Saturday night arrived, and the anticipation in Sarah's apartment was palpable. The soft hum of music floated through the air, blending with the excited chatter of her friends as they put the finishing touches on the evening. It wasn't a huge party, but it was the kind of intimate gathering that always held a certain energy—something casual, fun, and carefree.
Sarah was in the kitchen, placing drinks on the counter when Emily and the others circled around her, giddy with excitement. The girls had been talking about the party all week, but now that the night was here, their energy was infectious.
"Do you really think he'll show up?" Emily asked, grinning as she adjusted her dress. "I mean, Ryu doesn't exactly scream 'party animal.'"
"I'm not sure," Sarah replied, wiping her hands on a towel as she tried to focus on keeping her voice steady. She hadn't realized how much she was thinking about Ryu until Emily brought it up again. "He said he'd come, but you know how he is. He's always so... reserved."
"You're still thinking about him, aren't you?" Emily teased, waggling her eyebrows.
Sarah felt her cheeks warm. "I'm not. I just think it's kind of strange. He never really seems interested in anything outside of work."
"Maybe he's just waiting for the right moment to show a little more... personality," Emily said, her tone playful. "Maybe he's just trying to keep up that mysterious aura of his."
The other girls laughed, and Sarah felt a knot form in her stomach. She had to admit, there was something about Ryu's aloofness that made him more intriguing—and now that she was thinking about it, the idea of him showing up to this party, in this setting, felt... different. More intimate somehow. And the thought of it left her a little rattled.
Just as Sarah was about to respond, there was a knock at the door. Everyone froze for a split second, and then Emily practically jumped across the room, grinning. "That's got to be him."
With a dramatic flourish, Emily opened the door, and there stood Ryu, his tall frame silhouetted against the hallway light. He was dressed casually, but there was a certain elegance to the way he carried himself—his dark jacket, the sleeves rolled up slightly, and his usual quiet confidence radiated from him.
"Well, look who decided to show up," Emily said with a grin, eyeing him up and down in a way that made Sarah feel a little... protective? She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but her heart fluttered a little.
Ryu glanced past Emily to the rest of the girls, his eyes briefly locking with Sarah's. The tiniest flicker of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it was subtle—controlled, as always. "I said I'd come," he replied simply, stepping inside.
The girls crowded around him, each of them offering a flirtatious greeting, but it was clear who was taking the lead. Emily stood closest, and her voice took on that playful, teasing tone again. "I was starting to think you might have been all talk, Ryu. Glad to see I was wrong."
Ryu chuckled softly, his gaze flicking to Sarah for just a second. She couldn't help but notice how different he seemed in this environment—less guarded, more... present. She had always known there was something about him, but seeing him interact with the group like this only deepened the mystery.
"So, what's the plan?" Ryu asked, his voice calm but still carrying that intriguing undertone. "Just a quiet night, or are we getting into something more?"
"Nothing too wild," Emily said, winking. "Just some drinks, maybe a little dancing. But who knows? If you stick around long enough, we might convince you to loosen up."
As Emily spoke, the other girls jumped in with their own flirtatious remarks. There was an air of playfulness in the room, and Ryu, for once, seemed to be letting it wash over him. But Sarah... Sarah wasn't sure how she felt about it all. It was as if the dynamic had shifted, and she wasn't sure where she fit in anymore. She felt a sudden heat on her cheeks as the girls continued to joke with him, their voices all laced with subtle flirtation.
She hadn't expected Ryu to seem so... approachable. It was as if his usual distance had been peeled back, and for some reason, that made Sarah feel a strange mixture of excitement and uncertainty.
"Are you sure you don't want a drink?" Emily asked, stepping even closer to Ryu, her hand brushing against his arm as she gestured toward the bar. "You look like you could use something strong."
Ryu smiled slightly, his expression calm but a little bemused. "I'll have a drink, I suppose," he said, his tone easy and neutral.
Emily quickly passed him a glass, a deep amber liquid filling it to the brim. "Here you go, handsome. Something to kick off the night."
Ryu took the glass, nodding his thanks. His eyes never left the group, as though nothing about the gathering was out of the ordinary for him. He raised the glass to his lips, taking a long drink, the smoothness of his movements seemingly effortless. The girls all watched with bated breath, expecting him to pause, perhaps give some sign of feeling the effects of the alcohol.
But when he lowered the glass, Ryu seemed completely unfazed.
"Guess that's one drink down," Emily said, her eyebrows raising slightly in mock surprise. "You sure you're not secretly a heavyweight? Most people would be stumbling by now."
Ryu gave a small, almost unnoticeable shrug. "I'm used to it."
The girls exchanged glances, some impressed, others laughing at the unexpected show of endurance. Sarah, however, was keenly aware of how calm Ryu was. It was as if the alcohol didn't faze him in the slightest. There was something quietly unsettling about it, yet it also made him even more intriguing.
"Guess I'll have to try harder next time," Emily teased, still trying to get a rise out of him.
Ryu met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "Maybe," he said, his voice low. "But I'm not really here for the drinking competition."
Sarah couldn't help but feel a little more drawn to him in that moment. There was something about how effortless he made everything look—the way he didn't get swept up in the energy of the room. He was calm, composed, like he was watching everything unfold with quiet amusement.
As the night wore on, the teasing and flirting continued, but Sarah found herself hanging on every word Ryu said. His aloofness, his distance—those things that once made him a mystery—now felt like a wall she wanted to break down.
Still, he didn't get drunk. He never even seemed tipsy.
It was clear that Ryu's tolerance for alcohol, whatever it was, was off the charts.
And for Sarah, that only made him even more enigmatic.