THE LANDLORD (BBANGSAZ)

Chapter 15

HANNI

"Dirty martini, please," I shouted to the bartender over the noise of the crowd.

It was a Wednesday night, and I'd been sent to an album release party for an up-and-coming singer. According to my editor, there would be major gossip to pick up at the party, but so far all I'd done was eat too many fried goat-cheese balls and listen to bad pop music for an hour. The singer was only eighteen, and I'd already had to dodge groups of drunk teenagers on more than one occasion. I decided a drink was necessary to get me through the rest of the night.

I sipped my martini as I walked through the party. My mind wandered to Minji, and I wondered what she was doing. The last we'd spoken, she'd been getting ready for a date with that bitch from Jia's school.

Okay, she wasn't a bitch. But I hated the thought of Minji out with her. And while I was dying to know how it had gone, I wasn't about to ask Minji about it. I refused to seem like a needy girlfriend, especially because we weren't dating, and even more so because I was the one who'd encouraged her to go on the date in the first place.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hey, gorgeous," a voice said as I turned around. It was Jay, a fellow columnist.

I winced at the greeting. We'd hooked up a few times, usually after drinking too much at these events. He was attractive and fun to hang out with, but I hated when he called me pet names.

"Hey, Jay." I smiled as he pulled me in for a hug.

"I haven't seen you in a while." He grinned, his gaze lingering on my cleavage for a moment too long. "You look great."

We filled each other in on our lives after Jay bought us another round of martinis. Usually, I was happy to see him—he was fun and easy to be around—but tonight our conversation felt stale. I wasn't in the mood to flirt with him, and I certainly wasn't in the mood to go home with him. In fact, the more I talked to Jay, the more I missed Minji.

Shit. I was really in deep.

I told Jay I had to use the restroom, but really, I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts for a few minutes.

Lately, I'd been doing a lot of thinking about relationships. All this time, I'd thought that by avoiding a relationship I was being strong and independent, but in reality, I was just afraid to grow up. I was too old to be at this party, and I was too old to keep being afraid to live my life. It was time to make adult decisions and take a risk. Yes, I'd seen my sister get burned, but that didn't mean I would. And if I did, I'd pick myself back up. That's what a truly strong and independent woman would do.

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. For so many years, I'd been missing out on having a real connection with someone because I was afraid. But now I was ready.

Excited by my new realization, I smiled to myself. As I left the bathroom, I took a sip of my martini and looked through the party again, hoping to spot a budding romance between the pop star and one of the partygoers, or even maybe a fight. I hated to leave without any takeaways for my column.

Before I could find anything, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered. "Hello?"

"Hanni, hey, it's Minji." She sounded frantic, and I couldn't hear the rest of what she said over the noises of the party.

"Whoa, slow down," I said, quickly stepping out onto the balcony where a group of models were smoking. "What happened?"

"Jia's in the hospital."

My heart sank, and I put a hand over my mouth in shock.

"Is she okay?" I asked, already heading for the door.