Bang Chan rings the doorbell of Hyunjin's enormous house, waiting for his friend to open. He had nothing better to do this weekend so Chan accepted Hyunjin's offer to help him prepare everything needed for the big party tonight - Hyunjin signed a huge deal with a foreign company and wanted to celebrate getting this job in style.
"Channie!" Hyunjin's face beams upon seeing his older friend.
"Hey there, Jinnie," Chan smiles big, pulling Hyunjin into a tight manly hug, "Congrats on getting the job, bro."
Two men separate and Hyunjin pats Chan on the back one last time, "Thanks, hyung," he starts talking, leading Chan inside the house, "It still feels surreal, especially the fact that I need to be in Milan on Monday."
"Already?" Chan gasps and Hyunjin nods, "So, this will also be a 'so long' party for your departure?"
Hyunjin laughs, "Don't make it sound sad like that, Chan. It's not like I'm going on a moon and won't see you guys again."
"But still... Europe..." Chan sighs and Hyunjin shrugs, leading the way to the kitchen.
"That's why I want this party to be grand - I need to go out in style," Hyunjin flicks his hair and Chan laughs. But then Hyunjin remembers something and turns to Chan, grabbing his shoulders, "I almost forgot... Did you invite her?!"
Chan sighs, pushing Hyunjin's hands away from his shoulders, "I didn't," Chan replies, and Hyunjin's face changes from excited to sad. The taller male starts walking away and Chan hurries behind him, "I still don't think that's a good idea, Hyune. I know you're leaving the country but I don't think she should come to the party - you don't need to leave with a broken heart... again."
Hyunjin swiftly turns, his brows furrowed, "And how do you know if I'll have a broken heart after tonight, Chan?!" he pauses, realizing that his voice was a bit higher, "I'm sorry but... I need her. I know you're just looking after me but..."
Chan sighs, seeing his friend getting sadder, "Alright, I'll call her," he reluctantly agrees and Hyunjin smiles big, jumping to hug his friend.
"Thank you, Channie!" Hyunjin giggles and breaks the hug, "I promise - she won't break my heart, so you don't have to worry."
Hyunjin happily skips to the kitchen, humming a song as he places the big plastic red cups on the counter. Chan sighs and turns the corner, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He doesn't really want to do this because he cares for Hyunjin but he also wants Hyunjin to be happy so he selects a contact on his list and presses the calling button.
After a few rings, a female voice answers and Chan invites her to Hyunjin's party even though he, personally, doesn't want her there but, as said, Chan cares for Hyunjin so he forces a smile when she agrees to come tonight.
When that is taken care of, Chan joins Hyunjin in the kitchen for them to set everything up before the guests arrive.
The night comes and you throw yourself one last glance in the tall mirror in your bedroom, loving how the black dress you recently bought hugs your waist and then falls loose around your things. You grab the black purse from your bed and get out of the bedroom as the taxi is already waiting in front of your apartment.
Arriving at Hyunjin's house, you see that a lot of people are streaming inside the loud big house. The music is blasting and people are dancing around, some girls grinding on their male partners. You clutch your purse so as not to lose it in the crowd because there's a small gift in it, which you want to give to Hyunjin upon seeing him.
But the crowd is big and you see none of your friends around, even on your tippy toes. You sigh and somehow make it to the bar where a rented barman is mixing drinks. Trying to grab his attention, you raise your hand, but the barman doesn't notice you, pouring and serving delicious cocktails to a couple of girls in front of him. A lot of people are crowding the bar, pushing through to get their chance of drinking something good.
"Bummer," you pout and step back as a random tall man blocks your view of the barman with his broad back.
"Wanna get a drink?" you hear someone behind you and you turn to see him smiling big at you.
"Oh my god, Jeongin!" you smile, glomping the boy. He returns the hug, wrapping his long arms around your figure tightly. You look at him again and see that he's still wearing his soft smile, "I would really want a Margarita."
"Say no more," Jeongin winks and takes your hand, pushing through the crowd to get in front of the barman. "Hi," Jeongin greets the man with a shaker in his hands, "One Margarita for the lady and one Tom Collins for me," he orders and the barman nods, grabbing two glasses behind him.
"Oh wow. Tom Collins, huh?" you smirk and Jeongin shrugs. You share a small laugh before Jeongin leans to you to speak into your ear over the loud music, "You look great."
"Thanks, you too! I like the classy yet causal fit you put together," you reply and he nods, "Have you seen Hyunjin?" you lean away to see his reaction.
Jeongin shrugs and comes to your ear again, "Saw him for a moment when I got here, and then he disappeared as every guest wanted him," he leans away from you and rolls his eyes.
The barman just placed your drinks and you thank him, grabbing your glasses and moving away from the bar.
"Yooo! Here's our princess!"
A voice louder than music stops you in the hallway and you see Han Jisung making his way to you.
"Oh, here we go..." Jeongin rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his drink, both of you watching Jisung stumble around with a cup in his hand.
"Hiii babyyyy~" Han sings, literally falling onto you, making you stumble back. You are lucky Jeongin was there or you would have fallen by the weight of Jisung's drunken body. He giggles as you're trying to push him away but Jeongin comes to help, standing Han on his feet again.
"Hyung, you're drunk," Jeongin comments, and Jisung laughs more.
"I am... but just a bit," Jisung closes his thumb and index finger, laughing uncontrollably.
"Nah, Ji, you're wasted. And the party has just begun," you frown and Han stands on his feet, away from Jeongin, his body swaying and his eyes closing and opening drunkenly.
"I. Will. Be. Fine." Jisung speaks in pauses, chugging the remains of a beer in his cup.
"You reek of alcohol," Jeongin pinches his nose, "Just what did you drink before this?!"
Jisung giggles and pulls his hand up, listing drinks on his fingers, "I had a martini for starters, then I toasted with Hyunjin using good old whiskey, then... I guess that was another martini, then whiskey with a big block of ice, and then... I can't remember," he breaks down into another fit of laughter and stumbles again, Jeongin catching him.
"You've had enough," Jeongin scolds his hyung and gives you his half-empty Collins glass, "I'll take him to bed. Sorry, I have to leave you."
"Nah, don't worry. Just take care of him," you and Jeongin share a nod and he takes the drunken friend down the hallway in search of a room while Han sings a song from "Frozen".
You meddle with some people, getting to know a lot of Hyunjin's friends and colleagues yet the party host is still missing. You still hold onto hope and your purse, determined to give him your gift before the party ends.
A couple more Margaritas in and you're already giggling with Minho in the house's foyer. You're both laughing at some joke he threw and your feet are already feeling shaky so you lose your balance a bit, falling onto his chest.
"Shit... I'm sorry Minho," you laugh more, "I guess I had too many Margaritas," you hold onto his black shirt, raising your gaze up to meet his hazy eyes.
"Not a problem, princess," Minho's voice comes in a whisper and his hand comes up to cup your cheek.
His other arm holds you, pulling you closer to him. You feel his hot breath, the alcohol in it making you drunker. You're both not in your right mind but the situation is heated so you both close your eyes and kiss, right there in the dark corner of the hallway. At this point, you're not friends but two drunken idiots caught up in the moment. You're exploring each other's bodies, your hands wilding just like your tongues.
But a moan escapes your throat and it serves as a wake-up call because you pull away, pushing Minho a bit forcefully.
"Oh, shit! I'm sorry!" he panics and you do too, covering your mouth.
"No, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have..."
"No, I shouldn't..."
You both stutter but then laugh at the silly situation.
"But, I must admit," you bite your lip, pulling your shy gaze to his, "You're a damn good kisser."
Minho smirks proudly, bopping your nose, "You're not bad yourself." You two laugh again.
"Hey!"
But a voice interrupts your laughs and both you and Minho turn your heads to a frowning Jeongin standing about two steps in front of you with his arms crossed.
Jeongin stomps and takes your wrist, pulling you away from Minho who's still proudly smirking, leaning on the wall behind him.
"What did you do to her?" Jeongin asks, glaring at Minho.
But the older one just shrugs, pursing his lips. "We kissed."
Jeongin grimaces, pulling you even closer to him.
"Let's dance," he smiles at you, turning you around and throwing one last death glare Minho's way.
You giggle as you're trying to match Jeongin's pace, your heels clicking against the marble floor.
"Hey, Innie... Don't be angry at Minho. I responded to his kiss too so I'm to blame as well," you admit but he doesn't reply, pulling you with him into the big living room where the party was.
You make your way through the crowd until you find an empty spot. Jeongin releases your hand and you start dancing first, the alcohol in your system making you courageous.
Jeongin steps closer to you and holds your waist, leaning his head to your ear. "You shouldn't kiss Minho."
You giggle, "Why?" You shout back into his ear but then look back at his face to see a frown present on his face.
"Just... Because..." Jeongin bites his lip and you shrug, continuing to dance your silly dance.
And you're so into it, dancing without a care in the world and Jeongin finally smiles, your relaxed state relaxing him too.
The crowd is big, people are mostly dressed elegantly in black but he notices you among all those people. His jaw clenches as he watches you. He's feeling jealous of the youngest even though he knows he shouldn't do that. A tug on the sleeve of his black dress shirt pulls Hyunjin out of his thoughts and he turns to a girl who just approached him, offering him a drink. He pushes a smile out of curtsy and accepts the tall cocktail glass, not really paying attention to what the girl is saying as his thoughts are somewhere else... on someone else.
You are dancing with Jeongin, laughing at the jokes that he uses to distract you from Minho but the drunk boy brings everyone's attention to him when he climbs the bar counter, shouting and dancing. You giggle and watch Minho pour tequila straight from the bottle into his mouth. Some guys take him away from the bar and you can't stop laughing, falling onto Jeongin's chest.
"Oh, I'm sorry," you giggle, meeting his sparkling eyes.
"Yeah, you're drunk... I'll go and get you some water," he gently pushes you away from him and you giggle more, "Don't. Move."
You pout as he threatens you. You watch Jeongin disappear in the crowd and your bratty behavior kicks in - not following orders, you storm away from the dance floor. You're not in the mood for any water. What you want to do is drink more alcohol so you make it to the bar, ordering a glass of gin-tonic. You sway to the beat of the song while waiting for the barman to finish your drink.
Taken by the rhythm of the music, you suddenly turn your body, only to have someone bump into you, spilling their drink on your black dress. A wave of shock hits you but you break down laughing next. Pulling your gaze up from the male's black shirt, you're met face to face with just as shocked Hyunjin.
"Hyunjiiiin!" you scream, falling onto him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. You give him a smooch on his cheek and his eyes widen even more when your gazes meet again.
"H-hey... are you alright? I-I'm sorry about the dress..." he mumbles and you wave your hand.
"Nah, don't worry about it, it'll dry," you giggle again, clinging onto him. You step away a bit and your hands glide from his shoulders to his arms, your fingers gripping his biceps a bit. "Oh, wow. Have you been working out?"
"Princess..." Hyunjin speaks, his voice lowering a bit.
"Oh, I love it when you call me like that," you say, breaking into another laughing fit.
"Le-Let me get you cleaned up," Hyunjin stutters and takes your hand, leaving the half-empty glass he held on the bar counter.
Hyunjin pulls you away from the crowd and you almost stumble on your way upstairs to the bathroom.
"Seriously, Jinnie, this will dry, don't worry," you say behind him but he pulls you into the empty bathroom, closing the door behind you.
Hyunjin doesn't listen and takes a dry towel, letting go of your wrist. He watches you as you're still dancing to the faint sound of music from downstairs. He knows you're drunk but he can't help but smile at your silliness. He scans your form, seeing that some red from the cocktail spilled on the white shirt you wore under the dress. He steps to you and raises his hand, coming to dab the spilled alcohol from your clothes.
"Princess...?" his husky voice reaches your ears and you smile at him, easing your silly dance.
"Yes, my prince?" you smile big.
"I..." Hyunjin starts, a big lump in his throat making it hard for him to talk. He tries to gulp but his heart thumps hard, making the blood come up to his face, pushing up the blush. "I'm leaving, princess. I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow."
His words stop your dance completely and your eyes widen. The alcohol is still streaming through your body but you heard him clearly. Your throat suddenly feels dry and your eyes start stinging.
"W-what?"
Hyunjin nods, placing his hand that held the towel on your chest, right where the cocktail stain is.
"I'm sorry... I wanted to tell you sooner but I was just so busy," he starts blabbering, "The plans, the contracts... everything was just..."
"Hyunjin..."
He smiles weakly, "And before I go, I wanted to tell you that... I love you."
A tear rolls down your cheek and you're so surprised by it that you step away from him, wiping it off frantically.
"I'm sorry... I..." you apologize, turning your back to him and wiping away the tears that fell on their own. "I... I must go..."
You open the door of the bathroom and start walking down the hallway. Your legs are shaky but you can't stop running. You almost fall down the stairs but then you bump into someone again.
"There you are!"
His scolding voice reaches your ears and you raise your crying face to meet Jeongin's frowning one. Seeing you cry, his face relaxes.
"H-Hey... what happened?" Jeongin worries.
"Innie... take me home... please..." you sob, your fingers gripping his denim jacket.
Jeongin gulps, noticing your grip, and, along with your crying, gets the message. He nods.
"Sure. Let's go," he says and takes your hand, pushing through the crowd of people toward the exit of the big house.
Jeongin is silent and you're constantly crying. He guides you to his car and settles you on the passenger's seat, coming around to the driver's side. You're crying during the ride and he's just silently driving, letting you cry out everything that is worrying you.
The car stops at the red light and Jeongin sighs, pushing away the feeling of being uncomfortable to take your hand. You pull your crying face up to look at him and his worried expression makes you cry more.
"I'm such an idiot..." you sob, "Jeongin... Hyunjin... He..."
Jeongin nods, "I know... He told you, huh?"
You frantically nod, more tears falling from your face. Jeongin sighs and releases your hand from his grip. He massages his nose, taking another deep breath. The traffic light turns green and cars honk behind, making Jeongin flinch and change the gear to get the car moving again.
"That idiot..." he hisses but you shake your head.
"I'm the bigger idiot... Jeongin, I kissed Minho!"
"You were both drunk!" he shouts and you flinch, "Sorry, didn't mean to yell at you," he apologizes, taking your hand in his again.
The car turns the corner, coming into the street where you live. He finally stops the car in front of the apartment building. Jeongin turns to you fully after unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Listen," he says, making you look at him again. He takes your other hand in his too, "Whatever happened, it doesn't matter. Blame it on the alcohol. The only thing that matters is how you feel about Hyunjin, okay?"
You shake your head, "I don't know!" you shout and cry more, "Yes, we were drunk but I feel... so guilty..." then you remember something, taking your purse and pulling out a small pouch. Out of it, a bracelet rolls onto the palm of your hand, "I... I wanted to give this bracelet to Hyunjin for his new job. But I... I never thought he'd be moving to Italy..." you cry, more tears streaming down your face.
Jeongin takes your hands again and you look up at him, "It's still not too late," he nods, trying to reassure you, "Go get some rest. Drink a lot of water and get some sleep. I'll return to his house and explain everything. You'll talk to him tomorrow... and give him your present, okay?" Jeongin raises his brows and you nod, "It's still not too late. You can make this work, you just need to calm down first. Let the feelings settle overnight - tomorrow's a new day. And, knowing Hyunjin, he will wait for you, trust me."
You push a weak smile through tears, "Thanks, Innie..."
The two of you share a hug that lasts for a few moments before you separate, unbuckling your seatbelt.
"Do you need me to stay with you?" Jeongin asks and you shake your head.
"No, it's okay," you try your best to smile, "You're right - I just need to get some sleep and let all this settle down."
"Don't overthink too much," Jeongin gives you one last advice, "I know you like him too. I know you feel messed up but don't worry - Hyunjin is a reasonable man, he'll understand it."
"Thank you. Thank you so much, Jeongin."
He smiles, gripping your hands in his, "Don't mention it. That's what friends are for, right?" he tilts his head and you chuckle, nodding your head, "Now that's what you should look like - smiling, not crying. Now go inside, shower, and sleep. I'll text you later."
You nod and exit the car. You wave Jeongin goodbye and go inside the building, your head throbbing from the drunken pain and crying. You do as Jeongin advised - you take a shower, change in your pajamas, and go to bed. Minutes later, a text pings on your phone. It's a message from Jeongin, telling you that he talked to Hyunjin, explained everything, and that "Mr. Prince" calmed down. He also wrote the time of Hyunjin's flight so you set the alarm for the morning, hoping that your confession and gift will help Hyunjin do his best in faraway Italy.
It'll be hard, you know that, but you're determined to make this work. One crazy night, one party, won't decide how your relationship with him will work.
After swallowing a pill to ease your headache, and gulping down a full glass of water, you nuzzle into your pillow, ready to fall asleep, looking forward to what tomorrow, and the future, will bring you.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Uh... that was... messy...