The Red Room (3)

From top-down, the man was attired in a finely cut Italian suit that clung to his lean, muscular physique. His light-brown hair was styled to perfection. A few strands of short hair stuck up strategically here and there to give him a naturally stylish look, though she didn't doubt time must have been spent to achieve that effect. 

Under the dim, romantic lighting of the Red Room, his features appeared more striking and ingeniously chiseled. The man was still gorgeous beyond description. He could steal breaths without even trying. He was sinfully handsome, and he knew it as he flashed her a charming smile. 

"Kyunghee-sshi, we meet again." This time, he spoke smoothly in Korean. His eyes captivated her, penetrating into her very existence at this moment. There was joyful look in his eyes as he took inventory of her bewildered expression. 

She was silent for a full minute as she tried to make sense of the person in front of her. 

Woosuk arched an eyebrow inquisitively at her silence. "Kyunghee-sshi?" 

The sound of her name rolling off his tongue sliced through the perplexing fog that had entrapped her momentarily. Slowly reality sunk in as she felt something burned up inside of her. Unlike his expectation, her hazel eyes ignited with indignant rage. The smile on his face disappeared as he sensed the fury coming off her. Without saying a word, Kyunghee hopped down the stage and stormed towards the door, wanting nothing short of a quick exit. 

"Wait! Kyunghee!" He rushed after her before she made it to the door, grabbed her arm and pulled her back around to face him. Looking at her with confusion, he asked, "It's me. Why are you running?" 

She scoffed, incredulous. All she could feel was the indignant madness pulsing through her veins as she glared at the man before her. "This must be so funny for you." 

"I don't understand?" Woosuk was genuinely clueless about her response. 

"You knew I worked here. You knew it was me the whole time, but you just sat there and watched without making it known. Is this a sick joke to you, or are you here with the intention to embarrass me, Jang Woosuk-sshi?" Her tone was sarcastic and insulted. 

"What are you talking about? Kyunghee, you were the one who gave me the business card. Of course I found my way here," he explained as if it was the right thing to do. 

Well, he wasn't wrong about that. She was the one that had handed him the business card to Playlights at the hospital. However, she never actually expected him to accept the invitation. Then again, she wasn't sure what to expect of this man before her. 

"Didn't you give me that card because you wanted me to be here?" He took a confident step forward, diminishing the space between them as his intoxicating scent invaded her sense of smell. 

Kyunghee had to admit he was convincing, or rather, his charms were persuasive. Looking into those expectant golden eyes, she felt her heart race wildly. She couldn't quite grasp where her rage was coming from. Perhaps it was the embarrassment. He sat there and watched with judging eyes—he and his Japanese-speaking assistant. All the while, he knew who she was from the very start, but she had no idea. She had no fucking idea. It surely felt like mockery. But why did it bother her so much that he witnessed her in this stripper getup? This was part of her job, her livelihood, and as much as she didn't want to acknowledge, it was also her insecurity. Everything that screamed failure in her life, he was seeing it right now. Except she shouldn't care at all. He was a stranger. 

"No," she said, shaking her head with suspicions. "Bongseok said you're Jiwon's VIP client." Her mind was whirling about with so many thoughts. She pinned an accusing gaze on him. "You've been here before. It's not your first time here, and if it's not your first time here at the club then you've definitely seen me before." Coming to this conclusion, Kyunghee took another step back from him reservedly. "Did you know it was me too? At the hospital? Did you think, 'oh it's that stripper from Playlights'?" Suddenly she felt foolish. 

He didn't respond right away but gave her a few more seconds to catch her breaths. Then he started in a calm manner, "If you're done with the accusations, can I explain my side of the story now?" 

Her silence was an answer. 

"No, I did not know it was 'that stripper from Playlights' when I found you bawling and collapsing on the sidewalk. I was only trying to be a good person by taking you to the hospital. Had I known I would be mistaken for a bad guy, I would think twice about helping a stranger," Woosuk said, sounding genuinely hurt that his good intentions were negatively misconstrued. "Yes, I've been here before. Yes, it's not my first time at the club, I'll admit that, but like you said, I'm Jiwon's client. I don't really pay attention to anyone else aside from her. Besides, you look different when you're working versus when you're in casual clothes like at the hospital. So, if you're wondering whether I approached you on the sidewalk with ulterior motives, the answer is no." 

Kyunghee regarded Woosuk warily, but he looked sincere and sounded genuine. Not to mention, his story made logical sense. Right now, she was in her dancer disguise with silver hair and purple contact lenses, clad in a skin-revealing, form-fitting black sparkling mini dress. She looked nothing like her normal self, at least not the bawling girl he had met on the sidewalk. Perhaps, she was being too paranoid, but could anyone blame her? Her apartment had just been ransacked not so long ago. It paid to be extra cautious. 

"Yet you still recognize me?" She voiced her doubts. 

The corner of his mouth pulled into a lopsided grin. "You sure look different, but I can see through the disguise, Kyunghee. It's one of my special talents." 

His answer, and the way he looked at her, made her stomach flutter with nerves. 

"When you handed me the business card to Playlights, that's when I realized you worked here. I came today for Jiwon, but your manager said she was out sick and sent you in as a replacement on his own discretion. You can't blame me for that." 

He was right again. She couldn't blame him. These things were out of his control and yet, she wasn't any happier to have heard his reasons. It didn't change the fact that he frequented Playlights. It didn't change the fact that he was Jiwon's VIP client. Men who visited Playlights—especially those considered VIP—weren't Saints. 

"I wasn't expecting it to be you, Kyunghee, but I'm glad it's you. Either way, I was going to look for you today." 

"Why? You came for Jiwon, didn't you?" There was a terseness in her voice that took even her by surprise. 

Her question made him pause for a short, contemplative moment. "I told you, didn't I? That we would meet again soon. I meant it. I came today to find Jiwon for business purposes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping to run into you," he continued earnestly, making sure he emphasized 'business purposes' when he spoke about Jiwon. 

Kyunghee wanted to ask what business purposes he had with Jiwon, but she knew it wasn't her place to go there. Whatever business was between the two of them, there was no way he would divulge the secrets. Besides, she knew enough about this industry not to ask questions that could get her into trouble. 

"Why are you telling me all of this? Why are you explaining all of this to me?" she asked, furrowing her brows in confusion. 

He took a step closer to her. "Because I figured if I ever want to see you again, I'd better explain my damn self." His confident, flirtatious remark would make any girl blush, but she was just better at hiding it. "So how about it? Would you care for dinner with me sometime this week?" 

Kyunghee was flustered by the direct question. "Do you even know what you're doing right now?" 

Woosuk arched an eyebrow, as if not understanding the question. "Of course I do. I'm asking you out to dinner." 

"No, you're asking a stripper out to dinner." 

Woosuk chuckled dismissively. "I'm not a person to care about labels." 

"It matters a lot in today's society…" she muttered softly, but he heard it clear as day. 

"I don't care about society. Call me a selfish man, Kyunghee, but I only care about how I feel. And what I feel is that I want to take a woman I'm very attracted to out to dinner." 

"You're a straightforward guy, aren't you?" 

He shrugged. "Once I make up my mind, I usually get what I want. You know what they say, shoot for the stars or die trying." 

As soon as those words left his mouth, Kyunghee felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her system. She was promptly reeled back to the past, to the precious memory of a teenaged boy with his black-rimmed glasses, pimply faced, messy hair and vibrant positivity. Once upon a time, he had told her the exact same thing. Shoot for the stars or die trying, she repeated those words mentally. It had been his motto in life. 

"Who told you that?" she asked Woosuk instead. 

"Told me what?" 

"Shoot for the stars or die trying. How do you know this quote?" 

Woosuk regarded her weirdly. "It's just a quote I heard from a friend a long time ago. What's so special about it?" 

She looked at the gorgeous man before her, and recalled the puberty-stricken teenager from years ago. Could it be? They had similar eyes and a similar smile. That boy would have grown up by now into a full-fledged adult. Could it be? She wondered again, feeling a desperate yearning and excitement. However, before the feelings could grow, Kyunghee immediately stomped down on that spark of fire. No, it couldn't be. They were similar, but not the same. There were so many people out there who gave her similar vibes to that teenage boy, like Kim Hyunseung, her ex-boyfriend, for instance. She was being unreasonable again—projecting on others what she desperately wanted to see. It hadn't worked for her before. It wouldn't work now. She couldn't afford to make the same mistake. 

"So, what about dinner?" he probed, slicing through the thick fog of memories in her mind's eye. 

She regarded him carefully. Jang Woosuk reeked of trouble and danger, and she knew to stay away from those two things. 

"I'm flattered, but I must respectfully decline. I don't go on dates with customers. It's a personal rule of mine," she said as she turned on her heels to leave, but Woosuk slid in front of her path, blocking her only escape. 

"That shouldn't be a problem then. Technically, I'm not your customer. I'm Jiwon's." He was persistent. She could see it in his eyes that he meant it when he said he always got what he wanted. "Anyway, you owe me one." 

"I owe you one?" she spluttered in disbelief. The audacity of this man was unbelievable. 

"I took you to the hospital, didn't I? I stayed with you until you gained consciousness. You said it yourself too, Kyunghee." His tall figure towered over her, his eyes peered down on her intently as he lowered his voice to an intimate note, "You were the one who told me you always pay your dues, so I'm here to collect my rent." Woosuk paused to take a snapshot of Kyunghee's expression and then pressed in a soothing yet firm voice, "Have dinner with me. I want to see you again." 

He was expending his charms on her. She'd be lying if she said she was totally unaffected, but she was also a stubborn girl with her own opinions. Kyunghee parted her lips, wanting to say that he could come 'see' her the next time he visited the club. It would be the best of both worlds. No dates. Just business as per usual. 

However, it was as if he read her mind because he quickly added, "Outside of this club." Then he reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out the familiar looking phone. He reached for her right hand and placed the phone firmly into her palm. She felt the warmth of his hand as he closed her hand over the phone. "I'll text you the time and date." 

She stared at her phone, unsure of how to feel. "Do I have a choice in this?" 

"Of course," Woosuk flashed her another heart-stopping smile of his, "what kind of food would you like to eat?" 

Kyunghee gave him one last look, gripped her phone tightly in her palms then turned around resolutely. She reached for the door, but his left arm suddenly reached across her shoulder and planted his left hand on the door, keeping it closed. 

Woosuk leaned in until his face was right next to hers, her back nearly touching his chest, his breath against her ear. "Don't even think about blocking my number, Kyunghee." 

Kyunghee gulped, but didn't say anything, remaining still. How did he manage to read her thoughts? Had her intention been that easy to figure out? She wasn't sure if she was wearing her heart out on her sleeve, or this man was scarily observant. 

"You wouldn't want me making a scene at the club where everyone's looking, do you?" 

She turned her head slightly to the side, taking inventory of his gorgeously frustrating side profile. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Jang?" she clipped, taut and unhappy. 

He turned his head as well, so that they were eye-to-eye at a close distance. He grinned, amusement in those striking depths. "Not a threat. Just a kind reminder." 

She pursed her lips, shoved him gently aside and grabbed hold of the door handle as she pulled it open. She could hear his voice calling out to her as she stormed off in agitation, blood pulsating, his scent still lingering around her. 

"I look forward to our first date, Kyunghee-sshi."