❈ bar

[ open starter ]

it was funny how life seemed to toy with you, the universe seemingly bored despite it's vast expansion of wonders. seven billion people on this single planet and yet, suffering had still managed to find a way to him, convincing him that no one on earth was spared from misfortune. perhaps he was being dramatic. after all, it was simply a breakup - people experienced that every day. but book? he had been saving both his heart and his body for the /one/. days spent reading up on the beauty of two humans falling in love had molded an image of an ideal life in his mind and he had always thought he was smart enough to achieve it. how wrong he had been.

now, the same boy who had always been exasperated with his friends for their messy lifestyles was drowning himself in alcohol. his tolerance had already been rock bottom but he didn't care. he wanted to numb every fiber of his being, to silence the scorn he had for himself, and to just to be free from the thoughts that plagued him. if he allowed himself even a moment of sobriety, he was afraid that he'd fall apart and he just wasn't ready for that. he wasn't ready to admit his ex had meant that much too him. that he had truly loved with his entire being just to be made a fool.

"book - book! don't you think you've had enough?"

he slapped away the hand of his friend, almost laughing in their face. they had always seemed so obsessed with him being a , always saying he was too much of a goody little toe shoes and that he needed to live a little, so why did they suddenly care now that he was giving into their wishes? his previous self hadn't been good enough for anyone, after all.

"o ff -" his words were slurred, stumbling backwards a bit. "not enough .. 'm not drunk enough!" with that, he left his party and headed for the bar, needing another drink so he could finally black out. he had always been so adamant about his friends controlling their drinking habits, constantly concerned for their health, but now he understood. it made him feel good. it helped him forget.

"." losing his balance, he stumbled against a stranger, the rest of his drink spilled onto the others shirt. well, great. the universe wouldn't even let him drink in peace.

@— ✾ ⋰ lalisa m. It was concerning how much time Baekhyun had spent at Venus Lounge in the last month. He had the disposable income to not give a about how much it cost to just be within the walls of this high-end brothel, but there was just /something/ about being here so often that was addictive to the soul. Sure, it was actively shortening his lifespan how little he could sleep here in Seoul, how much time he spent here drinking instead, but… That was the thing about addictions.

He couldn’t definitively say it was an addiction. It was unfair to say that, but at the same time, Baekhyun wasn’t sure. There was a good reason for him to be here that wasn’t good liquor and even better company, but he couldn’t even think about that right now. Nor did he want to.

Baekhyun was out of it as he went to the bar and ordered the aforementioned good liquor, brandy on the rocks. The frosted glass threatened to burn at his fingers, but he took a sip anyway.

To his side was a Pearl. He didn’t know her name and maybe only saw her once or twice before dancing on the stage, but it wasn’t enough for her identity to scream at him. Though, he was intrigued. Much like everyone else who worked here, she was gorgeous, but in a way that made him smile, a short ‘hey’ to come from him. Considering his current mental state, he had no intention or desire to hit up a Pearl, at least, not yet, but there was something about her that was so… Inviting, yet deluxe. As if she was the spokesmodel for Venus Lounge in its entirety.

When she spoke, he paid attention. A slight smile on his face from how becoming her voice was. “Frankly, I don’t really know.” He spoke softly, taking another swig of his drink. “Just felt like my feet were taking me somewhere and I guess that was here.”

Baekhyun was a romantic at heart. He liked talking to those he paid money to spend time with, though even his charming nature would leave him awkward and stumbling when the Pearls were just as, if not more, charming. He wasn’t sure what to do with this Pearl, though. Did he have to pay to even be in her presence? It’s not that he didn’t see her as a human, but that her time was precious, with a price tag on it. But why was she here in the first place? Scouting clients such as him, or on a break and hoping for some socializing?

“And— You? Why are you here, alone at the bar?”

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ • • • ㅤㅤ live a little ㅤㅤ ╱ ㅤㅤ open starter! ㅤㅤ (multiple responses okay!)

Slender fingers of hers trace the rim of an otherwise untouched glass of liquor and her half-lidded eyes practically bore into the beverage before her. A somewhat cherished client summoned her here earlier in the day to say hello while they had business in the area, and two sentences were all that remained from their encounter, circled around in her mind like her finger to the glass.

"Live a little," they said. "Do you want to live your whole life on autopilot?"

From the moment they left her, she'd realized something had been brewing deep within that was consuming her, slowly but surely. How long had she been on autopilot now? How long was she coasting through life and going through the motions for? She's beginning to wonder that too. And now that she's paying attention, she can't remember the last time she didn't mentally check out of meetings with clients, seeing the same people and doing the same things over and over again. Perhaps the routine was getting to her finally, so she decides against her better judgment that she should take a chance and spice things up again.

That same lithe digit that once traced the outline of her drink's rim now rests at the side of the glass and she lifts it to her face to chug it all down in one swig. She's just about to turn and get up, but before she does, someone—a client she presumes, based on their lack of a uniform—joins her at her side and orders a drink with the bartender. They turn to her, offer a greeting and a smile. And to be honest, she normally wouldn't even entertain the thought of, well, entertaining them, but tonight was different. Tonight she was going to live a little, just like her regular client suggested.

Turning to this patron, her half-lidded gaze studying them from head to toe before returning their smile with a polite grin of her own, she allows a soft question to leave her lips. "What has drawn you over to my side of the bar?"

[ ! ] This starter is open to clients. I'm sleepy so it may not make a lot of sense, but I didn't want to godmod too much in that bit toward the end sndjfnjsd. Basically, the client she's talking to (your muse) is approaching her and started up a conversation with her. Like I mentioned, multiple responses are okay, so feel free to send one even if someone else already has!