Chapter Text
Chicago, Illinois, USA
1926
Well, you see, some people might say that the twenties were marked by the state of euphoria experienced after World War I; some believe it's unforgettable due to the burst of the radio and the cinematographic era in entertainment; others might think it's even by the looming crisis that almost wreck the world at the end of the decade. But most, Mina knows, they don't think about it at all. And at some point she even envied them for it.
It surely was a strenuous historical period with a lot of ups and downs, times of pride for some people and events that should not have happened for others. Mina, on the other hand, holds that epoch close to her heart because that's when she set her eyes on her for the very first time.
She was working when it happened. Well, kind of. Mina was sitting on an old bar stool, lazily resting her elbows against the counter with a scotch in her hand. It's getting late and she was inside one of the many underground bars enabled by the mob during the Prohibition Era. She's part of their network but she also has an autonomy that other people don't normally have.
For the past few years Mina has earned the title of one of the best beverage negotiators in the area. Among the many things that makes her pretty good at her job, one of them is how she makes sure to personally accompany her most important deliveries, so that she can maintain a close relationship with her most important customers. Granted, her dedication makes some of her days extra tiring.
That late afternoon, for instance, she was bored out of her mind as she was waiting for her client's employees to unload the liquor off of her truck. That's why she wandered around inside until she settled down in the main hall - that, and because her friends wouldn't stop arguing at the back.
The panel behind the bar is full of ardent spirits on display, making it clear that her client did not care about what an inspector, or even the cops, might do if they ever found that place. Around the lounge there's dozens of tables and wooden chairs that seem like they really need to be changed, and there's also a stage up in the front with a single mic and a brand-new piano, which makes Mina wonder where the budget for new chairs might have gone.
She also noticed that on the second floor, in the upper right corner, there was a booth with a privileged view of the stage, probably for their VIP customers, or whatever VIP might mean in a place like this. Since she's been here plenty of times, she knows that the stairs next to the bar give access to this booth, but she's never been there before, despite her clients' attempts to get her to stay for the past shows.
"Could they go any slower?" Mina wryly wonders as she takes the glass to her mouth and drinks the remaining liquid left in it out of frustration. "I'm really not looking forward to being seen by your customers when they start to arrive."
"It'll take a while, Miss Myoui." One of the barmans replies as he fills her glass up again. "We have orders to open and taste each barrel to make sure it's not diluted." And when he gets a disbelieving look from her, he looks down and shrugs sheepishly. "I'm really sorry, we're short-staffed tonight."
"Great, it's not like I have anything better to do." She rolls her eyes and takes another sip.
"Please make yourself comfortable." Jin emerges from the back of the bar in one of his identical three piece suits. He's the pub's manager, but he always acts like he owns the place when he really doesn't. "My boy here will take good care of you." Jin taps his employee shoulder twice. He looks kind of jumpy and barely seems like he's eighteen, let alone twenty-one to be working at a bar. "I don't wanna see her glass empty, kid."
"Jin, hi. Long time no see." She greets him with a quick handshake. "Are you doubting the quality of my products or are you doing it just for the pleasure of getting your employees drunk?" She teases since she likes to think that they're good acquaintances.
"I apologize for the inconvenience. We received a bad shipment a few weeks ago that almost made us shut down for a whole weekend. Better be safe than sorry."
"That's what you get for making business with the competition." She shrugs good-naturally.
"I hate to admit it, but you're right." Jin sits on the stool next to her and the barman immediately turns around. He's suddenly cleaning glasses behind them, doing his best to look helpful while also pretending he's not there. "I know this is not how you planned to spend your evening, but you might end up enjoying it. The show will start soon."
"You know I have no intention of staying for the show. I'm pretty sure your crew can finish before it gets busy." Mina replies when she spots the first customers walking through the door. Jin shrugs, smiles and leans closer. Mina pretends she doesn't notice.
They actually went out on a date once. Only one, a single time, a couple of months ago, after he kept insisting for over a year. He ended up kissing her at the end of the night and she let him, even though she knew he wasn't right for her, but after that, Mina politely rejected a second date, and they didn't talk about it ever since. Instead, they just kept the professional and friendly relationship that they had before, but apparently, this relationship has actually been shaken considering Jin has tried to change suppliers. And yet, the fact that he couldn't find someone better gave Mina some sort of satisfaction.
"Right, but what do you wanna have while you wait? Beer, wine, maybe a cocktail? Whatever you want, it's on the house." Jin offers.
"Whiskey's fine." Mina nods at her glass. "But could you maybe get my partners some beer? They're in the back with the rest of your people and I don't want them bitching about it once I get there." Her friends - or her driver and her backup, as they're known - are waiting by the truck, supervising.
"Do you really think it's safe to give alcohol to your driver?" A voice behind them absently asks after filling Mina's glass one more time. "I mean, it's a really heavy vehicle…"
"Are you paid to ask questions?" Jin glares at him. "Get them their drinks already." The young barman nods and excuses himself, leaving the bottle on the counter as he whispers apologies under his breath.
"It's not like it's going to kill us." Mina shrugs, sporting a knowing smirk on her face. Jin's confused frown tells her that she has actually spoken those words out loud, so she goes for a quick save. "Our line of work is pretty dangerous, we've been through worse."
"I'm sure you have." Jin smiles charmingly. "But look, we're trying a couple of new singers tonight. They have been a hit in the city for the past few weeks, so as the great music lover I know you are, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it." He keeps trying to get her to stay.
Here we go again, Mina internally growls. She settles for a noncommittally hum.
"I promise you won't regret it! Our opening singer has the voice of an angel. She's hands down one of the most talented women I have ever brought to this stage. After her, the main attraction sings, plays the piano and-" He keeps rambling until Mina cuts him off.
"Thank you, but I'm not interested. Gotta stay in the shadows, you know. I'm not about to be recognised and cause a scene. Discretion is a big part of the job." She tries to turn him down easily.
"Just this once? Trust me-"
"Jin." She's firmer this time. Mina doesn't want to be rude, but after the long day she's had all she wants to do is finish this job and get home. "You know how enforcement gets stricter at night, we can't take any chances."
"Fine." He sighs and yields. Kind of. "Maybe not tonight, but when you're off the clock promise me that you'll drop by." The customers are coming in faster and getting settled on the tables closer to the stage. Jin, as the good host he is, stands up to welcome them.
"Sure." She forces a smile.
"Great. And if you need anything, just let me know. You know you're my top priority." He winks at her and leaves towards the new clients. Mina cringes once he turns away.
"I really do have to do everything around here." Mina complains to no one but herself as she stands up as well. She gets the bottle of scotch over the counter and decides to inspect the unloading herself. She walks by the bartender on her way there, he's pretty much running back to the bar, looking slightly frightened.
"I already told you to stop messing with the employees, one of these days you'll actually traumatize one of them." Mina hears Momo's complaints as she approaches.
"What can I do if they're all scared little shits?" Sana casually replies.
"What did you do this time?" Mina asks as she sits next to them at the table.
"Nothing-" Momo flicks her head before she can lie. "Ouch! That hurt!"
"She almost scared that kid to death because he brought us cheap beer, she acted like it's a crime worthy of capital punishment."
"It should be!" Sana protests. "Out of all the high quality booze we provide for them, this guy brings us cheap beer??"
"I told him to bring beer because it's not ours and I knew you'd be mad." Mina smiles proudly.
"Asshole." Sana lightly shoves her.
"At least I brought this." Mina puts the bottle of scotch on the table and Momo immediately tries to reach for it, but Mina slides it to Sana. "You're driving."
"So what?" She raises her eyebrows.
"So what if you crash our truck I'll find a way to kill you."
"Whatever." Momo whines as she watches Sana take a big sip straight from the bottle. "Ugh, how long is this gonna take?"
"If you're in such a hurry why don't you go help them?" Sana teases.
"This is not my job. I'm just the driver here, you're the security. Bodyguard, I dare to say. You should be the muscles. Come on, go help them."
"Excuse me." Sana is almost chugging the whole thing, but she stops to bicker. "Bodyguard is not the word I'd use. I realize the things you don't and take your asses out of the trouble, so I'm the brain. Mina is the mediator, you should be the muscles."
"Hey, you guys better not get started or I'm going to be the muscle and kick both of your asses." Sana and Momo could be totally children sometimes, especially when they're together. That's why they both ignored Mina in order to keep their friendly on-going banter.
A few minutes later Mina is able to listen to the refined saxophone notes filling the room even from a distance. The show has started and she recognizes a slower version of one of her favorites songs taking place on the stage. And despite being a big fan of good music, that sound alone was not enough to draw her attention, but surprisingly, the strong yet sweet voice that followed shortly after managed to pique her interest.
"I can't sleep at night
I can't eat a bite
'Cause the man I love
He don't treat me right"
She shifts in her chair. Her ears perk up at the sound.
Mina doesn't say a word, but she slowly stands up and follows the music towards the main hall. In the back of her mind she barely registers the confused mumbling of the two women she's leaving behind, but she doesn't find it in herself to care.
Once she walks back into the bar, she sets her eyes on the most gorgeous woman she has ever seen in her very long life. This stranger, who for some reason doesn't feel like a stranger at all, is wearing a long red dress with her beautiful nut brown hair falling over one of her shoulders. She's slightly swaying to the sound of her own voice and it makes Mina think for probably the first time in her life that Jin was fucking right. She's pretty sure she's never seen someone like her on that stage. Or maybe anywhere at all.
"He makes me feel so blue
I don't know what to do
Sometime I sit and sigh
And then begin to cry
'Cause my best friend
Said his last goodbye"
She walks blindly until she reaches the only empty table on the left corner by stage, almost tripping since she can't bring herself to look away. Mina loses track of time and before she realizes, the young bartender is standing by her side, disturbing her reverie.
"Miss Myoui-"
"Not now." She raises a finger to hush him.
"But-" He tries again.
"Be quiet!" She warns as she throws him a glare, taking her eyes off of the singer for the first time. The boy seems paler and on edge, just like earlier, after Sana, so Mina takes pity on him and breathes deeply before she answers. "Fuck, sorry, what is it?"
"They're done with the truck. It's empty, you're free to go."
"I'm not going anywhere right now. Bring me another drink, please." She turns her eyes back to the stage.
"Miss Myoui, please. Your friend... uh, she sent me to get you. She said I had five minutes to get you back there or else…" He gulps, trailing off.
"Goddamnit, Sana ." Mina curses under her breath. "Look, kid, she won't do anything, alright? She's only messing with you because you're an easy target. No offense. Tell her that I'm watching the show and it's probably gonna take a while, so she's free to go if she wants. I know my way home." She lightly pushes him away to send him off but she doesn't look in his direction, so she just hopes he's really gone.
"Am I having a fever dream?" And he was, the barman was gone at least, but unfortunately someone else spotted her in the crowd. "I thought you said you weren't going to stay for the show." Jin says as he pulls a chair and takes a seat next to her, uninvited.
Mina rolls her eyes and responds nonchalantly, not even sparing him a glance. "I changed my mind."
"I knew she would change your mind, that's why I told them to start the show earlier."
"Sounds presumptuous."
"I don't care. She's not even the main attraction, you know?" He nods towards the singer. "If you like her, you'll love the next one. He's great and-"
"She's not- are you out of your mind? Have you seen her?" She looks at him to make sure he's serious.
"She's good, but she's inexperienced. I'm trying to get her to sign with me 'cause I know I can make her big, but she's not there yet. But as I was saying, the next one-"
"Who is she?" Mina cuts him off, her eyes finding its way back to the woman on the stage.
"What?"
"What is her name?"
"Oh, shit. Right. It's Nayoung? No, that's not it. Nayeon, I guess." Jin doesn't sound sure.
"Nayeon?" The name rolls off her tongue. Mina feels like it's a prayer and she doesn't even know where it came from, she just hears her own voice claiming it when she says, "I need to talk to her."
"What? Now?" Jin asks, confused.
"No, of course not now. After the performance, I mean." She racks her brain for an excuse. "I can get her to sign with you."
The only thing the two of them realized they had in common over that fateful date of theirs is that they shared a great amount of love for music. Besides running that bar at night, Jin works as a musical producer on his day job. He managed a few artists all over the city and even used this front to launder the pub's money. Mina has already tipped a couple of talents for him to manage, and as far as she knows he's taking good care of them, so that's good.
"And what's in it for you?" Mina can't explain this sudden urge to talk to this singer. Well, she's good and she's hot so maybe she'd like to take her home? No, but wait. She's never went so far for someone she's just met- just saw, to be more specific, so what the fuck is she doing? She's not sure, but she can't help but keep going. And when she wants something, it's pretty much impossible to get her mind out of it.
"If I do it you owe me one." She finally says.
"I'm not one to make blind deals."
"You know me, it's not like I'm going to ask for something absurd. I just want to have the pleasure of getting it done when you couldn't." She lies, challenging him and he quickly takes the bait.
"Whatever, you can try." He waves dismissively. "And if you succeed, you can drink here for free for as long as you like. Does it sound good enough?" Well, she was never one to mix business and pleasure, but apparently there's a first time to everything.
"Deal." As they shake hands, another thought crosses her mind. "And you'll also stop trying to change suppliers." She raises an eyebrow, squeezing his hand tighter.
"Oh." Jin's caught off guard. He looks embarrassed as he tries to stutter out an excuse. "I didn't... it's just that-"
"Cut the shit, Jin. You're good, we're fine. Let's just make this deal and get it over with." She doesn't hold any kind of grudge, Mina just wants to keep their business relationship because he's a good customer, after all.
"Okay, we have a deal. Two, actually." He beams. "Do you want me to get your friends so they enjoy the show with you?"
"No, thanks. I told your pupil to send them home."
"Thank God, they're drinking my scotch like it's water. Especially your driver."
"Good thing you said it's all on the house."
"Tonight and tonight only. Just because of the delay, by the way. And if you hold your end of the deal, let's make it clear that the free booze only applies to you. If those two were to be included, I'd definitely go broke." Jin stands up and buttons up his blazer.
"Of course." She snickers. "Don't worry about them."
"Right. So I'll get my cabin ready for you." He nods at the second floor private booth Mina had noticed earlier. Red and gold on the inside, as it could be seen by the large transparent glass window. "You'll have more privacy up there. Come with me." He holds out his hand and Mina takes it.
"Lead the way."
After leaving Mina at the booth, Jin leaves her with the promise to come back bringing the singer as soon as she finishes her performance. Once upstairs, Mina watches the show again. But this time, she has a new privileged view of the stage. Every word that comes out of that woman's mouth gets stuck on her head in a way she can't quite explain. She doesn't know how or why but Mina is sure she's never been so drawn to a person before. To a voice, she corrects herself. It's not personal, she just really likes her voice- or at least that's what she tries to tell herself. The show is over faster than she would've liked and she catches sight of Jin holding his arm to help Nayeon out of the stage.
Oh my God, what is she doing? What is she gonna say? Reality suddenly hits Mina like a rock. She hasn't really thought this through, so she panics for a minute before she gets her shit back together.
Alright, fine. She doesn't do that, okay? She doesn't panic. The singer is gorgeous, of course, but so what? She's done much more than just talk with women just as beautiful as her… okay, maybe that's a lie, but Mina has a goal here. Just follow the plan and talk her into signing with Jin.
Or like- just throw a little bit of charm and hope for the best? The worst that can happen is that she says no, right? But if all goes well, Mina gets a better chance of seeing her again and the possibility of getting under Jin's skin by drinking at his expense for the rest of his life.
C'mon, breathe, and just focus and-
The door opens all of a sudden and it brings her out of her mind. Jin's not there, though, only Nayeon, in all of her glory. She comes in and closes the door behind her like she owns the place. Mina's about to introduce herself but the other woman is faster.
"So, you're Jin's dealer?" Well, this is not how she saw this going. "You don't look like one."
"Uh, did he- did he say that?" Damn Jin. So much for being discreet.
"No, not really. I figured it out." Nayeon gracefully walks towards the table and pours herself a drink. Brandy.
"How?" Her voice cracks and she embarrassingly clears her throat.
"I'm pretty smart." Nayeon smiles and takes a sip. Mina tries really hard not to look at the way her lips touch the crystal clear glass, but to no avail. "Plus, I heard the two of you talking loudly when I first got here. You guys should really be more discreet." She walks around the room with a smirk on her face. "Oh how rude. Do you want some?" She raises her glass at Mina.
"No, thank you. I've had enough." Only God knows what she would do if she puts one more drop of alcohol into her system.
"I'm Nayeon, by the way. Lim Nayeon. Nice to meet you." She raises a hand to greet her and Mina hesitantly takes it. Nayeon frowns, her eyes boring into hers for a second. But then it's gone, Nayeon pulls away and Mina ignores the way her heart skips a beat.
"I'm Mina. Myoui Mina. You too." Mina composes herself and puts her facade back on. "And dealer is a very... strong word. I'd like to say I'm an enabler."
"It's not what the eighteenth amendment implies." She raises an eyebrow and takes another sip.
"Oh, you've read those? I've been meaning to, but you know, I'm a busy woman." She plays it cool with a noncommittal shrug.
"You're funny." Nayeon sits on the couch and crosses her legs.
"And you have a wonderful voice." Mina sits by her side, respecting a certain distance.
"Oh. Thank you." Nayeon's cheeks warm up at the unexpected compliment.
"I mean it, your performance was incredible. I only ever come here for business so I wasn't gonna stay, but after hearing you sing I just had to enjoy the rest of the show." She shamelessly shoots her shot.
"You're just being nice."
"No. Trust me, I'm not nice to most people."
"Oh, sure, it's a part of the whole dealer pose, right? Got it." Nayeon teases.
"No." Mina makes a face and thinks about it for a moment. "Okay, maybe a little. But it's true. Especially when it comes to music. I take it very seriously."
"Really? You're a producer as well?"
"No, I'm not. Just an avid art appreciator."
"So I'm really glad you like it."
"I'd be a fool if I didn't." Mina notices that she's very close to Nayeon now. Like, really, really close. She doesn't remember closing that distance. They're on a red velvet sofa on the back of the cabin, the thing is huge, and yet they're so close that their thighs are already touching.
She could hear a male voice singing in the background, the next attraction is already on the stage, but she had a total of zero fucks to give about him. Mina doesn't understand how Jin could think that this guy is better than Nayeon. He's definitely not, and shit, maybe nobody ever will be.
She's so naturally appealing that Mina finds herself getting distracted by her perfume, a fragrance she can now smell due to their newfound proximity. She couldn't quite distinguish what it was at first, but she's sure it matches the singer like it was made just for her. Something that resembles a forest, but not too strong, maybe? She barely registers before Nayeon brings her back to the real world.
"Should we talk business, then?"
"Business?" Mina is lost for a moment.
"I know Jin sent me up here so you can try and get me to sign with him."
"Oh?" Yeah, right. She completely forgot about that. "Sure, business. Uh... he's a nice guy. You should totally work with him."
Nayeon can't help but laugh. Like full belly laughs, like Mina had just told her a joke. Mina doesn't even care that she's laughing at her expense, that sound is almost as captivating as her voice.
"That's your whole case?" Fuck, why did she have to be so endearing? "I thought you were supposed to be good with this stuff."
"Honestly? I don't care about him enough to try harder. If you haven't chosen him yet you must have a good reason to. I'm sure you'll be successful regardless of who you sign with, so I'll let you make that decision by yourself." Mina thought about going through with the plan and trying to convince her, but for some reason she felt that it was not her place to interfere.
"Good, because I'm really not signing with him." Her smile doesn't falter as she adds. "But it'd be really hard to say no to any kind of offer if it's being delivered by a beautiful face like yours."
Well, that took an unexpected turn. Mina is rendered speechless, only managing to utter a weak, "oh."
"Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about you, I'm interested."
"What- hum, what exactly do you want to know?" Stuttering, Mina? Seriously? That's pathetic, Sana would never let you live it down if she could see you right now.
"I don't know. How did you get into that line of work for starters."
"Well, there's not much of a history. I lost my parents when I was a kid and I've been managing my own way through life since then." Mina really doesn't have much to say about it. Her parents did die when she was young but it was like... a hundred years ago or so. But she did have people who looked out for her after that and although most of them are long gone by now, she still has Sana and Momo. So she was never really alone in this lifetime, or in any other, for that matter.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"It's okay, don't worry. I'm used to this kind of question. But a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do, right? And turns out I'm very good at this job. And also, I always get free drinks." Mina winks and beams. She can't tell Nayeon that, but she's immortal, for fucks sake, she has done dozens of things over the years. Recently she just decided that she wanted to do something more exciting and that was it. Trading. Besides, she's a really big fan of challenging the authorities and making other people happy, so it's really a win-win situation. "How about you? Why did you decide to become a singer?"
"A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do." Nayeon shrugs, proudly replicating Mina's words.
"Yeah but I'm sure a pretty girl like you wouldn't have to sing for a living." Mina blurts out without thinking and regrets it right away, realizing how it might have come out wrong. "I mean- you're beautiful, like, drop dead gorgeous and I- I'm pretty sure men would be lining up to marry you. You could do anything you wanted, I mean, you wouldn't be short of options." Mina has never felt so embarrassed in her life, she can barely believe the words that are coming out of her own mouth. It's like she was watching the interaction from outside of her body and she really, really would've punched herself if she could.
"Here's the thing, Mina." Nayeon leans even closer. So close that Mina unconsciously holds her breath. "I'm not interested in getting married." She adds, her voice hoarse and smooth. "Or in men, at all."
"So what is it that you are interested in?" Her whisper rings so low that she's surprised Nayeon even heard it.
"Right now?" Nayeon tilts her head, her hand resting dangerously on Mina's thigh. "Just to get out of here with you."