KEEP DRIVING ★ MARK LEE

prologue

"how 'bout we take a little bit of time away?"

★

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The same words drew out of his best friend's mouth every time they approached the bustling streets of this part of the city. What should be taken as sincere advice became more of an annoyance as the nights went on. Truthfully, it wasn't a smart idea. Yet, these type of nights with the smell of people's drinks splashed onto the sidewalks mixed with stray smoke coming from God knows where— these were the best types of ideas. It was a great idea, even.

"You didn't have to come tonight." he ran a hand through his dry hair, surprised the pigment of the charcoal dye didn't come off with it. The public didn't even have a clue his hair was back to black— they weren't gonna find out anytime soon either. The less they knew, the better. "Of course I'm gonna come, idiot. I'd rather drink again than go biking with Jeno and Jaem." Haechan shook his head at the thought. If he had to choose between throwing his guts up over pedaling for ten miles or taking ten shots, just make sure you only give him clear liquor.

"Don't question my decisions. You're just as much of an idiot as me being out here." he chuckled.

"I may be an idiot, but I'm not as stupid as you. Mark Lee's fifth night out in Itaewon— it's like you're trying to get caught." Haechan spoke through his teeth. The raven haired boy's eyes widened a tad at the sound of his name, hoping no one heard it. It was Haechan's third night out this week with Mark. All the other times Mark went to the club were with Jungwoo and Johnny. It also wasn't his first time being called out on his idiocy. His behaviors were out of the blue— off brand for him. Mark Lee was never the party type.

Yet, here he was. Flashing his ID discretely to the jumper. The way he avoided eye contact always made the men second guess if he was a minor trying to sneak in, but he just feared blowing his cover. If word were to get out that Mark Lee was bar hopping, it would be game over for him.

"Haven't been to this one before." Haechan ruffled his brunette hair, keeping his head low enough so no one could look directly into his eyes. It was like every other nightclub. Their shoes picked up the residue of everyone's spilled alcohol with each step they took. A cloud of humidity could be seen hanging overhead. Mark awkwardly shifted in his long sleeved shirt as they shoved past the pool of people. "Nothing special, I guess." White Rabbit. It was one of the bigger clubs in the city, bustling with natives and foreigners. Mark wasn't the picky type when it came to these places. They all looked the same.

"I need a drink." And they were all a little too gross when he was a little too sober.

As always, he kept his head hanging low. He even bit back the urge to say empty apologies as he bumped into drunks. His voice was an easy identifier. The Canadian accent always shined through his speech, no matter how long he lived in Korea at this point. One wrong move, this party persona of his would be going down the drain and onto the tabloids. The company would kill him if this got onto the tabloids. Though, he couldn't care enough to stop. He knew his label needed him more than he needed them.

"Just a vodka soda." he found himself on a barstool, talking to who he assumed was a woman bartending. He didn't bother taking his sunglasses off, or turning his head in her direction. All he heard was a light chuckle and a glass hitting the wooden counter.

"Is grey goose alright?"

His head snapped up abruptly at the follow up. His go to order at the bar was always a vodka soda. It always guaranteed no questions asked. That's what Johnny taught him, at least. Mark couldn't see the girl clearly through his frames, eyes squinting in confusion. She had one hand rested on her hip, the other wrapped around the handle of a fairly large bottle of liquor. The glass was frosted and skinny. He'd never ask about what vodka they used, but hell, vodka was vodka— and he needed some.

"Sure." he shrugged. Her body didn't turn away from him as she poured a couple ice cubes into his cup. She examined his posture and expression. Slumped.

"Too cool for me?" she broke the silence between them by yelling over the music. Mark's eyebrow quirked up at the comment, straightening his back on the stool. "What's that supposed to mean?" he wondered out loud. The girl poured an ounce of the clear into the cup, cracking a charismatic smile. "The shades. You know the sun went down approximately five hours ago, right?" she chuckled.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" he rested an elbow onto the bar. The tide turned quickly, making her gulp down the sudden dryness in her throat. She poured the club soda on top of the ice, careful to not overfill it. "What's the giveaway?" she pursed her lips forward, adding a slice of lime onto the rim.

Mark watched as she slid the cup over. Sure he couldn't see much through those damned shades, but he could tell her arms were tanner than most girls from Seoul. "Your accent." he kept his answer simple. He knew if he talked long enough, she'd pick up on his too.

"Fair enough. I'm just as Korean as you," she hummed, leaning onto the wooden counter. "Probably speak just as much English as you too." she suddenly switched to her mother tongue. She knew the mystery man understood her perfectly too by the look on his face. "W-What? How'd you kn—"

"You also have quite the accent yourself. Plus, no one here orders a vodka soda." she shook her head at the thought, continuing to speak in English. Mark gulped down the liquid harshly, scrunching his nose at the burning he still wasn't used to yet. "Slow down, champ. If you wanted shots you should've just ordered Soju like everyone else." she joked, pressing a few buttons on the electronic tab.

"Yeah, yeah." he grumbled. "Just... don't mention it to anyone, yeah?" he looked up at the girl's eyes for the first time that night. Finally, she caught a glimpse of his face under his shades at the angle he was at. "Secret's safe with me." she shrugged mindlessly. "Who are you? Spidey-Boy on his happy hour break?"

Mark cracked a smile for the first time that night. "Maybe I am." he played along, pulling out his wallet for the tab.

"W-What the? Forty dollars for a vodka soda?" he exclaimed.

The mystery girl smirked, raising her eyebrows at the boy's expression. She knew he was naive. "Piece of advice— always say no to the Grey Goose. That's how they charge you forty extra dollars, Spidey." she clicked her tongue.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

prologue— bad idea; ariana grande

★

definitely taking a somewhat different writing approach with this book. if any of y'all read subzero when it was still published, id say it's pretty similar

i hope this was a good first impression though hehe. i probably won't be updating this book as often as my other series but i have a lot of ideas in store :)