Chapter 8: || A Sweet Bitterness ||
|| Chapter 8: A Sweet Bitterness ||
Without anyone noticing, an annoyed glint was seen in Siwoo's eyes and the corner of his lips twitched downward. From Sang-won's perspective, he looked picturesque even if he was frowning. The looming light above him illuminated his chilli-dyed hair and icy-blue eyes that looked cold enough to send chills down his spine. "Do you know him, sir?" A young man next to Sang-won asked, his confused gaze flickering between the blonde and the ravenette. "I met him at the annual music award show a few weeks back," Sang-won answered him as he sent the ravenette a small wave of his hand before heading to his table.
The ravenette openly ignored his gesture and turned around to talk to the two arguing men behind him. "Oh..." The man mumbled, furrowing his brows. Meanwhile, Siwoo was grumbling to himself as Minho and Jihun finally stopped arguing with each other. As they warmed up for the next song, Minho sat his guitar down and set up an electric piano keyboard, testing and tuning it. Soon, the sound of the drums and a single guitar being played echoed through the bustling restaurant.
Several patrons turned their attention back to the three men on the stage. Minho kept a steady rhythm on the drums while Siwoo effortlessly plucked the guitar strings to match his pace. Jihun bopped his head up and down, keeping count of their rhythm. His voice was smooth yet sensual as he sang the first verse.
Verse 1↴
It can't be said I'm an early bird
It's 10 o'clock before I say a word
Baby, I can never tell
How do you sleep so well?
You keep tellin' me to live right
To go to bed before the daylight
But then you wake up for the sunrise
You know you don't gotta pretend
Baby, now and then
At some point, the faint sounds of the electric piano being played mixed in with the guitar and drums, creating a rich sound. The patrons seemed to like the melody, some bopping their heads while others tapping their fingers against their tables. Sang-won leaned his chin against his palm as he stared intensely at the singing ravenette on the stage, mentally burning the scene into his memories. Unconsciously, the ravenette tilted his head slightly with a closed-eye smile as he started playfully yet seductively singing the pre-chorus.
Pre-Chorus↴
Don't you just wanna wake up
Dark as a lake
Smellin' like a bonfire
Lost in a haze?
If you're drunk on life, babe
I think it's great
But while in this world
Slowly, the music started to quicken and more hidden instruments flowed into it. However, only the guitar was heard when he reached the chorus, singing the lyrics a bit louder and more strained to visualize a hidden aggression of the song's meaning. Sang-won couldn't help but lean forward with intrigued eyes, watching as the ravenette closed his eyes and furrowed his brows. Minho started clapping his hands, matching the pace that the drums played a few seconds ago. By the second 'I take my whiskey neat' in the chorus, all the instruments were heard, along with a chime of wedding bells in between.
Chorus↴
I think I'll take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You're too sweet for me
You're too sweet for me
I take my whiskеy neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You're too sweet for mе
You're too sweet for me
Minho and Jihun hummed as the song's instrumental part played for fifteen seconds while Siwoo plucked the electric guitar strings even louder. A bead of sweat dripped down the ravenette's brow as he licked his dry lips, dampening them with his pierced tongue. That gesture unconsciously caught some patrons - including Sang-won - off guard, flustering them slightly. The three men shared a quick glance before only Siwoo's guitar and the drum were heard again as he sang the second verse. His voice was slightly filled with a playful sneer, visualizing the gentle pressure the narrator was facing to adapt to his 'unhealthy' habits.
Verse 2↴
I aim low
I aim true, and the ground's where I go
I work late where I'm free from the phone
And the job gets done
But you worry some, I know
But who wants to live forever, babe?
You treat your mouth as if it's Heaven's gate
The rest of you like you're the TSA
I wish that I could go along
Babe, don't get me wrong
Sang-won snorted when he noticed the gentle mockery in the lyrics, causing his colleague to glance at him with a confused expression. He ignored him as he continued to watch the performance. The ravenette's low sultry voice weaved an alluring and melancholic spell to his ears. The bluesy guitar riffs and smokey atmosphere of the song evoked a sense of late-night intimacy, which perfectly fitted the ravenette's vibe and personality. He shifted a bit on his feet, adjusting the guitar dangling over his shoulder as he continued to flick his fingertips across its strings.
Pre-Chorus↴
You know you're bright as the morning
As soft as the rain
Pretty as a vine
As sweet as a grape
If you can sit in a barrel
Maybe I'll wait
Until that day
Sang-won furrowed his brows when the narrator suddenly complimented the 'partner' mentioned in the song. Didn't he just insult her a few seconds ago? Now he's complimenting her? "How annoying," He mumbled to himself, leaning his head further into his palm as his gaze was pinned on the ravenette. A bitterness was pasted onto his tongue when he saw how the ravenette sang the pre-chorus with a gentle yet soothing expression - it was like he was talking to his lover. However, the music grew more hurried and rushed when he sang louder, dragging out the syllables of the lyrics. For some reason, Sang-won could relate to the narrator in the song as he stared at Siwoo.
Chorus↴
I'd rather take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You're too sweet for me
You're too sweet for me
I take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You're too sweet for me
You're too sweet for me
Siwoo took a quick breath of oxygen while Jihun and Minho sang the adlibs to the song, humming and keeping the smokey atmosphere of the music. Quickly, he rubbed the sweat off his brow and loosened his tie, feeling stuffy in the suit he wore. His actions made some older women gasp and fan themselves, losing their thoughts to the indecent scenarios in their heads. He took those fifteen seconds to rehydrate his throat with some bottled water before singing the outro with an aggressively sweet tone. The wedding bells in the background were a fine detail to the outro.
Outro↴
I take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You're too sweet for me
You're too sweet for me
The restaurant's ground floor bustled with applause as patrons clapped their hands with wide smiles while others whistled. With a ninety-degree bow, the three men bowed their backs to the crowd for their gratitude. They started taking song requests from the patrons, who wanted to hear them perform again. They sang classical songs - both Korean and foreign songs. When they finished their three-hour performance, they took a seat at the bar to relax before heading home for the night.
"I feel so dead right now," Jihun complained with a comedically hallow expression as he laid his head on the ravenette's shoulder, "My fingers hurt so much..." Siwoo deadpanned at his words before ignoring him as he swirled the whiskey around in his glass. "You say it as if you're the only one in pain, ya jackass," Minho cursed at him, slumping his forehead against Siwoo's bicep and rubbing against it like a tired cat. "Why are you two being clingy again?" The ravenette snapped at them as he brought his whiskey glass closer to his lips and took a few sips of it, rehydrating his throat with the cool liquor.
"That was a great performance tonight," An unexpected voice complimented from behind them, startling all three of them. Immediately, they turned around to look at the voice. "Geh," Siwoo uttered with a displeased expression when he saw Sang-won behind them, smiling with curved eyes. Wariful, Jihun and Minho narrowed their eyes at the unknown man and watched him like a hawk, feeling a bit intimidated by him. "Thanks for the kind words," Siwoo retorted with a business-like smile, causing Sang-won's brow to twitch in annoyance, "We're glad to know that one of the customers enjoyed our performance."
A heavy atmosphere fell over them, causing the other patrons around them to shift uncomfortably. "By the way," Sang-won started with a frown before drooping his eyes as he asked, "Why haven't you contacted me in the last few weeks, Siwoo-ssi? I thought we were friends?" The other patrons - who were secretly watching them - were awed at his pitiful expression, gaining their sympathy. However, it didn't work with Siwoo at all. Rather, it pissed the ravenette off more than ever.
"I was job-hunting," He bluntly answered while sipping on his whiskey, narrowing his cold eyes at him, "And I don't recall us being friends, Kwan Sang-won-nim." The blonde tensed up when the ravenette said his full name and was about to say something. "Especially since I've only met you once or twice when I was still working as a manager," Siwoo added, preventing him from speaking. Sang-won's eyes grew half-lidded as he looked visibly hurt by his blunt yet harsh words. However, a look of realization flashed across his face when he heard that last bit of his sentence.
"Then..." The blonde pursed his lips slightly before slowly taking out a business card from his pocket and holding it out to him with a look of expectancy, "How about as a potential business partner?" Minho and Jihun choked on their saliva, coughing out in disbelief while the ravenette's face grew stoic. Wordlessly, he peered down at the card and noticed that Sang-won's fingers were unnoticeably trembling - showing that he was anxious and nervous. "I..." He mumbled as he pursed his lips, furrowing his brows.
Should he accept it or...?
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Zeith_
Zeith_ Author's Note
I have no idea how this story should progress lmao
Curse this writer's block of mine :(
Song used in this chapter:
'Too Sweet' by Hozier
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