Wild One | Bbangsaz

Chapter 6

Minji's

I click my phone off, smiling triumphantly at how I coaxed Hanni into dinner, and finish wrapping up the day's work. My good mood is even better because my best friend and I finally settled on plans to grab a drink tonight. Between my insane hours and Haerin trying to juggle work with family, we haven't met up in a couple of weeks, and I'll be damned if I'm going to be late.

I drive to Nealy's Bar, park at the curb, and stroll into the underlit den of neon with its peeling varnish and lingering scent of tobacco. This place is a first-degree shithole, but it's also one of our old college hangouts, so even though we both can afford much better now, we still visit from time to time for sentimental reasons.

I walk over to where Haerin is already sitting at the sticky bar and clap her on the shoulder. "Hey, glad I could drag you out."

Haerin swivels around on her stool with a wide grin. "It's been too long, Minji. I almost forgot what you look like."

I pull out my wallet and reach past Haerin to slap my credit card on the counter, which gets the bartender's attention. "I'm here now and you're stuck with me, so let's drink."

We order and pay at the bar, grab our cheap domestic brews, and head to a corner table where we can hear ourselves think over the jukebox wailing country music.

Haerin takes a long drink and smiles as she sets the bottle down. "Damn, that's good. I mean, I know it's practically horse piss, but somehow it tastes so much better when you're out of the house, right?"

"Well, it's sure not the company," I say, taking a slug of my own beer.

"Fuck you," Haerin says with a smile. "So, how's the high-powered lifestyle?"

I snort. "Like a tax attorney doesn't know how it feels to have money."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Come on," she says, "let a poor family live vicariously through you. Who's the flavor of the month this time?"

This ribbing is a game as old as Haerin's marriage. She likes to joke about how my life must be so easy and fun, just one big party, but I've seen how she worships the ground her wife and kids walk on.

"We both know damn well you'd never trade places with me."

She shrugs. "Who says I want to? All I'm asking for is a quick peek at the sweet life. And the only thing I like more than a good dirty story is annoying you."

I play along by heaving an exaggerated sigh of annoyance. "Well, if you insist, but it's just the usual debauchery. Fast cars, fast women, snorting coke off the copy machine, keg stands on the conference table."

That gets a laugh out of her. "You're right, I shouldn't have asked. Falling asleep here."

I chuckle, dropping the fake tone. "Really, it's been the same old grind. I'm still up to my eyeballs in contract negotiations. That little bookstore downtown we're trying to buy still won't give us the time of day. You know, the regular shit I always bore you with." I can't resist adding, "Although I do have a date tomorrow night."

Haerin bounces her eyebrows at me. "A date? I didn't know you still bothered wining and dining women before screwing them. Picking up sorority girls in bars seems more your style."

I chuckle into my beer. "For your information, asshole, I go on real dates all the time. They just don't result in girlfriends."

For a moment, I consider dropping the subject and not revealing anything else. But Haerin is my best friend. I don't like lying to her. Plus, I have to have someone to talk to about this, and I know she won't meddle.