As he left, the singing in the bar seemed to pause for a brief moment. Though it quickly resumed, anyone who understood music even a little could hear that the sweet voice now carried a faint trace of anger.
'Paid me to sing, then walked off halfway through, does that mean he thinks I sound bad?'
On the small stage, Shermie kept singing with an expressionless face, but under the bangs covering her eyes, a hint of displeasure appeared.
After all, you get what you pay for, and he'd given her so much money, only to leave halfway through the song. What else could that mean except that he didn't like her singing?
She hadn't noticed that when Aiden left, he was holding a phone, nor did she notice he went to the restroom, she wasn't familiar with the bar's layout.
What she did want to do right now was follow him and grab him by the neck to ask what the hell that was about.
Still, she had professional ethics. She couldn't just stop singing halfway and leave the audience hanging. So, suppressing her irritation, she continued singing for those who seemed to be listening, but were really just stealing glances at her.
At the bar, not long after Aiden left, a young, beautiful blond "man" with delicate, almost feminine features came up to the counter.
"Lin, didn't you say someone wanted to discuss a big business deal with me? Why don't I see anyone?"
The handsome young "man" didn't just look androgynous, even the deliberately lowered voice sounded like that. "He" glanced curiously around, but all the faces were familiar regulars; no strangers in sight.
"Joe, your timing's just bad, he just went to the restroom." The bartender, Lin, shrugged. The blond "man" in front of her was none other than the owner of the bar, King, who liked dressing as a man.
Although King was their boss, she was easygoing and didn't mind the girls calling her by name. So the staff called her Joe, or sometimes King, after the bar's name.
"Well, that's really bad timing." Joe shrugged as well, then turned her gaze toward the small stage, where Shermie had already started her second song, another slow, emotional tune.
Joe knew music. While she preferred energetic rock or jazz, she also appreciated ballads and classical pieces. She could clearly hear the faint frustration and anger hidden in Shermie's voice.
But she didn't really mind. Leaning against the bar, she took the cocktail Lin handed her, sipped lightly, and said, "Looks like she's popular already. All the customers' eyes are on her. Seems I picked up a gem. Though… I think I only signed her as a live singer. We haven't talked about splitting the song request fees yet…"
Then she asked, "So, Lin, did anyone else request songs tonight?"
Since she got a cut of the requests, of course she cared.
"Not many, just one," the bartender replied truthfully.
The song Shermie sang before Aiden paid didn't count, it was just her warm-up.
"Only one… but she's sung two songs in a row." Joe frowned. She knew how these gigs usually worked.
"Actually, this is already the third one," Lin corrected.
Joe blinked. "The third? Is she trying to perform for free her first night to build up her popularity?"
"No, it's because the customer gave her so much money. I guess she felt embarrassed, so she kept singing," Lin said with a chuckle.
"Gave her that much? Who's the big spender?" Joe scanned the bar again but only saw the same regulars.
Lin grinned. "Who else? That man who just went to the restroom. He paid Miss Shermie five thousand euros, five thousand! That's two months of my salary!"
"Fi… five thousand euros?"
Joe's eyes instantly lit up. She might be short on cash, most of her income went toward her younger brother and keeping the bar running, but five thousand euros? She could scrape that together if she had to. Still, to spend that just on a song? She could never bring herself to do it.
'To spend five thousand euros on a song… he must be loaded.' Her eyes gleamed, practically turning into gold coins. She desperately needed money.
Without hesitation, she put down her drink and asked, "He went to the restroom, right? Do you know which one?"
"How would I know? And come on, we've only got two restrooms. Just knock and, wait, Joe, you're not seriously planning to go after him in there, are you?" Lin's eyes widened.
"I've got to block the door, can't let him leave," Joe said flatly.
"But, Joe… that's not really appropriate, is it?" Lin said awkwardly. "You're a woman, and you're going to wait for a man in the restroom…"
Joe waved her hand dismissively. "I've never thought of myself as a woman. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, do you really think he can tell I'm one?"
She pointed at her chest. "Flat as a runway."
"From there, no," Lin admitted. "But Joe, you're still wearing earrings."
Lin glanced at the short, ear-length golden hair where two crystal studs sparkled.
"Then I'll take them off."
Without hesitation, Joe removed the earrings and tossed them onto the counter. She smoothed her hair, trying to look more masculine, then strode toward the restroom.
Lin watched her boss's determined stride and straight posture and could only sigh in exasperation.
———
Inside the restroom, Aiden had just finished his call, and while he was there, he decided to use the toilet.
But halfway through, someone knocked on the door.
No man could stay calm at a time like that. Annoyed, Aiden barked, "Occupied!"
By the time he finished, relieved, he shook off the last drops, hit the flush, and opened the door. Without even glancing at who was outside, he walked past them toward the sink.
But that person followed him inside and stood next to him.
"…You need something?" Aiden frowned and paused before turning on the tap.
"Yeah," came a neutral-sounding voice.
Aiden froze for a moment. 'This voice doesn't sound like a man's… could it be her?'
Turning his head slightly, he blinked in surprise, it was her.
While he stared, Joe was already sizing him up, but not his face. Her eyes were on his clothes.
'Head to toe in designer brands. Those shoes alone are worth several days of the bar's income. Definitely a big spender,' she thought excitedly.
Then she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm the owner of this bar, Joe. I heard from Lin you wanted to talk business with me. What kind of business, if I may ask?"
Aiden didn't answer right away. Instead, he said, "I just finished using the restroom and haven't washed my hands yet. You really want to shake hands now?"
But Joe said casually, "We're both men, aren't we? It's fine."
'But you're not a man,' Aiden thought silently.
Before he could say anything, Joe eagerly grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. And honestly, even though she was dressed like a man and acting like one, her hand was soft and smooth, proof that no disguise could change what she was.
Aiden also caught a faint blush on her face. Clearly, she couldn't completely convince herself she was a man either.
He chuckled quietly and tried to pull his hand free, but Joe held on tight, so he gave up and answered her question. "Didn't the bartender tell you?"
Joe shook her head. "Lin just said someone wanted to discuss a profitable deal with me. So, what exactly is it?"
"The KOF tournament. You've heard of it, right?"
"Of course," Joe said, frowning. "You're asking me to enter the KOF tournament?"
"That's right," Aiden nodded.
"Do you have an invitation?" Her eyes lit up with hope.
She had always wanted to join KOF, there was good prize money, and even without winning, the appearance fees were great. But as an independent fighter with little fame, she never got the chance.
Seeing her excitement, Aiden smiled and shook his head. "I don't have one."
Joe's expression froze, then soured. "Then why are you even talking to me?"
"Hold on, Miss Joe, just because I don't have one doesn't mean someone I know doesn't," Aiden said with a shrug. "Remember Yuri?"
"Of course I remember, wait, what did you just call me? Miss Joe?" Her brow furrowed. "Lin told you, didn't she? She talks too much. I'll fire her after this month."
"Don't drag her into this, it's got nothing to do with your bartender," Aiden said quickly. "The moment I saw you, I knew you were a woman."
Of course, that was just an excuse, anyone who'd played the games knew.
Joe looked doubtful. "Oh really? How could you tell?"
She glanced down at herself, her chest was tightly bound, no curves visible, earrings removed, no jewelry, and plenty of good-looking men out there, so how could he tell?
Aiden gave her an odd look and said, "You don't have an Adam's apple. With your height, if you were male, you'd have one like I do."
He tilted his head slightly, showing his own throat.
"Just because of that?" Joe blinked.
Aiden smiled. "Not just that."
But seeing her still puzzled look, he sighed. "I know Yuri. She told me."
"Oh… right," Joe mumbled awkwardly. Of course, he'd mentioned knowing Yuri, so naturally she would have told him her real gender.
And since he already knew, well…
Joe quickly released his hand and awkwardly hid both behind her back. Now that her true gender was out, she could no longer fool herself by pretending otherwise.
"Maybe you should wash your hands first," Aiden said, pointing at the sink. "I mean, I did just finish using the toilet…"
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