Chapter 2 Star of The Club

It had been years since they last met. Since their last conversation, there had been no contact whatsoever. The connection had faded so much that Andy had almost forgotten this person's existence.

But she still remembered.

Their last conversation hadn't been pleasant.

It wasn't the kind of relationship where he would come over to check on her or offer help when she was in a tough spot.

Andy's first reaction was-

He must have mistaken her for someone else.

But then another thought crossed her mind.

Maybe over the years, Charlie had matured, grown more broad-minded, and no longer cared about what had happened in the past. Perhaps he was just being polite, exchanging pleasantries upon seeing an old classmate.

Andy pulled herself from her thoughts, handed her coat to him, eyes filled with doubt and inquiry.

Charlie didn't take it. His gaze merely swept past her hand. Then, in a calm voice, he said, "I'm the owner of this bar."

Andy's hand froze mid-air, her reaction a little slow.

For a moment, she wasn't sure-

Was he introducing himself?

Or was he boasting about his success, flaunting how well he was doing now-already owning a bar at such a young age?

Even in this situation, she found herself distracted, recalling what Sara had said-

"The owner of this bar is basically the star of the scene."

Her eyes lingered on his face for a few extra seconds.

Dark hair, sharp brows, and pupils as pure black as ink, appearing even colder under the dim lighting.

Gone was the rebelliousness of youth-his once youthful features had sharpened into something striking and well-defined. Tall and lean, dressed entirely in black, yet still exuding an air of arrogance and confidence, as if he were both untamed and distinguished.

A star indeed.

It didn't seem like an exaggeration.

Charlie spoke again, slowly pulling her back to reality.

"Last name is Green."

"......"

Was he telling her his last name?

So, he hadn't recognized her. He was just introducing himself.

Andy understood now. Keeping her expression neutral, she said, "Is there something you need?"

"My apologies. Due to our mistake, we've caused you inconvenience." Charlie said, his voice steady. "If there's anything you need, feel free to let me know. Additionally, your entire tab tonight is on the house. I hope this won't affect your mood."

He kept addressing her as "you", but Andy didn't hear much respect in his tone.

He still spoke like he used to-casual, indifferent, with a laziness that made him sound both distant and infuriating.

Andy shook her head, politely responding, "No need. It's fine."

At that, Charlie's expression relaxed, as if relieved. Maybe because she was being easygoing, his tone softened slightly. With a small nod, he said, "Then, excuse me."

With that, he retracted his gaze and turned to leave.

Andy was still holding his coat, and she called out instinctively, "Mr.-"

Charlie turned back.

Their eyes met, and in that instant, she realized-they were strangers now.

The name Charlie got stuck in her throat, neither coming out nor retreating.

Her mind blanked, and in her panic, the words she had been mulling over earlier slipped out instead. Staring at his face, she hesitated a beat before blurting-

"-Star of the scene."

"......"

They locked eyes.

The world fell silent once more.

In that nearly frozen moment, Andy could almost see a tiny twitch in his brow.

"......"

Huh?

What did she just say?

Charlie, star of the scene.

Charlie... star... of the scene.

Oh.

Charlie...

Oh, shit.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!

"......"

Andy stopped breathing, barely keeping her expression in check. She didn't dare look at Charlie's face. Pressing her lips together, she quickly held out his coat again.

"Your coat."

The best way to handle this was to act as if nothing had happened, just like she always did-pretend there was nothing wrong and move on.

But Charlie wasn't about to let it slide.

Tilting his head slightly, he slowly repeated, "Charlie, star of the scene?"

Andy feigned ignorance. "What?"

A moment of silence.

Charlie looked at her with some surprise, as if he had just understood something. He let out a drawn-out "ah" and smirked slightly, an expression of "of course."

"Sorry, but this is a proper bar."

"......"

The implication was clear.

I know I'm gorgeous, but I don't offer that kind of service. Please, control yourself.

Andy wanted to explain, but there was no way to make it sound right.

She sighed inwardly, giving up the struggle altogether. Since they wouldn't see each other again, she might as well roll with it.

So, she went along with his words, "Oh? That's a shame."

"......"

For a split second, Charlie's expression seemed to stiffen.

Or maybe she was imagining things.

Andy blinked, and his face remained as unreadable as ever, unchanged.

She didn't dwell on it, just smiled politely and repeated, "Your coat."

Charlie still made no move to take it.

Then, over the next few seconds, Andy noticed something strange.

His gaze lingered on the curve of her lips, direct yet unreadable.

Then, he suddenly spoke-

"Wearing my coat," Charlie paused, then smiled. "You seemed quite happy, didn't you?"

"......"

Andy, ?

"I'm not sure, but it seems like I'm more famous than this bar?"

He raised a playful brow, his voice laced with amusement, as if offering her a graceful way out.

"Keep it as a souvenir."

"......"

-

"He actually said that?" Sara confirmed, before bursting into laughter. "Damn, why didn't he just tell you to frame it?"

Andy replied slowly, "That's exactly what he meant."

Sara stifled her laughter, offering a token of sympathy. "Don't take it too seriously. Maybe this happens so often that Charlie just assumes everyone comes here to see him."

"Did you forget why we came here?"

"Huh?"

"Weren't we here to 'indulge'?" Andy said. "Just 'seeing' him doesn't do justice to his behavior."

"......"

Sara started laughing again.

Andy chuckled too. "Alright, keep it down. Laugh after he leaves-he's still sitting there."

At that moment, all the high stools at the bar were occupied.

Charlie was seated at the very edge, casually sipping from a clear glass, his expression leisurely and composed, like a young, unruly aristocrat.

Seeing this, Sara finally held back her laughter.

Just then, a waiter approached, carefully placing drinks on their table. He looked quite young, still carrying a bit of baby fat on his face.

"Here's your drink."

Andy noticed the money under the check holder. "This is...?"

Before she could finish, the waiter hurriedly explained, looking a little nervous.

"I'm really sorry for earlier-it was my mistake. The boss has already covered your tab for tonight."

Andy remembered Charlie's words.

After a brief pause, her first reaction was to refuse. "It's fine, really. Take the money back."

But the waiter shook his head. "Besides this, if you need anything else, just let me know."

His tone was firm. Andy didn't insist. Instead, she picked up a coat beside her.

"I found this in the hallway on my way to the restroom. Might belong to a customer."

The waiter quickly took it. "Thank you."

After he left, Sara blinked at her. "What's going on?"

Andy briefly explained.

Sara gaped. "And you still tried to pay?"

"Running a business isn't easy," Andy sipped her drink. "No need to take a few hundred bucks from him over this."

Sara scoffed. "You're worried about a rich kid struggling with his startup? This young master has been loaded since forever."

Then, she frowned. "But he really didn't recognize you?"

Andy reasoned, "I don't think so."

"Didn't recognize you?" Sara looked incredulous. "Do you even know what you look like?"

"......"

Andy nearly choked. "The way you said that, it sounds like an insult."

Because Andy was truly beautiful.

Her appearance was extremely seductive, carrying an aggressive allure that starkly contrasted her calm personality. Those fox-like eyes seemed as if they were meant to steal souls, their corners slightly upturned, exuding charm with every glance and movement.

Sitting in this dimly lit bar, she seemed to glow on her own.

Sara had always thought that Andy could easily make a fortune based on her looks alone.

Who would have guessed that she would end up as a struggling news reporter?

"And you don't even look that different from high school-you just have shorter hair now-" Sara glanced toward Charlie and instantly changed her tune. "Okay, maybe it's possible."

"...?"

"With his looks, I doubt he's been short of women these past few years. Maybe he's met a few who have a similar type to you."

Hearing this, Andy propped her chin on her hand and glanced in Charlie's direction.

This time, there was a woman sitting beside him.

She didn't seem to mind the cold, wearing a tight-fitting short dress that exposed two long, fair legs. Leaning against the bar, she tilted her head slightly as she toasted him, her smile sweet and charming. Her delicate curves were outlined clearly with every subtle movement.

Charlie raised his eyes to look at her, his expression carrying a hint of amusement.

With the atmosphere around them, there was an undeniable sense of flirtation.

The topic was fleeting. Soon, Sara moved on to something else.

Drawn back by her voice, Andy retracted her gaze and continued the conversation.

After a while-

The female singer on stage finished her last song. Seeing the time, Andy asked, "It's almost ten. Should we head out?"

Sara nodded. "Yeah."

The two of them got up to leave.

Sara held onto Andy's arm, scrolling through her phone as she said, "Lucas just texted me. He's coming back next month. Next time, let's bring him along. Somewhere with a dance floor-this place is kinda boring."

Andy hummed in agreement. "Sounds good."

Before walking out, she glanced back at the bar once more.

Charlie was still sitting in the same spot. The woman beside him seemed to have changed. His face remained expressionless, as if he didn't care about anything in the world.

Their unexpected reunion truly seemed to be as he had acted-just a chance encounter with a complete stranger.

Andy was momentarily dazed.

She suddenly recalled the last time they had seen each other before losing contact.

A cold night, moonless. Thick fog and heavy clouds pressed down on the small town. A fine drizzle fell softly. In a narrow alley, the only streetlamp flickered, and flying insects hurled themselves toward it without hesitation.

The boy's hair was damp, eyelashes wet with raindrops. His pale skin contrasted with the light in his eyes, which had been completely extinguished.

It all felt unreal.

She didn't remember how she had felt at that moment.

She only remembered-

Charlie's voice was hoarse as he called her name for the last time.

"Andy."

Then, he looked down and mocked himself. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

She also remembered-

He had discarded all his pride, seeing himself as nothing more than filth that others wished to avoid.

"Don't worry," he had laughed. "I won't bother you anymore."

-

After spilling alcohol on a customer earlier, Jack had spent the entire night on edge, careful with every move, terrified of making the same mistake and reigniting the boss's recently cooled temper.

Once the customers at that table left, he stepped forward to clean up.

As he collected the glasses, he pulled out the check folder, and a few crisp red banknotes slipped out from underneath.

His hands froze.

Then he noticed a bracelet that had fallen beneath the chair.

Picking it up, Jack's expression grew heavy as he made his way back to the bar. Pushing his tray inside, he told the blonde bartender, "Brother Bob, the customer from K11 left something behind."

Bob took it from him and glanced up. "Oh yeah, that coat you brought over earlier-I swear it looks just like Brother Charlie's."

"Oh, I don't know. They said they found it in the bathroom," Jack replied. Remembering the money, he scratched his head. "Bro, Brother Charlie told me to comp their table, but the customer at K11 didn't take the money back. Should I go tell him?"

Bob gave him a sideways look. "Go confess your sins."

"..."

Jack was dumbfounded, feeling the need to explain. "Bro, it's not like I wanted to pocket the money. She just didn't take it. I even told her multiple times!"

Sealing the bracelet in a clear bag, Bob chuckled. "Brother Charlie doesn't care about logic."

"..."

Yeah, that sounded about right.

Even so, Jack still attempted to defend himself as he made his way upstairs to find Charlie.

Charlie had spent the whole evening at the bar, so Jack wasn't sure when he had moved to the second floor. Now, he was seated in the innermost booth, his face unreadable.

It was unclear whether he had even heard Jack's explanation.

Charlie didn't respond, idly toying with the glass in his hand.

The air felt suffocating.

Jack braced himself and tried to smooth things over. "Maybe she didn't pay for the drinks. I overheard her and her friend talking..."

He suddenly realized how bad this was going to sound and hesitated. "But, uh, it was noisy, and I couldn't hear clearly, so I'm not really sure... I mean, she..."

His voice trailed off as he met Charlie's cold gaze.

Jack shuddered and forced the words out. "I heard her friend ask if she came to the bar just to see Brother Charlie. She said no."

Charlie's eyelashes twitched slightly.

Jack swallowed hard. "Then she said she came to... to..."

Charlie stared at him impatiently. "To what?"

Jack shut his eyes and blurted out, "She said she came to hire a gigolo."

Charlie, "..."

Charlie, "?"

"So... this might be your, um, payment..."

"..."