A Night To Remember

When we arrive back at the resort, I was exhausted and longed for a moment of rest. But Hye Jin was different, she was restless.

"Eun Su, lets hit the nightclub downstairs okay after a shower"

"Aren't you exhausted?" I wondered where she gets all this boundless amount of energy.

"No, besides its our last night before leaving tomorrow. I don't want to coop myself in the room" Hye Jin replied "I want to enjoy every minute of this freedom. So please indulge me this once. Lets put on our dancing shoes, be ready to paint the town red and dance the night away"

"But I heard it has a dress code and I don't have a dress to match" I protested.

"You can wear one of my dresses. We're more or less the same size" she offered. She always had an answer ready at hand leaving me no room to say a word in any matter.

I wanted to protest further but seeing the eager look on her face, I had to give in.

"Okay fine. Go wash up"

After showering we rummaged through her bag for something appropriate to wear. In the end, we finally settled on a blue cocktail dress for me and a little black dress for her.

"This dress would be a match with your Mom's earrings" she observed as she handed me the dress. I had shared with her my Mom's letter and the earrings the day after my birthday. At first I thought she would have reservations regarding my illegitimacy since such things were still frown on in Korea, but Hye Jin being Hye Jin, didn't bat an eyelash. She pitied the sad love story of my Mom and Dad, she was intrigue by the mystery of my Dad, thinking up scenarios here and there, she was just a true romantic at heart.

"Did you bring them with you?" Hye Jin asked.

"Yes, they're in my bag" I didn't know why I brought them with me. Perhaps for luck I guess, for they were my Mom's last treasures and whenever I held them, I felt closer to her somehow.

"Great, its settled then. You're wearing the dress with the earrings"

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The resort boasted a nightclub that was both spacious and trendiest catering to the whims of the young elites who frequented it. It was our first experience in such an environment. The club was crowded but we finally found seats at the far corner. The night was young but people were already making their way to dance floor as the DJ catered to the music desirable by the crowd.

I was fully enthralled as I observed the surroundings while Hye Jin ordered us some cocktails and snacks.

"Cheers, a toast to us for finally becoming adults, leaving behind our childhood" Hye Jin said as we clicked glasses. "Your turn"

"Cheers, to old friendships and new beginnings" I offered.

It was my first time tasting a cocktail so I drank it slowly all the while reminding myself to take my time and not to get drunk. I was not that naive and was well aware of the dangers such places poses especially on girls drunk and unattended, so I intended to keep my wits about me. But Hye Jin had no such reservations otherwise. She ordered one cocktail after another deaf to the protests I made.

"Come on don't be a spoil sport. Lets go loosen up" She said as she dragged me to the dance floor. I hesitated at first, but seeing her sway to the rhythm, I finally let go of my reserves and just joined right in.

As the night progressed, the crowd became more and more wild, the music more and more fast. Many a guy or two tried to make a move to impress us but we were oblivious to their efforts as we lost ourselves to the music. As Hye Jin said we just danced the night away.

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At a booth on the second floor overlooking the dance floor, Ji Hu was oblivious of the crowd, deaf to the loud music as he sat lost in his own corner of the world. The stress of the past few days had taken its toll and his grief finally caught up with him. He didn't want to be alone in his room so he came down to the club hoping for a brief respite from the loneliness that crept up to him. All around him people were having a good time with their friends and loved ones. But being there, he felt more alone than ever. Many a girl or two seeing his handsome countenance, tried to strike up a conversation or two but feeling his disinterest, they gave up after a while in preference of a more easy prey. So he just drank one drink after the next in the hopes of drinking away his grief and numbing away his pain.

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It was late at night when we dragged our weary selves back to our room. Hye Jin was completely drunk and I was a bit tipsy myself. I dragged her to the bed, got her out of the dress, made her put on her night suit and tugged her in bed. Only then did I had time for myself. I washed my face and quickly changed into my night wear after which I tidied up the rest of the room. I bent to pick up Hye Jin's purse that had been dropped by the door on our way in when I saw that one of its strap hook was missing. I quietly let myself out of the room so as not to wake Hye Jin up, in search of the missing hook at the hallway. I made my way slowly from the door of our room to the elevator and then back never taking my eyes off the floor when finally, I found it stuck in the carpet at a corner. I had just taken it out when from the corner of my eyes I saw someone slumped on a door at the far end of the hallway trying to open it but making a poor excuse out of it.

I didn't want to intrude but on closer inspection I found that the person was none other than Ji Hu Sunbae. I was shocked seeing his disheveled appearance.

"Ji Hu Sunbae..... Are you alright?" I said as I came to his side. "Get up. Here let me help you"

I took the key from his hands and proceeded to unlock the door. He was completely drunk so I helped him inside. The room was a copy of ours so I knew where the bedroom was as I dragged him towards the bed and laid him down. I took off his shoes and unbutton his top collar to allow him to rest easily. Tonight seemed to be my night of putting drunkards to bed. First was Hye Jin and now it was Ji Hu Sunbae.

He slept soundly but my heart was in turmoil. He was my first love and I had patiently loved him from afar for all these years. For I knew no amount of wishful thinking on my part would let our paths cross, for like Hye Jin, he was an elite and elites associate with elites not with the servant class. Life was not a fairy tale where the poor girl gets the prince. Life was cruel and practical, so I had carefully tucked my feelings away in the deep recesses of my heart. But being up close to him today brought all those feelings to the surface.

I found myself unable to take my eyes off his handsome face. I wanted to imprint every single detail of this face in my memory since this might be my only chance of being with him in such close quarters. He frowned in his sleep and I couldn't resist the urge to smooth away his frown with a kiss.

But what was I doing?I was alone with a man in his room and this was just wrong. I was selfish and taking advantage of his unconsciousness. I had to stop, I had to get out of there.

As I stood up preparing to leave, his eyes suddenly flew open as he grabbed my hand.

"Don't go. Don't leave me alone" he begged.

"You're drunk. You don't know what you are saying. Please let me go" I said as I struggled to get free.

He refused to listen to reason as he pulled me towards him and held me captive in a kiss so fierce it frightened me. I struggled against his hold pushing him to get free, but the more I struggle the tighter was his embrace. I was scared. This was not the Ji Hu I knew, the boy I loved with all my heart. This was someone dark and ruthless so I struggled some more.

"Stay. Just stay for a little while longer. I'll be lost if you leave. Please I need you" he murmured in my ear.

Hearing the plea in his voice, I was dumbfounded. He sounded so sad and lost. I didn't know what was wrong with him but my heart hurt for him. If holding me gave him a moment of peace, I decided to let him, so i stopped struggling.

He looked at me as gently he brought down his lips to meet mine. I knew then I was a lost cause. I knew this was wrong, he probably won't even remember this tomorrow but for once I wanted to be reckless and not think of tomorrows, for once I just wanted to throw caution to the wind and live in the moment. So I let myself get caught in the kiss and even in spite of the wrongness of the act, in my heart I felt it was right.