This morning, Aeri sighs when she hears her alarm.
Obviously, owning most buildings of the city and handling important companies has its perks: money, money and…. maybe some recognition from her father, something she longed for almost all her life (not that she cares that much about him now, she just wants him to see how big she became without his help), but sometimes, she can’t help but wonder what would happen if she could miss one, or many, days of hard work.
This wasn’t high school anymore, and she couldn’t just turn off her alarm whenever she felt like it.
“Come on, you don’t have a choice anyway” Aeri mutters, forcing herself to wake up from her 4 hours of sleep, which was still better than what she had slept the other nights of the week.
After showering, getting ready and getting dressed, she’s finally ready to go. She opens the door of her car (an Audi, her baby as she likes to call it), sighing for the nth time of the day even though it didn’t even start yet.
Driving, blasting her music at an unhealthy loud volume for the morning, she receives a call and rolls her eyes when she sees the name appearing on her screen.
“Minjeong, it’s 7 AM, what do you want,” Minjeong was working in Aeri’s company, and sometimes, she was really grateful to have her because she knew she could always count on her if needed. Minjeong was also Aeri’s best friend, but she would never say it out loud, knowing how cocky she would get but deep down, they both knew how much they loved each other.
“Wow, thanks for the greeting I guess,” She faked hurt in her voice, and she could already imagine Aeri rolling her eyes at her behind the phone. “Anyway friend, just wanted you to remember the event we have to attend tonight, I know you got a lot going on at the moment,”
Aeri nearly screamed at the reminder, “I’m going to kill myself,” she whined through the phone.
Minjeong chuckled, knowing how introverted she was and how much she hated to attend events. Though, this one was a pretty important one because it was a party celebrating their new contract with another company called SM, and a lot of people were attending. Aeri didn’t know much about this company, apart from the fact that it handled a lot of important celebrities and that their deal with it would benefit both companies.
“Come on big baby, it’s gonna be fire, I heard hot people are going to be here,” She squealed excitedly.
Aeri chuckled, “ What about your girlfriend ?”
Minjeong rolled her eyes, “She still is my girlfriend, doesn’t mean i can’t appreciate being surrounded by hot people, it’s fancy. By the way, can’t wait for you to meet her tonight !”
Aeri smiled, she remembered how happy Minjeong was about the deal with SM, because her girlfriend, Yu Jimin, was one of their most famous idol. And she was really, really hot.
Aeri arrived at her office, which was obviously the biggest one of the whole building. As she walked down the corridor, her employees bowed down to her and she gave them a polite smile in return.
Don’t get her wrong, she didn’t think she was a mean boss, she just knew she had to set limits with her employees if she wanted them to work properly. And besides, she didn’t mind being feared a bit.
She sat in her office all morning, dealing with the pile of papers that has been sitting on her desk since last night.
It was about 3pm when she received a mail from SM sending her the informations about tonight’s event. She transferred the mail to Minjeong, who just answered with a sad emoji.
At 5pm, she left her office (which was really rare because she usually stayed until 7pm at least), and called Minjeong so she could come over and get ready with her.
They both put on their fanciest dress, and Aeri opted for a sexy makeup because if she already had the reputation of a baddass boss, why change it ?
They finished getting ready while talking about what they were gonna say during their speeches, not without Aeri complaining again about why she had to do this, which left Minjeong rolling her eyes at her. A last look in the mirror and they were out, high heels on.
As Aeri was driving, Minjeong was rambling about her beautiful girlfriend and how excited she was for them to meet.
“You know, you look pretty hot tonight, maybe you’ll find someone,” Minjeong turned to look at her.
Aeri raised her eyebrow, “Why do you want me to find someone?”
“Well, maybe because you’re a grown woman obsessed by her work, a little distraction wouldn’t be so bad,”
Aeri gasped in defense “I’m only 24! And, you know how I feel about relationships, I’m just not looking for anyone.” Aeri never found interest in relationships, she was always focused on her work and didn’t want anyone to disturb her little routine she made for herself.
She often had one night-stands, sometimes maybe too much, but she liked it that way, and she needed to relieve all this stress anyway.
As they arrived, they barely made it out of the car that flashes started to go crazy, and they started walking towards the entrance with people screaming their names.
They entered and greeted some people they knew because of work and Minjeong really didn’t lie, a lot of people were in fact here.
Currently, Aeri was talking with the boss of a company she funded until Minjeong grabbed her arm and took her away.
“Aeri, this is Jimin, my beautiful girlfriend.” She smiled. “Jimin, this is Aeri, my miserable best friend.”
Aeri glared at her and looked up to greet Jimin, “Hi! It’s nice to finally meet you, Minjeong’s been talking about you non-stop.”
Jimiin chuckled “Only good things I hope?”
Minjeong scoffed, “Baby, you know I only have good things to say about you.”
Jimin laughed as she put her arm around her, and Aeri pretended to gag.
It felt good to see Minjeong this happy, she really needed it.
Minjeong flipped her off, and Aeri and Jimin fell into a conversation getting to know each other better.
“So, I see you’re the popstar of the moment?” Aeri teased,
“Me? No, but my best friend is! You gotta meet her, she’s the sweetest, I’m sure you’ll get along well”
“And also she’s super hot,” Minjeong said, wiggling her eyebrows at her. Jimin and Aeri both glared at her, and she raised her hands in defense.
Aeri then left to discuss some details with SM’s boss, and it was already time for her to give her speech.
But before, she needed a quick makeup check in the bathroom. As she made her way there, a girl bumped into her and at this moment, Aeri thanked God that the girl’s drink was empty, or her expensive Prada dress would’ve been ruined just before her appearance.
The girls both looked at each other for a moment, and Aeri took a while to process the beauty standing in front of her. The other girl just raised her eyebrows and walked past her, and Aeri scoffed to herself,
“Bitch”.
After her quick check up, she asked Minjeong and Jimin if she looked okay, and they responded with goofy smiles and thumbs up, which made Aeri smile and roll her eyes at them.
She then appeared on stage next to Jang Cheol Hyuk, SM entertainment's boss, who was proudly announcing their new deal, and she had to stand beside him awkwardly for a good five minutes, before finally taking the mic.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming today to celebrate with us our new partnership. I believe this deal can help us, but you as well seek out new opportunities and set new standards.”
Aeri spoke with confidence, and everyone looked at her, listening attentively. As she looked over to Minjeong and Jimin, she raised her eyebrows when she saw the rude girl from earlier standing with them. They both made eye contact for a second before Aeri looked away, continuing her speech.
“This deal is not just about business, it’s about people, it’s about the future of both our companies, and I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who helped us make it happen, to our employees and to our teams who will drive this partnership forward, and most importantly, to SM’s stars who will, I hope, benefit the most out of this deal. Thank you everyone, have a great night.”
People applauded and cheered for her, while she smiled and shaked hands with Jang, posing for pictures.
She got off the stage and the party kept going, soft jazz music playing in the background.
She was headed to the bar until someone grabbed her arm and turned her around and she let out the biggest smile when she saw who it was: Julie Han.
“Aeri! My God, it’s been so long!” Aeri had met Julie and a lot of other idols through her cousin, Jennie Kim, who was basically the standard in the kpop industry.
“I haven't seen you in ages, what’s up?” Aeri fell into a conversation with her, but also with other idols who joined them a bit later: Natty, Chaeryoung, Yuna and Minnie.
Minjeong joined them, with Jimin and the girl from earlier by her side and grabbed her arm.
“Aeri, this is Jimin’s best friend, Ningning!”
“Ning Yizhuo, nice to meet you,” Ning extended her hand, and for a moment, Aeri stared at it wondering if she even wanted to shake it, but she did it anyway.
“Aeri Uchinaga,” As Aeri looked at her, she couldn’t help but wonder if she ever saw a woman more beautiful than her in her life, like, she was actually perfect if she was being objective.
But it wasn’t enough for her to forget the way she acted like a bitch earlier.
Ning stared at her deep in her eyes, and Aeri wondered if she was trying to look into her soul. She then chuckled at her own thought.
“Why are you laughing?” Ning asked her, raising her eyebrow.
“Can’t I?” She answered sassily, and smirked at the other girl’s reaction who gave her a dirty look and proceeded to roll her eyes.
Hot.
Well, maybe Aeri had a thing for mean girls, but that was only for her to know.
The party went pretty well, everyone was chatting with everyone, and Aeri even allowed herself to drink since she knew nothing would get out of here.
At one point, Minjeong and Jimin popped next to her on the couch, each on one side and Aeri looked at them suspiciously.
“So, what’d you think of Ningning?” Jimin asked with an innocent smile, and Aeri bit back a laugh.
“Come on guys, I barely talked to her,” They kept looking at her with insistence, and she sighed,
“Pretty and hot. Like really fucking hot. But bitchy.” She said.
She nearly jumped when she heard the loud squeal Minjeong let out,
“Exactly your type! Oh my God, I knew it, I knew it!”
Jimin pretended to wipe her tears, “My baby Yizhuo’s getting married, I’m so emotional right now”
Aeri scoffed and rolled her eyes at them, “So dramatic and for what,”
While her friends kept going with their attitudes, she looked up and locked eyes with Ning who pretended to look away as soon as she saw her, which made Aeri smirk.
As she got tired of being stuck between the two lovebirds, she left to get a drink at the bar for what seemed like the 20th time of the night.
“I'll get a whisky please,” She asked as she sat down on one of the stool.
“What’s a pretty woman like you doing sitting alone?” A voice came behind her, and she didn’t even try to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She turned around and was met with a tall man, pretty handsome if she was being honest.
“Dancing,” She answered sarcastically, as if it wasn’t obvious that she was literally sipping on her drink.
“Sassy, I like it,” He laughed as he sat next to her, despite the dirty look she was giving him.
For a good five minutes, the man was talking to her, unaware that she wasn’t listening to anything he was saying and that she’d just nod her head along with the sound of his voice.
As she finished her drink, she looked around and noticed a pair of dark eyes across from her, glaring right at her. Ning Yizhuo.
She at first was a bit confused, raising her eyebrow questioningly, before tilting her head and sending her her most infuriating yet attractive smirk.
She could see Ning’s eyes going from her to the man sitting next to her, and he suddenly became more interesting as Aeri turned to give him a flirty look, not missing the way Ning got up and left, letting out a loud scoff.
What was even her problem? They didn’t even know each other.
Minutes later after finishing her drink, she got up leaving the unknown man behind, and made her way to Ning who had her back to her, texting on her phone.
Aeri took the opportunity to sneak behind her and speak next to her ear, maybe a little too close.
“So, what’s up with the jealous girlfriend act? I mean, not that I’m complaining, it’s always nice to have a hot woman looking after you,” She said, speaking in a teasing tone that she knew would make her mad.
Ning turned around, eyebrows furrowed, and Aeri had to step back from the proximity between them.
“What are you even talking about?” Ning asked, annoyed.
Aeri just gave her a playful look, “So, what got you all worked up at the bar, was he your boyfriend or something ?”
“My manager,” Ning answered, “We argued just before.”
Aeri let out a sigh,
“Damn it, thought there was something between us, you know, sexual tension or whatever they call it”
Ning scoffed and rolled her eyes at her, “Don’t get your hopes up Aeri. Maybe you’ll find someone else to get in your bed tonight,”
Aeri smiled at the sweet sound of her name rolling out of Ning’s tongue.
“What if I don’t want another girl in my bed tonight?” Aeri said, her signature smirk glued to her face.
Aeri always had a flirty personality as she knew she was hot, but it was pretty rare that she did it with someone work related. However, Ning was too pretty to let this occasion pass, and she was way too tipsy to even care anyway.
Ning just raised her eyebrow, looking at her with piercing eyes, which made Aeri kinda distracted.
“Well, guess you’ll have to go home alone then,” She said, before turning around and making her way to Minjeong and Jimin, who were making out on the couch with no shame at all, and Aeri followed her.
“Guys come on, it’s not a club, it’s work,” Ningning scolded them, and Aeri let out a laugh, which caused Ning to give her a pointed look, and she looked away pretending nothing happened.
Minjeong sighed loudly, and got off Jimin’s lap.
“You’re wasted,” Aeri said,
“I’m not!” She pouted, then proceeded to look between the two of them and smirked. “So, have you guys fucked yet?”
Aeri looked over to Ningning and she swore that if looks could kill, Minjeong would be dead by now.
She smirked to herself as she decided to get on her nerves even more,
“She doesn’t wanna,” Aeri said, pouting.
Minjeong and Jimin gasped, and Ning’s neck almost broke at the speed she turned to look at her.
“What the fuck.”
—---------
The party eventually came to an end, and if Ningning was honest, she kinda liked the way Aeri flirted with her tonight even though she would never, never, ever admit it, like not even to herself. Ningning’s always been popular with boys and girls, but despite being one of the hottest women on earth, she couldn’t even remember the last time she slept with someone. Fuck, she can’t even remember how long it’s been since her last make out session, which was probably miserable anyway.
As she sat on the couch staring at Aeri who was saying her goodbyes to her new collaborators and giving them her stupid charming fucking smile, Jimin popped next to her, smirking when she realized in what, or more in who’s direction she was looking.
“I think you’re too strict with yourself,” Jimin sighed,
“What do you mean?” Ningning looked over to her, questioningly.
“Ning-ah, it’s been ages since you’ve last had fun, you know that spending a good time once in a while doesn’t hurt, right?” Jimin explained, “I mean, what’s stopping you from fucking her when you’re clearly attracted to her,” She raised her hands in the air, “No strings attached you know? Just fun.” She said.
They sat in silence for a moment before Jimin got up to join her girlfriend, leaving Ningning alone with her thoughts.
She kept her eyes on Aeri, and when she looked up making direct eye contact with her tilting her head and smirking, Ningning didn’t fight anymore.
She got up, not breaking eye contact, and walked towards her, grabbing her arm roughly and dragging her to the bathroom.
“Ning, what’s going on?” Aeri asked, genuinely confused, but the look on her face quickly changed when Ning pushed her in one of the stalls, locking the door behind them.
When Ningning turned around, Aeri was looking down at her, eyebrows raised and smirking.
After seeing that, Ning rolled her eyes and pinned her against the door, kissing her roughly, making Aeri whimper at the sudden action.
They kissed hungrily for a while, and Ningning could feel Aeri’s smirk against her lips when she slid her tongue against her bottom lip, asking for access. Aeri broke the kiss, breathless,
“I thought I was going home alone tonight?” She said, teasingly.
“Fuck you Aeri,” Ning answered as she dived back into a deep kiss, and both hummed at the roughness of it.
“And technically, you’re not even home yet,” Ningning said, pulling away and smiling proudly at her comeback, and Aeri laughed at her,
“Smart ass bitch,” She said as she rolled her eyes playfully, before grabbing her by the neck and kissing her again.
And maybe, just maybe, Aeri wouldn’t be going home alone tonight.