Entanglement | AMBW

Prologue

"I need two Baeksejus," Xia cautiously approached the bar for the first time for her shift. She spotted her favorite regular that just arrived with a friend, and she already knows what he wanted.

She avoided eye contact with the bartender and chose to look down at her freshly manicured apple green acrylic nails.  She scanned the bar area to see that the other staff didn't arrive yet for their shift.

A sigh escaped her mouth, and she was worried she would have to work the floor and bartend with him tonight.

"Baekseju?" She heard Jaebeom finally respond, but she didn't want to look at him. "Lemme guess... Jackson's here?" Jaebeom questioned the brown skin beauty. Xia still wouldn't make eye contact.

"Yes," she quickly responded and nodded. Xia looked up over at the television that hung above Jaebeom's head on the wall.

Jaebeom turned around and grabbed the drinks from the fridge. "Good, I need to talk to him anyway," Jaebeom turned back to face her. He grabbed two glasses. "Hey, Xi, we need to be at least cordial. Chemin will notice if we start acting differently," Jaebeom poured the drink into the glasses.

Xia finally worked up the courage to look up at him. "We're at work, so I'm going to be professional," Xia stared at him for a brief moment and noticed he did his makeup tonight. He looks good but not as good when she lets him do it.

Xia tried to fake a smile to show him that she wasn't bothered about what happened the other night, even though she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Jaebeom pressed his lips together and shook his head. He attempted to say something, but stopped. "Baby, it's not my fault. You know how my family is," Jaebeom replied.

Xia quickly grabbed the drinks. She didn't want to continue this conversation with him. "Whatever, pick them like you always do," She moved away from the bar, and took a deep breath. She didn't want to bring that energy to the table.

She planted a smile on her face and walked with her chin up, and shoulders held up high. She smoothly maneuvered through the crowded bar greeting everyone as she passed by.

One thing about Xia is she knows how to light up for her customers and provide the best service. Not to mention she knows how to get them to tip her good.

"Ms. Xia is in the building," Jackson lit up when he saw her approach the table. He did a little dance that made her laugh. "My favorite girl always knows what I like," Jackson observed her placed the drinks in front of him and his friend.

"My favorite customer always makes me smile. It always so nice to see you again," Xia affectionally smiled at him. "I see you brought a new friend," Xia smiled at his friend.

"Of course. I always love the music, the vibe here, and you always treat me so well," Jackson complimented her customer service, and that made her blush. He was always a bit flirty, but she never paid that any attention.

"How are you gentlemen doing tonight?" Xia asked.

"So, much better now," Jackson took a sip of his drink. He looked over at his friend and then back up at Xia. "How are you doing tonight? It's super packed. Who is coming tonight?" Jackson asked.

"Uh, this new talent. His name is Bangchan, I think... or ChanBang. I heard he's really good. I guess that's why so many people are here," Xia looked over the club once more, and nodded. "It's definitely a full house on a Wednesday night. We don't normally see this many people on a weekday," Xia said.

Xia couldn't help but notice out the corner of her eye was the unfamiliar guy glued to her. She decided to engage him in the conversation. "I'm not sure I've seen you here before. I'm Xia," She bowed.