ONE

Was it wrong to appreciate another woman’s sexiness? I mean, this wasn’t a strip club or brothel or anything, but the bartender that started working a few minutes ago probably beat out most of the women there. Not only was she attractive, but she also looked foreign and had the body of an idol.

I sighed, offing the rest of my drink. Becoming someone like her was unreachable for me; I was short, socially awkward, and average in appearance. She probably had a really attractive boyfriend or something. Unlike me, who has never been in an actual romantic relationship in my entire life.

I watched the TV mounted to the ceiling, playing with my empty glass while stealing glances at the pretty bartender whenever I could.

“Hey there, mind if I buy you a drink?”

The deep, male voice came from my left. Startled, I turned around and came face to face with a handsome, fierce looking, cleanly shaven man. One thing that I couldn’t help noticing was that his eyes were really big.

“Um, ok,” I replied hesitantly. Was he hitting on me?

“Bartender! Please get this lady a drink; it’s on me,” he said, signaling to the lady behind the counter.

“One second,” she said. Her voice was the kind that seemed to reverberate about the room; it was so cheerful that, paired with her smile and cheerful demeanor, just seemed to create a happier atmosphere.

“Thank you,” I said, bowing to him.

“No need to thank me,” he replied. I tapped my glass a few times before he continued again, “My name is Lee Jong Suk.”

“I’m Kim Taeyeon,” I replied.

“Kim Taeyeon … that name fits well on the tongue,” Jong Suk said. His gaze was warm and friendly, but the way he never broke eye contact uneased me.

“Oh really?” I said, unsure of how to respond. Why would he say that? Does he know someone with my name?

“So, what brings you here?” he inquired. I again felt his gaze bore into me, causing me to feel a mix of bashfulness and embarrassment.

“Oh! I just wanted a drink,” I replied simply.

“Is that so? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here—”

“Hi, how are you?” the bartender said, cutting the man short, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

The man smiled at the bartender. “No problem,” he replied, “Taeyeon-ssi, what would you like?”

“I’ll have what I just got,” I told her. The bartender stared at me, smiling warmly, as if she was expecting something. Was there something on my face? Did I do something wrong?

I started to panic, resisting the urge to pat down my face and body. “There’s nothing on your face,” the bartender said, giggling. Her giggle, just like her smile, was something else; it was musical and extremely uplifting. I could feel my mood improve, not that I was in a bad mood before.

“Oh,” I replied dumbly, my lips automatically curving into a smile.

There was something about this woman. I felt it; despite how shy I usually was, I felt drawn to her. She seemed strangely … familiar. It was the sensation of a memory is standing on the brink of discovery; it felt within grasp, but no matter the effort, it dangled just outside my fingertips.

“I’m sorry, but I just replaced the last bartender, so I don’t know what your previous drink was,” the woman said.

I felt my ear tips burn with embarrassment. “Oh, of course!” I said, smiling sheepishly, internally scolding myself, “It was the Sunshine.”

“Ah ok. One Sunshine coming up,” she said, giving me one last smile before turning around.

“Continuing from before, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before,” Jong Suk said. I tried to meet his gaze, but its intensity caused me quickly to shy away.

“Um, yeah, I’m on summer break from college right now,” I told him, fiddling with my empty glass.

“Is that so? Which college?” he asked. His motives again fell flat to me. Was he just making conversation? Why with me?

“A college in America called California Institute of Technology,” I told him. The name seemed to fall flat on him, though.

Before Jong Suk had a chance to reply, the bartender came back around with the drink in hand. “Here’s your Sunshine!” she announced, placing the glass in front of me, “Enjoy!”

“Thank you,” I said, taking the drink and taking a sip.

“I can’t say I have heard of that college before,” he mused.

“Oh really? It’s a pretty famous one.”

The proximity of the bartender’s voice to me jarred me. It took only a second to regain my senses, and when I did, I all but confirmed that the bartender was indeed from America. Her Korean was almost flawless save for a few words that gave away her American accent, but her knowledge regarding the existence of CalTech was probably rooted in her American upbringing.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m not that familiar with American schools,” he said apologetically.

“You must be really smart to have gotten into there, huh?” the bartender continued, making eye contact with me.

“Ah, I’m not that smart,” I quickly said, “I just … um, I was actually born in America and moved to Korea around 3rd grade, so I had an advantage over everyone else,” I explained to her.

She nodded, not the least bit surprised. Then again, why would she be? It’s not like that’s an absolutely ridiculous thing have happen to someone.

“I enjoyed talking to you Taeyeon-ssi, but unfortunately, I have to go meet with my sister now. I hope to see you again!” Jong Suk said, setting a few bills on the counter and getting up out of the seat.

“Oh, ok. Bye!” I turned around to wave at him. He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it, causing me to freeze up. He gave me one last grin before heading out of the bar.

I sat there, staring blankly at the door, the tips of my ears radiating heat. Did that just happen? “Wow, that’s a first,” the bartender said.

I snapped out of it and turned around to see her standing right in front of me, separated only by the bar’s counter. She had rested her arm on it, leaning forward slightly.

“Hm? What is?” I inquired, grabbing my drink.

“That JongSuk is a regular here, and he almost always leaves with the woman he flirts with,” she said, staring at the door.

“Oh,” I replied. After taking a sip, I fully realized what the bartender lady had said; was he flirting with me? Someone as attractive as him?

The bartender giggled again. “You’re special, huh?” she said, making eye contact with me again.

I blinked, diverting my gaze. No, there really isn’t that much that’s special about me, I wanted to say. However, all that came out of my mouth was, “I don’t know.”

I took another sip of my drink as I felt her gaze trained onto me. Why was she staring at me now? “Well, one thing I like about him is that he always leaves a very generous tip,” she said, collecting the money left on the counter.

“Hey, Tippany!”

Another male voice, a few seats to my right, called out. The bartender stood back up straight, removing her arm from the counter. “Don’t discredit yourself,” she said, smiling once again at me, this time in conjunction with her eyes, before heading off.