Page 190 of A Broody Mate for the Human
“Did you get it checked?”
He nods. “I went to the neurologist for a check-up. They said there is nothing to detect.” He sighs in annoyance. “Must be the stress.”
“Ye-Joon works as a professional dancer,” I tell Stella and Portia. “He learned ballet. And he also owns this bar.”
“This is yours?” Portia asks, sounding impressed.
“Yes, I inherited it as a small dirty pub from my grandfather and then decided to clean it up and renovate it.” He chuckles. “I had no money, so I did everything with the help of YouTube videos.”
“Are you telling me you renovated it on your own?” Portia inquires.
He nods. “It was a stressful but rewarding experience,” he says. “I love to dance, but I know I can’t do it forever. This here is my backup plan.” He gets up. “I will mix you some cocktails. Anything you prefer?”
“Something fruity.” Stella smiles.
Portia tilts her head and brushes through her dark black hair. Her fingernails are black with a little glittery spider drawn on each one of them. “For me something strong.”
Ye-Joon nods. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“How come you stumbled over this place?” Jun asks the two women.
“The snow.” Stella sighs, showing us her legs. She is wearing bright red high heels. “There is no way I can walk through the snow with these, and I can’t just open a portal right in public.”
“Same,” Portia grumbles. “I actually wanted to take Stella clubbing. However, the clubs here are garbage, so the plan was to return to the pack.”
“You don’t like the clubs here?” Ye-Joon asks as he brings the freshly mixed cocktails.
“They are very mediocre,” Portia mutters. “I know it. I own a really good one.”
Raffy and I exchange a gaze, and he squeezes my knee playfully. “Her club is truly fantastic.” I back Portia up.
Raffy nods. “Haven’t seen anything of that quality anywhere else.”
Portia sighs while taking a sip from her cocktail. “Unbelievable,” she blurts out.
“What’s wrong?” Ye-Joon asks in worry. I can see his fingers twitching slightly as if he is nervous.
“You’re an artist,” Portia mutters.
Ye-Joon blinks. “Excuse me?”
“This is top quality here.” She looks around, looking at what the other guests eat and drink. “The food you serve looks unusually high end too.”
Ye-Joon nods, looking relaxed now. “Yes, I am trying to deliver the best.”
“We should work together,” Portia says thoughtfully, one of her long fingers tapping against her lips. “I think together we could kick everyone’s asses in this town. Did you ever think about expanding?”
“I did,” Ye-Joon says. “I have too many guests, and the place isn’t big enough, but it would cost a lot of money.”
“And if I brought the money?” Portia wants to know. “The only reason I didn’t already start branching out in this place is that I can’t do it on my own. I have my main club to attend to.”
“I’ve been my own boss for a long time,” Ye-Joon points out.
“Oh, I definitely won’t be your boss,” Porita snorts. “I need an actual business partner.”
Ye-Joon stares at her in surprise.
“Before you say no, let’s meet for a real business meeting,” Portia offers. “I will show you my club and reveal my finances and ideas to you, and you can do the same.”
