THE LANDLORD (BBANGSAZ)

Chapter 1

HANNI

"I need to get laid tonight."

Danielle laughed while Sullyoon handed out a round of tequila shots.

I tossed back the shot, screwed my face up, and stuck my tongue out, trying not to cough. "It's so bad," I said on a groan, the liquor burning my throat.

"Here." Danielle shoved a lime wedge into my mouth.

After our second (or was it the third?) round of tequila shots, I had pretty much confirmed that I was no better at downing them now than I had been in college. And yes, I knew that I was probably too old to drink tequila shots, but I was determined to reclaim part of my youth with my two best friends before I officially turned twenty five at midnight.

"Happy birthday, Han," Sullyoon said, handing me a Corona this time.

"Cheers to being twenty five." Danielle grinned as we clinked bottles.

"twenty five and homeless," I added, taking a large swig.

Danielle shook her head. "You're not homeless. You just . . . don't have anywhere to live."

Sullyoon and I laughed, used to her constant optimism.

My roommate had just gotten engaged, and a couple of weeks ago she'd sat me down to tell me I was being evicted. My stomach sank as I thought about our conversation. Apparently, she and her new fiancé didn't want me third-wheeling all the time. Which was understandable, but it didn't make me any less upset to have to move out of my rent-controlled apartment that was just down the street from my favorite coffee shop and frozen yogurt shop. You know what they say . . . Location. Location. Location.

"How's the search?" Sullyoon asked, shoving a lime wedge into her beer.

"I put a deposit down on an apartment this week," I said, taking a swig. "I just need to go look at it tomorrow and make sure the landlord isn't a psychopath."

I'd found the apartment through an online ad. It seemed promising, spacious with lots of light and a nice little nook where I could set up an office. I wrote a successful weekly gossip column, and since I worked from home, a comfortable place to write was an important part of my living space.

"Enough adult stuff." Danielle put her arm around my shoulders. "We're here to celebrate."

"One more beer and I'll officially be drunk," Sullyoon said, scanning the bar. "Which means we should find you a guy now before the beer goggles set in."

Sullyoon, Danielle, and I had all been roommates in college. Danielle was a serial monogamist who had gotten married when we were twenty-four, and Sullyoon had married her long-term boyfriend last year. Ever since they'd said I do, they'd tried to set me up with basically every available guy in a fifty-mile radius.

I didn't mind the setups as long as the guy wasn't expecting to get into something serious. I liked my life the way it was and lived by my personal motto: Don't mess with a good thing. Besides, after watching my sister go through a very messy divorce with the man who was supposed to be the love of her life, I wasn't exactly in a rush to settle down.

I looked around the bar. There were plenty of guys, but nobody who excited me. I needed to find someone who was looking for the same thing as me. Fun, casual sex. No strings attached.

I was on the verge of giving up when I saw her.

My breath caught in my throat, and my heart did a little jump for joy. She was leaning against the bar, casually sipping a beer. She looked like she was in her early to mid thirties, and trust me when I say she was the total package. Tall with long dark hair and a killer smile. She wore a perfectly tailored suit, like she'd just come from the office. I was a huge sucker for a guy in a nice suit, and based on the way it fit, I had a feeling she'd look even better without it on.