It was another average Friday night. Every week Hyunjin and his colleagues from the precinct would head out to the bar for a few drinks, they'd sit and play a few rounds of cards, chat about work and what their weekend plans were, and then usually before long everyone would be on their way. Tonight however they were celebrating the recent promotion of a team member and so he had planned to stay for a few hours longer than normal, sharing a few drinks, chatting away, and generally having fun. He was about 4 drinks in when he spotted a pretty blonde sitting on her own at the bar. It didn't take long for his colleagues to catch notice that he had been shooting her little glances every so often and before long they were calling him up on it. 

He had been single for pretty much 4 years now and while he had dated since then, nothing had ever felt like the right fit. He definitely missed having someone to share a bed with and be close to but he was okay on his own too. It wasn't like it was lonely when you had a 6-year-old to return home to. His daughter Rosie was with her grandparents this weekend though so he was free to let loose a little. His partner kept telling him he needed to get out there again, be brave but honestly when it came to the ladies, he wasn't all that brave. He laughed off their comments but they became relentless, saying how he was scared to even talk to the girl. Just at that moment, she seemed to glance his way so he beamed softly as though to greet her which was only met with more jeers. He sighed getting to his feet and heading towards the bar. 

He called over the bartender and asked for a cocktail menu which he read and picked out the ones with the stupidest names and then headed over to stand beside the blonde. He wasn't sure she even noticed him because she didn't even move as he leaned closer. He cleared his throat to get her attention just as the bartender set the drinks down on the bar and he slid a bill over to him, telling him to keep the change as a tip. "Uh hi" he spoke softly greeting the female with a lopsided smile "So my friends over there have a bet on how harshly you'll reject me if I came over to talk to you" he spoke softly and reached to scratch at the back of his neck, "They think I lose my game and honestly they're probably right but" he hopped up onto the stool next to her, it was a spinning chair and so he let it spin around before it came back around to face her and he laughed.

"I thought you might be the kind of girl who wants to help me judge which of these two awfully named cocktails taste the worst" he laughed softly looking at the two tall glasses beside them and he raised a finger "And before you think...well...they're cocktails, how bad could they really be named" he chuckled point to the first "This one is a 'Sand in the Crack' and this one is a 'Hop skip and go, naked" he wished he was actually making this up but he wasn't. Well, he'd said his piece now and so he bit his lip and smiled waiting to see what she would say. It had been a while since he approached someone he didn't know so he felt a little apprehensive. 

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By the time the clock struck 9, especially on a Friday night, Irene would’ve clocked out. It was the number one rule she had for herself that she managed to come up with on one drunken night a few years ago. It was just a random night where she had one too many drinks but somehow she managed to make Nadia remind her sternly to uphold her promise to that ‘rule’. It stated that on every Friday night, as soon as the clock strikes 9 pm, she needs to stop working and get out of her office. Nadia didn’t forget that, obviously, since she came knocking against the door and entered a few seconds later, carrying a file in her hand and placed it on top of her desk while Irene was reading the text on the laptop intently. “I don’t mean to be the one to remind you what you should be doing now, Miss-” However, before the brunette had a chance to finish her sentence, the female sitting across her already spared her a look that stopped her from saying another word. “I’ll be out in 5, I promise. I just need to reread the clauses for our next meeting with Mr Fierne in 3 days.” 

Today has been somewhat a particularly stressful day for the diviner, who just closed the deal for their partnership today. Closing a few deals were supposed to make her sigh in relief but not this one. She had signed on a particularly big project and the odds weren’t looking as good unless she smoothened everything down before the next meeting. 5 minutes passed and true to her words, Irene got up from her seat and closed the laptop. She placed her glasses aside and massaged her temples before packing up so she could go back home. On her way out, she spared Nadia a small smile before riding the elevator down to the parking lot. She couldn’t recall much about what happened after that, she remembered getting into her car and receiving a call a few minutes later, just before she could even start her engine. 

Whatever call it was, it had the blonde clenching her jaw while muttering profanities to herself as she drove off. But she didn’t go home, she took a detour and found herself sitting in a bar while drinking for what seemed to be her 3rd glass already. She didn’t remember how long she’s been spending her time there but while she was circling her finger around the rim of her glass, she noticed someone sending a few glances her way. Of course, she noticed. He’s cute. So maybe she did send a few glances back to him. He seemed to be surrounded by his friends who kept nudging him and laughing. Irene normally didn’t try to pry into other people’s conversations but she wondered what they were talking about. When he beamed the next time she glanced over their way, Irene couldn’t help but shake her head and chuckle to herself before downing her drink. That’s her 4th glass already.

 The blonde didn’t make any attempt to move as he took a seat next to her, her bright hues only focusing on the crystalline view in front of her. The moment he started talking, Irene turned to face him and raised her eyebrows questioningly, “Mhmm they’re probably right but I’m curious, how much did they even put the bet on?” Okay, maybe she wasn’t going to reject him outrightly but technically, her people skills only worked sufficiently to last her in events where she needed to charm her way around businessmen. When he spun around, a small chuckle escaped her, this guy is a dorky one. The names for the cocktails were awful, it had her scrunching her nose up cutely as she tried to eye which one of the two would most likely turn out to be the worst one, “That one” she mused softly, pointing towards the second one he displayed earlier, the one named Hop, skip and go naked. “Is it for me? Or are we just playing guessing games with the boring blonde in the room?” she teased wryly.

He had to admit it was kind of nerve-wracking to approach someone he didn’t know and not make a complete fool of himself, which definitely wasn’t helped by the fact that he was a few beers down and feeling a little tipsy. Not to the point where he was going to do anything crazy, but his inhibitions were lowered and so was the filter which decided what was and wasn’t appropriate to say. The blonde was pretty, she was sitting down but he imagined from her build that she was quite tall and on top of that she was wearing heels. She dressed smartly, the kind of woman who seemed mature and even authoritative. When she laughed because he smiled at her, he took that as the opportunity he needed to approach her. 

Admittedly he didn’t actually expect the chair to completely spin on its axis when he hopped up onto it so he had this confused but amused look on his face as he placed his hand on the bar to make it stop. It had been so long since he talked to someone in a bar like this, most of the time he would just stay around his friends and colleagues. But this girl caught his eyes and he would admit it was for superficial reasons considering he couldn’t possibly know what kind of person she was. But she had these beautiful blue eyes which now he could see closely even reflected the fluorescent lights of the bar and the way she styled herself was very pretty and flattering. “20 dollars, which honestly seems a little cheap considering I’m risking my pride here but” he leaned against the bar and grinned, well she was talking to him that was a start right “Here I am anyway” he added. 

Hyunjn wouldn’t say he was a particularly cunning person, he was pretty honest and tended to say the first thing which came to mind but he was good at reading people and it seemed like she didn’t mind the company he decided to continue onwards. The way she scrunched her nose when he said the embarrassing cocktail names made him laugh “Be glad that you didn’t have to say them to the bartender to order them” she commented, looking at the two glasses as though he could tell by looking at them, which would taste better. He nodded when she picked one and nudged it towards her but when she teased him he looked around them and grinned “Well you know, I don’t see any boring blondes in the room but if you happen to catch her, you can definitely share your drink with her” he smiled picking up the other drink “I’m Hyunjin” he tipped the glass towards her as though to toast before he brought it to his lips and took a drink of it. His face immediately soured upon tasting the weird combination of juice and beer which was evident in his expression before he put it down on the bar again “Oh man that’s bad...you might have made the wrong pick” he laughed softly waiting for her reaction to hers. 

Irene didn’t always venture to bars, mostly because she would either find herself dozing off at her own office and if she wasn’t looking to get laid, she would much rather find herself in the vicinity of her own home. Drinking alone wouldn’t be as pathetic when she didn’t have a care reserved. Today, however, is another case entirely seeing as Irene was trying to drink away the frustrations from that one particular phone call earlier. Everything was going on just fine so the diviner was in a good mood, until she found out another buyer backed out just when she was just about to sleep her Friday early. Of course, she’s downing each glass while thinking of ways to diffuse the frustration off her. But at least she caught someone’s eye tonight, not that she intended to do so but hey, he’s cute and he’s coming over so the least she could do was offer him a chance to see how he would use it to the best of his ability despite his slightly tipsy self. It wasn’t as if she had anything else to do tonight anyway. She was just going to drink for a while and go home once she’s tipsy enough to wake up with a hangover the next morning. At least tomorrow’s Saturday. 

The look on his face when the chair spun around made her laugh, she wasn’t sure which one was funnier, the chair moving or his completely dumbfounded look when it did. Maybe both because why not? He’s cute, Irene knew she was the average tall girl but because she wore heels today, she probably looked to be the same height as he is. The way he was dressed screamed casual and domestic which tempted her to snicker at it because those are two things she didn’t have in her life, unfortunately. It was clear that they were complete opposites, which was why she was even more interested to see how this goes. He came with friends and she didn’t, that alone was a testament of the two different lives they lead. “You’re risking your pride to come over here for a 20 dollar bet? Either you’re drunk or you’re the life of the party, so which one are you? Or the third one listed in others?” she retorted wryly, nobody else would actually risk their pride over that unless they were shameless or simply fun to be around. Perhaps, she was hoping for him to be the latter. 

“Here you are” she shook her head in mirth, well he’s amusing, she’d give him that. “I don’t think you’d ever find me saying those names even if I had to order them. I’d rather write them down instead of saying it out loud” her ego can go over the roof but honestly, in her defense, the names were awful. “Well aren’t you quite the flirtatious charmer, sir” she mused and pulled the drink from earlier, eyeing the color and wondering what was even the ingredients, it was mesmerizing, she couldn’t deny that. The colors were pretty but that’s exactly why she’s worried because they tend to deliver a wholly different result. Especially after witnessing the reaction from the male after he took a sip on the other drink she didn’t pick, “That bad, huh?” How bad could hers be? Right? 

He had introduced himself prior to sipping his drink and Irene took that as a sign to return the gesture, “Irene. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Hyunjin.” When he told her she might have made the wrong pick, the blonde scoffed and trailed one finger around the rim of her glass, “Or maybe both are bad and mine turns out to be the actual worst one between the two. Anyway, bottoms up…” she took a sip and bit her bottom lip afterward, frowning a bit before placing the glass back on the table, “Well, that was not too bad but I never wanted to try it ever again. It feels like I just mixed green peppers, olives, and dragon fruit in one. With passion fruit extract…” Not one for the weak tummy, for sure. “So Hyunjin, what are you doing here at the bar on a Friday night? Having fun with your friends, I imagine?”

She had a really nice voice, he thought to himself as he listened to her laugh at his goofy actions, it was soft and well-spoken, the kind of voice you would feel comforted by just by hearing it. He chuckled under his breath when she pointed out that he had come over here because of a 20 dollar bet “No I’m risking my pride because I saw a pretty girl smile at me across the room and I thought it would be rude to leave without at least telling her I think she’s gorgeous” he teased with a smile “Plus they’re the ones betting on me failing, the only way to redeem my pride is to not fail” he tilted his head slightly, she seemed like she had a decent sense of humor which was nice because he found it difficult to be around people who were stuck up “And maybe just a little bit drunk” he dragged out the word little while holding up his forefinger and thumb.

He chuckled softly “See one thing I learned from a very young age is how to make fun of myself, so I have no shame in saying the most embarrassing things you could come up with” he chuckled under his breath, what was the worst that could happen, other people could call you names the same way you did yourself but they lost their bite when you normalized it. He grinned when she called him a flirtatious charmer “Only on Fridays” he responded with a chuckle “It is Friday right?” he had a dorky grin gracing his lips because he noticed she hadn’t completely kicked him to the curb yet. Though knowing him there was still time to overshare or say something dumb “I don’t know why anyone would ever put that together and think, oh, I’m sure people will enjoy paying for this” honestly to him it tasted like bitterness and cleaning fluid which was not a great combination.

He gave a shy smile as he finished drinking down more of the cocktail before setting it down on the bar “You too” he responded when she quite formally said it was nice to meet him, Irene was a pretty name, he thought to himself as he watched her go for the drink she had chosen. Her expression was better controlled than his but he could tell it also didn’t taste great, he leaned closer to inspect the glass and chuckled softly “That sounds like something someone would throw together when they were hungry in the middle of the night” he wrinkled his nose leaning back a little “Well I’m supposed to be here to celebrate a colleague’s promotion, but the guy already ditched on his own party to go back to his wife and kids so” he laughed but smiled “Can’t say I really blame him considering the awful music they’re playing in here, it would be enough to scare anyone off” he shook his head playfully and then widened his eyes “Wait, you’re not an Ariana Grande fan, are you? Cause if you are I may have to pretend we never met” he tilted his head and smiled.

Irene didn’t think she’d find someone so amusing as she found this guy right now. She was all too used to boring men, offense taken to those who have had the chance to take her to dinner but never actually left the blonde any lasting impression that made her want to give a second try. The last thing she expected was to find herself laughing at his dorkiness, a stranger she just met a few minutes ago, somewhat bonding over the two bad choices for a drink. Going to bars to drink isn’t a foreign thing for Irene, but engaging herself in a conversation that she actually smiled and enjoyed rather than just eyeing another person to take her home tonight? That’s a new one. “Well, I can tell you that you weren’t wrong, there is a girl who stared at you earlier, it was hard for her not to when you laughed with your friends as if you were found whatever they said as the biggest joke of the century” she pointed out teasingly, “But she also finds you cute so… there is something there.” 

Aside from his amusing antics, she was a sucker for being appreciated. Irene Farley needed love but nobody was willing to give her that so she latches onto whatever form there was. Even for a small portion of her time, hence her sleeping around habits. One night stands were basically her way to cope. “You think she’s gorgeous? Well aren’t you the charmer, sir” she grinned, he was worming his way into her good graces effortlessly at this point. Which was something very rare for people to do unless they’re Leigh. When he said the only way to redeem his pride was not to fail, the blonde leaned in with her arm perched on the table, “Well then you better not fail” and maybe, just maybe, she wanted to see where he was leading with this. She could use a distraction. “If it makes you feel any better, you make a cute drunk.” Shameless and confident in his own self, despite the dorkiness he emitted, it seemed like the combination between the two were too good to be true but here he is, amusing the hell out of her. 

“Yes, it’s a Friday night, Hyunjin” she giggled and signaled for the bartender to give her another glass while beckoning for him to do the same for the male she was conversing with, “It’s on me. So long as you would actually stay for a few more words instead of returning to your friends over there” Okay, maybe she didn’t want to be alone. Hardly a shocking matter. Contrary to others’ beliefs, Irene didn’t want to be alone most of the time. It’s so depressing considering how long she’s lived a lone life all these years. “If you’re like this every Friday, then I may actually ask for your number so I can make you a Friday buddy. Fridays are usually dull for me so” especially today. The drink from earlier didn’t really leave a good impression on both of them so she could only chuckle because she could recall seeing his reaction earlier, it was priceless. 

“Maybe they’re just slacking. Not every bartender can be creative, no?” She could still taste the grueling sweetness of the cocktail as she forced herself to actually finish it before quickly washing it away with her drink earlier. “I feel like I just went through a drinking challenge… just when I thought the chilli shot was bad enough.” His ears perked up when she heard him talking about how the man of the night had gone home, “And you? Don’t you have anyone to get back to?” His reaction was priceless once again, maybe she didn’t mind seeing more of that tonight, “No, I don’t particularly like the pop singer, so don’t worry. Glad I’m not the only one who thinks she can survive without Ariana Grande.”

He had caught her gaze across the room a few times tonight and while she was probably just wondering why he was sparing her glances, he did like knowing that he had caught her gaze from a distance, that had to mean she at least found him a little attractive. “In my defense, my buddy Carl comes out with the stupidest things that you literally can’t help yourself from laughing” he chuckled under his breath and tilted his head slightly with a soft smile “Cute” he responded and smirked nodding a little “Okay I can do cute” there certainly was something there, she seemed friendly and funny which was a good start. He nodded slightly when she asked him to confirm if he really thought she was gorgeous “I mean I don’t think you need a random guy to tell you that though” she seemed like the strong type who knew her worth.

He leaned forward propping his elbows against the bar and his hands against his chin “Why thank you, it mostly affects me by making me talk a lot so I apologize for that, one moment we’ll be talking our drinks and then who knows, maybe the next I’ll be telling you about that dog I saw with his own wheelchair the other day” he chuckled in an amused fashion, he liked sitting like this because he could look into her green hues “And I’ll have you know he was pretty damn adorable and ready to go out and inspire the world” he added pursing his lips in amusement. He grinned and pressed his lips together “Good, because it was a Tuesday we would have all kinds of problems” he glanced over to the bartender who seemed to have noticed the two of them talking “I’ll take a pornstar martini please” he responded, smirking because he knew that was another crazy cocktail name which would make her cringe.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think they’re gonna miss me” he responded and chuckled “I mean they have to put up with me all day every day at work, they probably just made the bet thinking it’d give them a break from me” he winked playfully, he actually didn’t think that lowly of himself but he was good at making jokes at his own expense. He had to admit he was a little shocked when she mentioned getting his number though and his lips formed an ‘Oh’ for a moment, he quickly caught himself though “Fridays are supposed to be the best day but I personally think that’s reserved for Sundays” he responded with a tilt of his head “I mean going out and having a few drinks is great and all but Sunday mornings watching movies and not leaving bed all day” he made a chef’s kiss gesture and grinned “But if you do need a Friday buddy, that works too” though he actually didn’t spend most Friday’s drinking but she didn’t need to know that right now.

“Fairly possible, though you really can’t go wrong with the classics” which right on cue was brought over by the bartender and he grinned at how fancy his martini looked “If only they were all made this well” he commented and smiled “Thank you for the drink” he toasted to her before taking a long sip of it, it was strong that was for sure, much stronger than the beer he had been drinking earlier. “A chili shot?” he pulled a face “Oh that sounds rough, whenever I eat spicy foods my face always turns all red and people tell me I look like I’m about to combust” he giggled “Any foods you can’t stand?” he was enjoying the chance to get to know her a little since she hadn’t sent him on his way yet.

He chuckled under his breath when she asked if he had anyone to get home to “No, I am single, though I’m sure it’s hard to believe it, handsome dude like this” he responded with a shake of his head, the sarcastic tone in his voice evident enough for her to know he was joking and not being egotistical. “So she’s not into divaish pop queens so what does she like...maybe a little rock?” he squinted his gaze as if that could help him tell her tastes.

Irene couldn't say she was the type to offer another a chance at being acquainted with her over a night at the bar. She thinks that hardly anyone would make a good friend there, it wouldn't be her either. Though she had to admit, a particular person caught her eye with how daring he was. Suffice to say, Irene was incredibly amused by his playful and slightly drunken antics. Considering the stressful day she's been having, anything is better than going home in a depressed mood honestly. "Of course you have a buddy named Carl, of all people" she scoffed and shook her head, it sounds generic for her to conclude the outcome of this road they're currently taking, "I guess I do have a Carl to think for tonight then" she raised her glass slightly as if she was toasting to someone. Don't get her wrong, she didn't intend to entertain him till the end. But that seemed to have changed gradually after he turns out to be a decent company that she could hold a conversation with. Maybe the night wasn't so bad after all. 

When he said he didn’t think she would take any man's word over her own confidence, Irene was visibly impressed, "Spot on… talk about being a charmer" now that, he certainly was. Albeit a bit on the dorky side but that only made him cuter. "You saw a dog with his own wheelchair? Where?" Ever since she brought Renfri back home with her, she has been a puppy mother and the thought of hearing this story piqued her interest even more. She does like a good story that goes well with the drink and at this point, the diviner was willing to do anything to forget the stress she endured today. She couldn't help but scrunch her nose slightly when he mentioned the most dreadful day of the week, "Glad to hear I'm not the only person who dreads that day the most, what did Tuesday do to you?" When he ordered another martini with an outrageous name, the look displayed on the blonde's face was really priceless. "You're going to try every weird named cocktail at this point, are you trying to poison yourself?" she exclaimed playfully, it made her cringe but pointers were given, Hyunjin made himself known to be someone who's unique. "I wonder why" she retorted dryly when he said it was probably his colleagues' way of sparing themselves from his company, which sent him all the way there, to her.

 "Well, worry not, sir, I'm in the need of a stress-free environment and if you could provide me with that, then hop away, I'll be your listener." His reaction to her lowkey asking for his phone number made her chuckle, a cutie indeed. The deadpanned look suited him. "It sounds like your Sundays are so much better than mine though… I don't greet my Sunday morning watching movies and lying in bed all day unfortunately…" she really didn't, maybe that's why her Sundays weren't as appreciated. "Mine is mostly just nagging executives and joint partners." Just because she could shut them up, doesn't mean they stay down for long. "Am I your Friday buddy now then? For today, at least." She was sure there were many more people who would look for him. But for tonight, maybe he’s hers. "Your Fridays are probably a lot better than mine, anyone's Friday is probably better than mine, who am I kidding" she scoffed and traced her finger around the rim of the glass. "Yeah you don't want to get yourself weird shots honestly… better to stick yourself to these fancy" she pointed to his glass.

When he asked her if she had any kind of foods she couldn't stand, Irene shrugged softly and pondered for a while, trying to recall what she was allergic to or simply don't like, "I don't bode well with spicy food, I accidentally ate a spoonful of wasabi that one time and I… well, let's just say my office was not prepared for my moody week at all" she could remember even Nadia keeping her distance because Irene was pretty much out for blood and her probabilities on snapping was almost 97% of the time. "Didn't have any allergy reactions last time I checked though so that's good…" she wasn't sure if she could handle that. A small laugh escaped her when he said he was single, it didn't take her long to scan him over and nod in amusement, "Handsome indeed" she purred, draining yet another glass as she leaned forward with her chin perched on her arm that was on the counter, "I do like pop rock" she affirmed, brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear, "You?"

Hyunjin laughed under his breath, he was a talkative person and given the chance he would talk to basically anyone who would listen, but it was especially nice talking to the pretty blonde he’d been making eyes at all evening “I feel like everyone has a friend called Carl, or a friend of a friend” he laughed and shook his head “What parent looks down at their newborn child and thinks, hmm yes, definitely a Carl, that’s what I want to know” he grinned, no offense to his colleague, he was a pretty cool guy but even he would probably agree his parents had given him the blandest name they could think of.

He noticed the way she almost seemed pleasantly surprised when he gave her credit for her own self-esteem, there was something about the way Irene held herself and acted which told him that she was the kind of person who didn’t seek approval from others and he liked that, he could respect someone who knew themselves like that “I have my moments” he grinned slightly “I mean no offense but you kinda look out of place at the average bar” he commented and gave a sheepish grin “On your own I mean, no one really likes drinking alone do they?” he didn’t, he always found himself getting miserable if he just sat at the bar and did nothing. She seemed intrigued when he mentioned the dog, she was a dog person then it seemed “Oh he was at the dog park, I signed up to one of those borrow my doggy things and was walking Peaches when we ran into him, you’d think having two back legs would slow him down but he was beating the other dogs to that tennis ball every time” he grinned leaning his hand against his chin “Do you like dogs?” he asked curiously.

“What hasn’t it done?” he responded with a chuckle “Feels like the longest, most obnoxious day of the week, plus Tuesday is usually the day we need to file all the paperwork” he sighed dramatically and then smirked when she pointed out his choice of drink name “Oh absolutely” he responded to her question about ordering every weirdly named drink he could “And alcohol in any form is technically poison so, might as well go for the interesting ones right?” he shrugged and sipped at his drink. He was a little shocked when she said she wasn’t used to having a lazy Sunday “Well then you’re sorely missing out? I mean have you even watched the good place on Netflix? It will make you laugh and maybe even cry” he chuckled softly “I thoroughly recommend a binge-watch day for stress relief, you’d be surprised how well it works” he winked and nodded.

He clicked his tongue and pretended to check the time on his watch as he watched her with a playful look, he knew keeping the attention of someone like her was basically him punching but he hoped he could make up for it with his humor “I think I could probably squeeze you in, though you seem to be starting a little late Irene, let me guess” he narrowed his gaze as he watched her “The office trapped you didn’t it” she’d already half confessed she was a workaholic so it wasn’t much of a stretch to make. He grinned slightly when she confessed she didn’t get along well with spicy foods either “Another one for the anti-spicy club huh?” though he did wince as she explained that she accidentally ate an entire spoonful of wasabi “Did you confuse it for guacamole?” he asked in a hushed voice, easy mistake to make right?

He was watching her while they talked, she had a really nice smile and he was glad to be able to draw it out of her every so often, her soft blonde locks framed her face nicely and her eyes were twinkly in the bar lights, honestly it was hard to take his eyes off of her “I like anything with a good beat I can jam along to” he responded and smiled “Can’t go wrong with a bit of classic rock here and there either” he tilted his head slightly “I even liked that one Taylor Swift song” he added wondering if it would make her smile.

"I don't have a friend named Carl" she shook her head, but now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure she had an employee named one, "well… in my defense, I don't exactly have a lot of friends to start with, so that's probably not a good ground to put my comparison on. But I think I worked with someone named Carl." He wasn't wrong though, it was quite the generic name. "Thank god my parents didn't name me Susan" she wasn't even sure if her parents even had the creative capacity to name her otherwise. "Actually my parents might have been a tad bit dramatic though… Ireanna, which is honestly a bit mouthful. But what would you expect from someone named Richard and Meredith." Perhaps she was slightly tipsy considering how easy she was running her mouth. Just a bit. Not nearly enough to put her in the drunk zone but definitely enough to lower her inhibitions and let her loose for a bit. 

"No, nobody actually likes to drink alone… it makes them miserable. No offense…" she didn't want to drink alone, but it was hard to do that when she didn't really have enough people to call friends. "One close friend of mine does not drink so I can't even call him over to keep me company…" Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was nag Leigh's ears off tonight. The poor guy deserved to spend time with his boyfriend. "I don't usually venture over to drink… if I was gonna drink, I'll be at home. Alone still… but definitely at home." God knows how crazy she would be when she gets drunk. "I won't vote off the idea of getting drunk at a bar though. It always ends up with me bringing someone home so" there's that. When he talked about the dog encounter, Irene couldn't help but to think it was a cute story. But then again, it was to be expected from someone who quite literally wanted to build a dog cafe. "I only have one at home but I do have plans on building a dog cafe so I guess you can say I'm a dog person." An involuntary groan escaped her when the word Tuesday was uttered once again, "God I hate Tuesdays so much…"

 He was witty, she could gather that much. He looks dorkishly shy but not too much considering how easily he was holding up a conversation with her, of all people. Admittedly, Irene wasn't being half as intimidating as she usually is but she had to applaud him for approaching her. It did mean she finds him interesting. "Now that you put it that way, I have to guess… you're probably not used to alcohol all that much" she teased, "now I wonder how long it'll take for you to completely lose it." Was she willing to put a bet on it? Absolutely. Why not? "I always sleep in on Sundays. If I don’t have hi-tea with anyone, my bed is my company for the entire day and honestly, I can't be more relieved to know that. I don't think I've turned on my TV for a while now… you kinda have to be at home frequently to actually watch it, which I'm not so…" It wasn't an excuse but Irene just figured it was her way of life. "What is it about? The good place?" Well, now he's got her intrigued.

 She hummed softly and closed her eyes briefly before fluttering it open to meet his gaze, "Work always keeps me away from all the fun. I can tell you my office greets me more than my own home so where do we go from there?" The wasabi incident was enough to make her go green honestly, she swore sushi off her list for a long while. "I didn't know what it was and in my defense, I had a mint ice cream right nice to it and didn't realize I grabbed the wrong thing because my plus one was being overly chatty. Let's just say, he never got around to calling me again after that night." Hyunjin kept her focus longer than most people and that was an incredible feat she had to commend. "Taylor Swift? I mean you can't go wrong with a bit of Taylor Swift either, though I am curious to know what kind of bands are you into."

He arched a brow when she said she didn’t have a friend called Carl and then he chuckled softly at her explanation why “Well then we’ll have to find you a friend called Carl, wouldn’t want you to feel deprived of the experience” he had a twinkly playful grin “Or you could just call me Carl I guess, Susan” he teased noting her distaste for having a generic name, honestly, he really liked the sound of her name, it sounded delicate and pretty “I like it” he responded with a soft smile “It stands out and I say that as someone who had 2 other Hyunjin’s in his class in high school” he chuckled under his breath, not so common in the US but back in Korea it was very common to share a name with someone “So you decided against the Anna nickname eh? Probably for the best, people might be asking you if you wanna build a snowman” he grinned playfully, he was being a little cheeky which he hoped to get away with. 

“Yeah, the point of getting drunk is to do stupid things your friends will never let you forgot” he responded, smirking a little, he had his moments when he was younger, he remembered going to parties and the likes but now he had to be responsible for Rosie, it was rare to get out and have fun like this. “Oh a sober friend huh” he nodded a few times “Well at least he could look after you and make sure you get a ride home?” Hyunjin didn’t drink too much and knew his limits and when to stop, sometimes he missed the times when he could let himself get out of control. “Though I don’t think I’d want to forget tonight so” he smiled softly, dialling up the flirty tone in his voice a little. “A dog cafe?” he responded in surprise before beaming softly “Well this I must hear more about, but first, I’d love to see a picture of your pup” people loved talking about their pets and he wanted to get a dog but he was waiting for Rosie to be a little older and more responsible. 

He grinned shyly when she called out his tolerance and scratched at the back of his neck, he really didn’t get out drinking much anymore and he was still drinking to curb his nerves so he was getting tipsy “What if I told you the world was spinning just a little” he raised his forefinger and thumb to illustrate it and laughed softly, unexpectedly hiccuping and widening his eyes in shock from it. “I mean sleeping in is definitely an acceptable use of a Sunday” he responded nodding his head to affirm his approval “Well I hope you’re at least getting to see interesting places if you’re never home? I’d bet you’re pretty well traveled huh?” perhaps he had noticed that her style didn’t seem like your typical American, he wondered if her outfit was imported from Europe. He chuckled when she asked what the show was about “What happens after you die” he answered and smiled “Theoretically, it’s basically about whether you did enough good things in your life to be allowed into the good place, otherwise you get sent to the bad place” he chuckled and smiled “It’s very funny” he enjoyed it a lot. 

“I say we tell the office that it’s not very good at sharing” he responded and frowned slightly, she definitely did strike him as the workaholic type, probably very successful at what she did too, though he had to admit he expected something different from owning a cafe for dogs, but that was pretty sweet “So is the cafe a side project?” he was putting the pieces together considering you didn’t tend to need an office to run a cafe. “Oh I love mint ice cream” he whined, getting sidetracked from the story because of the mention of one of his favorite treats “His loss” he responded and chuckled “I would have taken a spoonful too, seems unfair for you to suffer alone” he chuckled leaning his arm on the bar and propping up his face “Imagine Dragons, bit of Coldplay, few of the smaller bands that don’t do as well, they always have the best gigs” he nodded a few times. 

She rolled her eyes playfully and eyed the room to see if there were any potential Carls, "I don't think we have a Carl here. That's fine… I'll just focus on this particular guy named Hyunjin, he seems more interesting" admittedly, flirting is not out of Irene's books. But she was either too busy with work or just couldn't be bothered to be dating at all. But the company she brings back some nights surely had a few talks here and there. But rarely this long with this new stranger though. Irene was actually engaged in the conversation which said a lot. Then came the nickname she actually couldn't live down, which made the diviner scrunch her nose up and shook her head like someone just told her her childhood dream was never coming true, "Yeah actually I've been asked that… a few times. And it was before I even watched Frozen. Thankfully, not many knew the full name outside of business." 

Most people refer to her as Irene and she is totally fine with that. Ireanna sounded mouthful and while it sounded unique, she would take Irene any day. Hearing it from him however, now maybe she could make some adjustments to it. "Lucky if you have friends then" the way she said it was as if it didn't bother her that she didn't have those so called friends. But secretly, it does. Well, at least she had Leigh. "I think I would be more worried that I'll leave him scarred so much he would be avoiding me the next day. So I'll keep the drinking to myself" Leigh did not need to witness her drunken antics. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it's just that she could be unpredictable when drunk. And nobody wants to deal with that. The blonde raised her eyebrows questioningly the moment she heard him say he didn't want to forget tonight, well that's promising. Renfri is the jewel of her eyes, so naturally Irene being the proud dog parent she is, was excited to show him her picture. 

She quickly fished her phone out from her purse and showed him a folder from her gallery that literally says Renfri all over it. There were probably about two dozen pictures. "My pride and soul…" she cooed, "but yeah a dog cafe. Could be peaceful when you come over to study or chill with dogs running around to cheer you up. Can't go wrong with those fluffs… unless you're allergic to them. Which you wouldn't be stupid enough to enter a dog cafe if you are" and there it is, tipsy Irene. "The world is always spinning" she whispered and chuckled wryly, her smile growing even more when he suddenly hiccuped. That was cute. It was so sudden and out of nowhere. And definitely fucking cute. "Sleeping in when you have no other choice because your body is shutting down doesn't feel as nice as it should be" she shrugged absentmindedly, it was a routine and it gets so exhausting. "I've traveled… here and there. My favorite place will always be Paris though. Our headquarters is there and you can't go wrong with Paris…" Since her mother is French, it was easy enough to find her roots. "I spent most of life there actually." What about you? Anywhere else aside from here and Korea?"

 Honestly, it sounds like a good show that she would definitely add to her watch list. "Literal title then. Good place, bad place… Oh god I'm probably going to hell" she moaned and covered her face with one hand. It seems likely. "Yeah it's a side project I'm doing with a friend, well the only actual friend I have aside from my own secretary. It was a pretty spontaneous idea but it checks out." If she wants it done, then she'll get it done. It wasn't surprising to see her work for it, the dog cafe would mean a lot to her. Finally something that she would get to smile on. "You and I, we're going to get mint chocolate sometime later" she pointed at him and hummed softly, it didn't seem like a drunken promise. She wasn't really drunk yet. "In a world filled with mint chocolate haters… it is so hard to find a comrade." He was knowledgeable about his bands and it was interesting to Irene, "Have you ever watched them live?"

Seeing her search the room for someone potentially named Carl made him chuckle before biting his lip when she turned her attention back on him, he liked the way her accent spoke his name, he shifted a little in his seat “Being able to compete with Carl might just be the highlight of my day” he responded. There was definitely a lot of flirting going on between them and honestly he was finding it quite exhilarating. The way she responded when he mentioned the nickname Anna made him shift a little wondering if he had touched a nerve because she did seem bothered by it. “You don’t like your full name?” he asked curiously, he thought it was a beautiful and very unique name, nothing to be embarrassed by.

She seemed a little pessimistic, he noticed as they talked, just a natural tendency she seemed to have “I’m sure you have more people who want to be your friend than you think” he commented under his breath, though he wasn’t going to say himself because he felt like this flirting thing was going too well and he didn’t want to risk it. “Oh come on, if your friend can’t deal with you are your most embarrassing then is he really a friend?” though it seemed like it was more her choice to keep that side of herself under wraps than anything “Besides, how bad could drunk you really be hmm?” perhaps he needed to hear a story to understand her aversion. “One time drunk me decided it was a good idea to superman dive into a hedge” he commented with an amused chuckle “Yours can’t be worse than that” he challenged with a grin.

In record time she had gotten out her phone and pulled up a photo of her dog, his eyes softened seeing the poses she made with the little pup in her arms “He’s adorable, he definitely has your eyes” he teased purposely as though to suggest she was a total whipped dog parent “And look at that perfect stare into the camera, you might as well make him a model” he grinned slightly “Dogs can be models right, the ones who go on all the adverts and make the fancy dog food look fancier” he chuckled under his breath, yeah that would be fitting. He blushed softly after he hiccuped, taking in her comment about the world always spinning “But faster now, maybe it’s because of you” he commented and bit his lip, okay perhaps he was a little tipsy and talking nonsense, that cocktail went straight to his head “But have you gotten into bed and made a pillow fort and then achieved ultimate comfiness? I don’t think you have” he shook his head as though to affirm his words.

“Paris huh? I’ve always wanted to go but I had this irrational fear since I was a kid that they’d make me eat snails there” he pulled a face because that definitely didn’t sound like his definition of a good meal “No where” he commented and pouted a little at the admission “My family weren’t exactly the vacation people, more...study until you can’t study any more kind of people” he shrugged slightly, it was what he was used to “I always wanted to go to America though and I finally made it here” he beamed proudly as though he had achieved one of his dreams because he had. He laughed under his breath when she complained about her potential of going to hell “Oh come on that’s not true, I mean how could anyone see that smile and even dare to think about denying you paradise” he grinned playfully. Her declaration did surprise him but made him grin brightly “They’re only haters to leave more for us, not everyone can appreciate greatness” he commented with an amused look. “I got to see Coldplay once when they came to Korea, a few years ago now” he nodded a few times “I’d love to play my own concert one day...or join a band I guess” he chuckled under his breath “Too idealist?” he questioned with an innocent look.

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