I Like The Beach Better [BL]

𝓔𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮 41

⚠️T/W: MENTIONS OF HOMOPHOBIA AND SENSITIVE TOPICS!⚠️

-•☆•-

Mrs. Hyojoo nervously checked her watch, her heels clacking against the sidewalk as she hurried down the dimly lit street. She had received a cryptic text message from an unknown number, demanding that she visit June-Way, in secret in the middle of the day— What could this be about?

"Visit your bar. Sharp at 12 p.m."

As she approached the door to the closed bar, Hyojoo hesitated. The text message had been too ominous to ignore. 

"Visit the bar or else your son will be in trouble," it read. Hyojoo could not take any chances, not when it came to his beloved son.

The woman pushed through the door open and stepped inside, her heart pounding in her chest.

The familiar scent of alcohol and smoke filled her nostrils, but the bar was deserted, save for a shadowy figure who emerged from the back room.

"Hi, Hyojoo! How have you been?"

"I had a hunch that it would be ," Hyojoo said, trying to keep her tone confident. "No one else could have the guts to threaten me," Hyojoo's whispers were barely above muffled cries. 

"Did you miss June-Way, dear?"

"Are you crazy? You did not invite me over to my own bar to talk about my own feelings, did you?" The woman enshrouded with a black cloak over her grey blazer skirt with an exasperation sighed, "It is you…right?"

The figure stepped closer, shrouded in mystery, but the familiarity of their voice caught Hyojoo off guard. 

"You know me," the figure said in a low, husky voice. "You know why you're here."

"But why now, in the middle of the d-" the younger woman was cut off.

"Hyojoo, night attracts more curiosity. And I believe that is not what we are seeking right now."

Hyojoo's eyes widened in recognition as the figure emerged from the shadows, revealing herself,

"How have you been, my dear Hyojoo? I hope you did not forget this old friend of yours, this Mrs. Sejin Yang of yours. Have you?"

Hyojoo had known Sejin for years, but they had fallen out of touch. This was the last person she had expected to see here, but had probably waited for every hour and every minute to be reconciled. 

"Sejin…" Hyojoo asked, her overwhelm evident.

"It's complicated," Sejin replied cryptically. 

"I need your help. My son, Sehun, has gotten involved with some dangerous people, and I don't know what to do. I heard that you have connections, that you can help me."

Hyojoo sighed. It was always something with Sejin. But Hyojoo wasn't one to back down from a challenge, shredding her overripe emotions. 

"Fine, work talks only I guess," she said subtly disappointed, "What do you need?"

Sejin leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need you to find out who my son is involved with," she said. "I can't let him get hurt, but I can't risk being seen investigating this myself. I am not safe…

"Please, Hyojoo. I need you."

Hyojoo weighed her options. This was sketchy, even for Sejin, but at the same time, she knew that Sejin wouldn't come to her beseeching unless things were really desperate. "Okay," she said finally. "I'll help you, but you have to promise me one thing."