Bar

@Dong Youngbae Jiyong was certainly not amused with the rip in his shirt and his tolerance had peaked. The blonde male often picked fights, but they hardly meant anything. They were over quite quickly as well because both sides instantaneously concluded the commotion wasn't worth their time. But this was more than that. These guys didn't give in. They didn't see their wrong doing. They couldn't just forgive and forget. And above that, they ripped Jiyong's shirt. That wasn't something the latter was going to let slide.

Without thinking it through, Jiyong tossed his cigarette towards the male that had torn his shirt. The other was just in time to make a small jump backward before the ashes landed on his shoes and with his lips tightly pressed against each other, he filled his chest with air and threw a solid punch Jiyong's way. The smaller male saw this coming, of course, because the other was taking too much time to build up the strength of his blow. Jiyong effortlessly crouched through his knees and rolled his shoulder backward to dodge the hit so he was able to jab a fist into the gang member's jaw. The man stumbled back, grunting in agony, but Jiyong had no mercy. He jumped right towards the taller, both males tumbling clumsily to the ground and before he knew it, the rest of the gang had surrounded them. It didn't take long for the blonde to get picked up by his waist and arms, not able to resist the strength of a group and this time he was the one to make a trip to the asphalt. There was nothing much he could do anymore other than hold his arms in front of his face; the only defense he had as he got kicked, stepped on and pulled at from every possible direction.

@Dong Youngbae Stumbling down the street further, my body trembled harder against the cold and my ungracious attire that wasn’t suited for fall mornings. I rubbed my thin arms as I made my way out of the res light district, toward the nearest coffee shop I knew of, praying it opened at 5 and that my mind wouldn’t play tricks on me. My sense of time was off, I knew that at the least.

Making my walk brisk, I made it about 3 blocks before I heard the very close gun shots and cry that made me pounce like a cat into mid air. On instinct, my hand reached under my dress to my hand gun that was strapped to my thigh, becoming fully aware of my surroundings as I moved towards danger. I got to an alley way and saw two figures, one on the ground and the other standing over with a long gun. “Blood water!” I yelled the co word down the alley. I was responded with more gun shots, this time aiming my direction, which made clear this guy was not of Triad, so I had permission to kill. I jumped behind a metal trash can as the shots continued, before leaning over it and foreign three fast shots. I didn’t realize there was another guy at the other end of the alley, as when he fired I felt something hard and hot slam my shoulder and cause me to hide again behind the can. I grit my teeth as I heard the closest one move forward while he shot, and I jumped up, chopping the gun away from my body as I wiped a punch across his face, kicking him hard in the crouch so he was knocked to the ground, before putting two bullets into his skull. I then rolled and the last guy fired again, feeling a catch and burn in my opposite shoulder as I ducked hard down to the ground to get cover. Warm liquid was running down both arms, polarizing the cold air. I couldn’t lift my arms up, and I realized the burn went into my collarbone , and my upper body started locking and refusing movement. “!” I grit my teeth from the overwhelming pain.

@Jennie Kim Silence accompanied me as you deliberated your positive outlook on life versus my less than optimistic realism point of view. My poignant gaze rested upon you figure from seat to doorway even long after you’d bid me a farewell. With a shrug of the shoulders relinquished all thoughts of our previous conversation or so I thought as they served me no purpose. Not here... Not now, nor did I perceive such optimistic imprudent thoughts aiding me in the future. “Whatever you say, goodnight Miss and good luck,” I said thoughtless fully aware my words would fall upon deaf ears.

It had nearly been the rising of the dawn when I finished closing up my establishment for the night. The morning rays had not yet come out to greet me as the continued to linger on wearily within the darkness of the early morning. Placing my jacket over my shoulders a cooling breeze hungrily nipped at my sensitive flesh. “Hmm fall already uh?” It felt like the summer idea just came and left without a moment's notice. Closing the door behind me I survived my surround area only to discover not a single soul in sight. Shoving my hands in my pockets to reach for another cigarette to satisfy my terrible habit I began to light it and then that when I heard it, two gunshots and a blood-curdling howl.

@Kwon Jiyong Keeping a watchful eye upon you with an underlying hit of apprehension in my gut that you would patronize the group of men and only further escalated the situation. To my surprise, I was pleased to see you finally took it upon yourself to separate. I gave you a grateful nod once I witnessed you regain control over your composure. Heading back behind the barkeep I resumed my duties naturally. Picking up an old washrag I began to dry the mug continuing to keep a vigil watch for any signs of uncivil like conduct. I only felt it appropriate to breath easy once I saw you make your way safely out of the establishment. Well...that was until I notice the party of men exit as well one by one. My eyes narrowing on the passage the group previously vanished from and it didn’t take me long to do the math in my head. I released a heavy weary breath. Bring my thumb and middle finger to the bridge of my nose I closed my eyes as the last thing I wanted near my bar was a blood bath. I’d gone three years in the area clean without incident. I damn sure didn’t want cop or even worst corpse on my back doorstep.

“,” I whispered to myself wanting absolutely nothing from the situation. It had nothing to do with me and I’d like to keep it that way. Then again, a dead man discovered in my alley trash ben would also be extremely poor for business and yet again I would have to pay off another cop to say he saw and knew nothing. Taking a moment or two to deliberate with myself which course of action would suit me best remained silent…” me!” I roared scaring nearly half of the unsuspecting customers and cause a tilted wave of bewilderment to the other half once I throw the dishtowel down and made my way towards the alley.

@Jang Yeeun Silence accompanied as well as an amused stare watching the young woman scoff away from the commotion. Taking no offense to you ignorant generalize of the man's gender I took only last look of warning at the other group of gentlemen before making my way back to behind the barkeep. My fingers laced around the washcloth as I resume my duties of dry the glass, mugs, and plates. It was only when I heard a familiar a female voice summon me did I pay you any heed. Tilting my head in your direction offered you a poignant gaze before parting my lips. “I think you have quite enough Miss. May I offer you a glass of water instead?”

@Dong Youngbae Yeeun turned her head to look at the man. She scoffed as she turned away. "Men.." She muttered as she went back to the bar sitting down 'Who is he...' She thought to herself as she motioned for another drink. Taking her glass she her stool crossing her leg as she watched him carefully, studying him.

@Dong Youngbae The warning they got from the bartender had both of them stop mid-action, their bodies barely a few centimeters apart as their fingers were tangled in each others' shirts. Jiyong was the first one to let go, holding his hands up and taking a step back, daringly staring into the elder man's eyes. It took the other a few seconds longer, but eventually, he loosened his grip as well. With a small tug, Jiyong was able to pull himself free before he turned around to leave. Despite the interference, the gang members kept their ground, all skeptical eyes on the blonde in the middle who they weren't planning on letting go that easily. But the thirty-one-year-old male pushed through the crowd anyway, shoving his elbow in sides that didn't want to budge. He felt a lot of fingers trying to snake around his arms and pulling on his T-shirt mockingly, but Jiyong was able to reach one of the empty seats on the other side of the bar with nothing other than a few scratches. He sat down on the bar chair and leaned his elbow onto the counter, wiping his face with the palm of his hand before glancing towards the bartender, holding up his hand as soon as they made eye-contact. He held up two of his fingers, almost a weak peace sign, as a thank you for stopping the previous encounter.

Despite the amount of alcohol he drank that night, close to the end of his stay he was starting to feel a little sober; a nagging headache forming in the back of Jiyong's head. He tsk'ed to himself before fishing out a pack of cigarettes from the back of his jeans pockets, deciding today had been long enough and he better go get some sleep. As Jiyong got outside he pushed the rolled tobacco stick between his lips and fired the tip, the sidewalk in front of the bar almost as crowded as inside. Somehow, was it Jiyong's drunken state or some wind passing through the buildings, the blonde was unable to light his cigarette and he grumbled in dissatisfaction. He stopped in his tracks and held a trembling hand above his lighter. Alcohol had a weird effect on the latter's body, despite him having used the beverage for years. Jiyong hadn't realized he stopped in front of an alley right next to the bar - probably the backdoor passage of the workers of the bar - until he heard a few voices emerging from the shadows. He wasn't intending to, but he accidentally heard a small part of the conversation going on.

"I thought that hitman was going to kill us." One guy laughed, his voice sounding like it came from an elderly; vocal cords raspy and deep. Jiyong was finally able to light his cigarette once he turned towards the group of males, interested in this 'hitman'. "What hitman?" A second one asked, this male a lot younger than the first one. And Jiyong found himself asking himself the same question. A hitman?

"You know, the bartender. He's been MIA once his wife-" The sentence was abruptly cut off and the blonde took a step closer towards the alley, wondering if his ears didn't catch the continuation of the sentence.

"You again?" he then heard a familiar voice, this time a lot louder than the previous talking. It took Jiyong a second to realize they were talking to him and when he looked up, he was facing one of the gang members from before. "What are you doing here?" A second question, but the blonde still did not answer. He calmly pulled the cigarette from his lips and blew the smoke right into the face of the taller male in front of him. "What happened to the wife?" Jiyong casually asked, not even the slightest bit uncomfortable by the closeness of the male in front of him. One would've called him intimidating by the way his face was tilted downwards, eyebrows knitted together.

The guys didn't seem to like the question though and as soon as one of the males in the alley mumbled something in the lines of "so unrespectful", the guy in front of Jiyong pulled their bodies flush against each other by his shirt before turning their position around, pushing the smaller male into the passageway. Due to the force used, Jiyong's clean white shirt ripped from his left shoulder until his sternum. With his cigarette still between his fingers, he opened his arms in shock. "What the hell, dude?!" He raised his voice this time, not wanting to tolerate this gang once more.

@Dong Youngbae Jennie let out a sharp, low whistle, turning to the male slowly as a chuckle escaped past her lips, eyebrows perked. “Woof, brother you are quiet the pessimist.” She continued to chuckle, just out of pure shock because she didn’t expect him to hold so much bitterness in his shell. Every man and women had a story, a reason for their brokenness and daily reaction to a one moment trauma. She admitted and agreed to that.

“You do know what it is, you just lost in a long time ago.” She spoke as she stared back down at her drink, kind of like it was her crystal ball into everyone’s soul, but...nah she was too exhausted to dive that much into a intellect. Thinking hurt at this point and Jennie massaged her temple while checking the time again. Literally it was only 4:31. “Mmm, I think the issue with your theory is we’re much more looking and experimenting than pretending.” She looked back over to the male again as he smoked more heavily from his cigar. “Pretending means you’ve never experienced a better, but even for the worst of the pack there was one moment when things were just a bit better.” The girl tossed back her drink down the hatchet and stood herself up. “I’ll wait outside the shop for coffee,” she stumbled a bit off the bar and giggled, as if she was drunk, but she defiantly wasn’t, she just was diluted in the brain. She kept tripping over to the door, putting her head in her hand as she leaned on the wall to get her to the door, sighing in grief the bartender very clearly was not going to help with. “Have a good night~” she called over to the guy as she pushed on the heavy door to let herself out.

@Jennie Kim “Huh, suit yourself,” I replied nonchalantly as I didn’t have the heart to tell you that the Bar had in fact been closed for the past hour. I’d only allowed to you to stay simply for the fact that it was very evident the you found solitude and comfort in the old pub. Whether it was your moral compass of guilty conscience keep you up at night at least your found some kind of reprieve within the confines of these wall even if it was only a temporary solution. Inhaling yet another drag of smoke I closed my eyes questioning myself when was the last time I so much as thought about my own moral compass. For the part of me vanished...Well, since the day I lost her.

Exhaling the smoke cloud of smoke into the air before ashing out my cigarette I then finished my glass of whiskey. “Moral compass huh? I don’t even know what the hell that is nor what it’s good for. So you’ll just have an excuse my inability to relate or empathize,” I commented with a calm voice yet, there was clear undertone of bitterness that resides with it. “ Humanity too, for that matter. In my humble opinion we all just a bunch of goddamn dirty animals pretending to be better than what we actually are at our core,” I added as I refocused my gaze elsewhere. “So you can rest easy,”

@Dong Youngbae “I can’t sleep,” she answered the other as she looked down at the left over brown liquid of her nearly finished drink, swirling the contents around via shaking the glass container. ”my moral compass won’t allow it, for the sake of my humanity.” She chuckled bitterly and finished off the rest of her drink, setting the glass down firmly. The call girl looked over to the dashing bartender as he took a hit of his cigarette. Her gaze locked on his when he turned to look at her this time. She chuckled at his almost stereotypical warming of her being in danger in public buildings during night hours. “Thankfully I can handle those issues with no problems. Besides you shift doesn’t end for what...another 1/2 hour? I’ll wait till then~” she gave the other a playful little smile. She needed to waste as much time as possible being here before work. Coffee shops didn’t open for another 1/2 hour anyway, so rather be indoors I’m a unoccupied bar than walking around the res light district.

@Jennie Kim "Huh," Lifting a quizzical brow in your direction attached the string of your words I simply shrugged before returning my lips to the glass rim. "Lack of sleep eh?" I repeated the words out loud as if I was verifying there meaning to myself. Tilting my head towards you I could tell that you've seen more than just a few restless nights. "If you're so exhausted why haven't you gone home to rest. Or better yet see a physician for your insomnia?" I asked in a flat tone as I retrieved a cigarette from my coat pocket. Placing the toxin betwixt my lips then lit it up and inhaled long drag before expelling it in the opposite direction of you. "This place is not the best place for a lady to be in these late hours. Especially not in apart of town like this," I locked my gaze on you once more studying your disposition for moment or two. "You should really get home and get some rest miss. The Basilisk bar will be here tomorrow as well,"

@Dong Youngbae It took Jennie a hot couple minutes to register that the bar tender, because the night was basically through, was sitting in the stool next to hers, drinking the same liquor just in a separate glass. She didn’t mind him once she noticed him, actually liking the calm warmth that graced from his body, attempting to radiate unconsciously onto her cold one. She heard his voice and took another second as she blinked her mind awake again, processed, and then smiled gently, chuckling. “I’m sorry I don’t make the shift less boring,” she sat herself up, stretched her slim arms straight into the air, flexing and taking a deep breathe to regain some energy, before sighing and letting her arms wilt back down to the bar counter, picking up her glass and shooting back a larger sip. Good burn, and then of course gone in the next moment. “I’m having a hard time sleeping...” lack of sleep made her more prompt to be open, as well as she felt she wasn’t properly answering the gentlemen’s questions. “I’m grateful to have a clean, well lighted place that’s awake like me...” she laughed a couple seconds after her statement, running her fingers through her scalp. “I’m sorry, I’m not making much sense... just thankful the bar is here .”

@Jennie Kim My expression remains unchanged at I merely nodding in acknowledge of your appreciation. My eyes stare out the emptiness of the pub gazing at nothing in particular as I allowed my mind to run free. Taking in another calming sip I rolled the liquid around my tongue enjoy the savory taste and sadistic burn before swallowing it. To be honest I didn't know my purpose or meaning for seating next to you. I didn't intend to prying out questions why you were here long after the bar was closed knowing that sunrise was just beyond the border. To me, it only seemed like the appropriate gesture to do. Turning my gaze in your direction I allowed once poignant stare to scan of all your facial features. Your long hair, soft porcelain young face and big brown discompose eyes. If I had asked I wondered how many stories could be told behind those eyes of yours. With a calming breath, I finally spoke up.
"I know the drinks here are good but you have slowly become one of my most frequented customers these past few days,"

@Dong Youngbae And like that time flew by while it dragged on. Jennie’s eyes were opened, must most everything else had turned off as she leaned her face into one hand and tilted her glass to her lips in the other. Once done with the strong drink that burned for a couple seconds before going back to numb nothing, her fingers played with the exterior of the glass, the thick square design and the rounded smooth circular top so mouths wouldn’t be cut. The simple observation consumed a good chunk of time, but then..it was right back to the reason she couldn’t sleep. Guilt. Memories. Deep questions about her life choices and other routes she could’ve taken and how to function and what functioning really was versus living—
Jennie jumped a bit late as she felt the glass leave her hand, and looked up to find the bartender refilling it for her. She looked up to the clock on the bar wall and sighed as he mentioned it was on the house. It was 4:30 in the morning. Except for one other person, it was just Jennie and the kind bartender in the building. It was so quiet minus the light playlist in the background. “T-thank you,” her hands started trembling again as she tried to pick up the glass and she sighed under her breathe, retreating her hand to her lap in attempts to rub out the spazzing muscles. There was so much built up anxiety and stress, it felt like her chest was going to explode. She actually began rubbing her sternum with the back of her hand, forgetting there was a attractive man present, her face squishing up in irritation and pain.

@Kwon Jiyong The hour was late at hand and the day felt as if it would never end. With a weary breath, I let out a sigh of relief as if summoning the courage and strength to carry on with my daily task. "Just a few more hours," I mumbled to no one in particular. There were some days where I felt I could run my entire business effortless and then there were days like this one were I felt the heavy burden of being overwhelmed and even sometimes consumed by my daily life. Much life a hamster on a wheel going round and round I'd often wondered if I content or was I just making busy work to past the time I had left on earth. A sudden burst of commotion erupted from corner where I saw to males quarreling. Over what, I was not certain... All I knew these two better not up the evening for me.

My eyes following you closely as the last thing I had on my agenda tonight was to babysit a novice drinker. I froze in place once the hostile exchange of words erupted betwixt you and another equally inebriated gentlemen. With a roll of my eyes, my brow knitted together in dismay once the volume of the quarrel heightened to inappropriate levels.

“Enough!”

I stood a mere arms distance from you and now anger male. “I’m only going to say this once. If you two are incapable of playing nice and control your drinking in here, I’ll have to ask you two leave,” I declared as I casually flung the old over my shoulder tilting my head to both parties. “And I’m not too fond of repeating myself twice got that. So play nice kids,” I said in a calm voice but my demeanor and undertone were nothing.

@Jang Yeeun It had been a long yet another long wearisome day for me. ‘The Basilisk’ Bar hadn’t been as business as it normally was during the weekends however, it was abnormally occupied for a weekday. With my washrag in hand, I continued to dry the residue of the mugs and glasses to a brilliant shine before placing them down orderly. My gaze roamed over to an unfamiliar intoxicated female grasped my attention. I watched silently her sway here in there and it was more than apparent that she had drunk beyond her moderate share. My eyes following you closely as the last thing I had on my agenda tonight was to babysit a novice drinker. I froze in place once the hostile exchange of words erupted betwixt you and another equally inebriated gentlemen. With a roll of my eyes, my brow knitted together in dismay once the volume of the quarrel heightened to inappropriate levels.

“Enough!”

I stood a mere arms distance from the young woman and now anger male. “I’m only going to say this once. If you two are incapable of playing nice and control your drinking in here, I’ll have to ask you two leave,” I declared as I casually flung the old over my shoulder tilting my head to both parties. “And I’m not too fond of repeating myself twice got that. So play nice kids,” I said in a calm voice but my demeanor and undertone were nothing.

@Jennie Kim The time between our pleasant banter was only eclipsed by the melancholy shadow that haunted your visage. Even the delight of your laughter was unraveled by the zeal of your dejected demeanor. Torn for a moment whether or not I should pry in matters that did not concern me lingered in my consciousness. I decided to leave the conversation on a pleasant note before I returned to my station and attended to my fellow customer's needs. The evening carried on as usual and the hours flew by and ever now and then I caught myself taking note of your presence making certain you were still in a suitable state. Well at least physically, I suppose. Soon patrons one by one began to retire for the evening and the night began to settle into a tranquil state and yet, there you were still. Silent as before with only an empty glass to accompany you. With a heavy exasperated breath I and shook my head then replenished your glass and filled up my as well. “Here, this one is on the house, Ma’am. You look like you could use one,” I said as I invited myself to accompany you taking in a sip of the refreshing beverage then said nothing more.

@Dong Youngbae *rings on his fingers

@Dong Youngbae As Jiyong got back from the bathroom, pushing his already drunken self through the crowd, he accidentally bumped into a slightly taller male sitting at the bar, in the midst of getting up from his seat. The collision was big enough to jerk the blonde's thinly clothed shoulder back and have him take a look at the person that caused the impact. Not seeing any wrong doings from his own side, he waited a second to receive an apology. But he soon realized he wasn’t getting one, but didn’t care either. He chose to move on and ignore the matter. Jiyong was about to continue his way towards an empty seat a few meters away, but the taller dude had other plans. "Hey!" He yelled over the loud banging music, obviously not seeing his own wrong doings either, “where do you think you’re going without an apology?” The voice was hoarse from the amount of alcohol he drank already, but he seemed way steadier on his feet than Jiyong. Yet, the younger male turned ninety degrees to face the taller. “Yeah, that’s right. Apologize, .” It wasn’t the first time the blonde male got called like that. He assumed his appearance somehow resembled homouals; ripped, light coloured jeans hanging loose around his hips, showing a few centimetres of his black bowers as if the belt was just for show and a simple white T-shirt on top, his tattoos clearly visible on his bare arms and a combination of thick things around a few of his fingers. Not that he cared. Jiyong never really cared about anything much. He just tilted his head to the side as he looked at the obviously unfair match; the latter a lot broader and heavier than his slim figure. Without much thinking, Jiyong reached out towards the bottle of beer on the bar table, standing right in front of the larger male — which meant it was probably his — and brought it up to his lips, gulping down a good amount of bitter Corona. “Oh- was this yours?” Jiyong deliberately faked a surprised expression, but his act didn’t last long as the other male whacked the bottle out of his hand before grabbing a hold of his white shirt, pulling the latter closer. Jiyong wasn’t one to give in and roughly pushed against the man’s chest to free himself. The man, not expecting such force, tumbled backwards and fell against two bar chairs, miraculously able to keep himself on his feet. But Jiyong wasn’t as lucky today, because the man he had just started a fight with was a gang leader, and the suspicious circle that had formed around the tattooed male were probably the gang members. And they weren’t looking very happy.

@Dong Youngbae I sighed to myself as I looked around the crowd for anything interesting, although my mind and vision was fuzzy. "Ugh I need to stop drinking so much." I sighed to myself setting down my glass and started to walk through the crowd. Some people smelt amazing and some just straight up made me want to puke, not that I wasn't already feeling nauseous with all the drinks I had. Why was there so many people in here anyway? It was just a stupid plain ol' bar. I winced as a tough hand grabbed my wrist. "LET ME GO!" i shouted pulling away from the grasp. "Hey... Hey y... why so feisty.. didn't your daddy teach you any manners?" the man said snapping me back to all the disgusting memories I had of him. Before I knew it I blacked out and punched the crap out of the mans' nose. "OW < YOU ING !" he shouted causing heads to turn as he grabbed me by my neck.

@Dong Youngbae Her mind swam with ugly thoughts of the day. The people she had to literally watch suffer, handing them over like objects. Because they were objects. But they weren’t...they were human beings, and she would not want to be in their place. She fought against the ideas of “survival of the fittest” though it just hurt her head more. She stretched out her wrists and palms, trying to stop the light trembles for the sake of attention. She prayed no one noticed. She saw the drink float near her on the counter, and blinked back into the present of being in a slightly muffled bar, looking up to the bartender who asked the normal question of service, and yet as soon as Jennie locked eyes on him, she knew he was trying to see. He wasn’t the average bartender trying to get through his shift to get home and enjoy some “me” time, but his genuine concern she could ready very visibly as he tried to reach past her exterior into her soul, not evasively, more out of care...took the secretary lady back in surprise, causing her to blink and pause her autopilot response. “U-um...” she broke into a gently laugh, looking down at her drink. If he could see, probably others could see visibly she was stressed, and she tried o lighten up. “This is fine for now, thank you” she gave him a understanding nod.

@Jennie Kim Taking a moment to for myself the bar as it was no in full swing at this hour. Not a disorderly as it could be and yet not as calm as I'd like it. In the same breath, I couldn't complain too much business is business and on this day business was good. Grabbing hold of the nearby dish rag I began wiping down the glass when I felt a presence enter the door. The young woman looked restless and somewhat weary from whatever it was the held her mind hostage. Curious...I thought to myself. How such a beautiful woman could appear so melancholy on the inside. Then again wounds that are on the inside leave damage far greater than anything the could ever bleed on the outside. I was a prime living example of that myself. With a calming breath, I made my way over to you and took your order. With a pleasant nod of my head, I made a point not take to long to retrieve your beverage as you appear that you need a makeshift reprieve more than anyone here. "Here you are, Miss...Is there anything else you need?" I asked taking moment to connect my orbs with yours as if I would be able to figure out what it is that trouble you.

@Dong Youngbae Jennie had found a little extra comfort in the bar this week. She thought smoking a joint would be enough to distract and escape the recent deeds she’s been playing a heavy part in, but insomnia has been becoming and annoying problem suddenly. Too scared to take prescribed pills, Jennie wanted to attempt a self medication on alcohol, and hense for the past weekdays into now a crumby Friday at around 2 in the morning she came in with slim leather pants and white blouse, her long chocolate hair cascading down her back. She practically flopped into the bar chair, drifting off a bit until the familiar bartender came over and asked about her usual. “Mmm? Oh yes, please,” she smiled appreciatively toward the stranger, running her hands through her hair, pulling it back into a loose braid without a hair tie to get it out of her face, and patted her cheeks while she patiently waited and floated above water.

Replenishing drink after drink I slide a mug of ale down the group of boisterous male patrons. "Hey take it easy on the pool table Dong Wook, if you break it again I'm putting a boot in your !" I shouted a semi-hollow threat across the room to the frequented customer before going back to wiping the countertop free from the sticky residue. Passing out free more drinks and greeting a group of ladies that entered made my way back to my post behind the bar my eyes were briefly drawn to a familiar face. I watched for a moment or two as the brunette took her seat before the sound of another demanding customer took the presence of my focus. Serving drinks to the already seemingly drunk man I then turned my focus the woman. With a dishrag and mug in hand tilted my head giving you a slight smile before responding. "My apologies miss. I thank you for your patience. What can I get for you this evening? You're usually?" I questioned anticipating that you would've had thought I'd recognized you from the previous nights.

@Dong Youngbae Seulgi stood across the street taking in the sight of the bar. She had been frequenting The Basilisk for some time now, but lately her presence has been more prominent. In the past few weeks she had visited the bar more times than she’d like to admit. The owner of the pub had caught her attention as soon as she saw him. Being an assassin meant she familiarized herself with past ones and newcomers. Dong Youngbae was known as the best—a title she aspired to have. He was out of the game and the legacy he left was still up for grabs and Seulgi was determined to get it. What way would be better than learning from the best himself? With a heavy sigh, the brunette made her way into the pub and headed towards the bar. She got a couple of stares and cat calls, typical for a young woman entering such an establishment, but none of that was important. Her mind was focused on the man entering from the side doors and back to his job. The brunette sat down on the barstool closest to where the hard liquor was displayed. On a night like this she expected many to want to get drunk so this was the perfect spot to strike up conversation since he’d have to venture back eventually. As soon as the older male was behind his bar, Seulgi called out to him, a wide smile gracing her lips as she spoke. “Hey bartender, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?” Her words playful and traced with a light chuckle as she readied herself for the start of her personal mission.

The evening was young when I found myself preparing for the night's occupations. Absentmindedly performing my day to day rituals of opening up my local pub the 'The Basilisk'. Turning on the beer taps, taking account of the inventory, cash flow, wiping down the countertops and switching on the tv and ampiting up the music. Once everything appeared to be in order I gave the place one last looked over before I stepped outside for a cigarette. Lighting up the toxicin I inhaled one swift drag before expelling the cloud in the sky. Taking a moment to appreciate the colorful amber and purple hues in the atmosphere signaling the night was beginning to impend upon the city. Finishing my cig I ashed it out in the ground beneath the sole of my black boot then let out a long yawn and stretch. "Well, time to get to work I suppose,". Once again entering my establishment I mentally prepared myself for the busy crowd and the steady stream of people coming in and out. The night went on as normal but, nothing in my mind could've prepared me for what was to come next.

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