My Shining Light

Chapter 37

It was out of character for Jinwoo to behave in such a petty way. Eunwoo obviously wanted to take Lucy out for a drink all alone so he could get closer to her. But Jinwoo couldn't help himself, he had to intervene.

He wondered how far he was willing to go to come between them. Was he going to follow them around and impose on every date they went on? He panicked when he realised that he actually had no plan whatsoever.

They were entering Top Tier Bar now, a place frequented by celebrities due to the size and security of its VIP section, a no-press zone where they could drop their masks and move about freely. 

Downstairs, a long L-shaped bar snaked around the room and the rest of the space was filled with standing tables and stools. In the area upstairs, some private booths overlooked the lower level while others were shaded by hanging curtains.

They joined two tables together and squished around them. Jinwoo tried to grab a stool for Lucy but Eunwoo beat him to it.

"Lucy, over here," called Eunwoo, taking her hand.

She looked down in surprise at his hand clasped around hers, but then smiled and let him direct her to a stool next to him.

By that look of uncertainty, Jinwoo sensed that Eunwoo mustn't have confessed his feelings to her yet. He'd been so worried when they both disappeared after the performance. When Eunwoo returned, he was grinning from ear to ear, his smile tormenting Jinwoo throughout the meal.

And that was how he ended up tagging along at this bar when he really should have gone home to bed.

Their drinks came, but when Lucy took a sip she gave a sour expression.

"Yuck! I think they made a mistake with mine! This is not an apple martini!" she cried. "I'll be right back, guys."

She got up from the table and headed towards the bar. She went to slide past a man who was walking in the opposite direction but halted the moment she saw him.

He looked to be around 30 years old, with an average build, longish black hair and a goatee.

When the man looked up and saw Lucy, he gasped aloud.

"Lucy?! L-L-Lucy..." he stuttered, fumbling over himself and bumping into a nearby table, spilling half his drink on the carpet.

Lucy pulled back as though just as stunned to see the man. They both stared at each other for a moment, before the man, looking like he'd seen a ghost, made a few incoherent stuttering sounds, bowed quickly, and then clambered to get away from her as fast as he could.

Jinwoo rushed over to her, "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, clutching at her glass so hard he thought it would shatter.

"Lucy, who was that man?" Jinwoo asked.

With her face turning pale, she answered so quietly he had to lean in to hear.

"Kim Hansung."

Who was Kim Hansung?

Jinwoo gently steadied Lucy's hand and redirected her back to the group's table.

"Can one of you get Lucy another drink?" he asked.

She allowed him to take the drink out of her hand and then hovered beside their table, looking lost in thought.

That man, Kim Hansung, seemed suspicious to Jinwoo, the look on his face looked somewhat... what was the word, guilty?

"Just going to the bathroom," he told the others before making his next rash decision of the night - to follow that man.