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“Come on, just go say something to her.”

“It’s not that easy, Ting.“

Two drinks in, and this isn’t your finest moment. It’s not like you’re too shy to approach a girl at the bar, or embarrassed, but—

“What’s the worst thing that happens? She tells you to fuck off?“

"Well yeah—exactly that.”

“So what? You get rejected, order another drink, and then you try again. If you don’t, then you have someone hot to take home and put your dick in.” A frustrated sigh later, and then you hear a thud against the bar counter, as your companion slams her drink down. You look over to see Xiaoting call over the bartender with a wave of her hand, as if she’s the one that needs a stiff drink more than you do.

“She’s even your type. If you don’t go over there and say something to her, then I will,” Xiaoting huffs, reaching over to yank the fruity drink out right from between your fingers to steal a sip.

“Please, as if you know who my type is.”

“She’s a woman, and she’s pretty. That’s your type,” she returns, a slight chuckle escaping as she sips on her own drink, eyeing you down with hopes to encourage you to get off your ass.

"I don’t even know what to say. Hi, you’re cute. Let me buy you a drink? That sounds all so generic, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly that,” Xiaoting replies. “It’s not that difficult.” And with a sudden push, you find yourself stumbling into the open, caught in your own thoughts. This girl—she’s gorgeous. Even from a distance, she stands out in this white little dress that beckons you, makes your heart beat a little faster with how well it hugs her body. A cute face with that figure, it’s a sinful combination.

Well, here goes nothing.

You nearly stumble over your own two feet when you approach cautiously, incredulous to the fact that Xiaoting’s powers of persuasion are responsible for this—but you can’t disappoint now. The odds seem to be in your favor: she’s alone, nursing a glass of something dark and murky and barely touched, so this seems as good an opening as any.

"H-hi, I—” you stutter out before any full words can escape you, barely managing to utter a single syllable before your confidence breaks. Your words stick in your throat as the girl looks up, away from her phone for a brief glance, eyes curious. And already you feel like an idiot.

“Hi there,” she says, wearing this warm smile across her lips, and the fact that she hasn’t already told you to fuck off nearly has you in a panic. Yet you have no follow through, with half a mind to turn around and walk right through the exit, but you can’t with how your legs feel glued in place.

“Can I uh…"

In that brief moment, you’ve completely forgotten how words work. This is all so embarrassing, you don’t know why you let Xiaoting convince you in the first place. You could be at home, catching up on favorite shows in your favorite pajamas—yet, you’re stuck in this fancy venue, about to make an ass of yourself.

"Buy me a drink?” she finishes for you, taking pity on the fact you can’t find your bearings. “Sure. As long as you have one, too.”

That goes way better than expected—you already had one foot in the opposite direction prepared to make a quick getaway. You take a seat beside her with a small victory, a quick glance back at Xiaoting who offers a silent thumbs up in the dim light from a distance, which is enough confidence to fill your entire body and get the ball rolling.

"My name’s Yeseo,” the girl introduces, taking a slow sip from her glass. “Saw you staring at me from across the bar.. was wondering when you would come over and introduce yourself. “

"Sorry I just—couldn’t take my eyes off of you."

You want to vomit.

Of all the things you could have said, that sounds like the worst possible outcome. You curse under your breath, and nearly down your drink in one go, hoping this alcohol makes its way through your system as fast as possible.

"Don’t be,” Yeseo replies with a smile. “You’re cute. Glad your friend convinced you to talk to me.”

“Ah, was it that obvious?”

She nods, leaning forward to swirl the remains of her glass, the clink loud enough to distract you. “Noticed you staring from a mile away. Most guys come up to hit on me the moment they see me, with some shitty pickup line and a bad attitude. But not you. You hesitated. Which means you don’t do this that often…”

“You got me. I’m terrible at this, in case you didn’t notice already.”

“Honestly,“ Yeseo starts. "It’s cute. A welcome change from all the creepy guys who think I’ll fuck them the second I talk to them.”

You stare into your drink for a moment, hoping a bit more courage starts to manifest to drown the nerves. Yeseo, she’s beyond pretty, absolutely the prettiest girl in the whole goddamn bar—the least you can do is treat her with respect.

“So,” Yeseo says, as the bartender comes to slide you both new drinks. “You’ve bought me a drink. Now tell me something about yourself. Anything at all.”

Her demeanor is confident, composed—while you can barely handle looking directly into those eyes without feeling flustered. Your mind has already become a blur of indecision, so you blurt the first thing to cross your mind.

“Just moved here for work a few months ago. Don’t really know too many people. I met Xiaoting at a coffee shop and she showed me around the city, and somehow, she dragged me to come here for a night out.”

“XIaoting? Your friend over there?”

You just nod.

“Good for her. Drinking’s fun,” Yeseo says and takes a long, careful sip of her glass, crossing one bare leg over the other, as if that was enough to prove her point. “Probably the best thing to do in this city.”

“Have you been here a while, then?”

“A year or two,” she muses. “Moved out here to do some modeling, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills. Had to resort to doing some side gigs just to cover the rest.”

"Side gigs?” you repeat, raising an eyebrow.

“You know. A little erotic photography.” Yeseo sips at her drink, so nonchalant and casually. “The kind that satisfies people’s fantasies for the right price."

Oh.

You freeze mid-sip at the curveball you’ve been thrown, as you attempt not to choke on your own drink, unsure if you heard her correctly.

"Do you wanna see some examples? I can show you.” Yeseo pulls her phone out before you can even answer, tapping a few times before sliding the phone over, as if she has no sense of discretion whatsoever to share these with an almost complete stranger.

What you see on that small screen is tamer than expected, but nonetheless—you’re taken aback.

Yeseo’s all dolled up, wearing sheer white lingerie, posed suggestively on a black leather couch, legs all spread out for the camera to see—possibly in the exact same heels she has on now. She scrolls through, presenting each picture for you with a simple swipe of her finger. Different outfits, different poses, increasing levels of nudity.

It’s not until she gets near the end that the pictures leave little to the imagination, no clothes, only a suggestive stare, and strategic placement of objects blocking what matters most. By the time you return her phone, you’re jolted back to reality, the startling juxtaposition between these images and this cute, bright girl sitting right next to you.

“People pay a lot of money just for me to send those types of pics. Men mostly. Then they’ll pay extra just for me to pretend I’m their girlfriend. It’s kind of sad actually, but it pays well, and all I have to do is send pictures of my tits and pretend to be interested for a few hours.”

“The camera doesn’t really do you justice…” you say out of nowhere, and you can feel your face heating up when you finish that sentence, like you’ve found this modicum of courage.

“Well, thanks. Aren’t you the sweetest thing?” There’s something to that smile, the way Yeseo glances in your direction, those eyes so alluring, so damn beautiful. She runs her hand slowly through her long, dark hair, brushing it off to one side, before resting on the counter. “I can give you a closer look if you’d like. My apartment’s not far.”

You almost choke on your drink again.

Yeseo doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t hold back. The look in her eyes is completely irresistible, her gaze trapping you as she inches closer, making a quick move across the counter, a hand coming to rest on your knee.