#vulgar

It took everything in Y/N to stay calm as she made eye contact with Jumin’s father, his brows furrowing as he looked at her. He wasn’t the only one who was displeased; beside him was a woman who seemed to be closer to Jumin’s age. She had long hair with blond highlights, brown eyes piercing as she gave Y/N a brief look of distaste before turning her attention to Jumin. In contrast to Y/N’s soft floral look, she wore a black turtleneck sweater tucked into a pencil skirt, black stockings and black heels tying her outfit all together as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Jumin, this is Mi Cha. From the Boon family.” Though  Y/N didn’t agree with her background, she couldn’t help the small scoff that was urging to leave her body as she fought the need to roll her eyes. The Boon family was very well known in South Korea for their influence in fashion, but had yet to reach the United States in their ideals. Their lack of influence on the general public in the US made them weaker than Y/N’s family, who had already implemented several corporate buildings world wide.

“I’m very excited to get to know you, Jumin. Your father has told me many wonderful things about you.” Her voice was smooth yet icy, a certain coldness radiating from her poised posture as she gave a slight curtsy. It took everything in Y/N not to laugh, as this strange woman’s energy was rather similar to Jumin’s. Stifling her laugh, she cleared her throat to gather everybody’s attention, including the chairman himself. His eyes flashed with recognition as he turned to face his son, the man sighing deeply as he realized that his father had put a name to her face.

“Y/N Walker. The trouble making heiress. Not exactly the best choice for you son.” Jumin felt a slight pang of irritation that he wasn’t expecting, his father’s actions getting on his nerves more than normal. But before the man could say anything Y/N was way ahead of him, standing up and bowing respectfully.

“Hello, it is very nice to meet you sir. I am honored to have the chance to meet one of the most powerful men in Korea, as well as his beautiful guest. It is my pleasure, Mi Cha.” Her tone was proper but Jumin could see the slight spark of mischief, excitement replacing irritation as an idea came to his mind.

“Father, I would like you to meet my girlfriend.” Y/N faltered, sputtering slightly as she looked up at Jumin who had stood beside her. Her face had gone warm, a slight flush gracing her cheeks as Jumin placed his large hand at the small of her back. His touch was barely there but it was enough for her to feel it, her heart beating faster at his actions and with what he just said. Girlfriend? His father and guest were just as shocked as she was, suspicion riddled all over their faces as Y/N struggled to give a happy smile.

“Son. Did you not just tell me when I was in your office last that you were not looking for anybody special?” This was a surprise, Y/N keeping still as she looked up towards Jumin, who avoided her eye contact as he challenged his father. As far as she knew, woman were constantly groveling over the handsome business man, dreaming of being doted upon by him. He could quite literally, have anybody he wanted; yet here his father was, airing out his dirty laundry in front of his supposed girlfriend.

“I was simply not ready to introduce the two of you to each other. Especially now with this so called "scandal” that her parents and ex-fiancee have put together.“ The mention of the tabloids caused Mi Cha to laugh, her perfectly manicured hand coming up to her pink lips as she slowed down to a small giggle.

"I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. I just never expected a daughter from a family as well mannered as the Walkers to behave in such a chaotic manner, so much as to runaway from a perfect life.” Jumin looked down to see Y/N grow angry, her brows slightly furrowing as she struggled to keep her composure. He was trying to keep her comfortable by keeping his touch light, but he couldn’t help but give her hip a slight squeeze as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Pardon my abrasive tone, but to be frank; you don’t know anything about me. You have no right to speak my family’s name with a mouth like yours. Haven’t you been told? Never bite the hand that feeds you.” A snort made all three people whip their heads over to Jumin, the man’s head turned to the side as one of his large hands came up to hide his face. Y/N tried her best not to smile in return, feeling a slight sense of pride at the fact that she’d made the stoic business man actually laugh. The opposing pair were not as amused, Mi Chan growing visibly red from anger as she looked to the chairman for help.

“Jumin, I really think you and I should have a discussion—”

“Not tonight father, as I am trying to spend quality time with Y/N. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” There was a gleam in his eye that came as a surprise to Y/N as she watched it all unfold, a feeling similar to butterflies erupting in her stomach as she watched him. This right here is what Jaehee had told her about; that hidden charm that Jumin carried with him that allowed him to make her feel this way.

Without another word the chairman simply looked at Mi Cha and held out his arm, glancing back at his son and his new found partner as if to say, ‘This isn’t over.’. But for now it was, the front door slowly coming to a close and Jumin giving an audible sigh of relief. With them gone he’d slipped his hand back from her hip, Y/N fighting a hiss that almost escaped her lips at the sudden wave of cool air that came between them. To her surprise she found herself to be disappointed with the removal of his arm, the man gesturing to her chair to have her take a seat.

“I am sorry that this happened Y/N, this was not meant to be part of the reason I am helping you in your situation.” Usually she’d have a snarky remark but this time she could only nod, the chef soon bringing out new plates of dinner and removing the previous ones.

“It’s not a problem, though I take it you’re not usually one to forget important plans like that?” A slight blush spread across his cheeks as he gave a small sigh, nodding along as his only response.

“Let’s not discuss that. You weren’t brought here to act as a surrogate; I wanted to discuss your role as a new member of the RFA.” His serious demeanor was back as he began to neatly cut into his meal, Y/N following along with him as she watched him carefully. For a split second she had gotten to see a humorous side to Jumin, one that he most definitely wasn’t known for. It almost made her sad to see him shove it back down where he preferred it to be, trying not to let the pang of her heart hurt too much as she chewed on her food.

“Before we were interrupted you asked what exactly the RFA is, and what we do. It is a charity organization.” Jumin smiled at Y/N’s expression showing interest, raising an eyebrow to signal him to go on as she sipped on her wine.

“It was created by my dear friend V’s late fiancee, Rika. She saw that the world was not always kind to others, and so she wanted to create a fundraiser that would help those who were in need. Rika’s Fundraising Association.” The abbreviation made sense to her now, and while she could appreciate this Rika’s motivation, she couldn’t help but notice the way Jumin spoke about her. The fondness that ghosted over his grey eyes, a smile hinting at the corner of his usually neutral set mouth. She didn’t want to admit it, but Y/N could feel slight jealousy entering her heart at the way he spoke about her.

“Anyway, with her gone we haven’t held a proper fundraiser in a couple of years. It was her responsibility to gather the guests for the fundraiser; she just had a way with others that none of us could seem to replicate. That is where you come in.” Y/N paused her chewing as she took in what he said, pursing her lips slightly as she tilted her head.

“Okay…are you saying that you want me to take her place? Fill her old role?”

“Not exactly take her place. You are not Rika, and nobody could possibly come close to the magic she carried with her.” He hesitated as he picked up his glass of wine, bringing it to his lips and taking a gentle sip. Again, she felt another pang of jealousy as she felt the idea of rejecting his proposal rising in her chest.

“But you do have the potential, as well as being stuck in a rather compromising position. You can’t exactly go home, and sooner or later your money supply will run out.” This was a harsh reality that she had been putting off thinking about; but he was absolutely right. All she’d managed to take without being noticed by her family and her ex was a few thousand dollars in cash; and most of that was spent on her plane ticket and the few art supplies she’d bought for herself. She looked away for a few moments to mull it over, but Jumin knew the essentially she had no choice.

“How much money are we negotiating here? I would need enough to rent my own place and—”

“That won’t be necessary.” This made her pause as she sat up straighter in her chair, bringing her hands to her lap to fidget with.

“What?”

“After the failed attempt of kidnapping, I do not feel comfortable having my assistant and her friend living alone. In exchange for your work with this association, you will have free housing here, as well as all the supplies that you will need for your artwork.” This caused Y/N to falter, almost choking on her vegetables as she brought the napkin up to her mouth.

“My artwork? How did you even know I’m an artist?”

“With your recent scandal planted by your family I had Jaehee do a report on you. Your exhibits were quite good.” Jumin was surprised to see her roll her eyes, leaning back in her chair as all proper etiquette that was taught to her disappeared.

“Those pieces weren’t me. Just proper prim landscapes that would sell easily to make my parents look good.” She blew a stray piece of her hair away from her face while Jumin only looked on, slightly amused.

“Then, paint what you would like. With your name in the tabloids I’m sure your work would raise thousands for the association. Even if it isn’t 'proper prim landscapes’ that you’ve grown so used to replicating. You won’t have to pretend for this exhibition of your work.” Y/N gave a slow nod, returning to her proper seated position as she decided.

“Okay,Jerkmin. You have a deal.”

Y/N played with the threads on her tattered dress as she rode in the car to Jumin’s private building, the tall buildings of the city ringing familiar to her. Limousines and fancy buildings were something familiar with her, yet a bubble of anxiety kept fluctuating back and forth. His sudden interest in her couldn’t help but make her think of red flags she’d seen before with the man she’d fled from, her foot tapping against the smooth carpet floors.

“We will be arriving to Mr. Han’s building soon, miss.” The driver hummed and looked at her through the review mirror, Y/N giving a small nod as she tried to muster up a smile.

“He isn’t as bad as he makes himself out to be.” The older gentleman’s husky voice was oddly calming to her, her brows furrowing as she looked down in her lap.

“I’ve been told that before.” She doubted that Jumin cared enough to ask the driver about their conversation on the way to his building, deciding that it would be nice to let her defense down; even if it was just for a few minutes.

“I only know what I’ve seen in the papers,” She grimaced at that, imagining that with each moment she wasn’t with her ex-fiancé, the more false information he was pumping to the press to bring her home. To make matters worse, her parents were most likely helping him, the thought making her stomach churn as nausea overcame her.

“But I do know that Mr. Han would not be pulling the strings he is pulling if he truly believed what the papers are saying.” The sincerity in his words was enough to make her feel less anxious, the limo slowing to a stop in front of the largest building in the city. Security personnel was already opening the door for her and offering his hand before she could even fully register she’d arrived, her instinct immediately taking over as she took his hand without question.

She was met with more security as they surrounded her from any hidden eyes that would try to recognize her, Y/N feeling extremely underdressed as she entered the sleek building. The floors were made of sleek white marble, glass doors and windows decorating the walls along with abstract art. The elevator doors were made of stainless steel, her own reflection visible then slowly disappearing as they opened for her and the original security that helped her out from the limo.

“Mr. Han is on a business call, so you will be waiting on the guest floor.” She almost choked on her own spit in surprise, furrowing her brows as she recollected herself.

“D-Don’t you mean guest room?” Her question went unanswered, the elevator doors opening to a long hallway leading to a door. The sun was high and bright in the sky, beaming through the windows that showed the mid skyline of the city. She tried to recall the kind drivers words from the ride to this building, taking deep breaths to calm her anxiety as she continued to follow security down the hall. Before she knew it she was in front of the door, hearing faint sounds of rock music and thumping from inside confusing her.

A few sharp knocks from the guard made the music come to a halt, Y/N anxiously waiting as she heard foot steps walking to the door. With a swift motion it was thrown open, a warm tint gracing Y/N’s face as she blushed. Sweat was dripping down his muscled chest as he adjusted his sweatpants, his furrowed brows relaxing as his mouth formed a smirk. He leaned against the door frame, gray hair sticking to his sweaty back as she tried to look everywhere but his naked chest.

“You know, I never really understand what goes through that jerk’s head.” His voice was like honey, deep and smooth as his red eyes gave her body a complete scan.

“But now, I think I understand why he wants you to join the RFA.”

“I, um…”

“Zen! Who’s at the door?” Y/N felt a grin coming to her face as Jaehee came into view, water dripping from her wet hair as she paused. Once they both made eye contact it was like the muscled man didn’t exist, Y/N pushing past him and immediately hugging her best friend. The hug was returned, Jaehee gripping her hard as she took in the familiar smell of her friend.

“I’m so sorry Jaehee.” That made the woman laugh as she pulled away, keeping her hands gripped on her arms as she shook her head.

“This is not your fault. I think you knew what your family was capable of; nobody expected them to go this far, not even you.” Finally being with someone familiar Y/N could feel her anxiety creep back in, sniffling as fat tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“Oh, Y/N.” Those words alone made her collapse into Jaehee’s arms, the two women falling to the floor. Sobs wracked Y/N’s entire body as reality had fully set in for her. It seemed to set in for Jaehee and Zen as well, the two noticing the bruises on her knees and scrapes on her hands from running for her life. Her sundress that was once a bright and beautiful blue was tattered and dirty, her hair disheveled from tossing in her sleep and lack of a shower. Zen quietly packed up his things and quickly put his shirt back on, putting up his hair into a low bun gesturing Jaehee to message him later.

Jaehee nodded in return as Y/N started to calm herself down, the release leaving her to feel exhausted as she took a deep shuddering breath. The gravity of the situation weighed heavy on the two women; Y/N couldn’t keep things light anymore. What she was running from was extremely serious, and she wasn’t sure if she could keep this up. Another sharp knock made both women jump, Jaehee standing up and opening the door. Another security personnel simply handed her a box tied with lilac ribbon, the white box pristine as she thanked him and shut the door behind him.

“Y/N…it’s for you.” She wiped her tears, eyes swollen as reached for the box Jaehee handed her. She untied the silk ribbon, opening the lid to see an elegant lilac dress, dotted with small colorful flowers, and white Mary Jane wedges. There was a note on top, Y/N furrowing her brows as she opened the letter.

Y/N,

Please wear this for our dinner tonight at approximately 6:00 PM. If it is not up to your taste, please let me know before this time as I can make adjustments. We will discuss your new position within the RFA further during dinner. I look forward to seeing you.

Best,

Jumin Han

The note was handwritten just like the one she’d received with her phone, his cologne invading her nose again as she placed the note to the side. Both her and Jaehee’s cheeks turned red as she found the matching pair of underwear underneath all the clothing, immediately putting the lid back on the box to cover it. Everything was brand new and in her size, her eyes immediately flying to Jaehee who raised her hands up in defense.

“He said he would have one of his people take your clothes to dry cleaning, but I’m assuming nothing could be done after the acrylic paint dried.” She nodded, her throat feeling like sand paper as she swallowed.

“Jaehee I…Can I shower?” She nodded, helping her off the floor and directing her down the hall to the left of the living room. There was another small lounging area with two black leather chairs, a gray shag carpet resting in front of them. Black wooden bookshelves held an array of books, floor to ceiling windows basking the room in natural sunlight. The guest bedroom had a king sized bed, monotone sheets and a comforter donning the large mattress. There was a large white vanity with a light up mirror, everything spotless except for her toiletries that Jaehee had placed; and the painting she had finished before those men came for her.

“I didn’t know if Jumin would have me send your items when you were with Luciel, or if he would bring you here. This is all that was left after those men went through your things.” Y/N gave a slight nod as she looked at the painting she’d made, leaning against one of the mirrors as she placed the box down on the bed.

“I’ll leave you alone; let me know if you need anything.” With that Jaehee left her to her new set up as she looked towards the attached bathroom, marble counter tops and shower matching the sleek and gray scale of her side of the suite. For a second she thought of just avoiding the meeting with Jumin all together; but then again, she could be over reacting. She walked into the bathroom, shivering at the cold tile as she reached over and turned on the shower.

Thoughts of her husband-to-be made her grimace as she undressed, unwanted memories flooding her mind as she thought about Jumin’s note. The first clothing gift she’d received from her ex-fiancée was raunchy lingerie, versus Jumin’s classy taste in undergarments. That alone led her to believe that he wasn’t really inviting her over for harmful intentions, unlike the asshole her parents were forcing her to marry. The warm water was welcoming as she sighed, the aching from her bruises slowly fading as she gently scrubbed at her skin using the soap in the showers. As the dirt and grime washed down the drain she let her thoughts flow with it, trying to keep an open mind as she prepared for dinner tonight.

+

Jumin sat at the dinner table with a glass of his favorite red wine, a classic black suit dawning his body as he quietly sipped. The seat across from him held an empty plate that matched his, glass empty as the waiter patiently waited for Jumin’s command to fill it. He checked his watch, the time reading 5:59 as a small bubble of anxiety formed in his chest. He furrowed his brows, taking another sip to pop that bubble as he felt disbelief.

Never in his life had Jumin felt nervous or anxious about well, anything. He had the best resources, the best drive; he calculated everything so that he knew it would benefit him in the end. With Y/N it was different. Her lack of needing to flatter him completely threw him off of his analysis of women, and while it was intriguing it was also a risk. Deep down he knew this, yet he still pretended that it didn’t bother him as he leaned back in his chair. Just as the second hand on his watched ticked over to 6:00 there were three small knocks on his door, the business man immediately standing and adjusting his tie.

Within a minute he was out of the dining area and in front of the front door, burying his feelings of anxiety and replacing it with his assured coolness. He opened the door and had to stifle a slight gasp of awe, the woman standing before him breathtaking. She had pinned her hair back so that it was half up and half down, her face on full display. She’d applied some makeup but instead of the bold, dramatic features he’d usually seen on other women she kept is soft. The heels tied everything together, bringing her so that she was eye level with his neck instead of the bottom of his chest.

Y/N noticed that he was staring, at first getting irritated until she took him in as well. This suit was different than the one he was wearing at work, the stark black of it making his pale skin stand out more than it already did. His oxfords made him taller than he naturally was, the same color black as his suit. Tying it all together was the lilac tie that sat proudly on his light gray dress shirt chest, that alone making a slight blush heat up her cheeks as she huffed.

He had made sure they matched.

“What are you staring at? Are you going to let me in or not?” The soft look suited her but her loud personality broke the image, the contrast almost comical as Jumin stifled a small smile that threatened to show on his expressionless face.

“Please, come in. Thank you for joining me for dinner.” Not forgetting her manners, she gave a slight curtsy as she slightly lifted her dress, walking inside while Jumin shut the door behind her. She waited for him to walk up and as she expected he held out his arm, politely escorting her to his dining area. Though she would rather be brash and independent she couldn’t ignore the slight muscle that her hand felt beneath the jacket, taking a deep breath to remain focused on what this was really about: her joining the RFA.

He led Y/N to her chair first, pulling out the seat and guiding her hand from his arm. Her hand slid down his forearm down to his, both of them making eye contact as she gently sit down. He was the first to let go, feeling his cheeks heat up as he cleared his throat. He made a waving motion to the waiter who effortlessly served the wine to Y/N, keeping his eyes on her as she thanked him and took the glass in her hands. She swirled it a couple of times and gently sniffed at the tilted cup, humming in approval before sipping. Jumin couldn’t hide his smile after that, a small one gracing his face as Y/N set the glass down and placed her hands in her lap.

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Jumin. But…why have me join the RFA? What kind of business is this? What do you get out of helping me?” Her overall expression feigned confusion, and while she may be confused her eyes were unwavering as they darted all over his face. Studying, calculating. She was trying to read him. Every moment she was in his home his fascination for her grew, the waiter soon bringing out platters of steak, potatoes, and asparagus. The smell was enticing, Y/N realizing that she hadn’t had much to eat all day until now. Though she was tempted her gaze didn’t falter, waiting for Jumin’s response as he leaned forward.

“I—” He was quickly interrupted at the sound of loud knocks on his front door, his brows furrowing while Y/N slightly jumped. He broke eye contact with her first as he looked towards the hallway, gesturing for his waiter to answer the door.

“I thought this was just dinner between us.” Y/N was already preparing to leave, anxiety written all over her face and body as her hands shook.

“It is dinner between us. I was not expecting any guests.” His voice was laced with irritation as Y/N figured he must be telling the truth, his usual composed face disoriented with confusion and annoyance. The sound of loafers and two pairs of heels clacking against Jumin’s floor made his heart drop, his eyes going wide as he realized a crucial detail that he hadn’t considered. For once in his life, he was caught off guard as he tried to stand and stop them from entering the dining room, almost spilling his wine glass while Y/N furrowed her brows in even more confusion as it was too late.

“Father. You’ve come for dinner.”

He parked his motorcycle in the building’s large garage, taking off his helmet and shaking out his silver hair. He took it out of the low bun it was in and let it swish behind him, red eyes focused on the guard at the elevator as he pulled out his phone. The RFA symbol granted him immediate access, the guard moving aside as he entered the building with his helmet resting on his hip.

It was hard not to worry; he never spoke a word with Jumin unless it was part of the main chat. To receive a private message to come to his building was causing anxiety, a sigh escaping his lips as he stopped on the floor that Jumin texted him. Just as the doors opened Jumin was walking down the hallway from the door, adjusting his shirt as he placed his phone in his pocket.

The two men exchanged looks as he passed, but the red eyed man paused when he realized that for once Jumin wasn’t exactly glaring at him like he always did. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, a slight blush on his cheeks as the elevator doors closed in front of him. He filed it in the back of his mind for later and continued to walk, coming to the door and knocking twice.

The door opened to show Jaehee with puffy eyes, her hair a mess as she gaped at him.

“Zen? What are you doing here?” He simply tilted his head and gave a soft smile, nudging his head towards the foyer.

“Can I come in?” She simply stepped aside as he walked in, taking off his boots and switching them for the slippers. She closed and locked the door behind her, adjusting her t-shirt and sweats as she sat on the couch. Zen sat right beside her, the two silently watching whatever Jaehee was playing on the television to drown out her thoughts. That was something she appreciated with Zen; he never tried to pry with her. They could sit in silence for as long as they needed to, until the other person was ready.

“I couldn’t protect her.” Zen furrowed his brows as he turned to look at Jaehee, the waterworks already spilling over as she tried to keep her composure.

“What are you talking about, Jae?” She was still as she relayed the events that happened earlier that day, even showing the footage from her apartment. Zen watched in horror as Jaehee’s friend hid in the closet, seconds before the men broke down the door and stormed the apartment. The fear that was all over her face as she raced down the staircases with just her passport and wallet, absolutely terrified.

“Oh, god.”

“I should’ve been there. I could’ve fought them off, or…god Zen she was by herself!” She finally broke, this time letting it all out. Zen turned off the TV as he immediately took Jaehee into his arms, her entire body shaking from the force of her cries. Zen has never seen her like this, concern taking over his mind as he tucked Jaehee’s head under his chin.

“Jae there was no way you could’ve known that was going to happen to her. She’s with Luciel now, right?” She could only nod, the release of emotion she’d been holding in all day exhausting her.

“Then she’s more than safe. The only people who know where he is are the members of the RFA. She’ll be okay, Jae.” She nodded and leaned away from him, signaling that she was okay as he let her go.

“You’re right. Thank you Zen, I’m sorry I got snot all over your shirt.” She grimaced, Zen laughing as she shook his head.

“Doesn’t bother me. So what’s the plan now? She obviously can’t go home.” He stood and walked to the kitchen while Jaehee followed, sitting on the stools by the island while Zen raided the fridge.

“Well, Jumin wants her to join the RFA.” He paused after opening the can of ginger ale he found, eyes wide as he pursed his lips.

“Yeah? Why? Nothing against her, but it doesn’t make sense.” Jaehee crossed her arms as she shrugged.

“I’m not sure. I think he has his own motives but I can’t figure out what.” Zen grimaced at that, taking a sip of his soda as he leaned against the closed fridge.

“What a pervert.” Jaehee snorted at that, raising a brow as she tilted her head.

“I don’t think it’s those kind of motives Zen. Doesn’t matter, she’ll be part of the chat tomorrow when her new phone arrives.” He nodded, finishing his soda and chucking the can in the recycling bin. The two once again sat in silence as Jaehee leaned against the back of the chair, bringing up on of her legs and sitting it under her.

“You good?” Zen spoke up, Jaehee giving him a tired smile as she nodded.

“I’m good. Thank you, Zen. It’s getting late, I’ll see you later.” They gave each other hugs after Jaehee walked him to the door, wishing him a safe drive home as she shut the door behind him. She was glad Jumin texted him; seeing him was what she needed. Deep in her stomach though she could feel something more sinister was planned for Y/N, and she hoped that Jumin had the same hunch.

Why else would he want her to join?

+

The next morning felt groggy for Y/N as she woke up in bed, the yellow duvet encasing her as she tried to get a sense of her surroundings. She sat up just as yesterday’s memories hit her; the men, the running, the gunshots. She pushed her messy hair out of her face as she shook her head, putting on the slippers 707 gave her and walking down the hall to the living room. He was still fast asleep on the couch, hood drawn closed by his strings as he softly snored away.

She raided his fridge for some ingredients and managed to find some leftovers, large enough for the both of them as she heated it up in his microwave. Just as the microwave went off there was a knock at the front door, her anxiety spiking as she immediately ran to the kitchen table and crouched. 707 shot up as he looked for her, spotting her in her hiding spot as she shook.

“Stay there,” He whispered, going to his desk and pulling out a gun. Her eyes widened as she gripped the table, knuckles going pale from how hard she was gripping the table. He looked through the peep hole and sighed, disengaging his security system and opening the door. Y/N slowly stood up as he brought in a small box with a familiar logo on it, rolling her eyes when she realized what it was.

“Is that from Jerkmin?” She huffed, 707 looking at her in surprise as he gave a small laugh.

“I—What?”

“That’s his company’s logo on the box, what did he send you?” He laughed again, handing the box over to her as he shrugged.

“It’s actually for you, it looks like.” She furrowed her brows as she took the box, grabbing a kitchen knife to cut through the tape as she opened it up. She was surprised to see the latest model for her usual phone company, the color a glossy lilac as she turned it on. There were two notes in the box, one of them addressed to a ‘Luciel’ and the other with her name on it.

“Um, I have a note here for a 'Luciel’?” She looked at 707 who raised a brow, taking the note she had outstretched to him as he sighed.

“Yeah uh, that’s my baptismal name. Thanks.” He walked away as he unfolded the note, Y/N shrugging and opening up her note. The writing was elegant, and she swore that she could smell some sort of cologne that he wore when she last saw him. She shook her head and read the note, questions rising left and right with every word she read.

Y/N,

I know things have gotten tough with the situation you are in. I promise you that Luciel and I are doing our best to keep you safe. This is for you, I’ll have Luciel adjust it to prevent any sort of tracking and add a special app where you can contact us.

I look forward to working with you.

Best,

Jumin Han

What, was she in some sort of hallmark movie? Or fanfiction? She groaned just as Luciel showed up and took the phone from the box, her brows furrowing as she followed him.

“What are you doing?”

“Sorry, boss’ orders.” He said in a sing-song voice, hooking up the phone to his computer and bringing up his hacking system. The screen lit up her eyes as she watched, impress with how quickly he broke down the phone’s programming and set it back up again with his own terms.

“This is gonna take me a moment, you can just eat while I do this.” She took the cue and left him alone, taking the food out of the microwave and finding a fork. It had gone cold but at this point she didn’t care, her thoughts running a mile a minute. What did Jumin mean by looking forward to working with her? She’d brought plenty of money with her to Korea to hold herself over for a couple of months. But then again that was before her marriage candidate sent a bunch of men to hunt her down and force her back to the states.

She shook her head as she sighed, pushing the food around with her fork when she wasn’t bringing it to her mouth to eat. It was hard to grasp everything that had managed to happen within a couple of days; from having a drunken night out to being shot at. She had hoped that by her running way her husband-to-be would have long forgotten about her and married some other big wig’s daughter. But unfortunately for her it seemed that he actually took a liking to her, and if he was willing to pull out guns just to get her back? Who knows what else he could be hiding up his sleeve?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the lilac phone was gently placed beside her, Luciel giving a small smile as she picked it up in her hands. The screen lit up to show the letters “R.F.A” as a chat and email feature showed up on the main screen. She furrowed her brows, looking back up to him as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“What’s this?”

“An app that only features myself, Jumin, Jaehee, and the other members of R.F.A.”

“R.F.A?” He waved one of his hands as he nodded, gesturing to the phone as he cleared his throat.

“Jumin will be explaining everything to you later today. Just, open it. Take a look.” She nodded, opening the chat feature to see a main chat room with other members.

“Zen and Yoosung…?” She mumbled to herself, typing a small introductory sentence and hitting send.

Y/N:Hi…?

Yoosung: WHO?!?! IS THIS?

Yoosung: Seven, someone hacked the chat T_T

Zen: Looks like Jumin has decided to go through with his plan, that pompous executive

Y/N laughed at that, already taking a liking towards this man named Zen as she responded.

Y/N: Sorry, I’m not a hacker as interesting as that would be. 707 actually set all of this up for me, my name is Y/N.

Jumin: Yes, this was all my doing.

She rolled her eyes as Jumin popped up in the chat, Zen sending an exasperated emoji in response as she typed.

Y/N: Why exactly is that? You haven’t told me a single thing about any of this

Yoosung: No offense to Y/N or you Jumin but I have to agree

Yoosung: Nobody really knows her, so what exactly does she have to do with our association?

Jaehee:I know her. She is my childhood friend

Jaehee: Though I am just as bewildered as the rest of you as why Jumin would like her to join the association.

Jumin: That is something I will be discussing privately with Y/N.

Jumin: Please read our private chat, all the information you need will be located there. I will be sending a car to your location in a couple of hours.

jumin has left the chat.

“What the hell?” She mumbled as the chat continued to blow up about their supposed new member, Y/N looking up at Luciel who only shrugged.

“Couldn’t tell you. The only advice I can offer is that you just do what he says, I’m sure he doesn’t have any bad intentions if he’s willing to buy you a new phone and offer you employment.”

“Those types of things don’t come without a cost, whether the intention is good or bad.” She snapped, furrowing her brows as she thought to herself. Though she was right so was Luciel technically; Jumin didn’t seem like the type to help somebody if that meant inconveniencing himself. So far, Y/N’s presence in his life had been nothing but a nuisance; and she would be lying if she said that Jumin’s actions were not intriguing to her. She stood up to go clean herself up while Luciel took over what ever food was left from her tossing it around with her fork, watching her go with curiosity as he smirked to himself.

“I never thought the Jumin Han would develop feelings for a woman like her.”

“Welcome to my humble abode.” 707 put his best announcer voice on as he lead Y/N into his large home, her eyes bulging out of her head as she followed him inside. Automated voices welcomed him and his guest home, a few laptops and large desktop set up in his living area. Small robot models were littered throughout his place, most of them unfinished as he guided her to the sofa.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” She politely shook her head as she tried to process what just happened to her. Men invaded her best friend’s apartment, and some of them had guns, they shot at her. She knew her family was capable of many things, but this was the last thing she expected them to do. She hadn’t even realized that she started crying, 707 immediately rushing to her as she blankly stared in front of her.

“You okay? What can I do?” Her lips sputtered, trying to find the words she’d lost. He was patient, waiting for her to speak as she sniffed.

“I just…I didn’t think they would do this,” She was quiet, her usual head strong voice dimmed down to the soft dainty one she’d practiced for years. Her actions had started to paint an ugly reality that she didn’t want to face; this was her fault.

“I’m so sorry.” She broke, a staggered sob leaving her mouth as she began to cry even harder. She gripped herself hard, bruises she hadn’t even realized she’d gotten slowly forming on her arms and legs from when she’d hit them on the doors and stairs during her escape. He didn’t touch her, but he did scoot a little closer to her, his hands folded in his lap as he tried to think of the right words to say.

“I know what it’s like to run away from a horrible life,” She was still sobbing but had tried to calm down, listening to him as she covered her face in embarrassment. “My home life wasn’t exactly the dream. To make it better for not just me, but my brother too. I did what I thought was best. But I couldn’t do that without any help.” He paused as she finally removed her hands, face splotchy from the tears as she sniffed and looked at him.

“Sometimes talking about it helps too. But I won’t force you to do anything.” Again he waited for her to speak, Y/N taking a deep breath as she nodded.

“I don’t really want to get into specifics,” She waited, 707 nodding as she continued. “Essentially I was supposed to have an arranged marriage. With some dude in—”

“Hold on!” She furrowed her brows as he suddenly sprang up, running to his kitchen and rustling through the cupboards. Within minutes he was back with a large bowl of chips and two sodas, handing her one as he snacked on the chips. She was still confused, watching him snack on them as he shrugged his shoulders.

“They always make me feel better.” She decided to ignore it, continuing on while she opened the can.

“Anyway, some dude who’s the heir to this major tech company was supposed to be my husband. But he’s such a pompous jerk; he expects me to do whatever he says without question! I’m more of a slave than a partner.” She drifted off, something flashing across her eyes as she contemplated telling him about it. 707 paused, noticing the slight shift in her before she shook it off and ended it there.

“He doesn’t like having a lack of control on me. I’m sure he’s going the lengths to make sure that I go back to him and can never leave him again.” She shuddered at the idea, shaking her head in disgust. There was more to the story but the man knew better than to pry when somebody didn’t want to share anymore. She reached for some of the chips and shoved them in her mouth. She paused mid chew, her eyes widening as 707 grinned and slowly nodded his head.

“They’re a gift from God Himself.”

+

He paced back and forth inside the guest suite, cuffs of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows as he impatiently waited for 707’s text message. He had a bad feeling when he looked out his office window to see a car follow Y/N to the bus station, another car with a driver peeking up into his office window. He didn’t have to guess to know who was behind it, his security immediately strengthening their detail on him and Jaehee.

Of course he wanted Y/N to have security as well; it was her that they were after. But he hadn’t even had the chance to call, when his surveillance stated that the men had already circled the building. Luckily he’d already informed somebody who would be quicker, and a lot more low profile than Jumin’s men in black.

His phone pinged just as he was thinking about her, immediately pulling it out of his pocket and checking his texts.

I have retrieved Y/N! She’s safe with me, currently feasting on Honey Buddha Chips :333333

Now the payment as promised >:3

He rolled his eyes as he walked to Elizabeth who was resting on his bed, her blue eyes slowly blinking open as he squatted in front of her.

“I’m sorry to disturb your sleep; this will only be quick.” He muttered, hands slightly shaking as he finished taking the photo of her. He sent it in the chat with the red haired fiend, the man immediately blowing up his phone with how blurry and lame the photo was and how he should deserve a night of watching her.

“Out of the question,” Jumin couldn’t even bare the thought of Luciel having his precious Elizabeth for the night, quickly pushing that thought out of his head as another sparked in his mind. With all of this sudden chaos he’d forgotten that V asked he throw an RFA party next month, as he was trying to get rid of some extra inventory of his photographs. With the party just around the corner he figured this idea couldn’t hurt, rubbing his forehead as he made a decision. He immediately grabbed the keys to his home and ventured towards Jaehee’s guest suite, wondering if this idea was perfect, or if he was just crazy. A few security guards were with him, the man paying no mind to it as he took the elevator to her floor.

Just as the elevator doors opened he could feel the anxiety radiating from the guest suite, thumping coming from inside the suite as her furrowed his brows. Security immediately went to swarm him but he stopped them, holding his hand up to assure he was fine as he walked up to the door. With a few simple knocks the thumping stopped, Jaehee throwing the door open as she panted. She was wearing sports attire, sweat coating her entire body as her damp hair lie against her forehead. Her glasses were gone, not like she needed them anyway as she only wore them for work.

“Is something wrong Mr. Han?” She huffed, leaning against the door. Her hands were taped up to protect her knuckles, the same tape on her bare feet as she waited for his response.

“I had an idea that I wanted to run by you.” She let him inside, the security trying to follow before she glared and slammed the door in their faces. Jumin realized that she had brought her punching bag from the apartment, slowly stopping from the back and forth it was going through. She’d moved the couch and coffee table out of the way, leaving a large open space for her to move around. That’s what the thumping was; she was letting out her frustrations. Jumin really tried to keep things professional between Jaehee and himself. His father was all too familiar with making things personal with his assistants, so Jumin took it upon himself to never cross that line.

But seeing Jaehee with her emotions turned off like this worried Jumin, the blank stare she had turning to the punching bag as she continued to throw punches and kicks at lightening speed.

“Assistant Kang.”

“Please, Mr. Han.”

“Assistant Kang.” She continued to beat on the bag, going harder and faster as Jumin sighed.

“Jaehee.” She yelled as she kicked the bag again, out of breath as she toppled over onto the floor. Jumin stood in concern but Jaehee held her hand out, while slightly covering her face; he swore he saw tears.

“Stop that, Jaehee.”

“No, you don’t understand. I should have been there. If I was there I could’ve protected her, I…” She couldn’t finish her sentence, huffing as she threw her arm over her face. Her huffing started to become less labored and more spaced out, the tears falling faster as Jumin shifted in his seat. He wasn’t comfortable with this sort of thing, pulling out his cell phone and sending a text to the person who probably hated him the most. He gave a heads up to his security as he waited for Jaehee to finish crying, the poor woman sitting up as she tried to stifle her tears.

“I apologize for my lack of professionalism.” She sounded exhausted, angrily wiping away the tears as Jumin cleared his throat.

“What matters now is that she’s safe.” He tried his best to help but he knew that it wasn’t working, Jaehee quickly closing herself off again as she nodded.

“Yes. She’s safe now, I guess,” She stood, reaching for her large water bottle and taking a few sips before turning back to him.

“So what was your idea?”

“I think we should have Y/N host the party.” Jaehee almost choked on her sip of water, coughing as she furrowed her brows.

“You can’t be serious?” Jumin shrugged, leaning back in the sofa as he crossed his legs.

“Why not? What she just went through must be traumatic. Besides, I need you to focus on work instead of rounding up guests for the party. I think it would be a great work opportunity for her. In exchange for her work she can stay here where my security can keep an eye on her.” Jaehee raised a brow as she tried to read his face, proving unsuccessful as she thought about it.

Jumin couldn’t lie to himself; part of him wanted her to be here for his own selfish reasons. He wanted to observe her, try to pick apart her mind and understand how she was not affected by his money or his presence like so many other women who met him.

“We’ll have to buy her a new phone and have Luciel add her to the chat.” She muttered, Jumin fighting the small smile that wanted to grow on his face. She’d taken the idea and started to run with it, just as he’d wanted her to.

“I’ll let him know right away, what color does she like?” Jaehee furrowed her brows while Jumin stared blankly at her, clearing her throat as she bit her lip.

“Lilac. Any sort of purple works, but lilac is her favorite.” He nodded, once again hiding the amusement brewing on his face.

He too favored the color lilac.

She could still feel the rage circulating through her body as she huffed, almost stomping out of the elevator as she walked outside. That stupid CEO had nothing better to do than to enjoy everything his rich life had to offer him. Yes she knew what it was like; to be able to have servants at her beck and call. To ride in the best cars, stay at the best resorts, go to the best schools. It was something Y/N would forever be grateful for because she knew that not everybody had the luxury to have the same upbringing.

It was the entitlement she couldn’t stand; how these children that had done nothing to earn their status in life felt that they were allowed to have whatever they wanted, and should be praised for what they were given. Though she understood that living a “normal” every day life like the average person came with it’s struggles, she was always envious of the one thing she never had: freedom.

Freedom to be her own person, to take the classes she wanted, to dress how she liked and act how she liked. To find love, in a person that adored her for her personality, not her parents money. Those thoughts depressed her, biting her lip as she walked down the street to get to her bus stop. As she walked she came to a halt in front of an art store, raising a brow before going inside. It was almost like one of her favorite stores back home; art supplies were stocked to the brim on every shelves, the bright colors of paint lighting up her eyes as a small smile came to her face.

The only thing creative thing she was allowed was to paint, and even then that was limited to portraitures and landscapes that could be auctioned off at the finest galleries. Her work was usually bright and colorful, but it wasn’t necessarily her; just a product that she pumped out to keep her parents satisfied. This newfound freedom she had made her possibilities limitless, her fingers thumbing through the array of brushes and palettes the store had on display. She picked out what she wanted, paying at the register and making her way back to the road.

She was excited, her fingers twitching just at the idea of creating something without a purpose of selling it; to just create. She happily stepped on the bus and paid the fare, unaware of the man that sat in the black car across the road keeping a close eye on her as the bus drove back to Jaehee’s apartment.

+

Y/N had placed her hair up and away from her face, loose strands falling out of the pile she’d made on top of her head as she finished putting the last stroke of paint on the canvas. A darkness from her trauma had been pulled from deep within her chest, now spilled across the canvas for anyone to see. She put her supplies away while the painting dried, washing her hands in the sink as her phone rang. She furrowed her brows to see Jaehee’s name flash across the screen; she was supposed to be working still.

“Hello?”

“Y/N! Where are you?” Her tone was frantic, laced with worry as Y/N’s heart sank. She had a bad feeling, immediately putting her sneakers on as she furrowed her brows.

“At your apartment? Why? What’s going on Jaehee?”

“You need to leave, now! Jumin has set up for one of our friends to pick you up, his location is secluded and almost impossible to find. I’ll make my way there soon once it’s safe to grab your things.”

“What are you—” She was interrupted by the pounding at the front door, her face growing pale as she grabbed her bag and stuffed her phone inside.

“Police! We have information that a runaway is being held in this residence. Please open the door!” Y/N furrowed her brows as she looked through Jaehee’s peephole, fear making her blood run cold as she slowly backed away from the door. She knew what police wore in Korea; and these men did not look anything like them. They had on dark sunglasses, black t-shirts and black jeans covering their bodies as they whispered to each other. Tattoos were peering from underneath one of their shirts, a dragon climbing up his neck as he lost his patience.

“Open up! This is your final warning!”

“Fuck me,” She muttered, trying to think fast as she looked around. She decided to take her sneakers off to make it look like she was home, grabbing her slippers and hiding in the closet by the kitchen. There she stayed huddled, trying to keep her breathing quiet as she heard one, two, then a third kick as the door came crashing down onto the floor.

Please don’t find me, please don’t find me.

They scurried past the closet door and trekked into the apartment, shouting to each other to tear the place apart. Once they were far enough she slipped out of the closet and ran like hell, sprinting for the staircase and avoiding the elevator.

“Hey! She heard them shout just as the door closed behind her, the concrete cold underneath her feet as she sprinted down the stairs. She avoided the garage and ran for the lobby, cursing when she saw another man dressed the same way. Her blood ran cold; she was cornered.

She almost screamed when she felt someone gently grab her arm, spinning around to see bright red hair and a pair of amber eyes.

"Please come with me.” Before she could question him she heard the shouts of the men from upstairs; they were about to enter the lobby.

“Okay.” He tugged her towards the lobby door while taking off his jacket, putting it on her shoulders to cover her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close, easily averting the man who was waiting outside.

“Quickly, buckle up.” They approached a white sports car, Y/N furrowing her brows as she gets in and buckles up.

“Stop!” She felt the panic rise again as she heard the man scream at them to stop, looking in the review mirror. Her eyes widened at them pulling out guns, the stranger starting his car and immediately peeling off from the curbside. Shots were fired, people on the street screaming and running off in terror as he drove.

“What the fuck?” She was breathless and shaking, gripping her arms as her chest heaved.

“I’m sorry that we had to meet this way, but you were not safe at that location. Clearly.” Y/N got a closer look at this stranger; he was also slightly shaking from their interaction, sweat dripping down his face and catching on his yellow framed glasses.

“Who are you anyway?” He laughed at that, using one of his free hands to push his bangs out of his face while Y/N uneasily waited.

“I’m sure the way I grabbed you isn’t helping; I’m Luciel, otherwise known as special agent 707! I’m a friend of Jaehee and Jumin.” The mention of Jumin made her scowl, a smirk on Luciel’s face as he raised a brow.

“Not a fan of the CEO huh?”

“No. Pompous jerk.” Y/N was still wary but felt slightly better that he knew Jaehee’s name with ease, sinking into the leather seat and giving a small sigh.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now, they won’t be able to find you while you’re with me.”

+

Jaehee shook as she saw her kicked down door to her home, five of Jumin’s security with her as they urged her to grab Y/N’s things and immediately relocate to a safe house in Jumin’s building. She sprinted to the guest room, disgusted at what she saw.

Y/N’s clothes had been ripped to shreds, and what was salvageable had been defaced by acrylic paints that belonged to Y/N. This wasn’t just her family trying to pick her up; this was a message.

“Ms. Kang; quickly. We don’t know if they will be coming back. Pack the essentials and come with us.” One of the security guards had followed her inside, keeping an eye on her as she slowly nodded and stood up. She quickly packed what she needed and walked to the living room, furrowing her brows at the canvas that had been abandoned on the coffee table.

“Ms. Kang.”

“I’m coming just—let me grab this.” She walked over and picked it up, her heart sinking in empathy and fear for her long time friend. It was a portrait of Y/N, her skin painted in grey scale. Her eyes were empty as black fluid leaked from the holes, her expression angry as chains were wrapped around her neck. She didn’t paint a mouth; meaning that she was silenced.

It was now becoming clear that Y/N had more than enough reason to run, Jaehee bringing the canvas with her as she nodded towards the security guards. As they escorted her to their vehicle her phone buzzed, Jaehee gasping as she picked it up and read the message.

She’s safe with me.

The warmth of the sunlight was the first thing she felt as sleep left her, a soft groan escaping her lips as she tried to open her eyes. It took her a few seconds to recognize where she was at, relief washing over her body as the familiarity of Jaehee’s guest bedroom came back to her. She grimaced at the fact that she was still wearing her outfit from last night, her clothes stiff from sleeping in them. She stripped off her jeans and sat up in just her underwear, not really caring if Jaehee saw her or not; they were both women after all. She slowly got up, her head pounding as she grabbed for her watch to see what time it was. Her eyes bulged out of her head as she realized it was the afternoon, annoyance and a hint of guilt flooding in as she put on her slippers to go to the kitchen.

She didn’t even want to know what Jaehee was going to say to her, anticipation and nerves clouding her already messy mind as she ran a hand through her tousled hair.

“Jae?” No response. She furrowed her brows as she walked into the kitchen, a small envelope with her name on it catching her attention. A sticky note was attached, a small smile coming to her face as she read the familiar handwriting.

Breakfast is in the oven to keep it warm. Open the envelope and read it. We’ll talk when I get home from work.

Well now she didn’t even want to open the envelope. Y/N huffed as she opened the oven to reveal a tinfoil covered plate, her stomach rumbling as she carefully took it out. Unwrapping it revealed omurice with a side of soft potatoes, her mouth already salivating as she hunted for some chopsticks then dug in. As she ate she nervously looked at the envelope, reaching her nimble fingers out and grabbing it.

They shook as they ripped through the sealed flap, Y/N’s brows furrowing before her eyes gaped open as she read the words that were revealed across the headline.

Heiress of the Walker Family Confirmed Missing After Extensive Search

She hurriedly flipped through the long article, her heart sinking further and further into her stomach as the details unfolded. Photos of her before she’d changed her look were plastered on each printed page, Y/N grateful that she was smart enough to dye her hair and start wearing her glasses again. Anxiety mixed with anger as the media portrayed it as recklessness on her end, that she was just a rebellious young adult that was refusing to accept her responsibilities.

“What a load of bullshit!” She yelled, throwing it across the room and watching it slap against the wall and hit the floor with a thud. She wasn’t so hungry anymore, deciding to save the food for later as she wrapped it back up and put it in the fridge. Y/N felt horrible; she’d wanted Jaehee to find out from her, not from some stupid tabloids that had made National News. She knew exactly who was behind the release, her blood boiling as she was tempted to call from her cell phone and immediately demand it to be taken down.

But she couldn’t.

Calling them meant that they would know exactly where she was at, and it was hard enough to leave the country without any of them knowing. She instead jogged back to the room for her phone, opening her text messages between herself and Jaehee.

Jae, I read what was in the envelope

Please let me explain

Why is it that I had to find out you were on the run from your family from my boss, and not you??

Y/N grimaced; Jerkmin Han was the one who told her? What the hell was he doing looking her up? She shook her head; the article was under the national news category. Him being such a bigwig must mean that he keeps up on all the national affairs. She didn’t even realize she’d had a slight blush at the idea of him looking up her information, the woman slapping her cheeks to get those thoughts out of her head.

I wanted to tell you last night, really I did! I just overdid it with the alcohol.

Jaehee didn’t respond, Y/N feeling more and more guilty with every passing second. It was never her intention to get wasted; hell she could barely remember anything from last night. The bars, Jaehee finding her and picking her up; and then nothing. Her gut told her that something happened last night, hesitant to try and recall what she did as she had a feeling that she wouldn’t like it.

You have embarrassed me in front of one of the worlds biggest multi-billion dollar company’s CEO; my boss! In his own home too, Y/N! There are no excuses for what you did, you should be happy that your dumb ass didn’t get me fired!

What? In his own home? They’d gone to Jumin’s home? She felt dizzy at the sudden memories that came crashing into her brain. A cute white cat, Jumin in a casual t-shirt and glaring daggers at her. Jaehee profusely apologizing while handling his paperwork. It was still blurry but it was there, the need to throw up strong as she collapsed on the bed.

Oh my god.

I have a meeting to attend. I will talk to you later. Y/N swallowed as she placed her head in her hands, shame and embarrassment weighing heavy in her heart as she took a deep breath. For all she knew, that Jerkmin could be working Jaehee double time, as punishment for bringing her friend around when she wasn’t supposed to. She didn’t give a damn what that pompous CEO thought of her; it was her best friend that she was worried about.

“Damn it,” She sighed, deciding to take a shower to rinse off the remnants of last night. An idea crossed her mind and she groaned, thumping her head against the shower wall as the hot water ran down her back.

“Fuck it.”

+

He sat inside the meeting room with the executive leaders of each department, each one proposing some growth ideas and expenses needed. His eyes flickered between the person speaking and Jaehee taking notes; he couldn’t help it really. His mind drifted back to that night where her friend had entered his building, a soft smile coming to his face as he ran his fingers over his lips. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met; instead of asking him what he would like her to do, she challenged that ideal. She glared at him and gave him attitude, yet treated Jaehee and Elizabeth with such gentle kindness. It was intriguing, and he hated to admit it but she was all he could think about.

“…Mr. Han?” Jaehee gently tapped his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts as he cleared his throat.

“I apologize; what was that last proposal?” Before he knew it the meeting was over, everybody gathering their files to go back their respective departments. He sat with Jaehee to discuss where the funding should be placed, until he couldn’t hold in his curiosity anymore. While he was reading the paper on his desktop, an article had flashed about the famous Walker family back in America. He’d done business with them before, their personalities cold and business-like through every deal they’d made. He respected their finesse and hard work to build up their marketing company, but had no idea that they had a daughter.

It was more surprising to find out that it was Y/N, the photos provided on the article completely different from the person he’d met. She was more refined and poised, her hair shorter and a completely different color than it was now. Her mother’s hand was gripping her shoulder tightly in the family portrait, while her father seemed disinterested and disconnected. The fire that he’d seen in her eyes was merely just embers in the photos, almost lifeless as she posed with her family. It was actually rather sad, and he’d meant to ask Jaehee about it. He didn’t mean to throw Y/N under the bus; it was actually scary to see Jaehee so upset with her.

“So, why is she on the run?” Jaehee sputtered, her brows furrowing as she locked eyes with Jumin. He was dead serious, waiting for her answer as she shrugged.

“I don’t know. The only reason I now know she’s on the run is because of you. She said she was going to tell me last night; but she had too much to drink.” She had a small flush across her cheeks from embarrassment, amusement brewing in Jumin’s mind as he kept his face straight.

“Please do not linger on the events that happened last night, Assistant Kang. I already told you that you will not be losing your job.”

“I greatly appreciate that Mr. Han, it’s just…” Jaehee trailed off, not sure how to finish her sentence. Never in her life did she think she would confide in her boss; that’s what Zen was usually for. Jumin waited patiently, tapping his foot with an eagerness that he tried to conceal. He wanted to know so badly; but it was beneath him to show it.

“I’m worried.” Before she could elaborate, the two of them were interrupted by one of the security guards.

“Ms. Kang? Someone is here to see you.” Jumin furrowed his brows while Jaehee seemed puzzled, nonetheless picking up her files and heading towards the door to the hallway. Jumin stayed seated for a bit, running his hands over his face as he sighed. How strange that he was still thinking of a stranger that he hadn’t even known for very long; and who had insulted him, on top of that. Yet he couldn’t help his curiosity.

“Jerkmin Han…ha…” He couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. Never in his life had he met someone that was brash with him from the start. Sure, Zen constantly showed his displeasure for Jumin, but that was before the two of them go to know each other. This woman had barely laid eyes on him and was already hurling insults at him; and part of him wonders if it was only because she was drunk.

“It must be.” He mumbled, finally standing and adjusting his sleeves before walking back towards the hallway. He pushed open the door and headed back towards his office, only pausing when he heard Jaehee speaking sharply with somebody. He raised a brow as he turned around, eyes wide when he realized who she was speaking to.

“Get out of here Y/N; I will not risk losing my job again after that fiasco that occurred last night!” She hissed, brows furrowed from irritation. Y/N was standing in the hallway, carrying two hand held boxes with her as she profusely apologized.

“I know, I know that’s why I’m here to make up for that.” Jumin immediately hid the smirk that was making its way to his face, replacing it with his usual business expression as he walked up to them. He could tell just from what he’d heard that Y/N had come to apologize for her actions; but something seemed rather off. Like she was doing this because she felt she had to, not because she wanted to.

“Hello. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Without realizing it he’d already made his way to the two women, looking Y/N up and down with his gray eyes. Jaehee was once again filled with anxiety as she turned to face Jumin. She looked completely different than what she wore last night; instead of her rough leather jacket and ripped jeans she was in a nice sundress, the pastel blue complimentary to her long hair. The way she stood and smiled was rather obvious to Jumin; she had clearly come from a very wealthy background.

So why did she run?

She had a smile, but Jumin could see that his tone had caused a fire behind her eyes, brow twitching before she had managed to reign in whatever she had wanted to say. This only fueled his raging curiosity, his face showing that he was waiting to hear what she had to say.

“I was actually hoping to see you.” Her sweet tone made him tilt his head in surprise, a small smile coming to his face as he asked. I’ll bite, he thought, the tension thick as he crossed his arms.

“Oh?”

“This is for you.” She handed him one of the boxes she was carrying, Jumin raising his brows as he uncrossed his arms and gently took it from her.

“I’m sorry that I was such an ass—inappropriate. It was unacceptable for me to enter your home like that, and even worse, insult you. Please accept this gift.” She gave a deep bow, Jaehee letting out a sigh of relief while Jumin quickly hid the surprise from his face. Oh yeah, definitely from a formal background.

“Well, thank you. But I will not open it here; Assistant Kang, please have this delivered to my home as soon as possible. I shall open it tonight.” Again he watched in amusement as Y/N’s eyebrow seemed to twitch at his response, grumbling under her breath before replacing her displeasure with a smile.

“Thank you for accepting my gift. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should let you two get back to work. Here you go, Jae. Please don’t work too hard today.” She sent a sneaky glare back at Jumin, going completely unnoticed by Jaehee as she took the gift. There it is, that attitude that she’d been hiding underneath her formal presence. He wanted to see more of it, an idea crossing his mind as he immediately put it into action.

“Thank you, Y/N. Now would you please go back to the apartment; I’ll chat with you later.” She tried to rush her out of the office as she maintained eye contact with Jumin, the man simply giving a nod while he gave off the most pompous smirk he could muster up. The response he was looking for did not disappoint, this, Y/N frowning at him before she flipped him off with the bird while being shoved into the elevator by Jaehee.

“…There! I said it!”

“Y/N please! I will no longer be friends with you if you keep this up; stop it!” Jaehee yelled back just as the doors closed to the elevator. She came back looking extremely tired, her hand pressing against her forehead while Jumin tilted his head.

“What exactly did she say, Assistant Kang? I didn’t quite catch the first part.” She gave a sigh, shaking her head before she looked up at her boss.

“Please don’t fire me.” She mumbled, Jumin even more interested as he crossed his arms.

“Well?”

“I quote, ‘You are an uncultured swine! There, I said it!’ Mr. Han, please don’t take what she says seriously I—”

“Assistant Kang.” Jaehee gulped, squeezing her eyes shut to prepare for the worst. But instead she was met with Jumin softly laughing, covering his mouth as he looked off to the side.

“I would like a report on your friend, when you get the chance. I want to know everything about her. She, is, well…interesting to say the least.” Her jaw dropped open in surprise but she quickly shut it, giving a brief nod before responding.

“Yes Mr. Han.” She briskly walked away, files pressed tight against her sides as she hurried to her office. Jumin could only bite his lip as he made his way back to his office. That interaction right there proved it; Y/N didn’t say those things because she was drunk; that’s just truly how she felt about him.

“How interesting.” He muttered, ignoring the way his heart started to beat faster in his chest.

Jumin sighed as he leaned back in his desk chair, the cool leather comforting as he held a glass of wine. Jaehee had ignored his calls twice now, annoyance brewing inside as he took a sip. Nothing was wrong with her reports as he expected, but he did have a question about her approach to one of the company’s partners in her report. Catching his attention, there lay a familiar presence he’d grown to cherish, loud purring throwing him off as he looked down at his feet. He reached down and brought her up to his level, keeping her rested in his lap.

“Hello, Elizabeth the 3rd. Have you come to keep me company?” She mewled in response, rubbing her head against his stomach as he gave a soft sigh.

“I’m glad. I do not want to go to dinner with Father and whatever woman he thinks will do it for me. Why can’t he just accept the fact that I do not want to be in a relationship?” The white haired cat stared at him and meowed in response, bright blue eyes bringing him a sense of calm as he nodded.

“You’re right. I just have to appease him at dinner and politely reject her. You always know what to say, Elizabeth.” He gently scratched underneath her chin as a reward, her loud purring showing her approval as she nestled deeper into his lap. Jaehee’s lack of response was starting to make him grow worrisome; maybe it was a mistake to allow her to go home early to hang out with her friend. Just as his mind was beginning to wander in the different possibilities of why he had not been answered, her familiar ringtone went off.

“Finally,” He muttered, immediately picking up his phone and taking a sip of his wine.

“Assistant Kang.”

“Jumin!” He furrowed his brows at the unfamiliar voice that was on the line, confusion sweeping over him as he tried to process it. This was certainly not Assistant Kang, confusion replaced with irritation as he responded.

“Who is this?”

“Don’t worry about that,” The voice on the other line stated, giggling as the sound of cars passing by preoccupied his mind. His irritation grew, sighing as he leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of his wine; more of a gulp, really.

“I just wanted to call and let you know that…you need stop being such a jerk. Let Jaehee live a little!”

He sputtered, wine spilling all over his papers and files as he grunted. Elizabeth had leaped off his lap and rested on the couch instead, meowing at her owner as she rubbed at her face from where she was splashed by the wine. Angrily he grabbed his handkerchief and blotted at the papers, groaning before answering back to the phone.

“Who is this? Where is assistant Kang?” He was losing his patience, different scenarios clouding his mind as to why Jaehee had yet to be the one on the other line. Had she lost her phone? Was it stolen? His irritation grew at the idea of having to replace her phone; after all, he needed to keep in contact with her at all times.

“Y/N…Y/N give me….ah, give me the damn phone!” He heard assistant Kang’s voice in the background, crossing his legs as he heard the other person’s voice grumble in protest and the sounds of shuffling.

“Mr. Han,” Jaehee breathed out, her own voice laced with irritation and worry as she sighed. “I apologize—”

“What is the meaning of this, assistant Kang?” Jumin breathed angrily, Jaehee sputtering as she tried to explain.

“It’s my friend; we were supposed to meet up and she got a little carried away with the drinking. I have it handled; how can I be of assistance?”

“Come to my residence at once; I need you to elaborate on what you meant in this report.”

“I—” She was interrupted again by swear words pouring out of Y/N’s mouth, accompanied with giggles as she tried to talk over Jaehee. Jumin rolled his eyes at the commotion, feeling slightly disappointed in his assistant as she struggled to get out her sentence.

“Mr. Han, can’t this be exchanged through email?”

“Ten minutes Assistant Kang.” With that he hung up on her, feeling proud for his stern tone. He looked down at the ruined reports, glad that he kept a copy of each on his desktop as he sipped the rest of his wine until the glass was empty. He cleaned up his space, the sticky substance all over his shirt as well as he shook his head.

“What a mess.” He sighed, taking off his shirt and revealing his torso. Just as he’d done that there was a knock on his door, his brows furrowing as he hurried and grabbed a shirt that lie on one of his resting chairs nearby. He quickly put it on, his hair ruffled from the quick action as he paced to the door, Elizabeth watching him with curious eyes. He threw open the door and was shocked to see Jaehee standing with her infamous friend, looking exhausted while her friend seemed to babble nonsense with a lazy smile.

“As you can see Mr. Han; I have had quite the night.” Y/N’s cheeks were flushed as she hiccuped and giggled to herself, her eyes fluttering open to see Jumin standing there. Her lazy smile was replaced by a look of irritancy, ripping herself away from Jaehee as she sauntered into his home.

“Excuse me! But you can't—”

“Oh, can it Mr. Boss-Man. You have a really nice place and—” She gasped, Jaehee hurriedly following behind her to try and get the night over with. “You have a cat! Oh my goodness!” Jumin almost had a heart attack as he watched this stranger suddenly sit next to Elizabeth the 3rd; but his worry quickly washed away when he saw how gentle she was with her.

She gently held out her fingers while Elizabeth sniffed then purred, rubbing her head against her fingers while she giggled.

“Good kitty…” She hiccuped, Jumin’s heart skipping a beat as he tried to hide his flustered face with his hands.

“Mr. Han. If we could address this report problem as quickly as possible, then I assure you we will be out of your hair in no time.” Jumin had snapped his attention back to Jaehee and nodded, leading her to his desk to address his question. During her response he found himself looking back and forth between her and her friend. She had fully settled into his couch now, humming as she continued to pet Elizabeth who was more than comfortable with her.

“…so does that answer your question, Mr. Han?” He nodded as he kept his grey eyes on the pair on the couch, clearing his throat as he looked back to Jaehee.

“Assistant Kang.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve failed to inform me that your friend; what is her name?” Jaehee’s stomach flipped in anticipation as sweat started to form at her brow, clearing her throat before answering.

“Y/N.”

“Y/N. That she is so, well. Cute. Christ…” He mumbled, fascinated by how quickly Y/N was able to gain Elizabeth’s trust. Jaehee let out a relieved sigh as she pinched her nose.

“I…yes. Well, I’m very sorry we’ve disturbed you Mr. Han; we will be leaving.” Jaehee quickly stood from the desk and briskly walked over to Y/N, the woman whining in protest as Elizabeth jumped off her lap and walked back to Jumin’s feet. He watched as Y/N waved goodbye to Elizabeth, then brought her eyes up to his, glaring daggers at him as he raised a brow.

“You’re lucky your cat is so cute, Jerkmin Han.” She slurred, her gaze icy while Jaehee shoved her out the door and apologized one more time. She slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Jumin to his thoughts as he sat back down in his desk chair in disbelief. What a night.

What a woman.

Jumin watched as Jaehee walked up and down the halls of the floor, files periodically switching between her arms as she spoke to her colleagues. He’d noticed that while her performance had gone back to normal, she was a little more irritable with him than she usually would be. He wasn’t an idiot; he knew it was because of her friend that was in town for the week.

He wasn’t one to second guess his choices, but something about Jaehee’s demeanor was concerning. She seemed to be more on edge than normal, and Jumin didn’t like the idea of his assistant being uncertain about whatever was going on in her personal life. But he wasn’t going to ask; what Jaehee chose to keep to herself was her business, and as long as her performance wasn’t affected, than it was not anything he needed to concern himself with.

There was no need to fixate on it as his phone rang, his father’s contact name popping up as he furrowed his brows.

“Hello?”

“Jumin! How are you?” A small smile graced his usual expressionless face, the two making small talk as he leaned back in his chair. The two had planned for dinner in a couple of days; and while it was usually something he looked forward to, the tone his father had made him suspicious.

“Regardless, I wanted to ask about inviting a young woman with us to dinner.” There it was. His father had been more relentless than usual, a sigh escaping his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that all his father wanted was for him to find a genuine partner for him. But the pool he was picking from wasn’t exactly what Jumin wanted.

It wasn’t just about his upbringing; almost every woman the chairman had picked for him never really wanted Jumin for, well. Him. They just wanted the status that came with marrying into his family, and that disgusted him more than anything else in his short life.

“Father, I appreciate it but I was hoping that it would just be you and I for our dinner. I do not have any interest in finding love at the moment.”

“You never do, son. But I worry about you, you deserve to have a woman who will be by your side, who will support you no matter what.”

“I understand, but again Father I really do not want to start a relationship right now. The company needs—”

“The company does not need any more attention than you have already given it. You will be prepared for this dinner. Please. For me, son.” Jumin dropped his head against his chair, burying the feelings of frustration and annoyance that he always had to spare his father. Yes he loved him, but he just wished that he wouldn’t try to push a woman onto him every chance he got.

“If that is what you wish. I’ll see you then.” Without another word he hung up, tossing his phone onto his desk with an exasperated sigh. Just as he placed his head in his hands he heard a knock on his door, looking up to see Jaehee opening the door.

“Yes, Assistant Kang?”

“Here are the reports for tonight sir. Please look them over when you have the chance and inform me if I need to revise any of them.” He nodded as she placed them gently on his desk; it was obvious to her that he had not received any good news for the day. Normally she would ask if he was okay, but she was still upset with him. He could tell, and after the conversation with his father he just simply was not in the mood.

“Go home, Assistant Kang.” She paused, her brows furrowing as her heart dropped.

“Mr. Han?”

“I know that you would like to spend some time with your friend. Go home, and take your second set of reports with you.” She knew better than to question him, giving a deep bow as she spoke.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Though I will call you if I need your revision on anything.”

“Of course. Thank you.” She scurried out of his office, a smile on her face as she reached for her phone inside her blazer.

“At least she has a reason to smile.” He muttered, going straight back to his work.

+

“Yes!” Y/N grinned as she read the text message from Jaehee, hurriedly running to her suitcase and pulling out an outfit. To celebrate the extremely rare occasion, Jaehee offered that they go out for drinks, and who was she to oppose? The joy was short lived as she got dressed, feelings of sorrow coming through as she fixed her clothing. It had already been two days and she had yet to tell Jaehee about the real reason she had come—no, fled—back to South Korea. Maybe tonight would be her opportunity; a little liquid courage was what she needed.

There was still an hour or two until Jaehee would be home since she had to wrap up a couple of things, and Y/N didn’t mind. She figured she’d get a head start, going to the front door and putting on her boots. She sent Jaehee a quick text to let her know which bar she was going to start at, promising to keep it light. That was her intention anyway, and she realized that she may have taken it a bit too far the minute she walked out of her 5th bar. She was slightly woozy, but she felt so so good. For once she wasn’t worried about looking over her shoulder, cheeks flushed from her buzz as she stripped off her leather jacket. Her phone rang from her back pocket, her small smile only growing as she pulled it out to see Jaehee’s contact photo pop up.

The poor woman had put two and two together after she’d changed into more casual clothes at home, realizing that Y/N was not where she was supposed to be.

“Jaehee!”

“Y/N! Where the hell are you?! You told me you were at the bar down the street and I can’t find you!” She was panicked, and Y/N felt only a small ping of guilt for getting carried away.

“Ah, you know me Jae. I can never stay in one place too long, especially now!” Jaehee was frustrated, phone pressed between her shoulder and ear as she drove around the city to find the bar her friend was in.

“Are you outside? Which bar are you at?”

“I’m outside living free, Jaehee,” She giggled, feeling Jaehee’s eyes rolling through the phone as she leaned against the wall of the building. The cool stone felt nice against her hot skin, Jaehee’s voice going in and out as she questioned where Y/N was. Somehow, her mind had wandered to Jaehee’s boss, a frown gracing her once joyous face as she huffed.

“You should try living free too, Jaehee. Quit your stupid job under that tyrant and do something else.”

“That job is what pays my bills, Y/N. Please just tell me—” Jaehee slammed on the brakes as she recognized Y/N’s familiar figure, quickly pulling into a space and placing her hazards on. She hung up the phone and walked over to her stumbling friend, shaking her head as she grabbed her.

“Hey, hands off toots! This is precious cargo here,” Y/N slurred, laughing at her own words while Jaehee gave an exasperated sigh. If she wasn’t picking up on her strange behavior then, it was more than obvious that Y/N was not okay, her recklessness concerning as she ushered her towards her car.

“Come on, we’re going home. I cannot believe you—” She was cut off as she heard her cell phone ring, the familiar ringtone making her groan. Now? Now, of all times Jumin just happened to need her attention. That was when she had realized; she did ask him to call if one of her reports was not correct. Never in her life had she been more annoyed with herself until now, trying her best to ignore it as she tried to get her drunk friend back home.

She let her phone go to voicemail as Y/N picked up on Jaehee’s distracted mind, raising a brow as she grinned.

“Oh no. Is that boss man? Let me talk to him.” She mused, making grabby hands at Jaehee’s jeans while she tried to buckle her in.

“Honestly Y/N this is ridiculous—Hey! Don’t touch me there; for crying out loud,” She began to wrestle her friend, the woman succeeding in grabbing Jaehee’s phone. It wasn’t even locked, making it all too easy for her to find his contact.

“There you are, Jerkmin Han.”

“What a pompous asshole! I’m sorry Jaehee, please try your best to ignore him and his antics.”

“It’s hard when he’s my boss,” She grumbled, parking her car in the lot of the airport.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore Zen. I haven’t seen Y/N since we were kids, and now when I have the chance he won’t even let me take a week off.” She noticed how her tone had a rough snap to it and she tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths as she turned off the car.

“I know, Jae. I’ve told you to quit and start somewhere new, but you just…don’t want to give up on him.” He sounded exhausted for her, and she could tell that he was sincerely worried about her peace of mind. It was true that Jumin could be a jerk, but in his own way he’d managed to take care of her when nobody else would. There was more to Jumin that not everybody got to see, and it was rare for herself to even catch a glimpse of it. She knew everything he did in the background for the RFA members, and it was admirable. That’s why she wouldn’t “give up on him”, as Zen put it.

“Thank you for listening to me vent Zen, but I have to go. Y/N will be picking up her luggage shortly and I want to be there when she does.” With that she hung up her phone, brushing her hair away from her eyes as she entered the buzzing airport. She leaned against the wall by the luggage carousel, large groups of people flooding from the airport gates. A large grin came to her face as she spotted Y/N, wearing sweats and a t-shirt with her backpack.

She didn’t say anything, waiting patiently as Y/N picked up her large duffle bag as it fell from onto the carousel. Jaehee furrowed her brows; she noticed that she looked a little off. She was checking her phone constantly, and seemed to be looking over her shoulder a lot more than normal. She was going to surprise her but she felt that it might be the wrong move, and she was right to trust her instincts. Just as she placed a hand on her shoulder Y/N jumped, a little yelp escaping her lips as she immediately turned around, pepper spray in hand.

“Woah, it’s me!” She was relieved, a small chuckle escaping her mouth as she instantly bent over in apology.

“Sorry, sorry! I guess I’m just a little paranoid after such a long flight! Give me a hug!” Her cheerful attitude was back as she stood upright and quickly hugged her friend, Jaehee gasping from the sudden movement and chuckling as she patted her back.

“Welcome back to South Korea, Y/N. I hope your flight was well?” Jaehee leaned down and picked up the heavy duffle with ease, holding it over her shoulder as Y/N followed her.

“Yes! A little cramped but nonetheless nice. It feels weird to be back! I’m sure so much has changed since my family left.” She stretched, placing her arms behind her head as she walked along side Jaehee. The two of them chatted together as they arrived to her car, unloading Y/N’s things and climbing inside. She was happy to have her friend back, but was still bothered by the fact that she seemed so nervous. Almost as if she was running away from something. Jaehee wanted to ask what was wrong, but with the way Y/N was smiling, animatedly asking about Jaehee’s apartment and when she’d received such a nice car, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

After a short drive they’d arrived, Jaehee driving into the large building and parking in her designated spot. While Jaehee had only recently grown used to the large and elegant building, Y/N had been surrounded by it for almost her entire life. The two of them had met at a private school, Jaehee’s smarts and Y/N’s talents in the arts carrying them through their courses. Though her parents were well off, Y/N never had an ounce of entitlement to her like the other children. That’s what attracted Jaehee to her, and the two had been inseparable since. She was devastated when she had to leave to go back to the states, especially after the death of her mother. Yet she never held a grudge, realizing that it wasn’t Y/N’s fault that she had to move away. None of that mattered because she was here now; a small smile gracing her face as Y/N’s jaw dropped while entering the apartment.

The long entryway lead into the living room, a large comfortable couch pressed against the wall. A large flat screen faced it, surrounded by two large shelves of little figurines and DVD’s. The coffee table held books and Jaehee’s laptop from work, a few files strewn about as they walked towards the kitchen. It was almost as big as the living area, an entire espresso machine resting on the counter across from the island. Y/N was in awe to Jaehee’s amusement, her hands running across the smooth granite of the counters as she kept going. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom across the hall, Jaehee going into the guest room and plopping Y/N’s bag on the bed.

“Here we are! Home sweet home; Y/N?” Jaehee turned around to see that she was in the room alone, her brows furrowed as she searched for her. She gasped when she realized that she had left her bedroom door open, a giant poster of Zen from one of his shows resting on one of the walls beside her reading chair. Y/N was staring intently, eyes wide as she slowly turned to Jaehee.

“Ah, don’t pay attention to that I just—”

“Is that your friend Zen? The musical actor that you talked to me about once?” Jaehee nodded, face red from embarrassment as she rubbed at the back of her neck.

“Uh, yeah.”

“…he’s hot.” The two women stared at each other for a minute then laughed, Y/N walking back to Jaehee in the guest room, shutting Jaehee’s door behind her.

“Sorry, I just wanted to take a closer look! How about I take a shower then order some food in? We can catch up, and maybe if it isn’t too late, watch one of his movies?” Jaehee beamed, nodding while leading Y/N to the restroom.

“I’d like that. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend hang out with me. But remember; I do have to work, so I promise that when I’m not at Mr. Han’s beck and call we can do something together.” Y/N groaned, sitting down on the closed lid of the toilet as she plopped her chin in her hands.

“I forgot about Jerkmin. Why do you even work for such a tyrant like him? If you ask me, he’s better off not mooching from his daddy’s company.” She sneered, Jaehee giving an uncomfortable laugh while grabbing a towel for her.

“He’s not as horrible as the media makes him out to be. I know I complain a lot, but trust me when I say that Jumin works hard.” She was met with a scoff as Y/N grabbed her toiletries from her duffle bag and came back to lay out her items in the restroom.

“Right, I’ll believe that when I see it.” She expected her to react that way; after all, Y/N was who she went to when she needed to vent about a rough day from work. There was nothing she hated more than a person who benefited from their parent’s hard work without putting any work on their own. That’s what Jumin was to her; a man who didn’t have to lift a finger or do anything to inherit his father’s company.

“I’m sorry Jaehee but a man like him doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle.” That made Jaehee laugh, Y/N staring at her in irritated confusion as she left the towel on the sink for her to use.

“But you know, right Y/N? I’ll see you when you come out of the shower. You’ll only be here for a week, I promise you that the two of you will not cross paths if I can help it.” With that she closed the door, Y/N huffing and turning the dial to start the water. She’d put on a smile for Jaehee but she felt her heart weigh heavy at the idea of why she’d really come to visit Jaehee. She appreciated her more than anybody could ever know, a sigh escaping her lips as she began to undress. She pondered over when she was going to tell her.

Tell her that she planned to stay in South Korea, and never go back home.

The buzz of the office was muffled by the thick glass doors surrounding his office, the small humming of his desktop keeping him company. Gray eyes carefully analyzed the reports on his screen, his fingers lightly tapping the sleek desk. Normally he would consider this a typical day; reading reports, making sure everything ran smoothly for the day. Not today, with how fast his assistant had sent in these reports. She was the best and he knew that, but it was not like her to be so quick with her reports. She had been doing this for weeks now, having been three steps ahead of Jumin and his plans for the company. It was unsettling; routine was something that Jumin was very strict about, and he did not appreciate this sudden change in his assistant.

He paused his reading and pulled out his phone, sending a voice message to her.

“Assistant Kang. Please report to my office. Now.” His tone was stern as he placed his phone back into his pocket, looking up just in time to see her briskly walking down the hall and immediately entering his office.

“Yes, Mr. Han.” She gently nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her posture perfect and more confident than usual as she adjusted the files in her arms.

“Please have a seat.” He gestured a hand towards one of the black cushioned seats in his office, his assistant taking a seat after closing the door and placing the files in the chair next to her. There was a tense silence as he pondered how to put this together without sounding like a ridiculous boss. While it made him uncomfortable she wasn’t necessarily doing a bad thing by completing assignments that were beyond ahead of schedule. However; she was still his assistant, and her sudden change in behavior was not meshing well with his need for consistency.

“Jaehee.” This struck a nerve with her as her confidence slightly faltered, a look of confusion and concern flashing across her face as she tried to regain her composure. It was rare for him to call her by her first name.

“Mr. Han.”

“Please explain to me why you feel the need to rush through these assignments. Looking at these reports,” He reached for the files he’d selected and spread them out for her, nimble fingers flipping through the pages.

“More than half of these are not set to begin until next year. I am not sure that rushing through your assignments is going to provide the best outcome for these plans.” She could see in his face that he was slightly impressed but more concerned than anything; she immediately came forward with her defense, something she had been planning to talk to him about for a few months.

“I understand Mr. Han. I can assure you that these reports are extremely detailed and accurately predicted. Using the data provided from our third party meetings and networking, I am confident that though those plans have yet to begin until early next year, they will benefit the company.” This answer did not satisfy him, still confused on why she was suddenly jumping so far ahead.

“I made you my private assistant not only because of your talents in benefitting my position in the company, but due to your consistency. This just simply is not like you Assistant Kang, and I would like to know why you have broken that very system that qualified you for this job in the first place.” She knew she was treading on thin ice now, but she didn’t back down as she cleared her throat.

“This is something I have been meaning to address with you, Mr. Han.” He leaned back in his chair, eagerly waiting to hear what it was that she had to say. What on this Earth had caused her to suddenly change her behavior?

“My friend is coming to visit for two weeks. I would like to request some days off to see her.” His eyes went wide at this proposal, certainly unexpected as he processed what she just said.

“Your change in behavior is because…because of your friend?” There was a slight bitterness to his tone that he was not expecting; Jumin was not one to like surprises.

“Yes. She has known me since we were children. She moved right after my parents passed away, but we kept in touch through letters and emails. I have not seen her in years and I would like to take some time to catch up. That is why I have completed these projects, to allow the company to have a bit of a safety net while I am gone.” He was still dumbfounded, trying to gather his thoughts as he slowly regained his composure. He straightened up the files he’d spread out and neatly placed them back into the basket on his desk. He sat up straight and adjusted his tie, looking her right in the eyes as she subconsciously crossed her fingers.

“No.” It felt like she had been punched in the chest. She was so sure that her efficiency had guaranteed her some time off; her work had the company set up for a few months, and all she had asked for was a week.

“I…I’m sorry?”

“The answer is no. It will take me some time to read over these reports to ensure that your quick pace has not resulted in any errors.” He knew he was being a little unfair; after all, he had already read every single report. They were perfect. But Jaehee was his personal assistant; she did more than just assist him during the company’s operating hours. She needed to be on call whenever he needs her and she knew that. He was disappointed that she had not completely thought this through.

“B-But Mr. Han—”

“The answer is no, Assistant Kang. Now if you would please return to your office and send reminders to the attendee’s of the meeting tomorrow.” With that she was dismissed, his eyes finally pulling away from her and back to his computer monitor. She clenched her fists and bit her tongue like she always did, swallowing hard as she stood up and grabbed the files on the chair next to her.

“May I at least pick her up from the airport. She flies in tonight.” He was annoyed, a brisk sigh leaving his lips. Well, he could spare her for a few hours at least. He wasn’t completely heartless.

“Yes, go ahead.” He dismissed her again with a wave of his fingers, her heart jumping in excitement as she gave another brisk nod.

“Thank you, Mr. Han. Do not hesitate to call me for anything else.” She did not wait for his response knowing that she wouldn’t receive one, immediately leaving his office and scurrying back to hers. Thankful that she did not have glass as her walls she quickly pulled out her personal cell phone, opening up her messaging app and sending a quick message.

I did not get the entire weekend off, unfortunately. But he has allowed me to pick you up from the airport.

She hesitated but hit send anyway, already picturing the message she would receive back. Her phone gave off one small vibration, Jaehee immediately opening it and silently groaning at the words she read. She could hear her voice now, loud and confident as if she was right there in the room with her.

Boo. What a jerk!!

JERKMIN HAN

She quickly put her phone away and tried not to think about her friend who would be in town shortly, somebody who she hadn’t seen in ages. While she was excited, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret and uncertainty; above all she prayed that these two would never, ever have the chance to meet.

Unfortunately, Jaehee rarely ever had her prayers heard.

vulgar (adj.) - lacking sophistication or good taste; unrefined.

or the one where jumin finally comes across a woman who is not influenced by his wealth and status as a business man.

hello! before i get started with this story, i just want to say a few things; while this story is based off of mystic messenger, it will not be following the exact plot line that is portrayed in the game. there may be some mentions of what happens in the game in passing, so if you have not fully played the video game, especially jumin’s route, and want to remain spoiler free: DO NOT PROCEED WITH THIS FIC.

other important things to note are:

- all characters mentioned are 18+

- there are going to be mature themes, such as sexual content, vulgar language (hence the title lol), and violence

thank you so so much for giving my story a chance. with all of that being said;

enjoy.

- luna x

“La realidad no sólo es apasionante, es casi incontable.”

Rodolfo Walsh

dropouttv:

ALT

What

zebrahearts:

Candy Heart EXPLICIT Valentine’s Day Cups
BUY NOW
BUY NOW

Candy Heart EXPLICIT Valentine’s Day Cups

BUY NOW

BUY NOW