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Saeko, despite how difficult her long days at work can be, enjoys training her employees above all. Learning the ins and outs of their interests, giving them pointers on how to improve their conversational skills, she cherishes her time with them. At first, she chalks it up to wanting the best for her business, after all, happy employees make for hostesses who bring in the big bucks. Sometimes, however, her gaze lingers a bit too long on the girls she trains, her eyes trailing downward as their conversations continue. Surely she's just making sure her hostesses look perfect for the clients, right? Nothing untoward about that. There's just girls there when they're training, nothing to be ashamed of, surely.
Well, that's what she likes to tell herself anyway.
All thoughts of denial fly through the door when Seonhee tells her she wants to be a part-time hostess. They had fought side by side during their time in Hawaii in countless battles, but after Ichiban's cringey new confession once everyone was safe and sound back in Japan, Saeko drifted away from the group as a whole. Similar to the year she ghosted Ichiban, she fell off the planet, ignoring texts from everyone. Ichiban is a true friend to her, no doubt about it, and she's always proud to fight alongside him and his friends, but once again he couldn't take a hint. She considered giving it a shot just to make him feel better and force herself to reconsider that maybe her platonic feelings for him were romantic. But after a few days, she knew that such an undertaking would be futile. It wouldn't be fair to Ichiban either. Ghosting the rest of the group wasn't a decision she made lightly, but Saeko felt absolutely stuck on what to do, deathly afraid to hurt anyone's feelings...at least in a direct manner.
Fortunately, Saeko's decision to get back into contact is made for her. It's a slow weeknight and most of the hostesses are hanging out in the back. Saeko fights back a yawn as she hears someone step in, slipping back into her work persona.
"Hello, welcome to-" she starts, but abruptly loses her words as she sees none other than Seonhee.
Seonhee chuckles and leans over Saeko's podium.
"What? Lost for words?"
Saeko's eyes shamelessly roam up and down Seonhee's body, from the dangerous low cut of her black halter dress, to the tips of her toes clad in high heel leather studded boots that make her tower above Saeko. Her makeup is brash and bold, black cat eyeliner and black lipstick complemented with crimson eyeshadow. Her nails are painted with black nail polish that has a holographic glow. In short, Seonhee is stunning and perhaps even more glamorous than any hostess there.
Seonhee's head leans towards her, their faces close. Saeko can see faint sparkles over Seonhee's cheeks from her highlighter, and she takes in the scent of Seonhee's perfume. It's powerful and spicy, musk and leather with hints of pepper. The contrast of the masculinity of her scent and the femme fatale style of dress makes the Queen of Ijincho seem as majestic and commanding as such a title requires.
"I had a question for you, Sa-chan. You hiring?"
Saeko's jaw drops. "Don't you have the entire underground of Yokohama to run?"
"It would just be a little side hustle. Nothing I can't dump onto Joongi if I have to." Seonhee shoots her a wink.
Saeko laughs. "You give him way too much to do already!"
"I'll make it up to him later. It's worth it to spend some time with you considering your busy schedule." Seonhee tries to play it off as a joke, but Saeko can feel a real sense of hurt emanating from her voice. How many months had it been since she'd last seen her and the rest of the crew? Three months? Six months? God forbid, it's been over a year, hasn't it?
Seonhee gently places her hand over Saeko's. "Look, I get that things between you and Kasuga-san are awkward, but he really misses you."
Saeko sighs. "So he sent you to spy on me?"
Seonhee smirks. "No, but hey, at least I make for a really sexy spy, huh?"
Saeko blushes, feeling like "sexy" is an understatement.
"Saeko-san, while I'm here on behalf of all of us who miss you, I had really hoped we'd get to know each other better after the awkwardness between us had subsided."
Saeko looks up to her. "Yeah, remember when I said we needed more feminine energy or whatever?'
Seonhee squeezes Saeko's hand. "We made Nanba-san and Kiryu-san so confused. It was great. But uh, anyway, if you don't want to hire me, maybe we could at least hang out after you get off work?"
Saeko beams. "Heh, in a way, I'd be an idiot not to hire you because...I mean, just look at you. Came dressed for the job, huh?"
"Oh, you bet your ass I did!"
"I think you might come off as a bit too dominant for some of the clients," Saeko says, seeing Seonhee pout a little at the comment, "but let's be real. It would totally be their loss!"
"That's what I like to hear," Seonhee says, and the way she lowers her voice makes Saeko shiver. God, that woman's voice just does things to her sometimes, as much as she doesn't want to admit it.
"It's been a pretty slow day, and my girls could always use the rest of the night off..." Saeko starts, and Seonhee gives her a look that screams "DO IT!", like they're highschoolers trying to play hookey. "I'll be right back!"
Saeko returns with her hostesses, and they all walk out the door. A few of them take in the sight that is Seonhee and turn to Saeko with knowing grins.
"Have fun, you two," one of them says with a wink.
Seonhee slips an arm around Saeko and nods. "Oh, don't worry, we will."
Saeko's jaw drops and she looks back and forth between her employee and Seonhee, hoping their expressions would reveal what the hell that was about. Unfortunately, her employees leave with no explanation, giggling as they go.
"Wait, do you know some of my hostesses?" Saeko asks as Seonhee leads her to a sleek purple sports car.
"The Geomijul knows all," she says with an ominous glint in her eye.
Saeko shudders as Seonhee's comment reminds her of the power she holds over the entire city. They might be friends now, but Seonhee is a crime boss after all.
Seonhee laughs, her intimidating glare replaced with a smile.
"And yes, I know a few of them personally. Now please," Seonhee starts, unhanding Saeko and opening the car door for her, "get in."
Saeko quietly complies, and Seonhee closes the door for her and slips into the driver's seat. Seonhee grabs her sunglasses from the console and puts them on, turning to Saeko with a grin.
"What do you say to a little road trip, Saeko-san?"
"Oh! Just for the day?" Saeko panics a little as she only has the basics in her purse: her keys, phone, wallet, some makeup, and some sunscreen. She looks Seonhee up and down again, wondering if such a revealing outfit would be practical later on that night; it is December after all!
"However long you'd like it to be!" Seonhee says as she buckles up, ready to hit the road.
Not wanting to ask too much of Seonhee, Saeko says, "For the night sounds good! But, uh, you sure you don't wanna change?"
"I'm a December baby, I'm made for the cold!" Seonhee sticks her tongue out a bit, teasing the other woman.
Alarm bells sound off in Saeko's head; it's December 1st! But with 30 more days to go, surely Seonhee's birthday isn't today? She imagines that Seonhee's birthday must be a classy, bombastic affair spent with Joongi and the rest of her Geomijul family, not to mention her family of origin.
"Wait, today isn't-"
"My birthday? Yep, today is indeed...the big 4-0 for me." Seonhee smiles, mixed feelings surging through her. She's proud to have lived this long, especially in this line of work, but it hasn't been without its losses.
"No! Oh my god, Happy Birthday, Seonhee!" Saeko reaches over the console and wraps Seonhee in the best hug she can manage at the awkward angle. Seonhee blushes and accepts; their arms wrap tightly around each other. Everytime Saeko hugs her she sinks into her touch despite knowing that it isn't anything but platonic from Saeko's end. I can at least let myself have this, Seonhee thinks.
What Seonhee doesn't know is that Saeko feels similarly to her. She always finds comfort in the older woman's arms and something deep inside of her feels like she may have more than friendly feelings for Seonhee. But like all her tiny moments that indicate she might be into women, she brushes them off. She's in her thirties; if she had any inclination besides being straight, surely she would have embraced it by now.
Seonhee is the first to pull away after their hug, not wanting it to last too long. She is always careful to not come off as creepy or predatory to other women, a tendency that is fueled both by her experiences with men who harass her just for being a woman involved in organized crime, and with the women she meets that view her with disdain, their internalized misogyny thinly veiled. Plus, Saeko had to be straight, right? Yeah, she rebuffed Ichiban, but considering how he wanted to speedrun a relationship with her, Seonhee doesn't blame Saeko at all for rejecting him. Then again, in speaking with some of her friends who work for Saeko, Seonhee has learned that sometimes Saeko's eyes linger a little longer on them than necessary...
After they finish hugging, an awkward silence fills the car. They're both blushing, looking away at each other. Their silence is broken by the sound of rustling coming from the back seat. Seonhee and Saeko whip their heads around, and Seonhee takes out a dagger to apprehend this potential threat. There's a blob in the shape of a human covered with a jacket in the back, and Seonhee knows that it shouldn't be there. She raises her dagger and is about to strike when a voice rings out.
"Wait, stop!"
Joongi pokes his head out from underneath his jacket and raises his hands. Seonhee shoots him a death glare, and Joongi gulps.
"Joongi Han, what the hell are you doing here?" The venom in Seonhee's voice makes both Joongi and Saeko shiver. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't stab you right now."
"I promise it's for your own good! Haven't you been pining after Saeko enough?"
Seonhee fights the urge to slap him, but controls her anger.
"Shut the fuck up!"
"Seonhee!" Saeko yells, which causes both Joongi and Seonhee to quickly turn to look at her.
"Yes, Saeko-chan?" Seonhee says.
"Joongi's trying to help us. You should be thanking him."
"He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's just full of it!"
Saeko places a hand on Seonhee's shoulder. "You don't have to lie to me."
Seonhee facepalms and sighs. "I guess I wasn't very subtle, was I? But I know you're not interested, so-"
Joongi gives Saeko a thumbs up.
"Did I say I wasn't interested? If anything, I wasn't sure if you were interested," Saeko says.
"And now you see why I'm here. You two weren't going to fess up without a third party here, I knew it!" Joongi says, earning another glare from Seonhee, even if he's right.
Saeko laughs and turns to Joongi. "Thank you."
"Anything for the best boss ever and her girl, right?" Joongi replies, his eyes pleading for Seonhee not to hurt him.
Seonhee sighs. "I don't know whether I should kick your ass or give you a raise. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll do the latter."
Joongi sighs in relief, glad his idea didn't backfire.
Seonhee takes both of Saeko's hands in hers and looks her straight in the eye. "Sa-chan, will you go out with me tonight?"
Saeko nods. "I will."
Seonhee gently kisses Saeko, taking in the softness of her lips and the taste of her vanilla flavored lip gloss.
"And that's my cue to leave," Joongi says, blushing. He quietly exits the car and closes the door softly.
Seonhee chuckles as she and Saeko part. "Yeah, he definitely deserves a raise."
"Seconded," Saeko says, laughing with Seonhee. "Must be a good birthday present, huh?"
"Oh you have no idea," Seonhee says, her voice taking on a seductive tone. "How about we hit the road already?"
"Already wanting to take me home?" Saeko winks, and Seonhee just silently places the car into drive and speeds off.
After driving a couple miles in a random direction, Seonhee breaks the silence.
"So, uh, have you been with a woman before? I hope that's not rude to ask."
"No worries. I haven't. But I've thought about it more times than I can remember."
Seonhee smirks as she turns a corner. "Your employees did mention you getting an eyeful of them."
Saeko's face pales. "No way. Now I feel like a creep."
"Nah, you aren't being a creep. Some of them quite like the attention," Seonhee says, "but it's too bad you're mine, at least for right now, huh?"
Seonhee's sudden possessiveness sends a shiver down Saeko's spine. The idea that Seonhee has already claimed her brings a warmth to her cheeks. Hell, maybe now she'll have to deal with less creeps, knowing that her badass gangster boss lover would eviscerate them if they so much as laid a finger on her. She can imagine it; a customer gets handsy at her club and Seonhee is on him in seconds, crushing the bastard beneath her heels, forcing him to apologize and leave and never come back. Her knight in a tight skirt, leather, and heels. Close enough to shining armor, she thinks. Of course, Saeko can defend herself no problem, she's fought with Ichiban and their friends countless times, but Seonhee stepping in for her girl...she can't deny how arousing that would be. Although, she does wonder what the "at least for right now" comment is about before Seonhee interrupts her thoughts.
"Something wrong? If I'm coming on too strong-" Seonhee says, concerned by Saeko's silence.
"No! Not at all. If anything," Saeko starts, blood rushing downwards, "I like it, no, I love it. That I could be yours."
Seonhee chuckles, turning another corner and accelerating. "Good. Because you'll find it difficult to ignore me now, won't you?"
"Seonhee, if it were anyone else, I'd never consider this, but," Saeko says, suddenly clamming up, as if what she was about to ask was too scandalous, "can we go somewhere more private?"
Seonhee wants to jump on the chance to, well, jump her bones, but she wouldn't dare push Saeko into something she wasn't ready for. She pulls over on the side of the road, places the car in park, and turns to Saeko.
"Sa-chan, are you sure that's what you want so soon? I don't want you to feel pressured to do something right away."
Saeko responds by kissing her, and this kiss is deeper and longer than their first. Saeko nips at Seonhee's bottom lip and slips her tongue inside the older woman's mouth. Seonhee responds in kind, and they lose themselves, making out as if they'll die without each others' touch.
They part, lips swollen, smiles on their faces.
"There's this love hotel that would be perfect for us, if that's okay," Seonhee says.
Saeko kisses her again. "Please. I need you."
They manage to untangle themselves from each other, and Seonhee speeds over to the love hotel she has in mind. It's small, but it makes the space all the more cozy and welcoming. Seonhee saunters over to the front desk and the person working there hands her a keycard without a word. She winks at Seonhee and leads them to the elevator with a bow.
Saeko finds it difficult to speak throughout this process, remaining silent in the elevator. Is Seonhee a regular here, she wonders? Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. But she does feel a tinge of jealousy, hoping that Seonhee isn't just planning on a one-night stand with her, but at least something more.
Seonhee takes a moment to realize that she might be jumping the gun somewhat, but to her, casual sex is something she usually does regularly regardless of her relationship status, with the caveat that everyone involved knows each other and consents to it. Which of course means that she and Saeko need to have a talk before anything occurs, even if at the moment, she doesn't have any other partners. It's actually been a while since her last partner, and she's glad the owner of the love hotel still has her favorite room ready for them.
The two women are drawn away from their thoughts as the elevator door opens, and Seonhee gently takes Saeko's hand and leads them to their room. It is ornately decorated, with black and purple present in the color of the comforter to the antique lamps beside the large, four-poster bed. It's both flashy and classy, something that suits Seonhee, but also makes Saeko question how much their stay is going to cost.
Seonhee lets go of Saeko's hand and leads her to a sitting area with plush armchairs and a glass table adorned with gold accents.
"Saeko-chan, I know we're both raring to go, but we do need to discuss a few things first. Is that okay with you?" Seonhee asks.
"Of course! Please, what did you want to ask about?" Saeko says, appreciative of the concern Seonhee shows towards her.
"I should have mentioned this earlier, but monogamy is usually a deal breaker for me," Seonhee says, looking downward as she speaks, ashamed of not being frank right away.
Saeko chuckles. "You're acting like I've never heard of such a thing before. I do run a cabaret club, you know." She places a hand on Seonhee's shoulder, and the older woman looks up to her. "I've tried monogamy enough times to know it wouldn't work for me either."
Seonhee sighs in relief and smiles. "That's good to hear. Do you have any partners at the moment?"
"I don't, no. Been too busy with running the club to have one partner, much less two. But I have been wanting to put myself back out there. You? With Joongi, maybe?"
Seonhee fights the urge to crack up. "Oh my god, no. He's like my little brother," Seonhee says, trying to compose herself. "No, I haven't been with anyone in about a year or so. Some asshole broke my heart by leaving me to be monogamous with someone else. Joongi almost killed them."
Saeko giggles. "Sorry for mistaking you two. That makes a lot more sense. And I'm sorry your ex did that to you."
Seonhee groans. "Wouldn't be the first or second time that's happened, unfortunately. But enough about those losers, and more about now!"
"Yes, I think we should establish expectations for tonight." Saeko squeezes Seonhee's shoulder and lies back in her chair.
"Well, um, I haven't been tested in a while, so if we do anything, we'll need to use protection...of which there is a shitton in the sidetable drawer. Like a FUCK, no pun intended, TON."
Saeko laughs and runs over to the supposed drawer. She finds it difficult to open, and when she does, condoms, flavored condoms, dental dams, finger condoms, female condoms, basically any kind of protection for sexual activity floods out of the drawer and onto the floor.
"Oh."
"Yep."
"I uh, also need to get tested again, but this will definitely do for now."
Seonhee shrugs. "I told you this place was good."
Saeko walks back towards Seonhee and takes her hand, slowly leading her to the plush bed.
"Can we just start with some cuddling?" she asks, happy to simply feel the older woman's warmth around her regardless of what they will get up to tonight.
Seonhee tackles her onto the bed and nuzzles her chest.
They quickly drift off, side by side, ready to face a new day, together.