“What?! 16000 won for a bottle of soju?” Winter blurts out loud, looking at the prices on the menu.
“It’s probably more, given exchange rates…” you mutter, hoping no one else heard the outburst from outside the private room.
“But we can get it for like a thousand in Korea!”
“We’re not in Korea, it is what it is, do you want it or not?” Karina smiles apologetically at you, as if embarrassed by Winter’s naivety. You’re in K-Town—West 32nd Street, the closest thing to Gangnam in Manhattan, except it’s not very close, geographically or otherwise. Regardless, you’re at one of the nicer Korean restaurants in the area, in a private room you booked for aespa.
“Eh fine, let’s just get three bottles.”
“Three?” you ask, confirming what you heard.
“We finished with our performances on this trip, let’s just cut loose!” Winter whines, and Giselle heartily agrees.
“Sure, do you know what food you want to eat?”
“Yeah I just want ramyeon. Wait why is it—” A sharp draw of breath from Karina shuts her up.
“Don’t worry about the price, you’re here to cut loose right?” Winter sighs and takes a deep breath.
“I guess…” She perks up immediately after. “Then I want ramyeon, seafood pancake, army stew, ddeokbokki, and—” Winter eyes Karina, checking for her reaction. “And fried chicken?” she finishes in a small voice.
“Sure, do you just want to order?” you offer.
“My English isn’t good.”
“Who says you have to use English?”
Winter is beady eyed as the waiter walks up to them, asking in fluent Korean what they would like to order. She brightens up immediately, ordering in rapid-fire Korean. The waiter nods and disappears.
“Wow you can use Korean here?”
“It’s K-Town, of course!” you chuckle. The food arrives quickly, as do the drinks, and the chatter and the soju flow free and fast, the evening eventually turning into night.
“Do you come here to eat everyday?” “Are there pochas here too?” “Why does everyone walk so fast?” The members bombard you with questions, and you happily answer them until the manager checks the time and signals to you and the group.
“We should go, it’ll be crowded here if we don’t leave soon.” Karina nods in agreement and gestures to the other members.
“Nooooo I want to keep going, let’s go for round 2! Can we do karaoke?”
Karina clicks her tongue in annoyance.
“Let’s go, do you want to make a fool of yourself in New York?” Pouting, Winter reluctantly gets up from the table and let’s herself be dragged out, wobbling all over the place.
“Aish, the little twerp, sorry, we’ll head out,” Karina apologizes and follows the members out. The van’s already waiting for them outside, and as you watch them get in you allow yourself to relax, your job as their guide and translator done for the night. You pull out your phone, about to get your own ride when Karina calls out to you.
“Hey, get in!”
“What?”
“We might need your help at the hotel, could you come along?”
“Umm sure.” Shrugging and hoping that their hotel wasn’t too far away, you hop in the front seat and the van zooms off. A short ride later you all arrive at a swanky hotel.
“Take Winter up would you?” she asks the other members, and they nod and bid the two of you good night.
“You’re not going with them?”
“I need to ask the front desk some questions, that’s what I need your help for.”
“Oh of course, let’s go.”
The two of you walk to the concierge, and you translate the easiest, most boring questions ever.
“What time is the free breakfast available? Do you do wake-up calls? Is late check-out available?”
After the trifecta of softball questions and setting a wake-up call for Karina you assume you’re done, but Karina has more questions for you.
“I need your help with some of the buttons in the room.”
“A-Are you sure you need me for that? Surely it’s the same in all the hotels…”
“No, now follow me.” Groaning at still not being able to go home yet, you follow Karina into the elevator. She opens the door to her hotel room and you trod in mindlessly before stopping dead in your tracks—you’re going into the hotel room of one of the biggest idols in K-pop!
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come help me read this.” Karina disappears into the bathroom, and your feet feel like lead, almost numb as you go towards her.
“Help me read this, which way is hot water?” Wait, was she for real?
“Umm, you can use the color too, but it’s hot water to the left, and cold water to the right.”
“Oh okay thanks.”
“Do you need anything else?” you ask as she walks back into the hotel room.
“Yes, now that the others are in their rooms, I would like to cut loose too.” You watch her top slip off her shoulders, and with a deft hand her strapless bra falls to the floor. Karina is now standing topless in front of you, her back thankfully turned—you feel like your heart might burst, like Karina’s outfits frequently threaten to do.
“Umm, I should go. I mean, are you sure, I—” Karina turns around, and your mouth stays open mid-sentence as all your focus is drawn towards her chest. You’re not a tits guy, but in this moment you definitely are. You’ve wondered vaguely what Karina would look like under her tight, form-fitting clothing, and now you know—large, perfectly shaped, and perky. You wonder how it would be like to grab—
“Are you listening, or should I wait for you to finish drooling?” Karina’s voice slices through the hotel room air.
“Ah, I’m sorry.” You manage to avert your eyes, looking down at the ground.
“No it’s fine, I take it you’re willing?”
“Willing to…?” She rolls her eyes.
“Fuck me, that’s how I cut loose.”
“Yeah of course!” you almost shout disbelievingly.
29 likes from KangSeulGun, -Shin-, SpiralSpiral, DotoliWrites, onedayxnv, miggy, xndrpndr, RusticFalcon, Mida the writer, Valentine Drifter, Qantz, agentpurple, Raven34, tabm0nster, kryphtot, Battoussaaii, Conrad888, Meniko3344, Palegamingdeputy, and Rosemin, .