first impressions are essential. the venue certainly doesn’t disappoint, an expensive site for an even more extravagant jamboree, honored by people whose names would each be worth as much as the premises. round tables draped with velvet and boasting ice sculptures encircle the hall, archaic arches cast above them; and while attendees ornamented with precious stones and finely pressed suits spin pleasantries and lies && trade secrets like needlework with the tip of their tongues, an entertainer flirts with dohyun’s attention. the mayor’s son has truly outdone himself.
...which means dohyun doesn’t belong here. half these people don’t, if you think about it, but anyone who’s anyone would know to make an appearance before the evening’s end. his – their – disguise is simple enough: two college students forced to some attend business venture of their fathers’ friend, thrown in among the guests while wishing for nothing but to leave and get on with partying. he finds personal pleasure in the irony of the situation, considering the grueling, painstaking process he’d undergone to get inside. collar loosened, jacket left intentionally unbuttoned, his gaze catches on an older woman sprinkling a certain noncommercial powder onto her tongue. another gentlemen sneaks a leather flask out of his back pocket. spotting a passing tray, dohyun picks up a glass of his own.
the boy looks behind him, then around him, one hand stuffed into his pocket and feeling the silky coating of a very special pen. he chuckles – sarcastically, if even possible – his friend is no longer beside him. just then, colliding into a stern-faced woman with her hair pulled harshly into a bun, it requires genuine effort to keep the fluid from spilling over and the suit dry. his misplaced footing nearly lands on her fallen clutch, and immediately he’s bending down to gather her things, slipping a sleek company access card into his pocket before rising back to his full stature. “aigoo, i’m so sorry, ma'am,” he says, lips spreading into an apologetic smile. “i was just so taken by your beauty i forgot to move aside.”
an old tactic from the books – how fitting for an event celebrating the vision of the future. her eyelids drop and she’s peering at him from underneath false lashes, a bloody red mouth curling into a timid smile. not his type. “not at all, it was my my fault too, mr...” suddenly he locates him, beyond an empty table surrounded by directors and chief executives, and the corners of dohyun’s lips tilt upward.
“kang. i’ll be seeing you around.” a moment later and he’s skirting along the walls, approaching his partner from behind. leaning against a marble pillar, dohyun brings the flute of champagne to his mouth. “didn’t think you’d abandon me so soon, junho-ah.” dohyun’s smirk is hidden in gold tinted fizz, and as he glides a tongue over his lip, two men of noticeable stature slip from the room. he nods in the direction of their rendezvous, one leg crossing over the other, lazily drawing his eyes back to choi junho. “your tie is crooked.”
