April Loves Black Coffee: First Impressions (37 page)

“Boss–” Ren starts to argue, but is immediately silenced by the look on Sangwoo’s face. Ren bows to Sangwoo and retreats.

For a long second, Sangwoo stares after Ren before he turns to me. “I can explain. Please, sit down.”

I am a sucker for those brown eyes. I know it’s against my better judgment to be sensitive to this gang leader, but I cannot help myself. I sit across from Sangwoo, marveling at the softness of the plush club chairs. Meanwhile, Bryan takes the seat next to me in complete astonishment. We are out of our element and way over our heads. I stare at Sangwoo, convinced more than ever that I truly have no idea who he is.

Sangwoo acknowledges Bryan with a calm tone. “You are?”

“Spyder’s brother,” I introduce him. I want to spare Bryan the gang leader’s wrath. I am suddenly conscious that Sangwoo thinks I have a romantic connection with this puppy dog.

“Spyder’s brother and May’s boyfriend.” What the hell is he up to now? Bryan stretches his arm across my shoulders suddenly. Now, he has the galls to speak. If only Bryan knows who is sitting across from him.

Slyly, I reach under the table and pinch his knee. Bryan jumps, but keeps his arm on my shoulder.

“Boyfriend?” Sangwoo narrows his eyes at me. He doesn’t look comfortable with the thought. “I didn’t know you have a boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” I take Bryan’s arm off me. I want to kill him right now.
Now is not the time to proclaim your love for me,
I want to tell him.

Bryan looks hurt that I am brushing him aside. “May,” he calls softly. Perhaps he is conjuring a master plan of some sort.

“Tell you what, Bryan. Why don’t you go downstairs and grab yourself a drink. Anything you want, it’s on the house. One of my men will help you.” Sangwoo motions towards the staircase where two guards are looming in the shadows. The look in Sangwoo’s eyes is hard and cold. His jaw locks tight. It becomes intensely evident he does not want to entertain Bryan right now.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Bryan crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m here to protect May.”

“Believe me, she is well protected.” Sangwoo picks up his drink. He tosses it back and tells Bryan again with a dire tone. “Go on and enjoy yourself a drink. We will still be here. I need to talk to May.”

Sensing the impending turmoil, I have no other choice but to shoo Bryan away. “Go. I’ll be fine.” I nudge his shoulder gently.

Bryan looks at me with a desperate look in his eyes. “May, I can’t leave you.”

“Bryan. Please. Just give us a minute.” Now I have to work on getting him off my back.

Bryan fights with me through our eye contact, but decides he’s better off letting me win. “Fine. I’m only going because May is asking me, okay?” Bryan asks Sangwoo before he gets up. Bryan gives me a longing look before he leaves the table.

Sangwoo waits until his men escort Bryan downstairs. Then, Sangwoo faces me next. His eyes are burning with an indescribable intensity. “Are you dating that boy?” There is possessiveness and jealousy in his voice.

Excuse me!
“No.” My eyebrows come together in question. Why would Sangwoo ask me such a thing? It is pretty clear Bryan and I do not match.

Sangwoo studies my face. “Why is he with you tonight?”

There is no reason why I should be explaining myself to Choi Sangwoo, but before I can help it, I want to justify myself. “I was having drinks with my co-workers after work. I bumped into Bryan after I left the bar. Of course, you would know all of this if Ren did his job as my security guard instead of seeking revenge.”

Even though the nightclub is dark, it’s still easy to see the colors creep up on Sangwoo’s face. It is difficult to decipher if it’s the alcohol he’s consumed or my biting words.

What Sangwoo says next spins me on my head. “Danny was found loitering in front of The Trax, while Ren was waiting for you to complete your shift. Apparently, he is not done harassing you even after I paid the thirty thousand dollars, complete with a bullet wound to my arm.” As if this is a regular conversation, the corner of Sangwoo’s mouth twists into a subtle smile.

I stiffen in my chair.
Whoa.
This is not the reason I am expecting to hear. Once again, Sangwoo is one step ahead of me.

“I know what you are thinking, and I can assure you I’m not that kind of person.” Sangwoo’s eyes are pulling me in, deeper into this dark and vast world of his. “I just don’t want him to hurt you. You are a valuable asset to me May. I’m sorry you had to see it. I’m sorry you had to see my men defending you, protecting you.”

I swallow hard. Everything in my body feels numb. I want to apologize for being a fool, but at the same time showing Sangwoo my weakness will not get me very far. Even though Sangwoo may have ulterior motives that benefit me, I am still not convinced he is entirely honest with me. I am weary of Sangwoo. Time has passed since that very first meeting at The Trax. The feelings and emotions that I had for Sangwoo are subsiding and waning. It is not the same anymore. It may never be the same anymore. 

“You’re dumbfounded,” Sangwoo concludes. He reaches over the table for the dark bottle of alcohol. Sangwoo pours himself another glass and motions to
me.

I shake my head. I am one drink away from losing my sanity. I can’t risk my rationale at this point in the conversation.

“I want to pay you back the thirty thousand dollars.” I brave the notion. I force myself to look into the deep surprise treading in Sangwoo’s brown eyes.

“Pay me back?” Sangwoo tests the words out. His eyebrows come together. He places his drink back on the table. “Why would you want to do that?” Sangwoo asks clearly, despite the loud music thudding in the background.

I am suddenly uncomfortable under his stare. “I don’t want to sign the initiation contract. This life, your life, is not for me.” I secretly wish he could see the hesitation in my eyes and the fear in my voice. “Please.”

Sangwoo sits back against his seat. Out of habit, Sangwoo puts his hands together in a prayer position. Sangwoo’s brooding brown eyes harden. “I think you are missing the point May. I don’t need you to repay me thirty thousand dollars. I am not asking you to sign the initiation contract in place of thirty thousand dollars.”

“I thought when you said we could work something out this was the bargain-for-exchange? Thirty thousand dollars for the initiation contract? So instead of an initiation contract, I am willing to pay you back the money for the contract to be retracted.” I desperately want to make this clear. The anxiety returns with a vengeance inside of me.

The crestfallen look on Sangwoo’s face becomes deceptive. “I don’t want thirty thousand dollars from you, May.” This time, his statement is unforgiving.

I don’t know how else to tell Sangwoo I want nothing to do with his world. “Sangwoo, please. Let me pay you back. I can’t do what you want me to. I can’t sign an initiation contract. I can’t be part of your world.”

“Is this why you have been so distant with me?” Sangwoo asks. His voice is tough and soft, a dangerous combination. “You’re having doubts. You don’t have faith that I can teach you and support you . . . and be with you?”

My heart skips at his last words. He wants to be with me? What? I am helpless with this man. This gang leader has sugar dripping from his tongue. How do I fight such a demon under this package of a man?

“I can give you time.” Sangwoo offers simply. “You don’t need to sign or participate in anything anytime soon. I will give you time.”

“Sangwoo, I made my decision,” I insist. An overwhelming sense of discomfort grips me. “There’s no point in making you wait for something I have my heart set on. You said so yourself that you were helping me out with the thirty thousand dollars as a repayment for helping you that Saturday night when you were drunk.”

Despite my reminder, Sangwoo remains silent. Our environment takes over. The club music roars over us. The loud cadence encloses our reserved area. The flashing lights continue to spark behind us. 

“I can give you the world,” Sangwoo speaks up and continues the point of ignoring me. He leans in, reducing the distance between us. Sangwoo’s mere presence renders me helpless. “Anything you want, anything you desire will be at your feet. Your stepmother won’t have to work such long hours just to make ends meet. You won’t have to juggle two jobs and go through the last two years of college with uncertainty. I can guarantee you the world. Take my hand and join me, May.”

I am speechless at Sangwoo’s words. Along with his melancholy and suave, I feel like putty in his hands. “Sangwoo,” is all I can make out.

“Trust me May. I won’t let you down. When you join me, everything you do will be a hundred percent legal. I will not ask you to do anything you are uncomfortable with. I need someone like you on my team. I need your tenacity, loyalty, and shrewdness,” Sangwoo counts my traits.

“I don’t have any of those qualities that you are speaking of,” I tell him.
Don’t speak so lowly of yourself. You’re a catch! But I get it, you’re trying to sell yourself short to be less appealing to the gang leader.
My intuition is eating a bag of popcorn as she waits for the cinematic climax of this melodrama.

“Tenacity. By insisting that you refuse to sign my initiation contract is a mark of tenacity. I don’t like to talk about myself often, but do you know how many people would be willing to give up family members, donate their pride, and leave behind their fears to be in your position?” Sangwoo asks. He doesn’t wait for me to answer. “Loyalty is what you showed to your cousin. I know you would do the same for me. And shrewdness is the passive-aggressive intelligence I know you have in you.”

“Sangwoo,” I protest.

Sangwoo holds up a hand to stop me. “I will give you time. You don’t have to say yes or no right now. Not tonight.”

I swallow hard, biting down on my bottom lip. The look in his eyes is hard to decipher.

Sangwoo reaches forward for the glass of alcohol he has for me. Sangwoo hands it to me and without thinking, I take it from him this time.
What the hell, I might as well.
I close my eyes as I swallow the cool and hard liquid. Where do we go from here?
Don’t give it!
My intuition pushes for more.

Suddenly, a voice replaces the loud music overhead. My eyes scale down the balcony to see Bryan gracing the stage.
Oh no, what is he doing now?
On the other end of the stage, Sangwoo’s men are loitering at a leisurely pace. The entire dance club houses Sangwoo’s men and only a few, selected outsiders. The thought dawns on me that Sangwoo has reserved the venue exclusively for tonight.

“You told me you don’t invest in nightclubs and bars,” I tell Sangwoo quickly.

“I don’t.” Sangwoo sits back in his seat. He has his eyes on the stage. “I inherited this place.”

I catch my jaw before it falls to the floor. I don’t have time to dwell on Sangwoo’s confession.

“Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention?” A booming voice resonates across the nightclub.

Meanwhile, Bryan heads straight to the DJ to retrieve a microphone. The DJ’s booming voice announces the special event. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We are hosting a karaoke event tonight. And a guest here is about to sing a ballad for someone special.”

“This is for you baby!” Bryan shouts. He points up to the balcony where Sangwoo and I are sitting.

I lower myself in my seat.
What is he doing?
I eye Sangwoo to see the corners of his mouth twist in amusement. Sangwoo is clearly thinking about Bryan. 

“Let the beat drop yo!” Bryan suddenly warps into his other personality.

The resident DJ begins to play a smooth hip-hop beat, whining and turning with echoes of bass and treble. Everyone in the club stops dancing, talking, and even drinking to turn their attention to the stage. Smirks and entertained smiles pass from one person to the next. Bryan turns the microphone in his hand and makes his home on the stage. Grinning with confidence, he starts the first verse.
What can he possibly sing? Please don’t rap, is all I can think.

“When a man lovesss a woman!” Bryan hollers over the microphone. His voice, melodic and falsetto in tenor, rings through the venue.

“Wow!” The crowd claps loudly at Bryan’s first verse.

Oh wow. Who knew the kid can sing!
Bryan’s melodic and heartwarming voice would have done the song justice if he didn’t overact.

“When a man loves a woman, he can’t keep his mind on nothing else. He’ll trade the world for the good thing he’s found!” Bryan serenades the microphone.

I stare shell-shocked at Bryan’s angelic voice. In the year and a half that I have known him, I didn’t know Bryan sings so well. I look up in time to see Sangwoo staring at me. There is a ruminating look in his eyes.

“If she’s bad, he can’t see it. She can do no wrong. Turn his back on his best friend if he put her down. When a man loves a woman,” Bryan croons in the background.

Sangwoo brings his drink to his lips. He turns back to face the stage. The light cascades his handsome profile. There is darkness to Sangwoo that, for the first time, I feel scared. His good-and-evil complex confuses me.

I force myself to focus on Bryan, fighting the tears that threaten to grace my eyes. I lose myself in the melodic hum of the music and the harmony of Bryan’s voice. The crowd circles the stage that Bryan stands on, crooning and pointing up to me. I don’t see them. I don’t see Bryan. They are a sea of people and I recede, like a faceless entity, back into the darkness with a dark demon sitting by my side.