Seo Joon looked at the prices and was speechless. It was quite expensive for a normal person. Luckily, he had the money; otherwise, he'd die of embarrassment for not having the money to pay.
Seo Joon was thinking about what to order when, at that moment, the curtain opened. He looked up from the menu and saw his guests.
At that moment, Seo Joon opened his eyes in surprise and almost exclaimed, "SHIT!" Luckily, he was able to control his emotions; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to stand it any longer.
And how could he not be surprised? He was looking at the female lead of Beautiful New World, whose name, if he remembered correctly, was Shuying.
Shuying was undoubtedly beautiful, even more so now with the light makeup on her face. She wore black silk stockings that highlighted her long, sensual legs. Her pink dress with a very low neckline further emphasized that beauty. Although they weren't as exaggerated as Kim Mi Jung's, they were extremely beautiful.
Shuying had a special charm, perhaps her beautiful face, perhaps her red lips, or perhaps her long brown hair that fell like a waterfall.
Seo Joon didn't know; he only knew that this woman was, without a doubt, very beautiful and very sexy. After all, those black stockings highlighted her thighs. Her wide hips and narrow waist, emphasized by the dress, made her look extremely attractive.
The red-haired receptionist from earlier felt somewhat dissatisfied when she saw Seo Joon's astonished face. After all, Seo Joon had never behaved like this with her.
She surreptitiously nudged Shuying's arm and whispered while Seo Joon wasn't paying attention.
"Shuying, this is your chance. He's a handsome guy, just like I told you. Besides, he seems to like you. Don't ruin it, do you understand?"
Shuying's face blushed slightly, and she nodded shyly. Seeing Seo Joon's young and handsome face, Shuying breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she didn't have to serve an old, fat man.
If that happened to her, she would feel very uncomfortable deep down.
The red-haired receptionist sat next to Seo Joon, took his arm, and flirted.
"Little brother, you're so mean. You didn't act like that when you saw me. Is Shuying prettier than me?"
Seo Joon snapped out of his stupor, cleared his throat, looked to his side, and smiled warmly. "Not at all, Noona. It's just that Miss Shuying reminded me of someone."
The red-haired receptionist pouted and didn't press the issue further. Then, she turned her gaze to Shuying. Seeing her still standing there, still nervous, she felt somewhat dissatisfied. With a slight gesture, she indicated that she should sit next to Seo Joon.
Shuying understood and began walking to Seo Joon's left side. After a few seconds, she sat down next to him, keeping a little distance.
Seo Joon smelled Shuying's scent, which was extremely sweet.
Seo Joon sighed inwardly and thought, "As expected of the main female lead of Beautiful New World, not only is she extremely beautiful, but there's also an unknown special touch about her."
The receptionist took the drink menu and chose the most expensive one. "Little brother, why don't you order this?" As she said this, Seo Joon clearly felt the woman lightly rubbing her breasts against his arm flirtatiously.
"Hahaha, since you asked for it, you can bring it," Seo Joon replied with a warm smile.
The receptionist clapped happily, a big smile on her face. "You're very good, little brother. Wait a moment, I'll bring your order. I'll leave you with Shuying. You must take good care of her, understand?"
Seo Joon nodded, and the receptionist left the room ready to bring his order.
.....
At that moment, the room fell into an awkward silence. Shuying, being her first time working in such a place, was visibly nervous, not knowing what to say or do. Seo Joon, on the other hand, wasn't much better. After all, he was a fucking virgin, someone with little social contact in his previous life, so aside from having slept with Choi Shia, his social skills were pretty shit.
The silence stretched on, thick and tense, until Seo Joon finally broke the stillness with the first sentence that came to mind.
"My name is Seo Joon. And yours?"
Shuying flinched slightly at the sound of his voice, but quickly tried to regain her composure and, with an inward sigh, answered, trying to calm her nervousness.
"Suk Yeong Yoo... that's my name, but you can call me Shuying."
"I see," Seo Yoon replied with a slight nod.
At that moment, as if to break the tension, the red-haired receptionist brought Seo Joon's order.
After placing it on the table, she said with a smile while stroking his thigh, "Little bro, I'll leave you there. If you need anything, you can call me and I'll come right away."
"Oh, okay, noona." "If I need anything, I'll call you," Seo Joon replied with a smile.
After this, the receptionist left. Seo Joon was pouring himself a drink. He glanced at Shuying and asked, "Do you want one?"
Shuying, not knowing what to do, nodded. Perhaps that would calm her nervousness. Seo Joon nodded in response. He prepared Shuying's drink and gave it to her.
She took it and took a big gulp as if it would calm her down.
"Cough, cough, cough." Shuying choked slightly and coughed a few times. Seeing this, Seo Joon smiled and, while taking a sip of his drink, said, "Miss Shuying, drink carefully, there's no rush."
Shuying patted her chest a few times and replied with a dejected face, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. This is my first time on the job. And I'm quite nervous."
"Hahaha, Miss Shuying, there's nothing to worry about. Let's chat for a while."
Shuying breathed a sigh of relief. Seo Joon's words relaxed her too much. Perhaps that was what she needed. She took a sip of her drink and smiled sweetly.
"Thank you very much."
SOME TIME LATER
"Yes, what a mean woman, don't you think? She was the one who wasn't paying attention and accidentally bumped into me, spilling the coffee Haocheng gave me on her clothes."
Shuying pouted in dissatisfaction as she took a sip from her drink. It had been a while since Seo Joon had been to this bar, and during that time, Shuying had relaxed more, and over time they began to chat animatedly about various topics.
Of course, all of this wouldn't have been possible without the help of alcohol. And, of course, because Seo Joon, from her perspective, seemed like a nice guy: kind, thoughtful, and easy to get along with.
Seo Joon took a sip of whiskey, smiled slightly, and, looking at her, asked curiously, "So then? What happened?"
Shuying sighed, and her normally sweet face turned sour. The dissatisfaction was palpable in her words.
"That woman... she was horrible. Even after I apologized profusely, she started ranting at me. To be honest, I felt terrible. Luckily, Haocheng showed up in time. If it weren't for him, I would have ended up crying my eyes out." He took another sip, as if the alcohol could ease the bitterness of that ordeal.
Seo Joon smiled softly as he recalled that situation. If he wasn't mistaken, the woman Shuying was talking about must be Luo Suling. He remembered her well; a rather questionable person, who could steal company funds and had a temper that could make anyone lose patience. If he had to describe her, she would be a real pain in the ass.
Seeing that Shuying's glass was empty, Seo Joon refilled it. Seeing this, Shuying felt a little embarrassed. After all, that was supposed to be her job, not his.
She remembered that as time went on, Seo Joon ended up becoming her personal therapist, which made her feel embarrassed and a little bad about herself; after all, she wasn't doing her job as well as she should have.
"Uh... uh... mmm, thanks. But next time, let me pour, okay?" Shuying said, trying to return the gesture.
Seo Joon nodded with a calm smile as he continued to refill her glass.
"Hahaha, don't worry. I'm enjoying this chat," he replied politely. There was something about his kind and warm tone that relaxed Shuying.
For some reason she didn't understand, being next to Seo Joon made her feel incredibly comfortable.
Seo Joon looked at her curiously and, still smiling, asked, "Tell me, why do you work here? You don't seem like the type of person who would end up in a place like this."
Hearing Seo Joon's words, Shuying lowered her head. A sad expression came over her face, and after a long sip of her drink, she began to speak in a halting voice.
"The truth is... I need money. A very special person to me is in the hospital, and I need to cover their treatment. That's why I'm here."
There was a pause. Shuying stared into space, and Seo Joon, not knowing what to say, decided to listen silently.
Little by little, as if the alcohol was loosening her inhibitions, Shuying began to speak more freely, without filters. "At first, my life was going well. In fact, my boyfriend and I had plans to get married. He wanted to get married soon, but we were short on money, so we decided to postpone everything."
Her face lit up for a moment, and a warm smile spread across her lips as she remembered those moments. Seo Joon, attentive, took a sip of his drink and simply listened silently, without interrupting.
Shuying continued, but his expression changed instantly. The smile faded, and in its place appeared a sad expression. "But all that changed a long time ago... My boyfriend had an accident. A serious accident that left him in a coma, and not even the doctors know if he'll wake up."
A deep sigh escaped her lips as tears began to well up in her eyes. My boyfriend is hospitalized, and to pay for his treatment, I had no choice but to use our wedding savings. All that money... gone in the blink of an eye. That's why I had to look for another job, in addition to the one I already had.
Seo Joon remained silent, his mind deep in thought, while Shuying took another long drink from her drink. The silence between them grew heavier, but not awkward. It was a silence filled with understanding.
Seo Joon sighed inwardly. Shuying's boyfriend was truly lucky. After all, Seo Joon was sure that if it were anyone else, they wouldn't do what Shuying did.
Shuying, perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere, stretched lazily and smiled. "Fortunately, at the company where I work, you can apply for a medical benefit, which should be enough for a while."
Seo Joon inwardly shook his head. If he remembered correctly, this didn't apply. First of all, Luo Suling, the person in charge of this process at the company, was denying the application. Furthermore, even if it went through, it wouldn't be approved since Shuying and her boyfriend weren't married, making it non-compliant with the medical benefit regulations.
This is what I more or less remembered. To be honest, I'd forgotten most of the plot of this manha a long time ago.
Shuying turned to her side and looked at Seo Joon. She bowed slightly. "I'm sorry I made you dizzy with my story. For some reason, chatting with you relaxes me too much."
Upon hearing this, Seo Joon simply smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm glad your mood has improved. You can chat with me whenever you need."
Shuying opened her eyes in surprise and felt her cheeks tinge with a light pink blush upon hearing Seo Joon's words. After all, no one except Haocheng had been so understanding and attentive to her. She lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you."
.....
Suddenly, Shuying smiled. At that moment, her vision was blurred and her cheeks were rosy from the alcohol. She approached Seo Joon and rested her chin on his shoulder as she stared at him. "You're really a very kind boy. Thank you so much for listening to me."
Seo Joon smiled slightly and nodded. He reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette. "Do you mind if I smoke?" he asked.
Shuying shook his head. "Go ahead. But don't you think you're a bit young for that?" Shuying took the bottle of alcohol and began preparing the next round of drinks as she asked.
Seo Joon smiled slightly as he began to light his cigarette and looked at the slightly hunched body. Shuying's from behind
"Hahaha, what does it matter?" he replied, barely paying attention.
Seeing her plump buttocks, wide hips, and narrow waist that could easily be grasped by his hands, Seo Joon smiled wickedly.
"JIEJIEJIE, this woman will look good from behind. It will be quite exciting to put a green hat on Haocheng. Don't worry, Haocheng. What you could never achieve, I'll do for you."