Chapter 7

"Whoa! You never told me you're this  famous, Park Chaeyoung!" Lisa uttered in total awe. "Wow! I have a celebrity bestfriend!"

She and Chaeyoung arrived at the same time and Lisa was in total shock when she saw the number of people inside Chaeyoung's bar called Orange and the number of people, that consisted mostly of university students from Hongik, who were still pleading with the bouncers to get an entrance ticket in the Orange.

"That's because my bandmates are hot and totally good-looking. They're the epitome of girl crushes. They have a fan base, by the way. Plus, my bartender is also a total package," Chaeyoung said as they pushed forward against the crowd. Where Chaeyoung was greeted enthusiastically by the crowd while they also ogled at Lisa.

"That's not true! They're here for all of you, chipmunk. Especially you. Later tonight, when you go up there and sing, this place will fall silent and there will be tears in their eyes because they're moved by your voice and your music. I'll bet my camera on it. I promise you that!" said Lisa.

Chaeyoung snorted and punched Lisa in the arm.

"Ouch!" Lisa reacted. "Ya! What's your problem? I was trying to boost your confidence and show my support and this is what I get in return? " she grimaced while massaging the part of her arm where Chaeyoung's punch landed.

"The last time you made a bet, you lost. And you bet your camera on that one also. You're not even good at keeping your promises, Lalisa. And you never won a bet, ever! Don't jinx the night. Will you?"

"Fine. Rub it to my face if it will make you feel superior and confident tonight, chipmunk!" Lisa scowled. "But I'm still betting on that," she added, smirking. "Tonight will be a good night. I can feel it!"

But of course, Chaeyoung was right. Lisa was always the unlucky one when it comes to betting.

"Chaeyoung-nim! Who's the beautiful lady with you? A new member?" someone from the crowd asked. They were giggling while looking at Lisa and Chaeyoung exchanging banters with one another.

"Guys, this is my bestfriend, Lisa," Chaeyoung told the crowd. "This is her first open mic experience so let's make her feel at home. Okay?"

"Hello!" Lisa greeted and waved at them.

The crowd, mostly composed of girls on their twenties, nodded and cheered loudly and enthusiastically to Lisa.

"Anyways, you're a nim now, chipmunk? Omo!" Lisa teased Chaeyoung as they walked forward after someone from the crowd called Chaeyoung a nim once again. "Should I start calling you my nim also? Chipmunk-nim?"

"Shut up, Lisa!" Chaeyoung said, blushing.

"Aigoo! Look at you blushing!" Lisa said laughing.

"Anyway, will you be okay? I mean, I have to go backstage to do some last second pep talk with the girls. I can't be with you while you're here until our set is done, which would last until later because we'll do the encore. But don't worry, I'll talk to my crew and tell them to give you everything you need. It's in the house, so you don't need to pay a single won," Chaeyoung said.

"There you go again babying me, Park Chaeyoung! Just go ahead and do your thing, okay? Don't mind me. I'll be fine. I'll just walk around and do some snaps," Lisa said, pointing to her camera bag.

"Are you sure?" Chaeyoung asked and looking worried.

The crowd could be rowdy later and Chaeyoung knew that Lisa doesn't like being around with rowdy people.

"Yes. So go up there and kick some asses, chipmunk-nim! Show them what a nim you are!" Lisa was hyping the shy and less confident Chaeyoung beside her and gave the latter a tight bear hug.

"Right! Cheer for me!" Chaeyoung said as she waved to Lisa and started pushing herself against the bodies of the unbelievably huge crowd, her guitar was strapped on her shoulder.

"Always do! Hwai-ting!" Lisa said loudly against the blaring sound on the speakers and the chatters and noise of the crowd.

And now that she's all by herself, Lisa didn't know what to do first. She was thinking of going backstage and follow Chaeyoung to do some bts shoot of Chaeyoung and her band, but she didn't want to impose herself to much.

So Lisa, with her camera bag strapped on her back, fought her way towards the bar. She thought she might need a drink to hype herself up before she'll start using her camera.

Meanwhile, it was already a quarter after ten when a Porsche parked outside the Orange. The expensive car earned envious and appreciative looks from the people who were still lining up, desperately begging with the bouncers to let them in, outside the Orange, in front of the entrance. And when the driver of the luxurious car emerged, they couldn't look away anymore and groaned when she was admitted immediately inside the Orange by the attending bouncer.

"So unfair!" groaned someone to Jennie.

Jennie glared at the girl who shouted, who cowered and hid behind her friend, before admitting herself inside the artsy bar.

It was Jennie's first time in the Orange. She Google-d the place after she heard a group of friends talking about it excitedly when she stopped by a convenience store for a carbonated drink and a ramyun. And now that's she's here and all by herself, she wasn't sure anymore if she did the right thing. Maybe Jisoo was right. She was acting like a teenager with raging hormones.

The bar was full of people. Hints of booze and nicotine, sweats and among other things were filling the air. It wasn't nasty, but still it could get under your nosetrils if you have a sensitive nose.

A guy in glasses, with his guitar and harmonica was singing some acoustics in the mini-stage; the spotlight was on him. His voice was good but Jennie realized she wasn't there for the music after all. So she tiptoed and craned her neck and looked for the bar, where the drinks were served. She wanted to forget everything tonight. Just for tonight.

"Hey!" greeted the bartender after Jennie settled herself in one of the high chairs in front of the bar.

She took off her Chanel jacket and placed it on the countertop and then nodded to the bartender.

The woman in front of her looked ethereal, Jennie thought. She was wearing fitted black leather suits, showing the curves on her body. Her hair was long and tied into a high ponytail. She looked like cat woman, minus the mask. Plus, she looked friendly. Or maybe it was part of her job to look friendly?

"Can I get you something?" the bartender asked Jennie, smiling.

"Can I have a daiquiri, please?" Jennie asked, raising her voice a little louder amid the loud noise of music and the chatters of the people.

"Strawberry or lemon?" asked the bartender.

"Strawberry would be fine," Jennie answered and looked around the bar.

It was spacious. It could fit more than a hundred people. The uniformed tables were black and the chairs were pink. The floor was black and the walls were painted with dark and pastel colors. She wondered why the owner named it Orange when there was nothing orangey anywhere in it.

Art pieces and framed posters of differents bands and artists  were hung on the walls. The ceiling was high and decorated with light bulbs of small sizes, scattered aesthetically all over, like stars in the night sky. The place looked beautiful and cozy. Jennie wondered who the owner might be.

"Is this your first time here?" the bartender asked as soon as she placed Jennie's strawberry daiquiri in front of her.

"Yep," Jennie nodded. "I didn't know a place like this exists in Hongdae," Jennie said and still looking around.

"And for that, your daiquiri is on the house!" the bartender said, smiling.

"What? No, no. I can pay!" Jennie said and hastily tried to pull a few bills from her purse.

But the bartender just laughed and insisted.

"Sure you do. But take a sip, first," the bartender said, nodding towards Jennie's daiquiri. "If it's not good, you pay. If it's good, then it's on the house. A compliment for a compliment," said the bartender and winked at Jennie.

Jennie smiled and did as she told. She took the glass of daiquiri and brought it to her mouth. She took a sip from the liquid and her eyes widened in satisfaction.

"Oh, wow! This is good!" she told the bartender, pointing at her drink.

The bartender beamed and said, "Thanks! Now, you have to pay for your next drink," before leaving Jennie to make another costumer a drink.

Lisa have just emerged from the backstage, laughing. She had fun talking with Chaeyoung's bandmates. They were teasing Chaeyoung so much about being called a nim that Chaeyoung decided to kick her out from the backstage and told her to do what she's supposed to be doing.

"Aigoo! That chipmunk is treating me badly in front of her friends!" Lisa said after Chaeyoung kicked her out. "Ya! Chipmunk-nim! Hwai-ting!" Lisa shouted even though she was well aware that Chaeyoung could not hear her anymore.

Her camera bag was still strapped on her back. For some reason, she didn't feel like doing some photography tonight. Maybe Chaeyoung was right, Lisa thought. She needed some distractions from herself. Also, she needed to have a little bit of fun. And the Orange was all fun!

Lisa had been listening and enjoying the variety of music that the open mic was offering. Plus, she's got free drinks, courtesy of Chahee, Chaeyoung's bartender. That's why she decided to go back to the bar to order another cosmopolitan. Chahee's version of cosmopolitan was superb!

"Hey, Lisa!" Chahee greeted her as soon as the bartender saw her approaching.

"Chahee-ssi!" Lisa greeted back as she settled herself in one of the empty seats in front of the bar. "Is this even normal?" she asked and gestured her hands towards the jam-packed crowd inside the Orange.

Chahee laughed and nodded, while wiping the countertop with a table cloth, gleaming it and freeing it from moist and dirt.

"Uh-huh! Chaeng has got a Midas touch. She's turned this place into gold after just a couple of months since the opening night. And now we're doing it for a year already," Chahee said proudly.

"That's my chipmunk! She's a great person, isn't she? I'm so proud of her!" Lisa said, smiling proudly for Chaeyoung's success.

"Yes, she is. And I'm not saying this because she's my boss. Everyone here loves Chaeng," said Chahee. "Anyway, do you want another drink?"

Lisa grinned widely. Perhaps the alcohol was already kicking in. Or maybe she was just so pumped up for the night?

"I was actually about to ask for one," she said. "Can I have another cosmo, please?"

"You loved my cosmopolitan, huh?" Chahee asked as she started preparing for Lisa's glass of cosmo.

"I totally do! It's not even affecting me at all, the alcohol or whatever that was that you've put in my drink," Lisa said. "You're good, Chahee-ssi!"

Chahee laughed loudly.

"That's because I went easy on you, Lalisa. Chaeng specifically told me to not get you drunk or she'll have to fire me. Of course, she was just joking. But she still told me to go easy on you," said Chahee.

"That's unfair! I deserve the same amount of treatment along with everybody else in here, you know? I deserve the same amount of alcohol.  I'm a customer!" Lisa complained. That chipmunk! And here she was, acting like a drunken master just so she could tell herself that she's survived Chahee's cosmopolitan.

"No, you're not. You're a guest. A special guest. You're Chaeng's bestfriend," Chahee said.

"Ah! But can you not give me something stronger, Chahee-ssi? Please?" Lisa begged using her aegyo voice.

But Chahee just shook her head and laughed at Lisa.

"Chaeng warned me with your aegyo, too. She said you'll probably use it on me to get what you want," said Chahee. "So, nope. I don't want to lose my job, Lisa," Chahee added as she placed Lisa's vodka-less cosmopolitan.

"But this is just juice!" Lisa complained, staring at the contents of her glass, acting sulky.

"You're a baby, aren't you? Drink it up, Lisa-ya. You'll find something in there. Not vodka, but you'll see," Chahee said and winked at Lisa.

"Hey! What's this?" Lisa asked, pointing at the red jacket on top of the empty chair beside her and the half-empty glass of strawberry daiquiri. "Whoa! Who in there right mind would just leave their precious Chanel jacket unattended?" Lisa wondered loudly after she saw the embroidered logo of the jacket.

"Someone who's probably got a closet full of Chanels?" Chahee joked. "I wonder what's taking her so long though?" Chahee muttered.

"Who?" Lisa asked curiously.

Chahee shrugged.

"The owner of that Chanel you're harping about. She said she'll just hit up the powder room. I don't know her name, though," Chahee said.

Meanwhile, Chaeyoung and her band were now on the stage. Lisa waved her long arms happily on Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung replied with a beam and a subtle warning look on Lisa to behave herself.

"Good evening, you guys! If you're secretly in love with someone right now, or if you're proudly in love with someone right now, and you couldn't take your eyes off them, then this song is for you!" Chaeyoung said over the mic.

Lisa, along with everyone else, was applauding and cheering loudly. She even raised her glass of fake cosmopolitan in the air for Chaeyoung and her band.

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

"Oh my god! The line in the powder room was so long!" Lisa heard the voice of a woman behind her. But she paid no attention because she was too focused on watching Chaeyoung up on the stage.

At long last love has arrived

And I thank God I'm alive

Lisa was gulping half the contents of her vodka-less Cosmopolitan. She noticed how the crowd fell silent while Chaeyoung was singing. Ha! Lisa was right. The Chipmunk could shut the whole bar with her singing but Chaeyoung could never shut her up. The thought made Lisa chuckled. She won the bet.

She turned around to face Chahee. She wanted to tell the bartender how proud she was of Chaeyoung and about the bet. That's when Lisa noticed the woman who was sitting next to her.

The woman was cuddling her jacket on her lap, sipping the remaining contents of her daiquiri, looking as though she was lost in her own train of thoughts.

Lisa casually travelled her eyes towards the woman's face. She was wearing a round-shaped spectacle. But even so, Lisa recognized the face quickly. She heard her breath hitched higher until she could breath no more. She felt her heart ceased from beating. Chaeyoung's voice was muffled, as if she was singing from a hundred miles away. Damn! She left the brown envelope in her apartment!

Pardon the way that I stare

There's nothing else to compare

Jennie knew that the person who was sitting next to her was staring at her. She could feel the eyes of the stranger burning on her skin. She hated it. So she activated her bitch face on. She badly wanted to yell at the stranger to get lost and stare at the wall instead.

Jennie exhaled her annoyance and released it angrily. She then fidgeted on her seat and turned her face angrily towards the stranger. It was a woman. She suddenly lost all her senses when she was met by the same soft, big, round eyes that she told Jisoo about, smiling at her.

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak

And there it was again.

Her heart.

It was acting funny again.