Fanfic writer: And publish! Finally got this story out now I can sleep. Hmm, maybe I should wait for a review.
Fanfic writer: *refreshes 2000 times."
*20 minutes later*
Reviews: *1+ review*- Good story
Fanfic Writer: DEAR WHAT'S YOUR FACE YOU ARE THE GREATEST PERSON TO EVER BE BORN. I PERSONALLY THANK YOUR MOTHER FOR GIVING BIRTH FOR YOU. YOU ARE THE ONLY THING THAT GIVES ME LIFE.
Summary: Jeahee is going out with Zen? The surprising news leave her with a broken heart, still she can not find the courage to confess her feelings to her afraid that she will not accept her. Trying to confront her confusing emotions, Jumin enters her every day life like a storm while dealing with his own issues. A little bit more than friends, but with their emotions not sorted out yet, what will happen when they will end up under the same roof?
[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2][Chapter 3][Chapter 4]
[Also on Fanfiction.net]
[Chapter 5: Curiosity killed the cat ]
"I'd never dare to imagine being with you like this. But as you approached me with all your sincerity, I thought that maybe I could dream, just a bit. Even a girl like me... And before I knew it, I fell in love. No… Maybe I was already in love for a long time."
Resting on her lap was really relaxing, he liked how gently her slim fingers brushed his hair, his whole body was melting under her touch. It had been years since he was last in a relationship, but he was feeling drunk on love again after a long time and that feeling was fueling his every day life. Being with a capable woman like her made him want to work even harder, their relationship became an unlike source of motivation for him. But her touch was nervous that morning, transferring her tension to him without realizing it and he could not help but worry about her.
It'd been a few months since they've started dating, but he was wooing her for even longer. What started as a simple friendship, made him wanting to know more and more about her and the more he got to know her, the more he fell in love. It was strange, how he didn't even considered her at first - he almost felt guilty about it- but when he realized that he had started to care about her more than a friend, he decided that he had to take the risk. Jeahee felt so distant back then, he worried a lot seeing her so occupied with her work. But that had changed. Well her worrywart nature hadn't; it was also one of the reason they had kept it a secret for so long. What would everyone think? What if it didn't work? Wouldn't that jeopardize everything? He was not sure if keeping secrets within the group again after everything that had happened was the right thing to do, but he understood her concerns and decided to go along with it. And then again, she would not accept otherwise anyway so he didn't have much of a choice.
He was not sure how everyone would take the news and he thought that they'd tease him endlessly. Well, that may had been the case a couple of years earlier, but everyone had changed since then, to his surprise everything went smoothly and all of them seemed happy about it. They knew each others for many years, it was only normal. They had their up and downs and everyone had grew closer. Min-Seo appeared one day out on nowhere and they ended up twirling in unexpected revelations within the span of a few days. V's secrets brought out the best and the worst parts of all of them. Though he couldn't help but feel that his progress was a little stale compared to how the rest of them had changed.
No, it was not the time for his insecurities to kick in, not while she was so nervous. He regretted mentioning the conversation that had unfolded in the chat-room, even though she would have found out sooner or later. He thought that just knowing her friend was safe would put her at ease. But he could not blame her, knowing that Min-Seo had spent the night with the trustfund kid made him anxious too. He had caught him looking at her with a weird expression on his face before but hadn't paid much attention to it; it was Jumin after all, there was no point trying to read any of his rare expressions and he'd deny everything anyway. But it did worry him back then, seeing that stone-faced man showing even a hint of interest for a woman gave him the chills. Thinking about it, Min-Seo was way too relaxed around him and way too trusting for her own good. What if he had taken advantage of her? He was, too, a man after all, not that he would voice that out loud seeing her being so concerned about her friend and he didn't have any proof either, other than Jumin behaving weird in the chatroom.
Jaehee tucked her hair behind her ear, checking her watch. Her anxious face was also cute, he thought, though he preferred her normal expression. He touched her hand and planted his lips on them in a gentle kiss, her cheeks were immediately painted red. She was still not used to this after all this time and he was secretly loving it, it made him feel mischievous every time he was touching her and admittedly it was stimulating his lust. Placing a hand on her long neck, he smirked and, slightly sitting up, he forced a hungry kiss unable to hold back. It took her a moment to abandon resistance and reciprocate, but the moment she did, he couldn't hold back a pleased moan and he could feel her lips forming a smile while they were kissing.
He was getting more and more into it and he wouldn't mind at all a repeat of last night. Min-Seo, Jumin, the chatroom, everything seemed irrelevant while he was touching her, they didn't have many chances to be alone together so it was all he could think about. All his senses were focused on her, he felt like howling. That's why when Jaehee stood up without warning, he found himself on the floor in shock. Thinking that he had displeased her somehow at first, once he wrapped his mind around the situation he felt embarrassed to know he was too caught up in the moment to notice Min-Seo entering the room keys in hand. Jahee, looking even more embarrassed than him, had turned bright red. It was only normal, since she was not used to show her affection publicly yet. He felt responsible about that since the nature of his work was prohibitive on that matter.
Jahee's reaction was one thing, but what drew his attention was Min-Seo's confound reaction which soon turned into a pained expression. She looked like someone had drained the blood from her face. He stood up, sensing a storm coming when he saw her balling her fists, her tush softly biting the corner of her lower lip. Had she really approved their relationship? He couldn't believe that she really did, judging from that reaction. Then again, maybe she was just irritated because they were making out on the sofa in her apartment, like they had no care in the world, right after making such a fuss for her not being there. He would get a bit mad too if he was in her place.
"Min-Seo, are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she replied averting her eyes.
"I'm sorry I made such a fuss and worried everyone. It's just that you wouldn't answer my calls. I got worried. And… Eh? Did you cut your hair? When? You look upset. Did something happen?"
Her cutting her hair was indeed surprising, but even he could tell that her clothes were different too which was much more alerting. It was obvious even though he hadn't seen her from up close last night. If he had noticed, Jahee had also noticed without a doubt and that would fuel her concern. It was evident on her face that she was holding back not to ask for details. What in the world had happened after she left the shop? Maybe Yoosung was right after all.
"Are you really ok?" he decided to ask in her place. "How did you end up with that cat-loving bastard? You seemed nervous in the chat-room. He didn't take advantage of you, did he?"
"I said I'm fine, didn't I?" she raised her voice. "Why are you so set to paint him as the bad guy?"
"That was not my intention, but, Min-Seo, you can't just trust a guy that easily, even if it's Jumin."
"How is that your concern? I said I'm fine… Nothing happened. Don't force your perverted thoughts on us!"
"Min-Seo! Zen was just worried about you, he didn't mean to insult you. Maybe he crossed the line a bit, but you don't have to speak to him like that."
"Of course you'd take your boyfriend's side!" she snapped.
Women are complicated beings, he always thought that. Standing between them, he was not sure what to make of Min-Seo's expression, not her sudden outburst. Well, he had pushed things a bit too, maybe he should have hold back his thoughts. But, looking at her, he knew that she had regretted her last words the moment they were spoken, especially when she saw Jaehee's puzzled face. For some reason, she looked more hurt than her even though she was the one who said those words. She took a step back as if she was bewildered by her own actions and averted her eyes. He hadn't seen her look so miserable before.
"Jahee… I'm sorry..." she slightly raised her hands apologetically.
"It's ok," Jahee forced a smile "It was my fault too… I had no right to pry into your personal life, I apologize."
That was a bad choice of words, not what the person in front of her would like to hear and her cold tone put an end to their conversation. Despite the fact that he felt mad at her for talking to Jaehee like that, using these words and not being honest was kind of cruel on Jaehee's part too. It'd be better if she got angry at her and kept voicing her concerns.
"That's right," she sounded calm all of sudden. "You have your own life now, you should stop worrying about others. Thanks for worrying but… I'm fine. Anyway, I have an appointment today, I can't spend the day with you after all… I'll leave after I take a shower, so excuse me."
He felt the air pressure rising, it was not supposed to end like this… Something was not right. The two women had never talked to each other like that, at least not in front of him, it was like something had cracked between them. Min-Seo reappeared in the living room about thirty minutes later, thirty painfully silent minutes. The mood was ruined and the words they exchanged before she left the apartment were cold. Jaehee looked like she was about to cry. Their fight had the worst possible timing, it'd definitely cloud over her decision to move in with him. Unsure of how to handle the situation, he just squeezed her hand, his eyes searching hers as if he wanted to reaffirm her resolution. She gave him a weak smile and nuzzled her head on his chest. Of course she would not back off her word, but she would not open up about her feelings easily either.
"I'm sure everything will be alright," he petted her head.
"We were supposed to spend a fun morning together. How did it end up like this?" she whined. "I should not have pried into the situation, but I was worried."
"Isn't it normal? You are her friend after all, that's what you should have said. Jaehee, you should explain how you felt, she'll understand if you are honest."
"I don't know, I know she cares for me as much as I care for her, but sometimes I feel there is a wall between us… How can I describe this feeling? And how… No, it doesn't matter," she pressed her face more on his chest.
"...Did the fact that she ended up at Jumin's house bothered you?"
Her shoulders tensed, she hesitated to answer. Slowly, she sat up straight on the sofa, her eyes staring on the floor empty as if she was thinking over something. Then she slowly shook her head and laced her fingers.
"Not really…" she smiled. "Jumin might be strict and blunt with others and maybe a bit too eccentric sometimes, but he cares deeply about his friends. If anything, I'm glad he was with her last night. I kind of felt bad that she'd spend her day alone. You know, she said she'd spend the night with a female friend of hers but… She hardly calls anyone on her phone all this time we live together, she'd only hang out with me, the guys or a couple of our co-workers. I was a bit surprised when she said that she'd meet with a friend out of work… You know, I thought it was just an excuse to leave us alone and when I didn't fine her at home I thought that maybe something had happened to her on her way home. So I'm a bit relieved actually. I felt that she was hiding something, but if she was just going to meet Jumin, I guess it's fine…"
"But…Wasn't Jumin asking about Min-Seo in the logs and saying he was going home after he had rejected his father's invitation for dinner last night? There is no way he'd lie about that. So… She definitely wasn't going to meet him when she left us… So Yoosung's hypothesis can not be right… How did they meet? What happened? She did say that she was the one who called him, was that true? Why Jumin though? Were they that close? I'm really curious right now..."
Anervous laugh escaped his lips and he pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on her head. He could not honestly agree with what she had said, but voicing his thoughts didn't seem to be the right choice either. What was that guy thinking anyway? He did say that he would not hold back the other day, was he referring to something like that? After all those years, he was convinced that CEO was not interesting in dating and he'd rather grow old with his cat, but maybe he was wrong after all.
"Hey, Jaehee… I was going to visit Saeyoung today…. Do you want me to stay with you instead?"
"No…" she shook her head. "I'd better pack up what's left today since I have free time."
"Are you sure about that?" he doubted that it'd be the right move. "Shouldn't you text her to meet up again later when you've both calmed down?"
"I'm not sure about that. I think I should organize my thoughts a bit first."
"Ok..."
"Have fun," she forced a smile.
"Ah… Yeah… Thank you."
Trying to shake off the guilt when he saw her smile, he picked up his things and said goodbye with a kiss. Truth to be told, Saeyoung had indeed invited him that day to hang out since Jahee was supposed to spend her day with Min-Seo, but he was not so eager to meet him first thing in the morning so he hadn't given him a definite answer. However, he'd like to hear his thoughts on the matter, even though the red-head was never serious about these things. Turning to Seven to talk about love matters, who'd even think about that? But it's not like he had a better option. Yoosung would definitely freak out if he'd found out about the quarrel too, so leaving him out of this would not complicate the matter for now.
While numerous kind of thoughts ran through his mind, he finally reached outside of a small shop, in a quiet neighborhood of the town; it's storefront was filled with numerous eccentric mechanical toys and plushies. His eyes fell on a mechanical gorilla displayed in the middle of it, a handwritten message promoting the -just like the message described it – super fun new entry. He took off his helmet and squinted his eyes leaning towards the front to read the rest. "Lovable Banana Peeling Gorilla Yoo", Saeyoung's handwriting was overflowing on the paperboard. "Try it with real bananas!" the fine print encouraged the customers.
Leaving an exasperated sigh, he looked up at the colorful sign. Seven Star Toy Shop, it said, he was happy that his friend had finally settled down, but every time he visited, ever since the opening day he could not help but worry about his business going under. Who in their right mind would spend money on a banana peeling toy gorilla after all? Definitely not him. Plus, the whole store was emitting such a strange aura, it couldn't help but wonder if parents really entered the place along with their kids, the whole set up and the strange pick of colors made the story look kind of fishy. Then again, maybe it just looked like that to him because he knew the ex-hacker personally. Yes, that should be it, he tried to convince his self while locking his motorbike. He pulled up the zipper of his bomber more and shuddered.
"Coooold," he murmured rubbing his hands together and putting his helmet under his arm he rushed into the store. "Hello!"
His cheery voice echoed into the shop; no reply came. He repeated his greeting once again but didn't get a response. His eyes slid left and right, the place was packed with tones of different, strange looking toys, most of them designed and crafted by Seven himself, the red-head always took great pride in them. He stood up in front of a shelve flooded his a robot toy cat modeled after Elizabeth and frowned. It was the toy-line Jumin had single-handily crowdfunded, though he was not sure if they could call it crowd-fund anymore since it reached and exceeded its goal the first day it was shared online by the donation of just one person. Jumin gained a collector's edition version as a reward yet he dismissed it the moment he got it in his hands because, according to him, nothing could compare with the real Elizabeth, or so he said. Elizabeth didn't seem to like the toy robot entering her space either, not to mention the robot was responding through an AI Seven had installed in a human-like voice and with a strange accuracy at that, which he thought was kind of creepy anyway, so he advised Jumin to just lock the weird toy somewhere and never let it out again, burying it under the ground sounded like a good idea too.
He puckered his lips and took the toy box into his hands. On it, Elly the Cat was printed in huge purple letters. Reading it, he could almost listen to Jumin's voice complaining about the name into his head. Seven re-branded the name just before the toy was released, and the CEO had made quite a fuss about it. Both of them were ridiculous and they had a lot of time and money to spare respectively. He put the box back and rubbed his index finger under his nose, just thinking about the real cat made him feel like sneezing.
"What in the world… Where is he?" he looked around.
There was not a soul into the shop. It was so quiet, it felt kind of eerie, he scanned the room in front of him and was about to call his friend's name again when he felt a strange presence and a heavy breathing. His whole body stiffen and he slowly turned his head to look behind him. His eyes widen and he gulped down his saliva the moment he came face to face with a pink horse, no a unicorn? Whatever that was, it was creepy.
"Welcome…" a strange, unfamiliar voice greeted him. "You must be Zen."
The strange creature touched him casually on the shoulder. Letting out a cry, he tried to run away, only to meet another horse faced creature seconds later. His terror turned into surprise and unable to stop his momentum his collided with it, causing both of them to tumble on the shelves and end up with a pile of toys over them. Groaning, he supported himself with his hands and shook his head to shake away the dizziness, still hovering over whoever that was.
"Oh, Zen... That's so assertive of you," the creature brought his fingers bashfully on his snout and turned its face away. "What if Jahee finds out about this?"
"What the actual f*ck, Seven?" he fell back recognizing his friend's voice.
"No need to be shy now! Though I can't accept your feelings..."
"There is nothing to be shy about. What the hell were you thinking?" he slapped the floor with his hand twice to show his irritation.
"Hi! I'm Moon Chun-Hei, nice to meet you!" the unicorn had just introduced itself.
Not hiding his disgust he backed off a bit. Seven was renowned for his weird cosplay choices but it seemed that he had found another weird person to cater to his weird hobby too. Noticing his uneasiness, the person decided to take of the horse-mask, only to reveal her long, pink-dyed hair and big, bright, light brown eyes. Her lips formed a cheerful, welcoming smile, revealing the white of her teeth and she swept her swept with her her hand. Not loosing time, she leaned over him, cupping her chin and inspected his face from every angle while he was sitting there, stiff as a statue.
"Hm," she nodded and turned to Seven who had just stood up. "He is much more handsome in person after all."
"A-Are you a fan?" he shuttered.
"Not really," she admitted shamelessly. "But I've seen you on tv a couple of times, it feels good to meet a celebrity."
"I wouldn't call myself a celebrity," he scratched his nose, secretly flattered by her comment.
"But it's not like I met Rob Upwny Sr. either," she continued with a hint of disappointment in her voice and Seven muffled a laugh.
"Anyway…! Saeyoung! Is this how you greet your customers? You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Why? I thought it be fun… Well, I was going for a reindeer mask at first, but then I thought it'd be too cliché…"
"Reindeer…? You could just dress up as Santa or something. And remove the mask already!"
"Well, aren't you a demanding customer?" he finally took it off. "Dressing up as Santa… Everyone does that. You have to differentiate your self if you want to make it in this industry. Trust me, I'm a professional," he puffed his chest proudly and the girl nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Honestly, I can't see your business surviving at all if you scare your customers like that."
"How rude! I have to tell you that our online orders skyrocketed his month! Lovable Banana Peeling Gorilla Yoo is a hit," he defended himself.
"So, weird people who'd spent their money on things like these do exist out there..." he stood up keeping this thought for himself. "What about your in-store sales though?"
A pause followed and they both let out a nervous laugh after staying silent for a moment and averted their eyes nervously.
"Well, pretty good I think," he blurted, obviously lying.
"Y-Yes… Considering how people prefer shopping online nowadays," she added in support.
"I guess, I didn't even have to ask..."
"Aaahhh… I know, what about a cup of tea?" Chun-Hei nervously changed the subject. "It's so cold outside, it'll warm you up," she disappeared at the back of the store without waiting for an answer.
"So..." Zen brought out his phone. "If I check your online reviews, you pro-"
"Ahhh-AH-AH… So, Zen, what brings you here?" the red-head yanked his arm before he could touch his screen and dragged him along sitting him behind the counter. "I thought you wouldn't come after all."
"Ah, that's right."
His words reminded him the true purpose of his visit. Sighing deeply, he started recounting everything that had happened that morning, Jaehee's thoughts on Jumin and even his views. Chun-Hei had joined them mid-way but he was too absorbed to his narration to even notice. Maybe the situation was troubling him even more than he though, something did not seem right. Seven, noticing his awkwardness when he realized that he was sharing everything in front of a stranger patted his shoulder in reassurance, edging him to continue and they both sipped the hot tea from their cups.
"So, what do you think?" he asked.
"Hmm… I'm not sure… It's not like Min-Seo to react like that. Usually she is more levelheaded."
"Right? And how did she even end up in his place? It's not like they used to hang out together or something."
"Does she really need a reason?" the girl interrupted. "It's her life you know, maybe she just felt like it."
"Eh?" he looked at her shocked. "You can't just feel like it one day..."
"Well, I do agree with her..." Saeyoung folded his hands looking troubled. "But with Jumin… You just can't feel like it, I think. The Ice Prince one the other hand, he does seem to be into her… Right?" he looked at Chun-Hei for confirmation.
"Right!"
'Riiiight?" the asked in unison turning to him.
"Eh? You don't mean to say… Nooo..." Zen shook his head vigorously. "There is no way."
"Why not?" the girl asked passionately and laced her hands together. "Maybe they found each other on that lonely night and realized that all they needed was one other and their hearts became one."
"Ah, Min-Seo, you are the only one I need after all. My pet, my family, my work, not even the tons of money I have can fill this void in my heart, only you!" Saeyoung tried to imitate Jumin and placed his hands on Chun-Hei's shoulders.
"Ah, Mister Han, I was waiting for you to say those words for so long..." her voice came out more high-pitched and she wiped an imaginary tear before they end up in an embrace.
"NO! No-no-no-no-NO!" he separated them furiously. "You don't even sound like them. This is so out of character! And you seriously have to work on your acting."
"At least that's what happened on the New Year's Special "Melting his heart" last night!" she explained.
"Definitely based on him, they didn't even bother to change the family name again."
"Riiiggght?" she could not hide her enthusiasm.
"Riiiiight! I could not stop laughing."
Listening to their little exchange he furrowed his eyebrows. So that's what Seven meant when he said that he would spent his day with his employee. He had not mentioned her before. How long was she working there? The worst part was that he had managed to find someone as weird as him, he felt like that spending more time with them would put even more weird ideas in his head and they didn't even seem to take the situation seriously. Somehow, they did seem to be way too comfortable with each other, but he could not bring himself to ask anything more. Not only that, he was too preoccupied with Jumin's weird behavior to care for Seven's love life at that moment. It was supposed to be a peaceful day, Jaehee and their new start together should be the only thing he should care and think about, but his head was a mess. Visiting Seven worsen his tangled thoughts, it was not the right decision after all.
"Well, since you care so much about it, why don't you ask Jumin directly?" Seven asked.
"Jumin?"
"Not that he'd be happy to see you..." he added.
"It's not like I'd like to see his face either. I feel like it'll ruin my new year's luck."
"Oh, harsh," the girl commented.
"It's a love-hate relationship," Seven explained.
"Don't tell me," she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
"A new challenger appears to steal Mr. CEO's heart!"
"Oh, bite me! I'm out of here."
"Hey, hold on, where are you going?"
"Maybe I should go see that jerk after all," he stood up angrily
"And I thought we had something special here, you were so assertive just a few minutes ago," he hid his face in his hands.
"Cheer up, Seven, he is not worthy of you," she patted him on his back sympathetically.
"Do you enjoy acting like like asses first thing in the morning? I'm serious here!"
"Hmmm..." they looked at each other. "Maybe," they said with smug expression.
"No wonder this place has no customers!"
"Now you are being mean!" she pouted.
"This has nothing to do with our customers, you know," he shrugged. "It's about you being nosy."
"Anyway..." he exhaled sharply. "I'll go find that jerk and ask him for an explanation. No point discussing it with you too," he picked up his things in a rush, the sooner he'd leave that place the better.
"Say Jaehee hello from me!" Seven called.
"Say hello from me too!"
"She doesn't even know you!" he barked. "Bye!"
He decided to do so in an impulse, but when he finally reached in front of the C&R's building he started to have second thoughts. It was the first time he visited alone and the building itself was intimidating. Plus, he was not sure how he should approach the situation. He was supposed to ask him upfront but he was certain that Jumin would avoid giving him any answers. In a strange spur of confidence he had given his name to the receptionist and was waiting for an answer, ignoring his initial hesitation. He should get over with it one and for all and avoid any misunderstandings.
"Yes, sir, I understand," the woman answered with a professional tone and turned to him with a rather cold smile. "Excuse me but Mr. Han is unable to see you right now due to his excessive workload. He asked me to tell you that you'll need to make an appointment. Since you are an RFA member… How does 20th of January sound?"
"What? And that's supposed to be a special treatment?" he exclaimed.
"Mr. Han is a busy man, please show your under-"
"Ah… Nevermind. I'm sorry for raising my voice like that," he offered her his most charming smile.
He had to shallow his anger and think fast if he wanted to have a chance to confront that jerk. Who did he think he was, denying to meet him? Was he being stubborn? He may have appeared unannounced but answering like that was uncharacteristic of him, he'd usually spare a few minutes of his time even after his work hours to ask the reason of his visit and that made his behavior even more suspicious. If that's how he wanted to play the game, then he could be even more stubborn than him. His mind run through the possible courses he could take. Asking to meet him forcibly would probably bring the opposite result, with him being thrown out of the building by his security guards.
"So, how can I help you then?" the woman asked.
"Ah… Oh!" she blinked. "You see… I have to leave some important RFA related documents, so since I can't meet Mr. Han, could I meet Mr. Doe at least?"
"But you are not carrying any documents..." she gave him a suspicious look.
"Yeah..." a nervous laugh escaped him. "It's in digital form, I carry the usb on me."
"Then, couldn't you send them to Mr. Han through e-mail instead?"
"Ah..." he supported himself on the counter trying to look as relaxed as he could. "You see, our IT guy said that these files are extremely confidential, so it's safer to pass them to Jumin like that. He was too busy to bring them himself, so he asked me to do him this favor. But I can not leave them to just anyone…"
"I-I understand."
"But I know Mr. Doe personally and he is Mr. Han's secretary so I can trust him. Why don't you ask him if he could meet me?" he encouraged her. "We've met before. His wife is a big fan of mine you know."
"Ok… Let me ask him if he can see you..." she said reluctantly.
"Sure!"
Watching her every move as she was contacting Mr. Doe, he was wishing his words had convinced her. Mr. Doe was a capable yet a bit too carefree man compared too Jumin, so he was betting everything on that. They last time they had met, he was asking for an autograph for his wife and he had promised him he'd give him one the next time they'd meet, so maybe that could work like a lure too. The woman finally pressed on her hands-free looking defeated and turned to him.
"Mr. Doe will see you in thirty minutes during his break. Could you please wait for him at the cafeteria?"
"Oh, I see. Thank you..."
"Then..."
"Sorry to ask you this, but could I use the bathroom in the meantime?"
"Ah, yes of course. It's that way."
"Thanks for you time."
He left her with a smile and entered the restroom acting as natural as possible. He thought his idea had worked at first but he did not expect that Doe would ask to meet him at such a place. He was hoping it'd be his chance to enter the office without problem but in the end he had guessed wrong. At least he didn't have to leave the building. Lurking by the restroom's entrance, he waited until the receptionist's attention was away and headed for the elevator, barely managing to enter inside before the doors closed behind him.
Inside, numerous men and women dressed in suits and holding documents were looking at their clocks anxiously. Some of them were wiping their suits with the back of their hands tidying up their clothes, others were sighing deeply, laying on the elevators doors, appreciating the brief break they could take until they reach their floor. Observing them he realized that he could never do this kind of job, but scenes like that one were always useful as a reference. As people started getting off, he started to stand out more and more. Many of them were giving him weird looks; his face was definitely the main reason he had their attention but his clothes were surely the cause of the dubious looks he was getting.
Retaining his poker face, he wished the elevator would hurry up and reach the top floor. The moment he got off, he had already won. With a victorious smile on his lips, he marched directly to his fellow RFA member's office, passing by a bunch of secretaries who cried out the moment they noticed him entering without permission but did not manage to hold him back on time. Kicking the door open to make a dramatic entrance, he called Jumin's name out loud breathing heavily. His anger was growing by each moment.
Even the unflappable Jumin could not stay unfazed by such an entrance, he was just laying back on his chair, looking at something in his hand with an unusual, tender smile. His usual stolid expression looked startled for a moment and the item fell from his hand as he stood up in response. His fingers reached out to catch it, but inevitably, it fell on his desk. What was that? Zen's eyes widened at the sight, while Jumin awkwardly picked it up again and hid it in his pocket. He knew he could trust his eyes and what he had just seen was a keychain similar to the one Seven had received on their Christmas' present exchange. So Min-Seo did give him one after he had so shamelessly asked for it. The question was why the CEO was looking at it like a child who had just received the best present in the world. Especially a rich guy like him who could buy a key-chain factory or something similar with his pocket money.
"Don't tell me..." he mumbled.
His words were muffled by a bunch of employees who had entered inside behind him, anxiously and continuously apologizing for what had just happened. Seeing them, he realized that he had just become the source of a huge problem for many people, he should have thought through this better, but it was too late for regrets at that point. Jumin had regained his composure and was looking at them coldly. Getting between him and the employees was the least he could do, it was not their fault after all, it was because he stubbornly refused to meet him.
"It's not their fault. Why did you refuse to see me? Do you have a problem with me?"
"Of course it's not their fault if you are dumb enough not to take no for an answer," he finally spoke.
"Rude as always," he walked towards him.
"Like you are one to talk. I told you I was busy."
"It didn't seem like that to me… Unless daydreaming over a keychain is considered a serious job," he continued in a lowered voice.
"...It's ok, leave us now."
His employees did as they were ordered, looking conflicted over the fact that he had not even reprimanded before asking them to excuse themselves. His expression could not hide his annoyance anymore, his fingers stiff run over the smooth surface of his desk as if to underline his mood. He turned his back to him for a moment and exhaled deeply before sitting on his chair again, trying to appear as calm as possible, yet his indifference about his presence there was evident.
"So, what was so important that you'd cause such a scene to meet me?" his tone bitter.
"It's about Min-Seo..."
"Did something happen to her?" his eyebrow raised, finally looking interested in what he had to say.
"Dude..." his mouth agape. "Don't tell me Seven was right. You seriously like her?"
Honestly, he did not think twice before blurting out those words, but seeing him acting like that and considering everything that had lead to that point, he felt like he had connected the dots. The fact that he was so weird around her, the fact that he had followed after her when she went to bring wine creating an opportunity to be alone with her, him asking about her in the chatrooms. His mind were producing thousand scenarios and not all of them were PG-13. What had happened last night after all? Instead of denying his words, the CEO ossified on his chair, his eyes avoiding his, unable to respond like he was looking for the right words.
"Well, there is no denying that there is a certain level of fondness bet-"
"What the hell, just say that you like her. Since when did you have the hots for her?"
"What does that even mean?" he stood up, looking unsure if he should feel insulted by those words or not.
"You fancy her, don't you?" he slapped his hands on the desk, like some underground detective cracking a case.
"I don't think I fancy her," he answered calmly, putting the things that had shifted from their place from the impact back. "Why do you look so excited you? How old are you? Ten?"
"What's the point denying it now? And how can you register my reaction as excitement anyway? I'm freaking out here!" he snapped getting more and more frustrated. "I'm a man in love, you know, I know how it is, I can detect the signs!"
"Hm? So how can you tell you are in love then?"
"Eh? You are asking me this..." taken aback by the question he rubbed the nape of his neck. "You know… Well... you want to be together with the person you like all the time, you can't stop thinking about them… You want to touch them and you want them to look only at you and have all these thoughts about them... And stuff like these… Don't make me say these kind of things, it's embarrassing."
"I see..." his eyes widened in surprise. "Now the most articulate answer but…" he cupped his chin looking troubled. "Then I guess I too am in love."
"Dude, no!" he cried out. "You just denied that you fancy her just a moment ago and now you're saying that you love her? There is an order to things!"
"So, you are saying that I do not love her?"
"That's not what I'm saying… Gosh! Why are you like this?" he threw his hands in the air rolling his eyes. "What I'm saying is… Argg… I don't even know what I am trying to say right now…" he run his fingers through his hair trying to calm himself down.
"Why are you reacting like that?"
"Now you are asking why? Look… God, I came here to clear up things but what I am supposed to do with this information right now?" he wondered out loud.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"How can you change the subject like you just said the most normal thing in the world? And this is what I wanted to talk about, obviously… I still can't believe this. Hey, are you even serious about her? If you just want a flick you should look elsewhere… Why are you looking at me like you don't even know what I'm talking about?"
"Because I'm not sure what you are implying."
Feeling exhausted by the conversation, he threw himself on the chair and tried to collect his thoughts. He regretted the moment he tried to confront him, but maybe, with the way that man was acting, it was safer now that he knew how he felt towards his friend. Not to doubt that Jumin was caring about them, just like Jaehee said, but the man seemed unable to recognize his feelings and follow the right procedure, so it could end up badly. It was not that unexpected, since that man grew up having everything, but that was also the most alarming part.
"Look, you've invited her to your house even though you haven't even asked her to go out on a date yet, am I right?"
He looked hesitant.
"I don't think it's the right time to ask her on a date right now. He has a lot of things on her mind."
"What is he talking about?" his eyebrows arched and he looked at him curiously but decided not to ask for details. "If she has a lot on her mind, maybe that's the best time to ask her out, it'll put her mind off things. It doesn't have to be anything romantic or sexual you know, just go out as two friends spending some quality together at first. You have to appeal to her somehow if you want her to like you back."
His eyes lighted up.
"So I have to appeal to her somehow."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"But, what if she likes another person?" he flattered.
"Well, if they are not dating, you still have a chance. Better than giving up without trying," he shrugged. "I know… Just send her a message right now. Ask her how she is and she'd like to meet one of these days, test the waters..."
"She said she had an arrangement today, so I don't want to bother."
"Just ask her later," he sighed deeply. "Ask her how her arrangement went and all. Just don't blow this up, ok?" he stood up.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes, I have to go pick up Jaehee later too."
"Good."
"Good? What the hell? And here I was trying to help," he turned his back to him, striding to the door, his anger out of control. "Same old jerk."
"ZEN."
"What is it now?"
"Happy new year."
"Eh..." his face muscles relaxed. "Happy new year to you too, I guess..." he stood awkwardly by the door. "Just do as I told you, ok?"
"Maybe I should follow your advice for once."
"You better do!" he waved nonchalantly before leaving the room.
The moment the white haired man left, he sat back on his chair, feeling confused. His visit not only destroyed his moment of peace and his schedule but threw his thoughts and feelings in disarray too. Love? He was avoiding to put a label on his feeling for so long and that made it even more confusing. His hand reached into his pocket again and squeezed his newly-received present. He had promised himself that he would not hold back, maybe this visit was just the push he needed.
The buzz of the intercom snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Yes."
"Mr. Han, the Director would like to see you over dinner tonight. He said that he'll be waiting for you at 19:00 at the usual place."
After their last encounter, that was a meeting he'd like to avoid.
"Mr. Han?" Mr. Doe's voice sounded concerned.
"Please tell my father that I'm busy today, so we'll have to postpone our meeting for another day."
"But, Mr. Han, the Director asked me when your schedule opened today before we arrange the dinner, so I told him that you'll be free."
"...Mr. Doe, please refrain from making decision about my schedule before asking."
"I… I'm sorry, sir. I assumed that there would not be a problem since it was an appointment with your father. It will not happen again."
"I hope so."
"I apologize, sir."
"Anyway, tell him I will be there."
"Yes, sir."
"At moments like this… I really miss assistant Kang..." he sighed. "It's going to be a long day. Maybe I should have brought Elizabeth with me today..."
Summary: Jeahee is going out with Zen? The surprising news leave her with a broken heart, still she can not find the courage to confess her feelings to her afraid that she will not accept her. Trying to confront her confusing emotions, Jumin enters her every day life like a storm while dealing with his own issues. A little bit more than friends, but with their emotions not sorted out yet, what will happen when they will end up under the same roof?
[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2][Chapter 3]
[Also on Fanfiction.net]
[Chapter 4: A wish, impossible as it was ]
"I dreamed of it once… Waking up with you next to me, watching your sleeping face in he morning… And even though it didn't happen as I had imaged… and even though I was not the one in your heart, I was happy. But I could not help but wish that I could make you mine forever. And somehow that thought was painful and kind of scary."
It didn't take her long to realize that she had overdone it last night; she could tell even before she opens her eyes; her body felt heavy and the light dizziness on her head made it worse. Even though she liked wine, she was not a heavy drinker, she was aware of that, so she should have known her limits. But it was a lonely night and the more she sunk into her thoughts and her shattered feelings the more she drunk, and the more she drunk the more she lost control. Her memory was hazy; she could remember paying upfront and asking for more but nothing much after that. However the warmth she was feeling next to her and the light smell of coffee were soothing. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand trying to shake off the drowsiness and opened them only to meet an unfamiliar view.
"Where am I?"
Thinking about it, she could not even remember if she had made it home and the bed did feel more comfortable than usual. Before her view could clear up completely, she felt someone breathing next to her. A shudder run down her spine and she sat up despite the numbness she was experiencing. Startled at the view of the man beside her, she shuffled off confused. Her sudden move almost made him drop his coffee. Confused, she looked around her and then at his unbuttoned shirt, his messy hair and then at the oversized shirt she was wearing.
She rubbed her temple, still a bit dizzy, trying to recollect her memories of the night before. Her heart was beating fast. What had happened? And why was Spideyman's theme song stuck in her hear? It was making her headache even worse. She went to the salon and then for drinks and then… And then what? How had Jumin played into this? Had she done anything stupid? What had happened between them?
"So, you' re awake."
Jumin's calm voice broke the silence first and made her jumpy. He was staring at her as if he was waiting for a good explanation… She covered herself with the blanket instinctively but he didn't seem to waver. As she was trying to find her words, images of the previous night flooded into her mind and with every scene she remembered her embarrassment grew more and more. Her face started burning up and she covered her self completely under the blanket she was holding onto.
She wanted to dig a whole and hide inside, however the only thing she could do was to hide her face, unable to look at him in the eye.Not only she had bared her secret in front of him, she had also acted shamefully, giving in to alcohol. There was no way to apologize or excuse her behavior; some adult she was. Plus her memory was not clear enough and she could not bring herself to ask him if something had happened after that. As his hand touched the blanket over her head and pulled it away, she trembled with shame and looked up to meet his eyes who were looking at her curiously.
"I'm sorry," she finally said and left the bed before he could say anything. "I must have caused you a lot of trouble…. I… It's not what you think."
Her eyes searched for her shirt. She wanted to run away. Jumin had witnessed an aspect of herself she had not intention to reveal to anyone and that scared her; whether they had slept together or not, things would still be awkward and she didn't want that. She cursed herself for ruining everything. Her panic building up inside her made her breathing heavy as she was aimlessly looking around for her clothes, incapable of focusing on the situation. Her nerves was a mess, her eyes were tearing up more by each second she could not find them. When he blocked her way, the truth was she was about to give up and simply leave with whatever she was wearing, but as he placed a hand on her head and forcefully pushed her forehead on his shoulder, she was not sure why but she just let her tears fall freely.
"Don't ever do that again. If you need someone to talk to, I'm always here..."
she bit her lips, her hands reached to his shirt and grabbed it. "It must be hard.
""Huh," she nodded.
"It's not easy to give up."
"I should be happy for them," she sniffed, her voice stifled, her knees felt week. "I really should…."
"It'll take time."
"It hurts," she buried her face more in his shirt.
"I know."
Kindness was the last thing she was expecting; not after revealing the feelings she was harboring for her roommate to him and acting so pathetic about it. Jumin accepted it without any questions, it was enough to make her happy, despite her tangled feelings. She swept her tears and suddenly she realized that she was acting inappropriate again the moment her eyes met his bare chest. She pulled her hands away feeling self conscious.
"Thank you," she said balling her fists and looked away.
"No need, it was my duty… as Jumiman," he responded with a deadpan voice.
"Why did you have to bring that up now?" she flushed and pushed him away taking a few steps back. "And with such a straight face."
"Well, you know… It's because... with great power-"
"Stop it," she bended her knees and hid her face in her hands.That surprised her.
Jumin had joked from time to time in the chatroom but he didn't tease anyone easily in real life, that was usually Saeyoung's role. So it was a first. She was not happy he had brought up her embarrassing antics, that was for certain, but at the same time she was glad that Jumin was the one who had helped her; not only he didn't judge her for anything, he even went into the trouble to lighten up the moon in his own way.
"Well, who doesn't love spideyman," she murmured in a childish attempt to defend herself.
That made him snort. The fact alone made her look up, her eyes widen. Jumin was trying to hold back a genuine laugh. She could swear it was the first time she had witnessed such a smile coming from him.
"I guess," he said.
"Cute..." her eyes widened at such a view.
"I'll make you tea… It'll be good for you stomach. Are you hungry? My chef is not here today, but I'll make pancakes, I'm actually really confident in making them."
"There is no need to," she said following him to the kitchen. "I imposed on you too much, I should go home."
"Stay..." he pierced her with his eyes. "Can't you spend the morning with me?"
"I..." her fingers grabbed the edge of the oversized shirt she was wearing. "I suppose it's the least I could do."
In reality, his stare made her a bit nervous, she didn't know what to make of it, but she relaxed seeing him smirking as he resumed with the recipe. He seemed to be in good mood which was strange considering what she had made him go through. And, actually, she felt guilty for ruining his New Year's Eve, how could she make up for it? How rude of her, she hadn't even though about that until that moment. She grabbed his arm and he turned to her disturbed.
"Jumin!"
"Yes?" he looked at her quizically.
"Happy new year!"
"Ahh..." he rubbed the nape of his neck. "Happy new year to you too."
"I wish you health!"
"Thank you..."
"Oh! I know!"
She ran back to the living room where she had spotted her jacket and took something out of her pocket. Elizabeth saw her running and followed her to the kitchen.
"It's not much, but here," she presented it to him. "The keychain I promised! Thanks for everything."
"You made it just for me?" he looked baffled.
"It's a bit childish but-"
"Thank you," he said, taking in his hand and smiled at it. "I like it."
It was a sincere smile. Seeing his delight, she felt relieved that she had not lost it; the time she had spent on it was worth it. She smiled back. But looking him being so casual made him look different than usual; he messy hair, his wrinkled shirt, him cooking. It was unlike the image he was upholding most of the time. That reminded her… she pulled her own shirt down as a reflex, a movement that did not go unnoticed."I ordered a pair of clothes for you yesterday. Yours still had vomit it on it, I'll send it to dry clean it before I return it.
"There is no need to do that!" she objected. "And… There was no need to… lend me yours," she said uncertain of what words to pick.
"I had to change it, since yours was dirty and soaked...Hm? What's with that face?"
"Well… You saw..." she said feeling her cheeks burning, though his words filled her with relief.
"I've seen you with a swimsuit before," he said while mixing the ingredients.
"It's not the same… It's more personal..."
"Isn't it the same though?" he titled his head.
She held back a retort and folded her arms thinking while supporting herself on the counter. Maybe he was right, there was no need to make a big deal out of it. Since nothing had happened, she should be thankful he was the one who found her even though she had not asked him the details yet."I'm glad it was Jumin the one who found me after all," she said her thought out loud and smiled.Almost like she had pulled a trigger by saying those words, he left the mixer fall from his hand. It hit the tip of the bowl and rolled on the kitchen counter. His right hand slamming right next to her alerted her, his face now inches away from her her, he looked straight into her eyes with a serious expression. The lingering smell of coffee... his lips only inches away from hers... He was way too close. Trying to regain her personal space she squeezed her body on the counter.
"You shouldn't be. I'm also a man you know," he breathed. "I could have taken advantage of you."
"But..." his actions confused her, she pushed him back lightly. "...You didn't."
"I see no pleasure in making someone mine without consent," he replied diligently. "But..." he paused. "I also have to hold back sometimes."
"I see..." she blinked. "Then, I'm even more glad you were the one who found me," she smiled brightly.
"Just forget it..." he pulled away with a strangely disheartened expression. "You should not be so careless, you trust people way too much. Why are you always like that?"
Had she offended him somehow? She must have said something wrong, she thought. Elizabeth meowed by her feet distracting her from her thoughts. A weird smile appeared on her face and her fingers twitched over her white fur. It'd been so long since she had last seen her, she was even cuter up close than she were in her photos. She fawned over her collar, she hadn't see her in a picture wearing that one, it must have been a relatively new one; a Christmas present maybe? She leaned down more, huffing in excitement.
"Can I pet her? Can I?" she asked with pleading eyes.
"Just be careful with her," he warned, feeling uneasy by her expression.
"Elizabeth, come here..." she petted her head gently a couple of times and Elizabeth rubbed it against it asking for more pets when she stopped and meowed. "She meowed..." she turned to him ecstatic."I heard it."
"She is cute!"
"She sure is!"
"Can I feed her?"
"Ok, but you have to weight the portion properly first. Come, I'll show you.
"She had the general idea that taking care of a pet had a lot of responsibilities but since she never had her own she didn't know much about the process. It was exciting, but measuring the food make her nervous, what if she made a mistake? Elizabeth had a strict diet but it looked well-planned, it almost made her feel bad for the strays they were feeding behind their cafe. Till then she never thought that she could ask Jumin for tips, she made a mental note to ask him another time. Elizabeth put one paw on her leg and meowed again in anticipation; since the strays had not warmed up to her yet and kept refusing to let her pet them, petting Elizabeth while she was eating filled her with pure bliss
"She is eating right next to me!" she pointed at her thrilled.
Oddly enough, she could swear she had caught him staring, but he turned away his gaze the moment she looked at him. Had she imagined it? He looked completely focused on the frying pan. He had even wrapped an apron around his waist, preparing the pancakes with almost mechanical moves. There was no hesitation in them, he had probably copied the process to the core. It made her wonder if he loved pancakes so much he'd spent hours on how to perfect them or if he just learned how to make them on a whim. She raised an eyebrow, she did caught him taking a peek. Did he feel like she was evaluating him because she was watching him cook? Perhaps that made him anxious.
It had been a while since she had last visited this place. It was her third time here, they were usually meeting outside. The first time, it was a few days after Jaehee had quited her job, she delivered some important documents on account of her; things were a bit awkward back then. He had invited her in but she had refused politely. The second time, it was on his last birthday. It was Saeyoung's idea to threw a surprise party at Jumin's place. Regardless of Yaehee's and Yoosung's concerns, he hacked the security system and everyone by passed the security guards with Zen's help, who distracted them. Zen -refusing to enter because of Elizabeth- only joined them after Jumin had returned from work. As Saeyoung had noted, his constant sneezing would give them away, so it was for the best. Jumin wasn't that thrilled by their surprise but welcomed them anyway; it was a fun evening.
A sweet smell filled the room as Jumin was serving the pancakes he had promised. She took a better sniff and her stomach betrayed her hunger with a loud growl. Hoping that he had not heard it, she decided to pretend that it never happened and continued to stroke Elizabeth's smooth fur. The white cat laid in front of her and licked her snout to show her content, she had just finished her meal. Letting a delightful purr, she poked her hand with her paw. It was hard to prevent herself from pulling her into a hug, she could share Saeyoung's enthusiasm, every time Jumin had brought her along with him, she felt like stealing her. But she knew better and refrained from saying something like that. It'd be nice if she could have a pet though.
"Breakfast is ready," he called. "Here, your tea as well."
"It looks great! Can I take a photo?"
"Suit yourself."
Strawberries were out of season but the one he had used looked fresh. It must have cost a lot to obtain them. He had even added handmade cream. She took a bite and let out a moan of delight, covering her mouth; she did not expect it'd taste that good.
"I could eat this every day!" she said while munching another bite and gave him a thumps up.
He chuckled and then cleared his throat, thanking her modestly for her positive comment. Her smile faded watching him eat his pancake quietly. The man in front of her was taught to keep appearances no matter what the case was, so he was hiding every expression he deemed unnecessary or inappropriate. How hard could that be? She knew she could not handle it and also she felt kind of sad watching him holding back, she wished he could at least more confortable around the RFA members. It was not the first time she had thought that; he always had to act mature and take care of everything, but she wished he'd open up a little. Somehow, it felt like he was more free in the RFA chatroom than he was in real life.
The sound of the front door opening forcibly interrupted their meal and commotion followed as a man argued with the security guard. Jumin looked alerted and stood up right away, asking her to keep enjoying her breakfast until he returns. He did say that but he looked too pale and anxious to just ignore the situation and keep eating while he was away. The voice of the man outside made him nervous enough to fail to close the door properly."I don't need permission to see my own son," the man roared.
"Jumin, are they acting on your orders?"
"They were ordered not to let anyone in without my permission."
"I'm not just anyone, I'm your father! Jumin..." his voice sounded more and more demanding. "Why did you not join us last night?""I had other matters to attend to."
"Shouldn't meeting your father on New Year's Eve be a priority?"
"Why? You had company anyway," his tone could not hide his bitterness.
"Leave us," he commanded the security guard and took a moment before speaking again, now with a colder voice. "Jumin, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior. My friend's daughter was there, you were supposed to meet her. I was so embarrassed and had to excuse your absence just because you don't like my girlfriend? Since when did you start acting so immature? Do you realize my position and the bad impression you left to those people?"
"I had denied the invitation properly many hours prior to this engagement. I can't see why I must apologize for not showing up in an appointment I never promised I would attend."
"Noone told you you could deny this invitation, Jumin!" he sighed. "You are turning 30 soon, you have to find a good woman who can accommodate your lifestyle. A capable woman like Ha Rin will be a proper match for you. I will re-arrange the meeting-"
Listening to their conversation she left like she was prying in a personal matter she should not have to, so she picked up her phone trying to distract her self but didn't even swiped the screen to unlock it. Every word the Chairman had spoken hit a nerve. She had stood up to close the door, but hearing him talking like that to him, she just stayed there, with her hand on the doorknob. Why wasn't he getting mad at him? He shouldn't have to apologize for the way he was living his life.
A man like him who was working hard ever day, who was trying to be considerate to his friends whenever was needed, an overachiever. Why would a person like him would let someone else dictate his life? She had seen him dealing with stress many times, so he could at least spend his free time however he wanted. And an arranged marriage at this day and age? Her grip tightened around her phone and anger consumed her. How being forced to marry someone you didn't love could lead to a happy life? Being treated as an investment instead of a human being… wasn't it just the worst?
Aware that she should probably do not interfere, she could not control herself and stormed out nevertheless. The Chairman looked at her shocked as soon as she entered the room, his eyes rolled from her to Jumin and then back at her before letting out a disappointed sigh. Noticing his expression, Jumin turned to her muddled. She didn't have much time to contemplate her action and if she had to be honest she probably wouldn't regret it anyway, the Chairman strode to her and checked her out from the top to the bottom expressionless.
"Is this the other matter you had to attend to?" he finally asked. "You should have told me you were with a woman. It is a bit surprising, but having a small affair is different from looking for a serious relationship."
"Min-Seo isn't-"
"You are standing in front of me so why are you talking to him like I do not exist?" she asked looking at him straight in the eyes. "I'm not an affair, I'm his friend. Jumin helped me last night while it was not his obligation, but whether he would attend that kind of an appointment should be left in his judgment anyway."
"Well, I'm sure he did help... How can you even claim you are just his friend when you are wearing his clothes?" he smirked and crossed his arms. "You have a lot of audacity for an outsider!"
"Well, even an outsider can tell you this; he is your son, not your investment," she placed her hands on her hips.
"Aren't you a rude one?" his eyes widen. "This has nothing to do with you."
"It has! Jumin is my friend. You do consider him old enough for marriage, but not old enough to respect his wishes? Outrageous. Can't you see you are troubling him?"
"I'm only considering the best options for him."
"I don't think he asked you to? Why don't you try considering his feelings instead?" she stood on the tips of her feet to match his eye level looking at him fiercely.
"Are you afraid you'll loose your- Hold on..." he released his hands. "Aren't you this girl from the RFA?" he noticed.
"What if I am?"
"You and your friends depend on my son a lot, distracting him from his work. What are you even doing here, sleeping at his house? If you are looking for-"
"Enough,," Jumin raised his voice and stood between them.
"Jumin..." his father looked surprised. "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Yes… Father," he replied not looking at him. "I'd like you to leave for today, you interrupted my day off and insulted my friend. I don't thing it's a fruitful ground for a conversation. Let's talk some other time..."
"Very well," he finally said but looked at her furiously. "I'll take my leave. However I expect you to consider your position again before the next time we meet."
After glaring at her one last time, he adjusted his necktie and took a big breath, before he exits the apartment. Although she had put up a bravado during their conversation, the whole thing was nerve wracking and his stern face was scary. The mobile in her hand was covered by her sweat. She took a few steps back feeling the tension leaving her body; it was a relief he left without causing more fuss. This situation brought back some bad memories and she felt a bit guilty; was she defending him or was she defending herself indirectly? It didn't matter anymore but she said to apologize in any case. Easier said than done, seeing him staying silent with his hands balled in a fist, her confidence disappeared and she turned around, her back facing his, trying to regain her self.
"Jumin..." she started saying but stopped when his head bummed on the back of her shoulder.
"Thank you."
"Euh? No… I might have overstepped my boundaries, so..."
"Please, don't turn around right now..."
"O-Ok..." she froze.
"He ruined it… He had no right to..."
"What is he referring to? I guess the conversation stressed him out."
"I should be used to this by now. Things got worse since that incident two years ago. I thought he'd stop after that, but..."
"Two years ago? Oh, the Glam incident..."
His hands wrapped around her waist and squeezed her body on his. As he buried his face on her shoulder, she could feel his breath on her skin; it made her heart skip a beat and she awkwardly touched his hands, unsure if she should remove them or not.
"Can I hug you?"
"Well, you are already doing it, no point asking now," she laughed nervously but as the words left her mouth, she felt him pulling her behind.Unable to hold her balance, she found herself on the floor, her body slammed against his. The moment they hit the floor his hands tighten around her, she found herself sitting between his long legs, with her phone still in her hands. It was impossible to move in that position, his breathing was heavy, his face covered by his hair.
"Jumin… Are you ok?"
"Just… Let my stay like this for a moment," he stroke his cheek against her shoulder facing away.
"Alright…" she gave up, placing her hands on the floor.It was strangely comfortable and she thought that she ought to fulfill his request since he had taken care of her when it was needed.
When was the last time she had hugged someone like this? It had been a while since she was in a relationship. There were not that many anyway, a couple of them didn't last longer than a month; most of them didn't like cuddling much, boys tented to be more restrained about it than girls though. But thinking about her past boyfriends and girlfriends in that situation didn't seem proper; it was unnatural to draw such a parallel.
"You smell nice..."
"It's not very convincing when you say that to a girl who was vomiting a few hours ago," she laughed.
"It's fine… Can you stay like this a bit longer? You didn't even finish your breakfast..."
"That's not important right now. I can stay until you feel a bit better."
"What if I never feel better?" he asked bashfully."Well… You will. Parents can get selfish like that, but don' let it get to you. Jumin is a hardworking and nice person, you deserve to have the life you want.""I'm not nice… I know I'm not," he tangled his fingers. "I can't fully relate to others and I want things I can't have."
"Well, you can be a jerk sometimes," she snorted. "But, you are still a nice person in my eyes. You accepted me without asking any questions or showing disgust, without judging me..."
"Min-Seo, you should love whoever you want. It does not change who you are. Though, it may sound rich coming from someone like me who've never really loved someone... I always thought that it'd be a waste of emotions, it always seemed fake. So seeing you bursting with so many emotions… it feels real."
"I'm sure that if you try, you'll be able to experience many things. So when you discover a new emotion, it may feel strange, but don't even try to hide it please."
"Then… I won't. At least in front of you, I won't."
"Are you feeling a bit better now?"
"No, I want to stay a bit more like this…"
She could not deny him, not after seeing him like this so she just bended her knees more, bringing them closer to her body and rested her hands on her thighs. Her mobile screen was full of her prints, she was holding it for a while after all. Swiping it with her clothes she decided to check the time. Her eyes rolled. Just how many calls had she missed? Almost everyone of them were from Jaehee. She checked the time again and then her notifications. Most of them were from the RFA app. Reluctantly, she decided to enter the chatroom and pressed the icon.
- Min-Seo had entered the chatroom-
Yoosung: Min-Seo, you're here!
Min-Seo: Hello, Yoosung. Happy New Year.
Yoosung: Hapy New Year!
Saeyoung: Happy New Year, meow!
Yoosung: But, Min-Seo, where are you? Jaehee was really worried. You were not at home and she could not contact you.
Yoosung: She almost asked Saeyoung to track you
Saeyoung: Well, Min-Seo is and adult!
Saeyoung: Also…
Saeyoung: I wouldn't do that for free!
Min-Seo: I'm fine. I forgot my phone on silent mode.
-Zen has entered the chatroom -
ZEN: Min-Seo!
Min-Seo: Hello.
ZEN: We were looking for you! Are you ok?
Min-Seo: I'm fine, sorry for worrying you.She couldn't help but wonder if there were together that moment.
Jumin adjusted his position behind her. He could feel his chin over her shoulder and sensed him fidgeting but kept her attention to the chat-room.ZEN: I know Min-Seo is an adult, but she had promised Jaehee they'd spend their morning together. So she was really worried when she did not show up.
ZEN: It didn't seem like she slept at home too. You should at least give her a call.
Min-Seo: I know, I'm sorry. Tell her I'll be back soon.
- Jumin Han has entered the chatroom -
Yoosung: Happy new year, Jumin.
Jumin Han: Happy New Year
Jumin Han: Min-Seo is with me now so you should not worry.
ZEN: WHAT?
ZEN: (Shocked emoji)
"What?"
Saeyoung: I see, the CEO was keeping her so busy, she forgot about her phone.
ZEN: Don't even joke about that!
Yoosung: I can't believe this!
Yoosung: Were you also secretly dating?
Yoosung: I won't forgive this a second time!
Yoosung: I was supposed to be the next one to find love!
Saeyoung: That' d be impossible for you
Saeyoung: Love in blooming in the RFA
Saeyoung: (heart-eyes emoji)
Her eyes rolled, she could not believe this.
Min-Seo: It's nothing like that! Aren't you guys overreacting?
ZEN: How did you end up with him?
ZEN: Did he do anything to you? Should I come pick you up?
Saeyoung: He did say he wouldn't hold back anymore a few days ago…
Saeyoung: (shocked emoji)
Jumin Han: We haven't even finished breakfast yet, don't come to pick her up.
ZEN: Shouldn't she be the one answering?"
How can you ignore everything else, but still reply to him?"
She snatched his phone away from his hand furiously and broke away from his embrace pressing the exit button. How could she explain the situation now? She was hoping she could avoid mentioning anything. She stood on her four, pressing the button on her touch screen frantically.
- Jumin Han has left the chatroom -
ZEN: What? He left? Running away now?
Min-Seo: Haha… It's not what you think.
Min-Seo: We just had a few drinks together. It got late and he left me stay here.
ZEN: Weren't you supposed to meet your friend?
"Stop asking questions!"
Min-Seo: She left early and I didn't have company so…
ZEN: He didn't do anything to you did he? Are you ok?
Min-Seo: I called him.
Min-Seo: Of course he didn't! We just chatted. He kept me nice company so…
Saeyoung: LOL. Jumin… keeping nice company…
Min-Seo: Anyway, I'm fine. I'll be back home soon.
Min-Seo: Have a nice day.
- Min-Seo had left the chatroom -
Lies would naturally bring more lies; she hated that. Maybe she should just admit she got drunk. But then again, how could she explain the rest? Even she didn't have a clear image of the whole situation. Of course they would react like that. His words were a bit suggestive. Not that he had lied or anything; unlike her. She cringed at her own reaction, the panic got to her. But putting it like that, it was bound to cause misunderstandings. He should know better. And then Zen was easy to overreact, he definitely got the wrong idea.
She turned to him pouting and handed him his phone, he looked back at her quizzically.That alone added to her anger, how could he stay so calm? She clenched her teeth and sat in front of him crossing her legs while holding back an urge to punch him once. Now she'd have to clear up things somehow, but he didn't even seem to grasp the situation they had put them into. Even if Zen calmed down after a proper explanation, Saeyoung would not let it go easily. And what if Zen would talk to Jaehee about it? Maybe she'd get the wrong idea too."
What were you even thinking?" she asked but he just looked at her puzzled. "You obviously caused a misunderstanding here," she pointed at her screen.
"I see… Is that why you are angry?" he asked calmly.
"I..." she took a big breath. "I'm not angry."
"Well, it's their fault for taking it that way, but if that's what concerns you, I'll clear it up."
"That's not the point! Why did you even enter to write something like that?"
"Let me think about it for a moment..."
Bizarrely enough, he looked honestly troubled over her question; that gave her time to cool herself off.
"I suppose… I was upset."
"Upset?" she repeated. "About what?"
"You told me you'd spend time with me," he averted his eyes. "But you said you leave the moment you talked to them."
"Eh? That's it?"
"I guess."
She blinked.
"Just to make it clear, I was not looking for an excuse to leave, ok?" she said after a short pause.
"I know."
"And I apologize if that made you upset, I did not realize. But next time, I'd like you to talk to me first. The way you handled it is troubling. I didn't like it."
"I see..." he looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll take that into consideration.
"It felt strange, how she was captivated by his gaze for a moment; the way he was looking at her was so sincere. His tongue was used to polite speech, smooth words were to be expected coming from his mouth, but his eyes looked like a child's sometimes. It was reassuring, but also kind of scary; it made it had to deal with him when he sounded needy. His actions were often hard to understand, however, since he was open to criticism, she never felt the need to pretend in front of him.
Her ring-tone broke the silence. Her eyes rolled to the screen, sightly annoyed by the timing. Not many people knew her number, so her first thought was that she would have to deal with teasing about what had been said in the chatroom. It was an exhausting morning and she'd prefer to ignore the call, but her prediction could not be more wrong. The name displayed on her screen was not one she was expecting and that made her whole body stiffen. As her hand hesitantly picked the phone, she stood up and took a big breath to prepare herself before taking the call.
"Hello… Yes, good morning. Happy new year to you too. It's been a while," the girl on the other side of the phone sounded as awkward as her. "I'm fine, what about you?...What are you talking about? I doubt he'd be glad to see me… It's been so long and… I don't even care anymore," her voice was low and her replies as short as they could be but the tension was rising. "You know that's not the case! You can always call me if you need something…. No I didn't me-… Huh? You're here? I don't think I can- No…." she looked troubled. "Ok… Well, I'm still your sister!" as these words escaped her mouth, she looked worrily over her shoulder at Jumin, he raised his eyebrows, of course he'd be surprised, he was not informed about it. "I'll be there… I told you I'll be here!"
Explaining the call would be too troublesome; she had avoided talking about her family for so long. The timing was awful too; she had to leave soon, although he had made clear that this would upset him just moments ago. Jumin had already stood up, his body slightly touching her back. He could already tell she'd leave. Putting her phone into her pocket, she turned to face him but immediately took a few steps back, his face was way too close again.
"Do you have to go?" he asked.
"I… I could not deny her. It's been so long since I last saw her. It's a rare opportunity too… Since I don't visit home."
"I understand. Family is important," he replied seriously.
"But I'll make it up to you!" he looked at her startled. "Let's go out sometime! It'll be my treat. Just tell me whenever you are free!"
"Just the two of us?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I don't mind. It's a promise," she extended her pinky finger but he just looked at it like he didn't know what to do. "Just take it!" she flushed feeling childish.
"Like this?" he wrapped his around hers."Yes, it's a promise."
"I see," he smiled. "Sounds like a deal to me."
When a box containing a Mechanical Companion, MC for short, was delivered to his penthouse, Jumin was very close to sending it back.
"Calm down, son. Just use it until you find an actual woman you're interested in." Jumin felt himself bristling at his father's nonchalant words. Just because he hadn't gone after the company of a woman didn't mean that he wanted anything to do with the farces of humans that were being sold as companions.
However, he also knew that not turning on the thing would get his father on his back, so he did what he had to. He opened the box, and pulled out the instructions. Jumin skimmed the short piece of paper, realizing that there wasn't much to it. There was a panel on the back of it's neck that hid the charging port, diagnostics port, and power button. Otherwise, it was essentially have at it.
Jumin sighed. The MC he'd been gifted was in the shape of a young woman, thankfully already clothed in black leggings and a brown sweater. He reached forward, pressing on the panel, and then pressing the power switch.
It's eyes flew open, the iris gray and a stiff smile appeared on it's face as it sat up in it's box.
"Hello! I am a Mechanical Companion unit. May I ask for your name?" It said.
"Jumin Han." Jumin said, eager to get this over with so he could hopefully turn it back off.
"Hello, Jumin. Would you like to give me a name?" The unit logged his name and Jumin sighed.
"No." He said shortly, and he almost could have sworn that the smile flinched slightly.
"That's alright. You may call me whatever you like. Would you like to select an eye color?"
"No." Jumin repeated again, and this time it was visible in the way it's face fell.
"Ah. Alright. If there is anything you would like for me to do, just let me know." It said softly. Jumin snorted, and stood up to walk away.
"If I think of something, I'll let you know."
~
The first week of having it in his penthouse was odd. He'd essentially told it to do whatever it wanted. It had looked at him in confusion, before nodding.
He'd come home to cooked meals and a spotless room. If it hadn't been able to clean during the day, it began to reorganize, and that was when Jumin couldn't handle it anymore.
"Please. Stop touching things." The unit jumped in what he'd call surprise if the unit could feel actual emotion. The unit was surrounded by his extensive book collection on the floor. He sighed. "How is it going to be organized this time?"
"Color." The unit mumbled, and Jumin almost laughed. He hated it, but he was gaining an affection for the unit.
"Listen. I know you'll do whatever I say, but is there anything you'd like to do?" Jumin asked, and the unit shifted so it was sitting cross legged. Jumin watched as it thought, and realized that he wasn't being the fairest to the unit. It didn't have a choice in this. It wasn't like it was part of a huge conspiracy against him. Before the unit had a chance to respond to the last question, he asked another.
"What pronouns would you like me to use?" He asked, and this time the surprise was absolutely genuine.
"Whatever you would-" Jumin cut the unit off.
"This isn't about me. It's about you." He said firmly. There was silence and then-
"She." The unit said. "I feel like a she."
Jumin smiled at her softly and the unit looked at him hesitantly. "Does this mean you'll give me a name?"
"No." Jumin said, and her face dropped. "I'm not giving you a name because you're going to pick your name."
Her face lit up in wonderment and she smiled. She rubbed at her face, as if wiping away tears.
"Thank you, Jumin."
~
("So what do you want to do?"
"I want to talk to people."
"Oh. That should be easy."
"Luciel, if I hook my phone up to a Mechanical Companion, would you be able to download the messenger?")
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