Gin

☾︎✯☽︎

"Is this even allowed?" I arched an eyebrow at Chaeyoung as I watched her open a bottle of soju.

"Of course, it is," she answered, pouring the liquor into four small glasses. "It's a little custom we have as employees where we come together and have a drink or two."

She slid three of the four glasses towards me, Felix and Chris. "And don't worry about the Iguana man finding out. This was his idea." She gave me a playful knowing look.

"Reassuring," I answered rather dryly. I wasn't opposed to the idea. I just found it odd that Jiyong casually allowed his workers to drink his liquor for free – unless this was gonna come straight out of our paycheck without us knowing, but I digress.

Besides, who am I to refuse a free drink?

"Here to another night's work, fellas." Chaeyoung raised her glass.

"Here, here!" Chris jeered as he, Felix and I followed suit.

We clinked our glasses together randomly saying 'cheers' until we emptied our glasses in one go.

"So, Ollie. I take it that you have a lot of experience as a bartender," Chris asked as Chaeyoung refilled our glasses. "That makes you our sunbae."

"No need for the honorifics," I replied. "I don't really care much for seniority in workplaces or anywhere else, really. Everyone is equal to me regardless of age, gender, social status and all. Just as long as we respect each other."

"Oh! So, you're basically rated 'E' for everyone." Felix said.

Chaeyoung nearly spat out her drink while Chris and I cringed visibly. Felix quickly caught on to our reactions and what he said and blushed wildly. "I didn't mean it like that, guys! Come on!" he wailed.

"Yeah, but the choice of words, mate. The choice of words." Chris emphasised, putting his hand on his junior's shoulder. Felix rolled his eyes.

"Not my fault you have your minds in the gutter. Y'all are nasty!" he retorted.

"Anyone is bound to take your words out of context, kid." I lidded my eyes at him.

"I'm not a kid! I'm twenty-two!"

"You're talking back to your senior?"

"I thought you said you don't care about that."

I smirked mischievously. "I changed my mind."

Chaeyoung and Chris laughed at Felix's sulky and pouty expression. We spent the next hour or so chatting. I somehow ended up being the certified older brother to Felix and Chris since we were all from Sydney and called ourselves the 'Aussie Bros' – a name Felix came up with which had a funny twist to 'Mario Bros' and one I didn't agree to for that reason but unfortunately had to accept because it was three votes against one.

I learned that Chaeyoung and Chris were postgraduate students studying for their Honours Degrees while Felix was an undergraduate student in his last year.

I also learned that they all have siblings – Chaeyoung with an older sister; Chris with two younger siblings, a brother and sister and Felix being a middle sibling to two sisters.

I was intrigued, but not surprised that Chaeyoung used to be a cheerleader and decided to show us the few cheerleading routines she still remembered. She did appear a bit rusty, but it was pretty entertaining to watch, nonetheless.

Eventually, we called it a night and closed up the club after checking the stock and inventory. We said our goodbyes and parted ways.

I was now on the road to my apartment when I stopped at a red light. As I tapped my finger on the steering wheel waiting, that's when I saw her waiting at the bus stop by herself. She was on the other side of the road, but not too far from where I was.

Lisa.

All dressed in a black coat over the satin baby blue dress shirt with a black ladies' bow, a royal blue pencil skirt that stopped just above her knees, hugged her small waist and shaped her hips going down to her thighs, some beige pulling socks and a pair of black court shoes, and her hair being pulled up into a neat bun. She had a satchel hanging over her shoulder and had earbuds plugged into her ears as she leaned against the bus stop sign with a bored but distant look on her face.

She must have gotten off work.

She looked different. So different you would never suspect that she was living a double life.

By the time the light turned green, I deviated from my original route and drove straight in her direction. I slowed down and halted my car right beside her and rolled my window.

"We really shouldn't be meeting like this," I quipped.

She smiled, pulling off her earbuds. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're stalking me."

I shrugged. "Need a lift?"

"You're not planning to kidnap me, are you?"

"If I was, I would have done so already."

"Very subtle indeed."

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, I suck at lying and covering my tracks nor am I the sharpest tool in the shed. I will slip up and get caught."

She cackled at my remark.

"So, is that a "yes"?" I asked, hiding the anticipation in my voice.

She studied me briefly and ultimately walked over to the other side of my car, sliding into the passenger seat.

"You better not try anything funny. I have a black belt in jujitsu and taekwondo." She joked, putting on the seatbelt.

I chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

She lived at one of the off-campus residences which were pretty far from the main campus – her words. It was about an hour's drive at most granted if there wasn't traffic, but it was a thirty-minute drive to the hotel she was interning at.

The greater part of the drive was spent in silence. I would occasionally glance at her, checking how she was holding up. She had her elbow on the armrest of the door with her chin resting on top of her fist. The same dull and distant look plagued her face once again as she stared into the amber-lit streets.

"Rough night at work?" I asked.

My voice knocked her out of whatever dazed trance she was in, but she played it off as cool. "It's nothing. You know how it is working long hours at night."

I hummed in concession. "True."

"I take it was the same for you?" she asked.

"I wouldn't call it rough," I answered. "Though we had to deal with one Karen tonight and that's one Karen too many."

"What was her deal?"

"She got upset that she was charged a lot of money for not keeping track of her tab. I set her straight and she took exception to that."

"Ooof. That's rough buddy."

"I'm going to ignore the Avatar: The Last Airbender reference."

Lisa burst out laughing at the deadpan expression on my face.

"Do you enjoy it?" I asked.

I noticed the confusion lingering on her face from the corner of my peripheral vision. I cast her a quick look before focusing on the road. "Doing hospitality and all?"

She was silent, probably thinking about what to say or deciding whether or not to say anything at all.

"It has its benefits."

I knew her response was intended to be casual, but I could pick up traces of uncertainty in her tone. Almost as if she wasn't sure if it was something she wanted or not.

"This is a nice song." She turned up the volume of the music that was subtly playing on the radio.

"My friend, Chaerin, wrote and produced that song," I told her. "Came out about two years ago."

She nodded her head in approval, "She knows how to make some bangers."

"Don't tell her that. She'll start bragging about how she's 'The Baddest Female' and you won't hear the end of it."

"Sounds like you're jealous."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Hardly."

She cackled, reaching to pinch my ear – which I responded with a yelp.

"Cute," she cooed.

Our trip came to an end when I pulled the car into the parking area just by her apartment building.

"So," she looked at me. "this is where we part ways."

"Afraid so," I replied.

"Thanks for the lift. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it, nonetheless. So, thank you."

"At least I didn't kidnap you," I joked, earning a slap on my arm. "We're co-workers. We help our own."

She smiled without saying a thing. Not that she needed to anyway.

She got out of the car and slammed the door shut. She walked to the main entrance of her building.

She looked at me one last time and waved. I waved back and watched her disappear inside her building.