Chapter 13

Meanwhile, back at the club, the party was still happening with no indication of ending anytime soon. Most clubs on the Entertainment District stayed open until 4-6 AM. There were some clubs that was opened twenty-four seven, but Playlights' closing time was 5 AM. After that, party-goers either passed out drunk, hitched a ride home, or attended an after party. Since it was a weekend night, the party crowd was even more hardcore and vibrant. 

The DJ continued to play his popular remix playlist and kept the dance floor moving zealously. Up on the third floor, in the privately enclosed and soundproof VIP guest room, the atmosphere was much more calm and contained compared to the first floor crowd. It was quiet but serious. 

A professionally skilled bodyguard stood outside the door whereas, inside the room, there were two people and one of them was Lee Jiwon. 

"What was that just now?" The man sitting next to her on the red suede couch asked, his tone cold and hard. Although she couldn't say she knew this man like the back of her hand, but she had served him long enough to capture the hint of displeasure underneath his otherwise aloof countenance. 

This man, sitting merely inches away from her, was indeed a heart-throb with his captivating deep-set eyes, well-coiffed hair, chiseled, exotic features of a GQ male model and a tall, strapping physique flawlessly packaged in a Hugo Boss suit. He looked like a handsome, wealthy businessman, but he was so much more than that. It was hard to believe he was younger than her by a couple of years, but the aura he emitted was one of danger and adversity. This was amplified by Jiwon's knowledge of his identity and what he was truly capable of as the heir to one of the most powerful criminal syndicate, Takeshi-kai. 

Jiwon cautiously snuck a look at him from underneath her lashes. "Are you referring to that game they were playing?" 

Jang Woosuk leaned back into the leather couch. He looked at her, like a petulant child. 

Jiwon chuckled softly. "It's just a game the customers came up with to spice up entertainment at the club." She leaned forward and reached for the whiskey decanter as she filled up his old-fashioned glass. Jiwon could clearly see that his grip on the whiskey glass had tightened with a chilling vibe coming from him. 

"Who came up with such nonsense?" he said through gritted teeth. 

Jiwon calmly placed the decanter back down on the coffee table. "It's a harmless game." 

"You call that harmless?" Woosuk pursed his lips as his eyes darkened, recalling the hand around someone's bare waist. 

She vigilantly stole another glance at the man who, on any other normal days, would have men at his beck-and-call but for a mere game was now sulking like a three year old. "What do you want me to do about it, Woosuk? Stella," Jiwon emphasized the name with purpose, "is a dancer at a strip club. Compared to other services we provide then yes, Woosuk, that was really a harmless game. Perhaps, even the most respectful of games." Even though Jiwon knew it was in her best interest to never cross the line, she couldn't keep the teasing note out of her voice. 

He knew he was being a little unreasonable, but so what? As long as it was his turf, being unreasonable or not didn't matter. Everyone had to listen to his rules when they were on his grounds. 

"Bongseok thinks it's a good marketing tool for the business too." 

His expression didn't soften. Woosuk pulled out his phone and called a number. The person on the other line instantly picked up. "I need to talk to you. Come here." 

They didn't have to wait long. Before five minutes was up, Bongseok was already at the door, breathing heavily and primed to service. It wasn't far off the mark to say that he had dropped everything on his hands when he received a call from the VIP guest. Though to be more specific, the VIP guest they had been referring to was really the Big Bad Boss. However, he wanted his identity be kept a secret, so Bongseok and Jiwon would only refer to Woosuk as the VIP guest. 

"Boss, what do you need?" Bongseok wiped the sweat off the side of his forehead with a handkerchief. The moment he stepped into the room, he could feel the ominous pressure coming from that one man alone. His charisma dominated the space he was in. Bongseok wasn't sure what was going on, but the boss was glaring at him. 

"Jiwon told me you've been working really hard for the club," Woosuk said uninterestedly as he propped an elbow on the couch's armchair and leaned the side of his head on his hand for support. This bootlicking manager of his looked especially annoying tonight. Woosuk had an urge to beat him up but instead, gave a friendly smile. "Last quarter's sales went up by three percent. You've been working so hard, Manager Min. How should I reward you?" 

Sitting beside Woosuk, Jiwon picked up on Woosuk's irritation immediately. If Bongseok was smart, he'd be careful with his next set of actions. Although looking at the wide, stupid grin on Bongseok's face, Jiwon sighed inwardly at this manager's stupidity. He was about to dig his own grave. 

Bongseok chuckled, feeling proud as he stood straighter with confidence. "Of course, I'm just doing my job, Boss." Bongseok bowed, ingratiating himself before Woosuk. 

"No really. Tell me, how should I reward you?" Woosuk repeated, clenching his jaw, pinning his cold gaze on the fool before him. 

Encouraged by Woosuk's response, Bongseok was giddy. "Well, the thing is, I heard you're looking for a replacement for Manager Baek over at The Rail." Bongseok chuckled nervously, glimpsing at Woosuk's stoic expression, failing to notice the quiet anger in his boss' eyes. "Boss, if you're happy with my work here, I know I will definitely make you prouder if I'm given the chance to manage The Rail." Being the manager at The Rail was so much more lucrative than being a manager at Playlights. 

Woosuk stared at Bongseok. Slowly his lips curved into a callous smile. "I'll think about it," he lied, looking at his manager with disdain. 

Bongseok felt something was off about Woosuk's gaze on him, but through the excitement of the promise, he didn't think any further. To the side, Jiwon shook her head in sympathy as she took a sip of the premium whiskey. 

"If that's all, I'll take my leave. I'll be waiting for your good news, Boss." Bongseok laughed, bowing repeatedly as he inched towards the door. However, before he could step out of the room, his boss's voice stopped him. 

"I saw something quite amusing earlier." 

Bongseok looked at his boss, questioningly. "What is it, Boss?" 

"A customer was playing this interesting little game with one of the dancers." 

"Interesting game?" Bongseok didn't understand. "What kind of interesting game?" 

Woosuk really wanted to pick up the whiskey bottle and crack it against this idiot's head. "The customer had some tip money in his mouth and the dancer used her own mouth to receive it. Doesn't that sound quite interesting?" 

"Oh! I see what you mean! That game is really popular." Bongseok grinned. In an effort to get more brownie points, he boasted through a lie, "I was the one who came up with the game and taught the customers how to play. It definitely attracted a lot of attention. That video with Stella even went viral on the internet when the game was first played." 

Woosuk's eyebrows twitched as Bongseok went on and on about how he had popularized the game, clearly trying to eat up all the credits. 

CRASH. 

Bongseok's tirade came to an abrupt stop when Woosuk threw the whiskey glass at his feet. The glass made a loud noise and shattered into a million sharp pieces. Bongseok realized too late that his boss was angry, that he had somehow misspoken. But what had he said wrong? Why was the boss glaring daggers at him? Why did the boss look like he wanted to murder him? A terrified chill spread down Bongseok's spine as he dropped to his knees. Broken pieces of glass cut through his pants and into his skin, but he could care less. 

"B..B…Boss?" 

"Hoon!" 

The door to the room opened and one of Woosuk's bodyguards stepped in. 

"Yes, boss?" 

Woosuk glowered at the shaking Bongseok in front of him. "Beat him up." It was a blood-thirsty, non-negotiable command. 

Bongseok's eyes widened, mortified. What was going on? Why was he getting a beating? Didn't the boss just compliment his service a few minutes ago? Why the sudden change in temperament? "No, boss! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He didn't know what he was apologizing for, but he apologized anyway. 

It didn't matter though because despite his pleas, Hoon dragged Bongseok out of the room. 

Jiwon watched all of this without blinking an eye. Instead Jiwon grabbed a new, clean glass and poured some whiskey into it before handing it to Woosuk. He grabbed the whiskey and tossed the amber liquid cleanly down his throat, emptying the glass in a matter of seconds. Jiwon silently refilled his glass. Silence filled the room as Jiwon carefully watched Woosuk's expression. 

When she noticed that his anger had subsided, she spoke, "Do you ever plan to show up in front of her?" 

It was a question Woosuk had no response to. He wanted to. He really wanted to, but every time he thought about it, something stopped him.

A memory came to mind. Her words flowed sweetly into his ears like bees to honey. He could still remember it, how her words had given him hope in a moment of hopelessness. 

"How great would it be if I weren't a Takeshi? Takeshis are liars, murderers, criminals. I'm…I'm a Takeshi." 

"No you're not. You are just you. To me, you are Danny." Sparkling hazel eyes stared back at him with heart-aching sincerity and trust. "Yes, you're right. A name isn't just a name. A name embodies a person's character; it gives the person their identity. With identity comes beliefs, attitude and memories. In the future, when I hear your name, it will always give me hope and the strength to persevere. Because some names can affect you just like that; because you are just like that, Danny. You are nothing like a Takeshi." 

Woosuk tilted his head and downed more whiskey as he softly whispered, "Because I'm a Takeshi."