Author's Quick Note: Lee Seung Hyun's friends that were included in his scandal were mentioned in this chapter. I apologize in advance if it'll make some readers upset or whatnot.
Also, hi @Tatiannalovers! Thank you for always leaving comments. I appreciate it, love 💓
"Aish!"
"Don't move."
"Eh, Choon-he!"
"Please, please, please."
"I don't want to!"
"Just give it to me."
"Why are you so agressive?" Seungri sighed, eventually giving out to her. "Is that the effect of being imprisoned in your own place for months?" He teasingly snickered.
Ash Lee punched his arm lightly. "I was not imprisoned or whatever you want to call it."
"We almost only see you when you take out the trash. Is that freedom for you?"
"At least I'm safe."
Seungri almost gave her a scoff. "Safe? Then why are you sneaking around, asking to go on clubs with me just to have a glimpse of he outside world?" He finally gave his jacket a last shake before giving it to Ash. "Here, you don't need to use force to take it off of me — you have your own jacket for goodness' sake," he tsked "I really thought you were hugging me because you missed me. What a scam."
"I missed you, of course." She mumbled and wore his jacket. "I'm just giving Yoon Seok-oppa the satisfaction for now. He must've been really worried and guilty because he wasn't with me when things happened."
"I know that but what I don't get was why doesn't he even let us visit you? Out of all the members he's only sort of nice to Young Bae." He confessed what he thought. "And don't get me started on how awkward you and Young Bae-hyung are now. I'm not going to pry but Choon-he, it's been months. It would be nice to finally move on."
Ash Lee gaped at him. "You talk too much." She then opened the car door but Seungri pulled her back.
"I'm telling you again," he looked at her seriously "stick with me the whole time. Some of my friends are uncontrollable wolves plus there might be some photographers around. Don't let you guard down."
"Okay, okay. I'm not here to drink anyways. I just want to be out for a while."
Seungri shook his head. "You're not listening. Stick. With. Me."
"I know, you always got me." Ash Lee smiled and Seungri finally let go of her arm.
The club's atmosphere was just getting into its peak. It was only a few minutes before eleven in the evening but some people were already dancing like wild animals. Loud music radiated in Ash Lee's ears, the bass of the stereo kept her chest pumping, and the laser lights almost blinded her eyes. She's been in so many bars in the Philippines and Colombia but she never understood how Koreans kept partying hard everyday. There was never a dull moment nor the lack of club goers and the whole place was packed even if it was a weekday.
The two artists had to be ushered to the V.I.P. lounge by two bulky men as they walked on.
Seungri, of course, knew many people inside and had to occassionally stop to greet his friends. Whenever he talked to someone, the actress had to look down or turn her face away to hide her identity. He even made her wear a mask and she thought it was a little too much considering they were in a club — a dark place with drunk people that won't even remember seeing her that night.
"Move." Seungri whispered in her ear as she got lost in her thoughts.
Ash nodded and walked until they finally got into one of the V.I.P. lounges. Hiding subtly behind one of the men who ushered them, she saw some familiar faces — friends of Seungri whom he introduced before when they met at a gathering. One was the rock singer, Jung Joon Young, and the other was Roy Kim. The two seemed pretty chill sipping their drinks while sitting on the couches comfortably. They were already talking to a group of people, who were mostly women, that probably Seungri even knew as well.
"I'll be at the bar." The actress subtly whispered to the BigBang member and left before he could protest.
His two friends already spotted Seungri and was about to wave but they saw him chase after a woman who walked to the opposite direction from them. "Who'd he bring with him today?" Joon Young wondered.
"Maybe another of his flings." Roy Kim chuckled. "When is Jong Hyun arriving?"
"Ah, I don't know. I thought his plane landed a few hours ago. Aren't we celebrating his return? Why is that bastard so late?"
"Maybe he's out messing with a girl. Must've been so eager for Korean women." The two laughed loudly.
Roy Kim went back to talking to their group but Joon Young raised an eyebrow to Seungri and to the girl he was talking to at the bar. "No way .. is that Ash Lee?" He whispered to himself and smiled. "This'll be a great night."
"Aniya! I'm just going to drink mocktails. Go to your friends, they might be wondering where you went." Ash pushed Seungri away.
"Make sure you don't get drunk and talk to anyone." He sighed. "Please Choon-he, I'm getting anxious here. I shouldn't have brought you with me."
Ash tightly smiled. "I promise I'll be a good."
"Aigoo," Seungri shook his head and gave her forehead a kiss "arasso. Text me if you want to go home. I'll have my phone in hand always. Be safe, baby."
Half an hour after arriving in the basement club, the actress has already ordered two mojito mocktails. She eventually got more carefree so she removed the mask and walked inconspicuously around the dance floor when a man bumped into her.
"Sorry," he paused and smirked in her direction "Ash Lee-noonim."
Ash swore to herself that she wouldn't even glance if she heard her name but hearing the honorifics the man used made her look back at him for a second. Doing so was an absolute mistake because she locked eyes with him before she can even hide her face again, confirming the man's suspicions about her presence and identity.
"It is you. Daebak." He smiled widely.
The actress darted but the man immediately caught up. He grabbed her wrist, dragged her back to the V.I.P. lounge, and made her sit by the less crowded part of the bar.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ash exclaimed.
The man looked at her up and down. "I didn't expect that you'd dress like this in here ... heck, I didn't even expect to see you in a club." He then whisked his phone and took a stolen picture of her. "For remembrance."
She clenched her teeth and shot him a threatening look. "That was uncalled for, Joon Young-ssi. Delete that now."
"Hmm, my bad." He insincerely replied and put his phone away. "But I don't think I will."
They've only met once during one of Seungri's infamous parties. It was a brief ten second introduction because Choi Seung Hyun swooped Ash Lee away before the two could even make a proper conversation. Even from the small amount of time they exchanged, she definitely felt an air of undeniable bashfulness and left her a bad first impression of him.
Ash Lee tried to show disinterest to hide the fact that she was uneasy because of the picture. "Let's just pretend that we've exchanged proper greetings and go on our separate ways then."
"Hey," he chuckled playfully "alright I'm sorry. I'm just surprised that you're here, that's all."
Ash curtly nodded and went to move away but Jung Joon Young blocked her again. "Just one drink? That's all I'm asking for. I'm sorry I came off very arrogant .. must be the alcohol talking. Sorry, noonim." He sloppily smiled.
"You're drunk." She spat distastefully.
"No, no. I'm okay. Shit." He rolled his eyes upward. "Alright, if you feel uneasy then order a fucking juice, for all I care. Just hang out for a few minutes. Who knows, maybe you'll end up liking me." He confidently winked at her.
"Thanks, but I don't think I will."
Joon Young laughed dryly. "Oh come on, don't be such a spoilsport. We'll just talk. Plus," he placed his phone on the counter and tapped on the screen "it won't be nice to feed the hungry media with this don't you think?"
Ash bit her lower lip in frustration. "Do you always blackmail people?"
"No not really," he paused and smirked as if he remembered something funny "I guess only when necessary which is fairly rare because I always eventually get what I want."
"What do you want?" She asked sharply while looking around their area. Only a few people surrounded them because most has already moved to the dancing area. In addition, Lee Seungri was nowhere to be found.
As she scanned more and paid less attention to what the rock singer was saying, she made eye contact with the bartender whom she saw give her a quick warning look.
" ... a great companion, that's me. If you're tired I have a reserved room upstairs." Joon Young snidely gave her a glance.
Even though she did not hear the first part of his answer, Ash definitely felt sick. The grimy looks he kept on giving her may only either be because he's innocently drunk or he's got dirty, unfathomable intentions.
"Order the drink and let's get this over with."
He clicked his tongue in amusement. "I love the eagerness." He then turned to the lone bartender. "Yah, get me two 'Peach Moon's with extra ice, no straws. Oh, and add extra fizz." The rock singer winked and placed two fifty thousand won bills on the counter.
Ash raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know juice drinks could cost that much nowadays?" She then placed her credit card right beside his money. "Anyway, I'll pay for mine."
"No, it's on me." He chuckled and leaned closer to her ear. "And just an advice, you should always pay in cash. No trace, no trouble." Joon Young slid the card back to the actress and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her to watch the sea of partygoers upfront. "So many foolish young people trying to have fun in such compressed space. I don't really get what's the fun in dancing — except when you rub bodies with hot girls that is."
"Is that all you can think about?" She snapped.
"Well some days, yes." He replied unbothered.
Ash wanted to looked surprised but was rather disappointed. "Such a waste of talent."
"Being a singer is kind of helpful in getting women, actually."
The bartender got their attention by clearing his throat as he placed glasses on the counter. "Please enjoy. Oh, and a napkin for the lady?" He said in a monotone voice while looking meaningfully at Ash Lee.
The actress took the napkin and saw something scribbled on it. While Joon Young was busy looking at the women that passed by, she immediately read what the note said.
'당신의 음료는 마약입니다. (Your drink is spiked.)
그는 돈을 지불했다. (He paid.)
그것의 규칙. (It's the rules.)
사방에 카메라. (Cameras everywhere.)
전환해야합니다. (You need to switch.)
죄송 해요.' (I'm sorry.)
Heat rose up to her face. All she felt was anger and disgust for the young man across her. As much as she wanted to beat him up right then, she calmed herself and let her senses come back to her as she exchanged their drinks before he could even notice. She mouthed a quick 'thank you' to the bartender and faced Joon Young with a tight grin.
"Enjoying the crowd too much?" Ash asked, still fighting the urge to walk out.
"Are you jealous?" He shamelessly retorted. "They're nothing compared to you anyways."
She almost rolled her eyes but she managed to give a fake chuckle instead. "Ah, really? Let's have a toast then — I want to see how expensive juice tastes like." She purposely gave him an encouraging dimpled smile.
The rock singer clinked his glass with hers and drank almost half of it. "I don't remember it tasting like this but it's still great." He nodded approvingly. "What do you think? Don't Kwon Ji Yong and his other BigBang members buy you expensive drinks like this?" He mocked.
His arrogance irked her patience. She almost lashed out but kept a calm pretense. "The bartender's good." She raised the glass to the other man and he winked in response. "Do you know him well?"
"He's served me a few drinks here and there. Why, is he your type?" Joon Young scoffed. "Mixing drinks is not that hard." He gulped the rest, annoyed with Ash Lee's seemingly divided attention.
She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect you'll drink everything up so fast in your own will."
"What do you mean?" The singer squinted.
She whispered. "Your heart will palpitate so fast that your head will get dizzy you won't even remember me telling you ... to 'get lost'."
"Huh?" The rock singer confusedly exhaled.
"Give me your phone."
"Why — why w-would I ..."
Ash Lee grabbed the cellphone out from his shirt pocket and kept it with her. "You won't say a thing about this to anybody, not even to Lee Seung Hyun because you won't be talking to him ever, starting today."
Joon Young tried to think of a comeback but his mind was scattered. The remaining alcohol in his body made the effects of the drug more rapid and stronger. He felt nauseated and had trouble moving around. "What did .. what ... happening to me .."
"Still a waste of good talent." Ash tsked before walking away. She approached one of the guards and nodded towards the intoxicated singer's direction. "Kindly send him upstairs please. He told me he has a reserved room. I'm sure you don't want trash in here."
The guard almost snorted and headed to collect the almost passed out Joon Young.
Ash then tried contacting Seungri but the signal seemed to be off in the basement club. She looked around in the lounge until her eyes landed on a laughing Roy Kim. She walked close but kept her distance, only wanting him to recognize her face which could possibly result to him approaching her.
And just as she wished — the moment he locked eyes with her, his feet dragged him towards the woman curiously.
"Excuse me," Roy started "by any chance are you .."
Ash innocently turned to look at him and hid her face with her hair. "Ah, annyeonghaseyo. It's nice to see you but please, let's keep it a secret shall we?" She winked.
"Of course, of course!" He gladly replied and sat next to her. "Did you come with Seungri?"
"Not really." Ash lied. "By the way, is he here tonight? Where is he?"
The question made Roy Kim somewhat uncomfortable. "Uh, I think he's with .. with some guys from abroad. Somewhere up the DJ stage, maybe."
"I see. What about you? Why didn't you join them?"
"I came here with Jung Joon Young. Do you know him?" He paused in thought. "Speaking of, I haven't seen him in a while. Let me just make a quick call." He dialled the number and was surprised when his friend's ringtone came from Ash Lee's jacket. "Why is his phone .."
She glared and stood up. She trapped the singer by holding on the back of his high chair and put herself in between his legs. It looked like they were just the usual couple that makes out in clubs. "What's his password?" Ash took out Joon Young's phone.
"W-why would I .. why do you have his phone?" He exclaimed slightly.
"If you push me off I'll make a scene." She mumbled. "What's his password?"
"I don't know! Why would I even —"
"I guess I'll just have it opened in some tech store then?" She threatened. "Maybe we'll find something interesting."
"Four, one, six, nine." He suddenly blurted out.
Ash huffed in disgust. "I guess you really do have shit in here." She said in English.
Roy Kim just stared her down as he watched her go to the phone's settings. "What are you going to do?"
She ignored his question and continued on reformatting the phone — removing all traces of files and setting it back as if it was new. She double-checked its content and tossed it in a glass of liquid she found by the table.
"You just ... he has some unreleased songs in there and a lot of other important things!" He said in shock and fished the phone out.
Ash stepped back and looked towards the DJ booth. "Do I look like I care?" She left Roy Kim alone and finally headed to look for Seungri.
After putting her mask back on, a certain person caught her eye on her way.
"Radio One Asia." She whispered to herself and watched the suspicious woman take a video directed to the DJ's booth. Ash then looked towards the area and her eyes widened as she saw people there with mysterious air-filled balloons laughing hysterically together. What alerted her the most was that Seungri was the one deejaying upfront. "Shit."
The actress rushed to the DJ's booth and confirmed her suspicions. "Nitrous oxide." She rummaged through the club-goers and removed Seungri's headphones once he was at arm's reach. She then dragged him out of the scene as fast as she can, not caring if the music stopped or not.