█ ▌ A day like this: @pandemxnivm
“We have confirmed your request, Mr. Park; your escort has been informed and all preparations are underway." Sen rolled her eyes while still on the phone with one of the annoying clients she couldn't stand but only allowed the continuation of services since he was decent with her girls. The call went on for another ten minutes before she was able to end it gracefully. Sen placed her phone away, but mentally she threw it across the table. She dropped her body on her chair and leaned back, letting out a long sigh.
It was right before sunset; the sky was painted mesmerizing shades of orange, pink, and purple. The sunlight was casting its final beautiful rays on the surfaces of the home office; the antique vases, the painting frames, the mirror, and even the walls were showing off how they draped those colors.
Sen's small break was interrupted by a soft knock on her door, and a sweet face appeared as it cracked open: Hana, one of her staff. "I'm sorry, Madame Sen, but I don't think Mr. Taegeun is okay." Sen's brows furrowed at the mention of her accountant's condition and she straightened up her back slowly as she asked, "What do you mean?"
The staff simply shrugged her shoulders, still looking concerned and apologetic for interrupting her employer. Sen got off her seat and headed towards the door, replacing the staff's hand on the handle with hers as she nodded. "Thank you, Hana, I'll check on him."
Sen didn't realize that her steps were faster, her chest tightening momentarily until she stood at the foot of the living room where Sam was working, and he was rubbing his temple repeatedly. Sen watched as the man in front of her showed clear signs of pain; his hands fumbled between rubbing his temple, adjusting his glasses, removing them, rubbing his eyes, pressing the bridge of his nose, putting the glasses back on, and sighing in between as he shut his eyes tightly and opened them. Sen made her way towards him slowly, making her presence known only when she was a foot away from him. Sen reached and took away the file he was looking at, she glanced at it, ignoring the eyes that darted in her direction.
"Come with me," she mumbled as she closed his laptop and stepped a step back to allow him to get off his desk, then walked towards her room. Sam followed, confused and tired to even think of what has gotten her to interrupt him. Sen usually would message him if there was anything and he would go to her office, but this was different, which only meant it was a serious matter. He prayed from the bottom of his heart, it wasn't something that needed immediate attention, because he was not in a state to think anymore. Looking at his grids alone was proving to be a challenge.
Sen opened the door and got him to enter first then followed him and closed the door behind them. She reached for his hand and pulled him with her to her bedroom, which was another room inside. Sam was confused as to what was going on. She turned to face him and crossed her arms, her eyes looking sharp, a look her knew quite well, but was never on the receiving end of such a look. "You're not well." She held his gaze for a few moments then continued, "I need to be able to rely on you, I can't if you don't take care of yourself." It did sound like she was scolding him, and she scolded herself mentally for the tone, but Sen was treading a thin line that she wasn't sure how to walk it. Sen finally sighed, dropping her crossed arms to her sides and relaxing her shoulders. "Take some rest," she looked back at him after diverting her gaze to her bed, "as much as you need." She nodded in the direction of the bed and he knew to start walking towards it. Sen started untying the curtains and closing them.
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Sam stood there as the door closed, heart racing unexpectedly as he was left in the bedroom of the woman he was fighting every ounce of his body to not give in and lose composure in front of. Yet, here he was, in the one place that he resisted every thought of being in, and avoided entering. "How will I sleep, Sen? How?" He sighed, his words merely a mumble but he was so tired that his body couldn't stay standing for long. The pillows and blankets smelled so much like her, he did bring her breakfast once before, and he was now getting attacked with endless images of how she looked on that morning. Sam groaned as he battling his pounding headache, the scent of Sen, and the video montage his brain decided to pull together on a whim. Fortunately for him, his headache and tired body won and he was soon asleep.
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If there was any night that Sen was restless throughout it, it definitely was tonight. She went to check on Sam more times than she wanted to count. Her brain was keeping track because that's what it does but she kept distracting herself from the counter that changed with every time she stepped into her own bedroom. Nothing dramatic, she just wanted to check he was okay. Something within her was making her unable to let it go, an anxious feeling that bubbled in her stomach and reached to her limbs, stinging inside her bones. He was probably just tired, she knew this was the most probable cause, but seeing him exhausted and still pushing through did not sit well with her despite being guilty of doing the exact same thing, but this was her responsibility. He was merely a contracted employee.
The wheels in her head that were spinning nonstop were acting as if an object has gotten between the plates, forcing the wheels to slow down. Only a contracted employee. Sen scoffed mentally at herself as she glanced at the man sleeping on her bed, she did not dare go near and stayed by the entrance. As long as he is breathing fine, she won't disturb him.
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The rays of sunlight tickled the soft long lashes of the sleeping man, the sensation it caused forcing the eyelids to twitch ever so lightly until they parted open and through them, he saw her. Sen standing there in all her elegant lounge midi dress and her half updo, opening the last of the curtains and tying it gently. It took Sam a moment before it clicked where he was and his body forced itself up into a seated position that alerted Sen.
Sen rushed to his side and sat on the edge of the bed next to him, concern drawn all over her face. Her beautiful eyes wider with worry, and her lips parting ever so lightly and reuniting as if she's resisting every sentence that makes it to the tip of her tongue. He simply nods, a bit embarrassed as it dawns on him that he slept on her bed throughout the night. Sam reaches for his glasses on the nightstand and puts them on, ready to get up only to be gently stopped by the soft hands that rest on his as he adjusts his glasses and takes them off again. "I already called your company so you can take your time." Sen doesn't realize her voice was the softest she had ever spoken to Sam in. One of her hands now returning to his temple to massage it gently after putting away his glasses. "Are you feeling any better?"
Sam is left speechless as he is hit with the scent of gentle concern and affection, combined with the scent of her body wash and perfume. The look in her eyes was not helping either. Sam heaved out a sigh uncontrollably and realized immediately she might think he's still in pain. " I slept really well...the best I've slept in a long time." Sam shook his head at his own confession, and it earned him a soft smile from Sen who nodded in acknowledgment.
After handing him a glass of water and sitting in brief silence, Sen returned the glasses to him to put them on. "If I am to rely on you, I need to know that you wouldn't overlook taking care of yourself." Sen brushed her index across part of Sam's hand, an attempt to show her intent wasn't to scold. "Don't worry me, okay?" Her voice was barely a whisper and Sam locked his index with hers as he nodded and mumbled Sorry.
As if his brain wanted to get itself out of the overwhelming emotions, he looked around and asked "where did you sleep?"
"In one of the girls rooms," she did try to sleep, but could barely get any, but that's a detail she wasn't going to share. Sam looked apologetic so she immediately followed up. "Maybe I should set up one of the rooms for you," a thought although born at the spur of the moment, was now something she was considering with how Sam was coming directly from his full time job and staying some times I til ungodly hours especially when they had incidents or important events.
"And you think you can survive the girls teasing" Sam responded, breaking her train of thoughts and Sam chuckled. It was true the girls wouldn't let it die. "There is also enough space here," she teased as she glanced at the unoccupied space on the bed, causing Sam's ears to burn up, a sight she couldn't get enough of. "Sen! It's early morning. I just woke up!" Sen playfully as if programmed to respond, lifted the blanket slightly as if to peek under it. "Oh do we have a visitor?"
"SEN!"
Sen laughed wholeheartedly, quite pleased with the reaction her final move got her and she got off the bed to leave the bedroom and give Sam space to recollect his composure.














