For Love's Sake || Jeno

03: Break a leg

Naeun placed the drinks on the table. "Here's your order," she said. "Is there something else you'd like?"

"Not right now. I'll let you know, sweetheart," the middle-aged man spoke up. His salt and pepper ponytail looked greasy and when he grinned a gold tooth twinkled. His other two companions looked like twins. Both were bald with thick necks and even thicker arms. Naeun kept a neutral expression, turned around, and left them in their discussion.

With no more drinks to serve, she took her place behind the counter of the bar. "Here you go, ladies." She heard Johnny say over the soft music of the 'club.'

He placed the drinks on the bar and offered his most winning smile to the two women he was serving. The reaction was immediate. If there was a slim chance that the women would not have liked the blend, it was gone now.

Naeun watched the tall man as she dried a glass with a clean cloth. Johnny was his alias, she didn't know what his real name was. He was the owner of the club called The Seventh Sense, and also the secret hideout built underneath the club which was a meeting place for all the notorious criminals. If it weren't for Jeno, Naeun could not have even imagined that a place like this existed.

When she'd told him that she needed a job that paid well and that he should use his connections to get her one, he had thought that she'd lost her mind. He was more than willing to pay her for keeping his secret safe but Naeun refused. There was no way she would be able to pay three months' rent with Jeno's money. "Think of it this way," she had told him. "I know your secret and if you get me a job, you'll know mine." He had agreed after that.

The address he'd given her was much closer to The Ring. She wondered if there was a fight tonight in the area. But from what Jeno had told her, The Ring changed venues frequently. It was safer that way.

The two women had initiated a conversation with Johnny. He had his arms folded on the top of the counter and was leaning in a little while talking.

A small distance away, a group of men sat at the bar, making bawdy jokes and laughing loudly. As Naeun finished wiping the glass a man from their band came over and pulled up a stool in front of her. She lifted her eyes to meet those of the man with dyed red hair, wearing a flashy red suit and an equally crude wide grin. The posture that he assumed was identical to Johnny's. She wanted to turn away but she made herself smile back. "Hi, I'm Changwoo," he said.

"Hi," Naeun replied. She didn't want to tell him her name.

Before she could ask him about his order, he said, "and you must be leaving a trail of broken hearts in your wake," he said it like he was performing in a theatre.

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow at him, completely caught off-guard.

"All I'm saying is that you're beautiful." Naeun forced a smile then looked away. "Can I get you a drink?" He asked and the nature of his grin changed. Naeun realized he was making a joke. Usually, the bartender asked that question but in this case, it was the other way round. Not a very good joke, but Naeun grinned anyway.