Chapter 16: The 3:00 AM Call
Raiven turned on the bed with a low grunt, his entire body aching as if he'd been run over by a truck. He felt himself drifting back toward a heavy, drug-like slumber, but a nagging thought stopped him. Where am I?
He squinted, taking in the familiar, high-end furniture of his own bedroom. He relaxed, letting his muscles succumb to the exhaustion. But then, a sound drifted in from the hallway. A rhythmic chopping. The clink of metal against ceramic.
His eyebrows furrowed as he sat up, his head throbbing with a rhythmic pulse. He looked down and realized he was undressed, wearing nothing but his underwear. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to summon a memory. Did I bring someone from the club? It was rare for him to allow anyone into his penthouse. He'd spent a fortune on this Gangnam high-rise, specifically for the private elevator and the ironclad security. But still he felt uneasy.
He slid out of bed, the cold air biting at his skin. Barefoot and wary, he padded out of the bedroom and into the open-plan living space. He stopped dead in his tracks, his hand frozen in his messy hair.
A figure was standing at his stove, wearing a set of his own oversized loungewear, busily stirring a pot.
"Ha-ru!" Raiven exclaimed, his voice cracking.
Ha-ru looked over his shoulder, completely unfazed. "Oh, you're finally awake. Hope you don't mind me using your kitchen. Your cabinets were depressingly empty, but I found enough to work with." He reached for a spice jar and tapped it into the steaming pot.
Raiven remained frozen. Ha-ru looked at him, confused by the wide-eyed stare.
"What?"
"What are you... how did you...?" Raiven stuttered, the words catching in his dry throat.
"Don't you remember?" Ha-ru asked, turning back to the soup.
Hours earlier...
The phone had rung once. Then twice.
Ha-ru groaned into his pillow, fumbling for the device on his nightstand. Who would be calling him at 3:00 AM? He'd only managed two hours of sleep after his shift.
"What?" he slurred into the receiver, his voice thick with sleep.
"Ha-ru..."
It was Raiven. His voice was heavily slurred, sounding distant and distorted. Ha-ru sat up, suddenly alert. "Raiven? Is that you? What's going on?"
"Come," Raiven cooed into the phone.
"Come where? Where are you?" Ha-ru asked, concern sharpening his tone. They'd only just become "friends" on that bench in the countryside, the ink still hadn't yet dried to cement the word, but something in Raiven's voice sounded desperate.
"Club Midnight," Raiven mumbled before the line went dead.
Ha-ru let out a long, weary sigh. I am too soft-hearted for this world, he thought as he pulled on a hoodie and stepped into his flip-flops. He paused in the living room, seeing Se-hee asleep on the couch with the TV still blaring. He gently pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and clicked the power button off before slipping out.
He hailed a taxi, the driver informing him that Club Midnight was the "it" spot for celebrities and the ultra-rich. When he arrived, a bouncer blocked the entrance, demanding a ticket or a membership card.
Ha-ru didn't have time for 2025 elitism but he was sure they still had the same old practices. His thoughts were justified moments later. He leaned in, whispered that he was there for a "VVIP guest," and slipped the man a significant amount of cash.
Raiven is definitely reimbursing me for this, he thought grimly.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume, sweat, and something chemical. He sweet-talked a waitress into giving him the private room number and pushed the door open.
The scene inside made his stomach turn. Raiven was surrounded by people his age—idols, socialites, and hangers-on. Music pounded through the walls. On the glass table sat expensive bottles of whiskey and a neat line of white powder that a man was currently inhaling before falling back in a ecstacy.
Raiven's eyes lit up when he saw Ha-ru. He pushed aside a woman he'd been kissing,she didn't seem to care; she was too high to notice - and stumbled toward him.
"You're here!" Raiven slurred happily, throwing an arm around Ha-ru's shoulder. He turned to the room. "Guys! Guys! This is Ha-ru! Everyone say hello!"
The room erupted in a chorus of drunken greetings. Ha-ru scanned the room, his jaw tight. "Let's go," he shouted over the bass.
"No! Not yet!" Raiven protested, trying to sink back into the plush velvet sofa. Ha-ru caught his arm, his grip firm.
Raiven pouted, looking up at him. "Why not?"
"Because it's late, and I want to get back to bed," Ha-ru said sternly.
"Your friend is so bossy!" a guy shouted from the corner.
Raiven stood up, swaying on his feet. He reached out, his fingers weaving through Ha-ru's hair with a sleepy smile. "When did you get this bossy?"
Ha-ru might have questioned the familiarity in that tone if he weren't so preoccupied with getting Raiven out of the club. "We're leaving. Now!"
"I ate," Raiven bragged, leaning his forehead against Ha-ru's shoulder. "I took your advice. I ate so much." Ha-rus heart warmed slightly at his words.
"He ate so much he's gonna be a pig tomorrow!" a girl laughed.
"But... I don't feel so good," Raiven whispered.
Before Ha-ru could react, Raiven lurched forward. The warmth of puke hit Ha-ru's hoodie. He closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath. He truly regretted his good heart in that moment.
But as he looked at Raiven,really looked at him - he saw those deep, hollow voids in the his eyes. It was like looking into a mirror of an alternate universe. He saw a soul that was drowning, and it scared him. Maybe was why he'd come.
"I'm so sorry!" Raiven gasped, trying to wipe the mess with his bare hands.
"Don't touch it!" Ha-ru scolded, pushing his hands away. "Just sit."
He flagged down a waiter, ordered towels and water, and spent the next twenty minutes dabbing at their clothes. Once they were semi-presentable, he grabbed Raiven's phone and keys give to him by a mysterious he mumbled a thank you as he slung the idol's arm over his shoulder, and hauled him out to the elevator.
"So... that's what happened," Raiven whispered, the memory returning in jagged pieces.
"What did you think happened?" Ha-ru asked, stirring the soup. "You're incredibly heavy, by the way. I should be charging a premium for my services."
Raiven's face went slightly red. "I thought... I thought we had slept together." He stated
Ha-ru froze, the spoon hovering over the pot. He turned slowly, staring at Raiven with an expression of pure, unadulterated absurdity.
Raiven didn't wait for a response; he turned on his heel and retreated back to his bedroom, leaving Ha-ru alone in the kitchen with the soup.