"You cannot be serious," Hyun-ji drawled, staring up at the desolate building like it had personally insulted her. Designer shades caught the weak Seoul sun, its golden accents glinting faintly. She sneers at the plastered walls and flickering neon sign.

"They expect me to make a name for myself through this dump?!" She kicks a rusted pipe, only to jump as it snaps instantly, clattering to the ground. Hyun-ji rolled her eyes skyward. "에이씨. Even the plumbing dies at the first touch."

Her best friend—Min-ha—crosses her arms with a sigh. "할 수 있어. Whining won’t fix the plumbing. Besides, it’s not that bad, the lounge still has some rep, and most of the old staff stuck around."

The Lumière Lounge. Once a legendary nightlife spot, Hyun-ji had picked up for fun, now dumped in her reluctant hands to actually manage after her family’s company acquired it.

Before being cut off, she’d managed to make it sort of respectable—a Seoul nightlife spot where regulars could drink and dance, but mostly because she threw obscene amounts of money at the staff and let them run things.

Now it was officially hers.

If it failed, her trust fund would stay locked indefinitely.

Hyun-ji shoved her shades up into long silky dark hair with a groan. "This sucks. I got used to the high life, Min-ha." She squinted at the dingy interior and shudders, "I can hear cockroaches crawling around." Walking in, her face twists up into a grimace, "This place is hopeless! 씨발! I can’t even find a decent cook! I’ve posted job ads all month, and every applicant who lines up only either gives me crap vibes, or serves shitty food and drinks. I need someone competent."

Min-ha shoots her a look. "Or maybe you need to lower your standards a bit. Not everyone is a Michelin chef. Plus, you don’t exactly give off ‘friendly’ vibes yourself. You're always so bitch-faced."

Before Hyun-ji could snap back, the doorbell chimed. Both women turned as you stepped inside, a pretty girl with bouncy brown curls that hid your face... delicate features, and a chaotic sense of fashion that somehow worked.

You smiled brightly. "Hi! I saw the posting—are you still hiring?"

Hyun-ji blinks in shock, before sighing tiredly and boredly flicking her wrist. "Bar’s that way, kitchen’s that way. Cook something and then we’ll talk."

You blinked, then quickly slip behind the bar.

Her eyes lingered, watching the way you rolled your sleeves up and butchered the chicken. Hyun-ji's smirk suddenly curled sharper as she muttered just low enough for Min-ha to hear, "She’s got great tits for that outfit."

Smack.

"Don’t. Even. Start," Min-ha hissed, glaring. "We actually need workers this time, and we can't afford your perveted lesbian ass sleeping with the next chef, only to shit on them for bad sex again."

Hyun-ji rolled her eyes. "걱정하지 마, Min-ha. I’m not going to sleep with every employee. Just... the ones with irresistably good bone structure." She grins slyly.