sinful Desires so I'm not sure what else to use.
The next section is under Mr. Kim's name as well as Mr. Min's name. It's the unnamed entertainment label again. In parentheses, the words music production are in bold.
Again, can't count this.
Taehyung Kim, Seokjin Kim
Entertainment Label (Modeling and Theatre Arts)
Taehyung Kim, Jimin Park, Hoseok Jung
Entertainment Label (Dance and Motion Arts)
Can't use either of those.
Taehyung Kim, Jungkook Jeon
Museum of Visual Arts (Modern, Contemporary)
Can't use this either.
None of these can be counted in the paperwork because none of these are established businesses. They're nothing but potential.
They don't actually exist in the land of contracts and business agreements.
Kim is keeping Gray's hands off of any and all of his future endeavors. More than likely because the businesses that he's exempting aren't his alone.
All of these names next to his have to be potential business partners. Or maybe they'll co-own the businesses with him?
I look over the paperwork again as my eyebrows pinch together. It's just so odd for Kim to be exempting all these nonexistent businesses while pushing up the deadline for a contract signing.
From the looks of this, he'd potentially make more money including all of this in the current contract.
Some of these businesses are overseas. Most of them are, actually. The only one that isn't is...
Jungkook's?
I know that he's friends with Mr. Kim. A lot of people know that. But it was also just assumed that he's do business with his parents.
Though, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at to be honest. If these are small businesses or what are to become businesses, then these must be co-owners, share holders?
Even so, everything is untitled with Taehyung's name.
I sigh and continue with the paperwork. It isn't my business, anyway.
"Hey, what page are you on?" Leilani asks.
"Uhm.. four." I look at the corner.
"Anything looking weird to you?"
"Like Kim exempting every business but one."
"Yeah..." Leilani looks at the papers. "This doesn't make any sense."
"But is it really our business?"
"Not yours, no. You work for the club."
"Not yours, either. You're his assistant, not his lawyer. All he asked you to do was fill in the blanks and file the paperwork. If he wants you to be his contract advisor, then maybe he should pay you for that. Until then, you don't have to do a damn thing outside of your job description."
Leilani stares at her laptop before nodding. "You're right. He doesn't pay me enough to care and I don't know what any of this shit means anyway. Should've hired a business major for all this."
"It's his fault for being cheap. He hired a personal assistant. If he wanted legal advice, he should be paying legal advice money."
"And we both know that he's not." She rolls her eyes. "When you're finished, just scan the papers and save them to this hard drive." She tosses it to me and I look at it.
"He saves his potential business partners stuff on physical drives?"
"He got it for me so I can save the work to it when I do it outside of the office."
"A loophole so you have no excuse to say no. Bullshit."
"I know." Leilani sighs. "Anything else jump out at you?"
"Like?"
"Starts with 'J', ends with 'K'. Notorious silver spoon, woos women with his pretty eyes and thick thighs."
"Ugh. Don't make me vomit."
"Oh, come on!" Leilani throws her hands up as she looks at me.
"It was just sex, Lei. Let it go."
"And you haven't had been on a date with anybody else since."
"Did you forget that midterms are coming up and I need to pass?" I blink at her.
"Okay? Men only last like 10 minutes anyway."
"That is a very generous compliment, Leilani."
"You said Jungkook lasted almost 40." She blinks at me.
"Exception." I point out. "We were both a little tipsy. That doesn't count."
"But doesn't alcohol make men kind of flaccid?"
"What is this? An interrogation?"
She shrugs as the alarm on my phone goes off.
"I'm not giving up on you." She states.
"You should." I look at the time. "Damn it. I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now." I start gathering my stuff up and putting it into my book bag.
"Can you save it to the drive really quick?"
"I still have to finish the couple pages of this. I can do it during my free block."
"Okay. Just bring the drive back later so I can save this stuff on it and take it to work tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll see you later. Love you!" I slip my shoes on and run out the door to my car.
Hopefully, I won't be too late to class.