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IV.
The dimly-lit greenroom was hoarded with women rushing around. Tonight was a Friday night, the peak hours of rush.
Lalisa squeezed her fairly petite body through the women getting decked. The area reeked of sweat, drugs and one of her loathed things, cigarette. Taking out a baggy hoodie with sweatpants, she advanced towards the lavatory. The lavatory was seemingly intimidating which Lalisa found rather calm and relaxing. She stripped out of the golden, body-con dress, relaxed her naked body under the deluge.
Her ears instantly perked up when the water drizzle from the shower next door. "Chae, is that you?" Park Roseanne, Rosé or Chaeyoung was her only best friend. After Lalisa's divorce, Chaeyoung was the one who helped her. She never once mentioned about her divorce to her best friend. Up Until now it was only kept within her and Jimin, their boss.
Chaeyoung used to work as a bartender at Jimin's club, Dynamite and also ushered to work along with her. On the day of her interview, Jimin's personal secretary, Momo, unknowingly assigned Lalisa to the bar. A month passed by, Lalisa was still unaware of the club's owner. It wasn't until one night when a man tried to harass her; Jimin stepped in.
To say Jimin was merely shocked would be an understatement. Jimin often visited the Jeon's Residence, he and Lalisa met quite a few times. He knew Lalisa and Jeongguk had registered for a divorce which he was completely against of. Jimin wanted to oust Lalisa but couldn't. Perhaps it was due to his guilt trip.
The poor lady had nowhere to go, no one to base on. It was all because of his friend. So he let her work. Jimin also acknowledged how her friend was nescient about her being a divorcee. So he kept it that way. It was like their little secret.
"Yeah, it's me, queen Li" Chaeyoung joked. Lalisa chuckled at her words. Chaeyoung was a very flamboyant and lively person. She could cheer everyone up with her endearing personality. "My dear peasant, what complains have you brought in at the royal court, this day?" As she spoke, she smeared a handful of body wash.
A sigh escaped from Chaeyoung's mouth, "It's Jimin, you know. He's just so charming every time I see him, my heart aches. My heart aches because he's so ethereal, so buoyant and so much beyond of my grasp. Sometimes I wish I were an heiress -- a Chaebol or something or even a princess so that he can at least know that I exist." her voice was brittle, trying to hold back tears.
Chaeyoung indeed deserved to be a princess. If it wasn't for her father's untimely departure, her family wouldn't have gone bankrupt. Things would be better and maybe things would've worked out for her and Jimin. She admired him from the very beginning. From the day he interviewed her, she took an oath to work diligently and make herself presentable in front of him.
The reason behind her being a pole dancer also related to Jimin. He was amidst loan crisis and bankruptcy when he reopened Starlight. It was Momo's idea to hire dancers to entertain clients. Hiring dancers was very expensive so he discarded the idea. Momo told Chaeyoung about her idea and how he had eliminated it. She also thought it was a great idea.
So, she told him she'd dance. Jimin was so mad, he even wanted to fire her but her teary eyes halted him to do so. He couldn't use her just to scrimp his business, he wasn't like Jeongguk at the least. Eventually, he gave into her requests and even Lalisa volunteered to dance. Starlight received attention and was one of the most preferred bar in Seoul. He asked them to step back but they didn't. Lalisa loved dancing so she didn't. As for Chaeyoung, she just wanted to support Jimin even if they were parallel lines.
Lalisa knew Jimin felt the same as Chaeyoung, he just couldn't reciprocate his feelings. "Chae. you deserve to be the happiest person in this world. If you get no one to marry you, don't worry, I'll let a trash bag be my brother-in-law."
She could feel the other end glaring at her. "I'll go back first, are you coming?" Lisa asked. She tied her blonde hair with a towel and covered her body with another one. "No. Jimin asked me to stay back, he'll drop me home. You go first, be careful and feed Joohwangie. Also apologise to him on behalf of me" Chaeyoung's voice was muffled as the water was drizzling
"Apologise to that fish? No thanks." Lalisa snorted. She quickly changed in her clothes and made her way through the greenroom which wasn't crowded anymore since the dancers had left. She applied moisturising cream on her face, picked her bag before walking out through the back door.
The night was chilly. Lalisa rubbed her hands per se. The alleyway was dark, her palm trembled at the thoughts of sinister things. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing lights only to stop dead in tracks the next moment. She blinked profusely, processing everything slowly.
A slender figure stood across her holding a cigarette leaning on a black Bentley. It was a man. The man who put her in this position. Lalisa's breath became unsteady, her heart rate rapidly increased. She wanted to run from there. run to wherever her foot took her. Her bag fell on the ground as she saw the man's eyes on her.
She hadn't seen him in two years. Jeon Jeongguk, the opportunist, who just used her like a tester. Jeon Jeongguk, her first love. Jeon Jeongguk, the only man she had put her faith in. Jeon Jeongguk, the man who let others cynically laugh at her.
Reminiscing about those events turned her face dark. trying to ignore him like the plague. Lalisa walked past him however, she experienced a strong grip on her forearm. Her breath hitched as his perfume filled her lungs. Lalisa yanked his hand away and looked him in his eyes, "What do you want? After two years of leaving me in despair, two years of emancipation, what do you want?" She cried out.
Jeongguk was somewhat taken aback by her sudden outburst. He never expected the velvety, taciturn Lalisa to raise her voice. He had truly tore her into shreds. His guilty conscience started beating inside, "I-How are you?" his voice was laced with tenderness.
Faker.
"Mm, better. If you have nothing to say. I'll take my leave first." Lalisa didn't meet his eyes as she spoke rather fixated her eyes on the asphalt pavement. Without hearing what he had to say next, she resumed her walking. Jeongguk quickly met her pace, "It's late, let me drop you."
"Mr. Jeon, it's nearly morning now. You should care about your family at home. Thank you for your kindness by the way. My apologies for not accepting it." She shook her head.
Damn.
Jeongguk grabbed her wrist and forced her into his car. He quickly fastened his seatbelt and drove with an accelerating speed. Despite of countless screaming and shouting from the other side, he didn't tear his gaze apart from the road.
"Where do you live?" he asked. Lalisa knew if she didn't answer he was going to abduct her and dump her in his studio or warehouse. Jeon Jeongguk was an undecipherable mystery after all. "Hanhwa" her tongue clicked.
He harrumphed in displeasure, "That's such a cheap place to live in. Burglaries are on the rise i Hanhwa, how do you possibly live there?" A frown painted on her face. Wasn't this man too much? "I live in a peaceful environment. At least I feel at home there. Besides, you shouldn't really comment on my living status. You own no rights to, you're the reason I'm here"
A hard break followed causing the both to come forward. Although what she said lanced like a sharp knife but it was the bitter truth. Jeongguk continued driving without initiating a conversation.
Lalisa slammed the door on his face as soon as the car stopped. She was about to run when Jeongguk's frantic voice resounded in the back,
