Gangnam District, South Korea - Blacklight 3rd floor.

  "Thank you Sally," Her name crackled across her ear from the phone, "I'll be right there. Bye love! And you." A prompt response and a level of affection unearned, before trailing away to someone else, almost certainly the hit, "You understood that? Yes? Good! Bye bye, be back soon!" The sounds stopped as her old Nokia lost connection.

  Sally took the phone from her ear and pocketed the Nokia 8887 she'd had for almost 20 years now. Leaning over the railing to look at the dance floor below, she rolled her head right, and beckoned over a man, "?? ???, ??? ??? ? ????" The man lightly asked as he bowed, with his hands to the side.

  "? ???? ????...? ??? ???? ?????." Sally easily told as she leaned and pointed over the railing to a green haired girl jostling with the dancers. The green was clearly visible even from the 3rd floor, likely made more bright by the large black light ceiling that gave her club it's name. Her gave the man another glance when she saw his mouth move.

  "??, ???! ??? ?? ?????." Sally nodded leisurely, "?, ????. ?, ?, ??? ???." Her aid scampered off and another two non-descript men found their way over to her and took a silent post a meter or two behind her. She took in a look at everything she could see from here, every face she doesn't know and will have to learn before clicking her tongue at the two. "?? ??? ??? ???, 3?? ?? ? ?? ????." She clicked down the balcony with her heels instead of her mouth.

  Turning on a corner, she slid her hand down the railing as she descended a staircase. "???? ???? ????." Sally nodded her head to the woman in the stairwell, "???? ?????." And kept walking. Reaching the 2nd floor, she could see whoever the first man was-it was getting hard to really track the Blacklight staff at that point-he was walking straight toward her from down the way. Sally walked faster the opposite way, even still a minute or so later he was walking in lockstep with her, just a footfall behind.

  Sally turned her head to the man and held out her hand expectantly, "?? ???? ??? ???." He said while placing it into her hand. Then continued in silence as Sally ignored him, going through the motions of turning on the given Samsung Galaxy S9. Sifting through missed calls, unread text and Notes, riffing through half formed ideas and things that maybe were important once, having half a hundred phones with their own systems and note taking methods meant you would likely need six or more of them in one place to even get the full story on even one plan. Plans that usually were months, or years done by the time Sally got her hand on the same phone again.

  "??? ????" 'Hah, "again" did I ever even ask the first time?' Answering her spoken question even if not her mental one, the man replied humbly, "?? ?????? ???, ??? ???? ????." Sally kept thumbing her phone with a noncommittal hum, before reaching over her shoulder with it. "? ???? ??? ?? ??????" She asked, not wanting to deal with the whole 'getting to know' part of knowing someone. She also didn't want to ask what character made up his name.

  When she had been given back her phone, Sally spun on her heels-impressively in heels-and spoke after looking at the new name in her contacts (??? - 010-3885-6193) "????, 15? ?? ???? ?????." Sally spun again, and entered the first door on her right. Kim Su-Gyeom did not nod, bow, or even seem to acknowledge Sally existed after being told that. Simply turned around and found something to be needed for. 'No, I never asked: I'd remember the name of someone so perspicacious.'

  While closing the door behind her, before the handle even clicked shut, "?????" An almost monotone voice rang out to her from somewhere deeper in the room. As she clicked shut the door she walked in further and spoke, "?? ?? ?? ?? ????" Before huffing and saying sourly, "?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?!?" Sally spoke irate to a person stretched across the couch, shoes on the armrest.

  "?, ? ??! ?? ?? ?? ?????, ?? ?? ?? ?????! ??..." The person threw up their hands at Sally and cried out before lazily scratching at their neck. "??? ???? ????." The person leaned up from their full sprawl across the couch. "Ah what? He is?! When, when? Is he here for you or something?!" The person was now animatedly speaking. "Really? Jeez, boys these days. Get that dumb thought out of your head. And sit up straight. And take that mask off!"

  Sally nagged the delinquent brat of each failing of his before relenting, a smile on her face. "Kwan, stop idolizing that man before you get hurt." Kwan waved off the words, "It's not that! Maybe he can help with my English or fighting for a quick minute, or something." Sally scoffed, "Your English is fine: You should teach him some Korean. He's like a toddler, hell teach him English. And don't even think about fighting like him."

  Ya So-Kwan smirked with all the exaggerated swagger of a delinquent and said, "You know, you really got to stop saying all these hurtful things to people Sally. Someday someone might believe you. How can you confess after that?" Sally let out a loud..something..and scolded Kwan. "It's not that! Your ego's need to be bruised often because you have to much, or your heads are all the same level of empty, or something."

  She threw her phone at him, "Sort my stuff for me. I need a shower." And started storming to the bathroom. "I don't know your password," Sally didn't even glance back, having removed her password on the way over. "And why do you even need a shower?" Sally dead stopped and bore through him. "?? ?????. I meant, aren't you like, uh..immortal?" Sally walked through the door. "I still like to shower."

  Sally sat on the toilet lid, staring in the mirror while she let the water warm. Really the water had gone hot as soon as she pulled the faucet, it had been a long time since she had ever had to "warm" the water. She could almost feel the bark of a log as she rubbed her hands and thought of feeding a burner. She brought he hands to her face and rubbed at her eyes, hazel and barely lifeful. She pulled her cheekbone skin down a bit and it sprang back up.

  "I should ask to let age take me a little soon." She felt at her clothes for a bit and pulled out her 20 year old phone, putting it on the counter next to the sink. She worked her high heels from her feet and put them aside, standing to lean in for the mirror. She gazed upon her sun-loved skin, and dull black hair.

  "Asking to be set on my worst day, hm. I should do myself up, look all prime and responsible; I'm a mother now after all! ..Tsk." Sally clicked her tongue at her poor self joke. "No I'm not." That kid doesn't need a mother, and she doesn't need to be a mom. Sally slipped out of her outer-top layer, leaving her black undershirt. She flipped up the screen of her Nokia and spindled a path through her photos, stopping at random before moving to the next.

  Griven, Hein, Rilt, Sally, Fith, even a singular photo of a pure black nothing. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that last one was a mistake, it wasn't. Sally could even say it was the only non-mistake in the list. Sally smiled as she went through, only five names worth of people sat on this phone. She closed the phone again, sat it down on her coat before stepping back and moving the curtain of the shower.

  She stepped in the water and felt it pooling around her feet, soaking into her stocking as she reached a hand out to the many streams of water pouring from the showerhead. A crisp clearing feeling, a coolness to the touch but a warmth that flowed along her wrist. The water was as she had wanted it, set by the numbered dial on the faucet; 29 degrees, as Sally put her head under, let it wash through her hair and soak in her shirt collar along her neck.

  The water sunk it's teeth in, slowly fighting it's way down her clothes to get at her body. She looked at her hand, drenched with water building in her palm. She moved to touch her thumb to her index, feeling the wetness against her finger, as she pressed she felt her completely dry skin. Sally arched her back to pop her spine, moving her upper body out of the waters way, and heard the rustle of her shirts fabric rubbing against her jaw.

  Sally turned, and pulled the faucet ridge left all the way off before stepping out onto the white tile of the bathroom. The quiet thumps of her feet hollowed in the silent bathroom as she sat at the toilet's lid once more and pressed her toes to the end of her heels, snugly fitting with the dry wool in the foot of her stockings. She stood and put on the left out coat before pocketing her phone once more. A knock at the door signaled her moment of thoughtlessness was over.

  "Hey!" A quick thump. "Hey, Sally!" Another. "There is no way, I mean NO way, that you also left me on 'unread' too!" Sally couldn't help but laugh. "Oi! ?? ??? ????, ??!" Sally walked to the door an put her most stern face and voice in place. "Ya So-Kwan, you can not interrupt a lady's time alone! Such a thoughtless boy, clueless, utterly hopeless, you have no future with women. Mhm."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  The door started being pounded harder.

  On the 1st floor a women was waiting for Sally just at the foot of the staircase. "?? ?, ?? ?? ?????? ????????, ??? ??? ??? ? ? ?? ????" Sally feigned a gasp, "???, ??? ???! ??? ?? ? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????. ?? ???? Now speak it." Walked passed her expecting her to follow, she did. "You do know it yes? I was fairly certain that was so, Areum-ssi."

  Areum continued without a missed beat. "Why, I do Sally-ssi. But, well I must ask, why would we speak as so?" Sally stared at Areum with obvious expectation, "I thought you were a very smart woman. What was the range a person could hear from again?" Areum nodded. "Ah, of course. It was 500 meters, no? I see. Have you taken care of that man now?" Sally smiled happily now that Areum understood. "It depends, I would consider the problem solved, yes."

  Areum paused in her steps. "What would you mean 'depends'? What would you mean 'consider'? Is Duewo-Sim taken care of, or not. Him and his little gang are drawing attention neither we, nor he, wants. Did I come to the right woman for handling petty affairs, or is that another Sally Choi from Gangnam, hm?" Sally, or Madame Choi to those unknown on the radar of important people, also stopped in her strut.

  "If you are so very concerned of what a man and his 'little gang' can do to you, maybe you deserve to be afraid of every little man and his gang. You say in my very home that I could have failed, did you not seek me? Me. My, how did you say my name, just now?" With no respect, was how. Full and unhonoured.

  "I meant no disrespect by it, Sally-ssi. A sleep, slip, of the English tongue." Areum easily amended. "I hope that is the case, Areum." If the degradation took any affect, she hid it admirably well. "I said, I 'consider' it solved. Last I heard, a possible railway accident was theorized for the morrow. Though, it depends on what he does. You might even be able to take him in, Areum-ssi."

  Sally moved forth without waiting. "Now, if that was all," Sally mentioned to the rest of the club with her off hand. "Enjoy the festivities. Night approaches and Blacklight will soon awake, ever the night owl, she is." She brokered no argument as she shooed Aruem off. Taking a winding path around the main floor and changing lights, she slipped into the bar area and signaled to the young man behind the bar and stilled. The words on her lips halting.

  Her phone was ringing. Her old one; The 8887 that only had four numbers on it. It rang once, and the child behind the bar came up to her. It rang twice, and she waved the kid off, holding her phone up. It started to ring for the third time, and Sally had already accepted the call. She heard her name, spoke over every word that came with it. "Stop. Are you coming? Did you finish up with your job? Hurry up, I'm inside at the bar. You're taking a while." An apology, unmeant, as she was told to wait. Fith was outside, calling her by name and praising Blacklight, and speaking oddly on words.

  Catching a slight feeling of illusionment, Sally asked to be certain, "You have my invite, right? Or a pass?" And was promptly answered. She couldn't tell what part of the question was being played with, but it needed to end. This was too important to wait on some 'moment' Fith was having. "Do you need me to come over there? I can go let you in myself; Skip the line, I'm coming." Sally was rebuffed and the line went dead.

  Sally put her head in her hand, and looked down at the blue light bar counter. 'I'm really trying here. Rilt, I thought you were like us. I can't handle Europe and Asia alone!' With Rilt's abandonment, no retirement, he bore no guilt for this, Sally was on her own after she handed off Fith to where he's needed. His home. Or at least what Sally could only assume was his home.

  She looked towards the doors and waited, waited, and waited. Until she saw the cause of all misery walk in through those large doors, tall, rather taller than her by a not small amount, but a fair height for a man. Roughly the same as the non Asians around the club. Pale skin, the closest a man could be to the color white, without being the paint, a shag of brown hair cropping his head in few waves, and lean frame. Eyes like black dots made from sharpie, and a look that could through your lifespan.

  Fith cut an average look at most glances, her didn't stand out unless you were standing before him. A simple suit, like many of the men and woman just off work, but without tie. An easy gait, with a bubble of space a little, but not much larger than those around. An explosive flowiness, threading with, along, and through people like it was choreographed. Even dragging himself across an entire woman, she didn't seem to mind as he passed through, patting her shoulder lightly as he went.

  The only thing that could be noticed off about the man was his right hand; Motionlessly staying in the same place, just a couple centimeters in front of his chest. The hand was curled ever so slightly, fingers wide, as if still grasping something he'd always held and would never let go. Sally looked away and stared straight into the air in front of her. Lost in thought, and playing the words that need to be said. How would she handle Japan without Fith holding it down? How would two of them hold down both sides of the world? As turned to see where Fith was, she saw him. Staring at her, with a full smile and every tooth on display. Blood sat across his white shirt collar, maybe from getting the hit, or even from getting hit.

  Sally waved him over, and came straight toward her, no weaving or worming. A path was made for him; A subtle thing of the dance floor was how everyone out of the loop was pushed inward, toward the center. When they're a hundred bodies between you and world, everyone can do there thing while using the clueless as their cover. The further out you are, the more likely that person knows about the truth and doesn't care, or is a part of it. Meaning, someone power walking straight to the owner of your favorite den, is most likely someone you clear the way for.

  "So you came. Late. What can we do with a hopeless guy like you? Really.." Sally shook her head with mock disappointment. To a point. Fith had still made her wait, she was disappointed, but it might have done her some good. Gave her time to think about what comes next. "Sally." He said her name plainly. "Fith." She said it back just the same. A silence gripped them both, a question on both their minds without the need to ask. A new song had started and with it the club too, had become new. Every song had a scheme picked out before play, and a song could only be played once a month, a rule Sally had chose against the apprehension of staff members. Sally knew the song well, as she had be the one to put it in the list.

  Fith knew it too, "OH! I like this song! Taylo-" Sally slapped him across the cheek. "Katy. Katy is amazing!" Fith corrected. Sally grit her teeth and sighed. How could still get confused with the two singers; She had the albums of both! She showed them to him! "You are just such a child sometimes...Go get yourself tired out and then come back. We still need to talk!" Admonished and amended. "Wilco! WHOO!" Fith shot back as he poured into the crowd with an enthusiasm born for the act. "Truly a man child.." She said to his back. A boundless want of life, befitting a child's wonder. Griven, Rilt, even Hein to a degree had it. Only Sally gave her wonder away to know. To make it all work.

  Several minutes later after the end of three songs, Fith leaned on the LED bar counter ordering a drink. "Whiskey neat, coconut back." He looked to Sally and ordered hers too. "Vodka up." Stood up and turned away, before turning back again and adding, "Take your time. In fact, be late." He said late with a weight that surprised the bartender. The boy scampered off for another person to serve quickly. Sally would always be amazed at the fact Fith knew tact, he just never used it. As if to prove her right, he breathed out and said, "Huh, hooo..I'm not gonna like your words, will I, Sally?" He said the question like a statement.

  Sally mold the words over before just speaking it out. "..Thank you." She said with as much soul as she had left. Fith was silent, "Thank you for so much. We owe you beyond what can be paid for all this." We. A word that works the wonders of the mind when said. We, could mean anyone and another, but you know when it's said whether you are apart of that we right away. Sally knew she wasn't. She didn't get to be apart of the we that made them all stay together.

  Fith punched out her name with his throat. She continued even so, "When we met for the first time-" Fith ate through words with her name again. Why? Why you? You're a monster. A demon with a contract that doesn't let you harm the owner. "...Rilt is done. He went home." He made a choice, and unlike you he had one to go back too.

  Fith sank onto the bar counter, "Rilt..Rilt deserved-" Sally cut him off. She didn't want to know what this man thought of a fallen friend. "Griven-" Sally was cut off in turn. "Sally I don't want to know." Sally heard it and powered through, what we want didn't matter now. "-is in The Black." She finished sentence, trampling over her heart at the same time.

  A scratching fell upon her ears. The source, Fith's hands on the counter. "...Fith..." She prodded. "'Mistake.' That's what he called him. 'Mistake.' That's what he was. That's what he called you. That's what you are." Fith piled on one after another as his nails dug in deep of the metal strip housing the LED light. Black, the color that controlled their lives.

  It spilled from Fith with every word, second by second. Why? Why you?! Why do you get all of that?! Have not done more? Have I not suffered, have I not wished, was I not faithful? Who is he? Why is he? When is he?! Answer me, Riser! Why does he get your power, your time? He doesn't care for you. Not like the rest of us.

  Fith laid into her, layer by layer. "But Griven, he chose me. Chose. I am NOT another- HE-" Fith caught on his own words, struggling to tell Sally what it meant. And Sally watched the fading world that became from it. The black wisp like fired silk pouring the world into gray, then black, then Black, as it stopped. Sally knew they were watching them.

  Fith had not noticed, he breathed deep and continued. "You can be proud to carry your title, 'First of Riser's Mistakes' with whatever pride you think a MISTAKE deserves!" Sally felt the weight of death in his eyes as they locked onto hers. "I'll take pride in being 'Griven's First Wish'!" He slammed the counter, and the world went to motion again, "Barkeep! You're late!" He locked her again and asked, "Sally, are we done?" They couldn't be. They never would be. "No."

  Fith grit his teeth and asked, "What else?" He finally smiled when he say her face was relaxed. "I got got another job for you, your type." And then she smiled too, "Also, you're a babysitter now." And slid two tickets from her pocket, a train ticket, and one for a plane.