you had tried everything to get your mind off it. hanging out with friends, trying to maintain your hobbies, binge-watching tv, everything. despite all of this, you just couldn’t get rid of the heaviness in your heart. a friend of yours suggested that you go downtown and sneak into a club for the thrill of it. was it unethical? sure, but it got you interested.

you dressed up in the smallest clothes you could find in your closet, using your mom’s makeup that she’d save for “special occasions”. the club you targeted was low security in a shitty part of the city, making it awfully easy to slip past the intoxicated bouncer. as you tried to find your friends in the crowd, you caught a stranger’s attention. he talked you into following him into a private room with the promise of free drinks, to which you foolishly agreed to. before you knew it, you were being led into the back of the club and into a smaller room with a few other girls and boys. velvet couches surrounded a round glass table filled with ashtrays and an assortment of bottles. it reeked of booze and weed, but amidst the smokey atmosphere, you recognized one of the boys sitting on the couch with his elbows propped on his knees, in the middle of putting his cigarette out when he looked up at you.

yijin was a senior at your high school. he knew you very well, him being your worst nightmare and making you dread going to school even more. you should’ve known someone like him would be at a gross club downtown on a friday night. the stranger that brought you here throws an arm around your shoulder, introducing you to the others with a sleazy grin. yijin stares at you, his expression blank but you could tell he was wondering what the hell you were doing here.