Haneul gave Youngmi a week to train his new assistant secretary who will be his personal assistant once Youngmi returns to Seoul. He's aware that Dani is under some probably strict lessons with Youngmi being the one to teach her. She's colder than Elsa and unlike Mina, Youngmi's purpose in life is to serve KH and make sure that Haneul becomes a worthy successor. But Haneul has no plans to be that. He needs something fresh. A new perspective. A new toy. He could've bought a car instead but he risked getting his beautiful nose broken for the sake of obtaining a name. Lee Dani, his new favorite employee.
He's still in his sweats and fitted shirt when he arrived at the company, handing over his car keys to the employee who was waiting for him. He looked like a total outcast, but instead of being turned away, he was welcomed. It's the first time he actually came to work. Employees pause and bow to him, while he just smiles.
The security taps his id on the scanner of the entrance gate. It's only accessible with an employee's id, even guests are escorted to the waiting area without the person they're visiting's go signal. As usual, his and Hyunjae's office is on the top floor. The penthouse as he would say since his office is big enough for him to store various kinds of activities for his own leisure. Hands in his pockets, Haneul nods at the new receptionist on their floor. “It must be really boring out here, isn't it?” He jokes before turning to the East Wing of the floor. Hyunjae's office is at the West Wing. He pushes the door open to his wide and spacious office, not even glancing at Youngmi or Dani but he nodded at the greeting before slumping on his office chair.
“Hmmm.. Youngmi-ah, tell the HR department I like their choice of chair for me.” Giving the female a thumbs up and that stupid grin on his face. He then looks at Dani, eyeing her from head to toe.
“What are you wearing? I thought you went through training already?”
Haneul yawns as he wakes up at a stranger's flat. Surprisingly enough, he was still decent. Clothes still on his body and he was on a couch. Smart move for whoever was the kind stranger that had let him sleep over. He scratches here and there, bed hair looking like a birds nest and his throat was dry.
“Water.” He murmured to himself. Thank god there was no crazy hangover for him but the need for water was there. He stood up, searched for the kitchen and when he found it, went to the fridge right away to grab a bottle of cold water, drinking it in front of the open refrigerator and when he was done quenching his thirst, Haneul closes the door. “Ugh.” He groans and then only did he took notice of your presence.
“The fuck!?” Haneul cursed. Obviously startled and wide awake now, he clutches on his chest and leans against the fridge. “You almost gave me a heart attack! Why were you just standing there and not saying anything!?” Asking the owner of the house such rude questions shouldn't have been an option, but there he was, forgetting his manners. Just as he has forgotten how the frickin' hell did he even end up sleeping at the stranger's place.
He eyes his cousin’s nose a little bit closer, seeing the green and yellow, making it look extra gruesome. Then the story about the nose came into play, and all he did was roll his eyes. “Why?” It was all he could ask because it just sounded ridiculous and such a Haneul thing to do. “You really went to the extreme, didn’t you? Just so you could date her?”
“I tried to stay in the Marines. He pulled me out. You know what kind of power and money that my old man has.” It's the truth. He was never meant to be more than just a soldier that's supposed to finish his mandatory service but he managed to get himself in the shoes he was not supposed to fill. “Hojun won't be able to inherit the company if I choose to leave suddenly. Me saying I don't want to run the company has called a lot of ruckus in the family already. Everyone's greedy for it.” All their uncles have been trying to get the CEO seat from his dad for ages now but his dad has always been the smooth talker. His connections are far greater than it seems. He's the man brought KH to new heights of success than what it once was.
“Being an asshole is a sign of being a true Kang.” As stupid as it may sound. Every man in the Kang family was known to be assholes. In more ways than one, sadly. “When did I break anything?” He asks. He shouldn't have. Haneul has had his moments. Broke a lot of things before, worn his clothes to the point he basically made them his. But at least, Haneul never touches Hyunjae's cars. He had absolute respect for those. They were big boy toys and he knew that if he messed with any of them, Hyunjae might actually kill him. “If it's about that vase a few years ago, let me tell you again, I was drunk then. I didn't notice it.” He didn't. He just grabbed it, called it ugly and flung it away from his sight before he climbed on the table and slept on it. No more vodka for him since then.
“I'll replace what I break. Don't rip me off.” He tells his cousin.
Haneul got himself out of the couch and he made his way around to the kitchen while maintaining some distance from Hyunjae just in case his old man tendencies reach him again. “Woah, woah, woah. Who said I wanted to date her?” True though. He was thinking of dating her but now she's basically his toy and she's gonna get the best of both worlds. Best because he's the best. Both worlds because he's going to being the best boss to the shitty boss without warning. She did agree to his terms at the station. “Hyung. She said I could sue her. That I should file a lawsuit and get a lawyer. So I did, I'm a good boy.” He isn't. It's just one of those Kang diseases he got. Good lord, was it horrible. The idea of the Kangs taking things literally. They know sarcasm but they respond by taking it literally. He's not sure if it's their way of revenge or well, they're just major assholes.
“I listened to her. She got what she wants. I got what I want. It's a win-win situation.” Taking a bread from the cabinet, Haneul leans against the counter this time. “Besides. You take things literally too. Mina told me you've been in a fight with your nurse.” He lifts an eyebrow as he takes a bite on the bread, waiting for Hyunjae's response. “The officer is working for me because she has to pay my bills. She assaulted me.” He let her assault him. “Can you believe I had to let her punch me first before I knew her name?” Haneul laughs, the memory wasn't that long ago but it's great to think about just how much he's using KH and filling in the shoes he has to for the sake of playing this game. “Noona, aren't you supposed to be off today?” He looks over to Hyunjae, getting a gist of the situation.
“Is that why your nose looks like that?” He was afraid to ask before, because it was so obvious, but it seemed he really got himself into trouble again. “Was that the weird phone call about? They said they were sending a few people from your team here.”
He remained nonchalant over the situation. If only he was born as Hyunjae's younger brother instead. How nice would that be? “You know it will.” Surely, it will. But he didn't care then, what more now? He didn't even hide the fact that his father never cared for him like a son, he's raising an heir, not his child. “It doesn't matter though, I'm sure he's more scared of losing an heir than losing any prospective business partners.” Scratching his head so freely in a situation which would've called for him to be at his best behavior. But no, not even in family meetings can you expect Haneul to act like the Prince he was raised to be.
“You always threaten to kick me out. Always telling me this and that but you never did. You can't do it, hyung. You love me too much to do that.” Hyunjae was the only one he can trust. Their family was a mess, always trying to find a weakness in Haneul to use it against him. Sadly for them, Haneul is a walking chaos who can cause trouble if he wants to and slip out of it, leaving nothing but mess for them to clean up. “Why do you live such a boring life? Don't you like adventure? Have you not tried climbing through the window?” He then pretends to realize something, pointing at Hyunjae's legs right after.
Haneul makes a huge X mark with his arms over his lower area. Looking at Hyunjae like he had offended the younger Kang in the middle of their conversation. “You're being an asshole, hyung.” Every man in the Kang family is. One way or another, they were all branded as assholes in their life even once. Maybe except for Hyunjae's dad. He's the definition of a perfect Kang. He smiles at Mina when she ruffles his hair. Something he thoroughly enjoyed. It felt good to know he still had Mina's affection despite working for Hyunjae. “I'm an officer too!” Inactive, that is. Nothing compared to him, to be honest. He has a badge and Haneul only has stripes. Not even a Staff Sergeant. “That's why I said technically, okay? You're rich. Why do you even want me to pay rent!?” He sighs.
“Thank you, noona.” Haneul smiles sweetly at Mina who obviously adored him more than she should. He's a weirdo in a sense but she seemed to find him rather adorable. “Why?” He whines out loud like a five-year-old as Hyunjae pulls Mina away from him. She's always been like everyone's favorite teacher at the daycare. He's actually glad she can put up with the Kangs, especially Hyunjae and Haneul's petty fights. “Noona, if Youngmi ever quits. Be my secretary instead.” Winking at the female as he sends her finger hearts despite Hyunjae's interruptions. “I'm asking noona to do it because Youngmi is busy training the new assistant secretary.” Waving off Hyunjae's pleas that he cleans up. He will. But that doesn't mean he'll do a good job at it.
He sighs, loudly. Flopping back on his seat and nodding. “You have no idea how much better it is now.” It isn't. It's still bruised but treatments have fixed the discoloration. It was blue and purple then but now it's around the hues of green and yellow. “Youngmi hired a makeup artist to hide that bruise, you know.” Pointing his nose and some part of his cheek where the bruise sits under the makeup which obviously had faded due to his sweating and moving. “Some officer mistook me for a thief. She then said I can sue her. I called Youngmi then she assaulted me at the police station. Mind you, she has a model physique and a pretty face. So I let her punch me once. We already settled though. I'm her boss now.”
“I’m Lee Dani, actually. Danielle is my alias.” She informs, also bowing, but avoiding the whole handshake thing. Her boss was probably going to yell at her for that later. But he smiled like he was about to lose his teeth and asked everyone to sit down, including her who took a seat across from Kang Haneul. “Let’s discuss propositions, shall we?”
Lee Dani. How interesting it was. He only learned her name after she had basically bruised his nose, made some vessels pop, jumped on him, accused him of being a thief and said he might need a lawyer. Hearing her introduce herself makes him smirk. He had to go through all that just for a name?
“Kang Haneul.” He replies in return but Youngmi felt the need to inform them who he is. “This is my boss, Mr. Kang Haneul. Chief Marketing Director and Heir to KH Electronics. Marine Corps Sergeant under the 2nd Marine Division.” Haneul didn't mean to brag and clearly, Youngmi wasn't trying to. Instead, it was meant to show that they should give the man equal respect just as much as she has.
“Attorney Kim Daewoo, I'll be representing KH Group today.” His lawyer introduces himself. They sit down and the first thing Haneul's lawyer takes out is the list of damages Dani had brought upon Haneul, who has been looking at Dani like she's a different person.
“As you can see on the list, Ms. Lee has brought a number of damages towards my client. According to Mr. Kang's statement, Ms. Lee told him to press charges legally.” He then submits a follow-up report on the number of damages and the medical bill following after it. While Daewoo had the confident aura, Youngmi had the intimidating one. It was a huge presence, especially with Haneul's laidback personality. Haneul wasn't interested in all the legal terms Daewoo was saying but he was firmly stating that the mere assault can land her in prison. Six months to twenty years, depending on how serious the case is.
“Mr. Kang was hospitalized admitted to the Myeongcho Medical Hospital at 9:27 PM and was released at 9:32 AM this morning.” Youngmi chimes in, making sure everyone knew this was serious. She then proceeds to show photos sent by his doctor on the damage Dani has left on Haneul's face.
“We demand Ms. Dani Lee to take responsibility for the damages or we'll settle this in court.”
Haneul shifts on his seat, obviously the chief was on the verge as he made a move as soon as he did. It's almost funny if they weren't in the station and that he doesn't have a lawyer present. “I'm sorry for all the trouble, Chief. Officer Dani did state I can sue her if I want and you see, I'm not a heartless man. I'm willing to settle on our differences.” Why did that sound like they're going through divorce? Haneul then proceeds by saying. “Instead of letting her end up in jail, I think we'll follow through with a fine for the charges. We'll charge her for the damages though.”
A glance was given at Daewoo and he presents the settlement agreement in which KH will not be pressing charges on court, they're willing to settle with Dani paying the fine and the damages inflicted on Haneul. But the amount of money for the damages alone could make someone lose their mind. Myeongcho Hospital doesn't charge cheap. And near the end of the contract, there was something more interesting.
“We won't take this to court if Ms. Lee agrees to work for KH Electronics throughout the duration of her suspension. She will have a salary like a normal employee.” Daewoo calmly says.
Haneul then looks at Dani.
“If you don't agree to my terms, we can settle this in court.”
“i let you spot for me, i don’t thin you can hurt me now.“ she states. she knows she looks small and vulnerable, but if anything, ten years in the mpd had taught her quite a bit about self defense and being able to knock anyone out if she tried hard enough.
“That's true.” Haneul then gently scratches the back of his head at the thought of meeting people who actually just focus on a certain thing. “But who am I to judge when I work out for hours and I just happen to stumble upon a beautiful woman who asked me to spot for her.” His tone was playful, just as he had intended it to be. It was no surprise when she told him that Myeongcho isn't the safest place. To be honest anywhere is unsafe if you don't know how to protect yourself. But then again she does have a point because.
“Yeah. It's been like a little over two months, I think?” He gives himself a slight nod while recalling when he first came to Myeongcho. The place was much better than in Seoul. No father to bother him every single day, trying his best to make Haneul take over the company and marry someone for the sake of business.
“My cousin was transferred here for work. I decided to follow him and work here too.” Not like he was actually working. He does come to KH's branch here in Myeongcho and truth be told he does have an office there but he's not the one doing any kind of paperwork. He's just there for show, to give justice to the money he's been spending. He then carefully takes a step out to the open, unlocking his car but the first thing he does is open the passenger door for her.
“I'd like to spare your legs for today.” He jokes. “I'm a gentleman, Heeyeon. It's not and never my intention to hurt women.” Even though he's a playboy by nature, he has mad respect for women for dealing with different kinds of men and living in a man's world, owning it while wearing heels.
“any particular place you had in mind?“ she asks, pushing the door open and holding it like that for haneul, looking up at him with a raised brow “there is a nice bibimbap place not so far from here, sound any good?“ she follows up. heeyeon isn’t sure where this overly friendly and rather flirty nature came from, but she doesn’t think its any bad, really. afterall, she was a grown woman, she was allowed to have a social life, even if work drowned it most of the time.
“Ah, you know. You can't just focus on the upper body.” Haneul found himself laughing it off. He didn't expect a woman to hold the door for him but he was thankful, to say the least. He smiles as she took his hand for a brief handshake. “Heeyeon. Hello, Heeyeon.” Repeating her name carefully. Psychologically speaking, people prefer being called by their name and it does leave a good impression as well. He thinks to himself where they could go for a quick and nice meal. But he hasn't been really the best with going round and about the island so he pauses in thought.
“I'm new here. I don’t really know where to go.”
He sheepishly smiles at her, running his fingers through his hair. “That sounds awesome.” The male replies and motions his hand to the parking lot where his white Lambo was waiting. It's nothing compared to his other cars. The matte white Lamborghini Urus was waiting for him to drive home. He wasn't thinking of getting a fancy car but he wasn't one to drive something he didn't trust. “I'm not sure how far it is but if you don't mind, I'll drive us there to save our legs from suffering any further damage.” Haneul kees a safe and open distance between him and Heeyeon to show respect to the woman. He's been raised to be a gentleman, not some barbaric male that's considered as a threat to the society.
“Don't worry. You're in safe hands. I'm not a newbie driver.”
heeyeon loved being in the gym. it helped her release steam when needed, helped her keep in shape, met people, had some sort of social life. pilates, boxing, rock climbing, cardio, yoga, weights, she did everything and enjoyed it. outside of work, she didn’t have much of a social life, it was a fact. she always studied, always kept the academy and doing good a top priority, she never really made any friends outside of the mpd. however, with finding a huge passion of the gym, she managed to create a few other friends so to say. some of them weren’t aware she was a captain at the police station, some said they had watched her talk on tv about cases. heeyeon didn’t care, or mind.
“hey,“ she starts, her usual polite smile on her lips as she approaches the person by the reception, ready to leave just like her. “thanks for the spotting today.“ she adds, swiping her card on her way out “you free for a drink or something? or do you count your calories?“ heeyeon teases, lighthearted, nothing too harmful.
No matter how much of a slob Haneul is at home, he keeps a good habit of hitting the gym every other day if not every single day. A good two to three hours but when he's in a good condition, four hours is easy for him. In Myeongcho, he doesn't have to worry about his dad having someone pick him up at the gym like he's a grade schooler. KH is a huge company and his dad can do anything he wants, but Haneul prefers to remain as the rebel of the family.
He had helped a few others at the gym and he found it rather amusing that some of them had mistaken him as an instructor due to his buff build. He isn't. He's a corporate heir with a lot of money to spend and a lot of time to spare. Instead of reading projects and signing company papers, he's been keeping his body fit just like when he was in the Marines. He was fiddling with his phone when he heard a familiar female voice, causing him to look up from his phone and sport that smile on his lips.
“Hey.” She's pretty, tall and she can surely lift weights. Which was nice. But instead of checking her out, he had helped her out. “It's nothing. You were doing such a great job, I felt like I was interfering.” Haneul joked and found himself laughing as they both had stepped out. “How about a light meal instead to prove I'm not watching my calorie intake?” He smiles and pauses before reaching a hand out to the female. “I’m Haneul, by the way.”
Haneul's evening was rather eventful. He had gone to the hospital to have his nose checked and not wanting to sleep elsewhere, he had asked the doctor to confine him in the hospital instead. A VIP room for him, you can only imagine how he's raking up the bill with one punch. It was a minor injury, he was told. His nose has bled throughout but it was fixed. Swollen and bruised, Danielle surely punched him right where it hurt. Haneul didn't suffer from any major nasal fracture but he was told a few vessels may have been damaged so it will heal naturally in no time. The doctor did what he could to make sure Haneul's nose doesn't get crooked. The treatment isn't going to be finished in a day, they said and he just waved it off. He's got the money for it. So he then sleeps it off. In the morning, Youngmi arrives in the hospital calmly as ever. She knows her boss tends to exaggerate things, if not, he's just a complete lazy ass who'll turn a bad situation into something else. Sometimes, it does get worse.
“Mr. Kang.” Youngmi calls out her boss to get up from the bed. It's 8 am and Haneul is treating his hospital room like a hotel room. “You have a 10 am appointment at the police station.” He waves it off as he gets up and pepares to leave, Youngmi reminding him he's the face of KH so he had to shower and change into a button down and slacks. He was a different man as he stepped out of the hospital and into a luxury car. His nose had been dressed to stop the swelling but the blue bruise was obvious underneath it. He didn't ask Youngmi to bring him a personal bodyguard and driver but he got them. Two bodyguards and a driver that been trained for physical combat in case of emergency.
Two black luxury sedans pull up in front of the station and as Haneul walks in, his secretary and lawyer walk behind him. “We're here to file a case against Officer Danielle.” Youngmi says as Haneul takes a seat. His bodyguards standing close. “You two should wait outside. We're crowding the station.” He tells them. “I'm afraid they can't do that, Mr. Kang. You've been assaulted twice last night. We're not taking any risks.” Youngmi is a cold woman, she tolerates Haneul's childish behaviors but at the same time, she makes sure she gets her job done and his as well.
And then she punched him in the nose, feeling her knuckles connect with flesh and bone, and all hell broke loose at the station.
He's seen anger and disappointment in her eyes and Haneul almost laughed. Wanted to tell her that she's not the only one out there who looks at him like he's crazy. Most of his relatives do. Even Hyunjae who has been tolerating his ass for the past what? 20 years? He's always been the troublemaker of the family. The first direct successor to actually openly tell the family he has other plans in life other than becoming the next face of the KH Group. When asked, what his plan was, his answer was simple and incredibly stupid. Which was to be expected from him. To actually have a plan in life. His father almost beat him up but who would dare lay a finger on the very man that can carry the whole company on his shoulders with ease? He was raised to be a businessman and when he thought business and rationality can triumph this situation, he thought wrong.
Hojun, his half-brother, has beaten him many times and he never fought back. He's just a boy, Haneul always had that in mind and in this situation, Danielle, as they have called her, is just a woman. Not just any woman though, when she jumped on him the second time, he was aware. He could've used his reflexes to get away from her but she's not a problem he can't solve. He wasn't in the marines for years for nothing. He's gotten in trouble by stopping fights. After his training and his decision to continue serving in the Marine Corps before his father had him pulled out intentionally, he came out as a Sergeant. He may be one of the youngest officers to attain such rank. But some officers said it was expected, as his cousin was a high ranking officer in the Army. He was a different man in the Marines and he lives a different life as Kang Haneul.
He let her punch him once before he grabbed her wrists. “Enough.” He said, the smile on his face had faded and he could feel something warm dripping from his nose. Its blood. He's aware of it. He looks at the other officers who looked at him in shock with how calmly he's taking it. “Get her away from me,” Haneul said and waited for them to grab her, only then did he manage to wipe his nose. It hurt, there was no denying that. But he was calm as he got up and asked for their superior. Someone tried to stop him and he looks at them before quietly mentioning that he's a Marine Corps Sergeant. He wasn't stripped off of his ranks when he came out of the Marines, he simply had to continue his family's legacy.
“Eh?” The male stood there in horror. “I'm Sergeant Kang Haneul of the Marine Corps.” He takes off his hoodie before proceeding to the said office. Whether it was silent or a ruckus behind the door he just closed, he didn't care. “I'm pressing charges. Physical assault with witnesses. Even if everyone denies it, there are cameras everywhere. I don't know who trained your officers but my legal team will be here tomorrow morning. I'll bring the medical certificate too.” Haneul then takes out his calling card with his position as the Chief Marketing Officer on it. He places it on the desk before he leaves. “If she wants to settle. You know where to contact me. If not, I'll make sure this goes up to the court.” The young heir doesn't forget his manners as he bids the chief farewell, bowing before he leaves the office. His bloodied hoodie in hand. He stops by the desk of the officer who identified him.
“I’m clear, aren’t I? I need to go to the hospital. Please contact me if there’s any need for me to be present here again.” He then gives his calling card and leaves. Not even looking at her as he stepped out of the station. All those movies and dramas were a lie. Dammit. Why can't he get a date for a settlement and an apology to go with it? She's such a challenge dammit.
She was grumbling all the way back, knowing she had to apologize to this guy now. Fuck she even had the find the women and apologize to her too, for not bringing back her purse. “Shit even lost my groceries now…” Shaking her head, she sees the tall man casually sitting in his chair, looking like he owned the place. Maybe he did, with the amount of money he apparently held. “Can we talk in private, Mr. Kang?”
Fiesty. The woman was spicy and she didn't play pretend with him. No need to look pretty or anything remotely close to how women act around him in Seoul. Those who know how much money he makes without doing anything all day. When she was finally gone, he comfortably sat there and people began murmuring. They offered him coffee so he accepted it and he sips his coffee as he begins holding a conversation with some officers who had the guts to actually talk to him.
“By chance, are you Commander Kang's cousin?”
Haneul nods calmly. No big deal. But he knows his cousin was a big shot in the army and the police force as well. “I came to Myeongcho to see him but as you can see, I got called a thief.” He shrugs and they murmur again. “What exactly happened, Sir?” Oh, how happy he was to share what happened. “I got out of my friend's flat and was going to eat some snacks on the next block when someone jumped on my back!” Haneul did all these hand motions in the air, giving an exaggerated re-enactment as he continued with the story. They ask if he's hurt and even though he wasn't, he pretends to be hurt, lips pursed with a painful expression on his face as he sighs.
As she finally appears after what seems to be an eternity, or well, a cup of coffee. He sits back on his chair, casually taking out his phone while everyone went back to their jobs. As if they weren't looking at her and he's not deaf. It was ridiculous how they have so much to say about her. They said women were talkative but looks like everyone in the station can prove them wrong. Haneul puts down the empty paper cup that held his coffee for the past few minutes. He lifts his index finger and calls someone on his phone. How can she call him a thief when his phone is the latest KH model whose price starts higher than Apple's newest phone.
“Hello, Youngmi.” Haneul calls up his secretary in Seoul. She's coming to Myeongcho soon anyway so better give her a job before she comes here. “Oh, I was wondering if you can contact anyone in the legal department tonight? Yeah, some police officer jumped on me and called me a thief. No, I don't want to settle. She did say I may need a lawyer and a lawsuit so make sure you fly here tomorrow morning.” He didn't even bother to look at the female as he spoke. His hand slips into his pocket calmly as he spoke, it was as if he was just in his office chair and doing a rather normal phone call.
“I'm charging for assault, defamation of character and threat. She did say she'll beat me. Don't inform Hyunjae hyung or Mina about this. I'm sure they'll try to appease me and ask me to settle instead. I want you and the legal team here asap.” Haneul's voice rang loud and clear. She did say all those things so he's not scared of her now and he's sure as hell everyone's probably scratching their heads with the trouble he's about to bring everyone.
“Oh, sorry. I had to make a phone call.” Smiling at the female as he then slides his phone into his pocket. He refused to get up. Shaking his head at her. “No can do, officer. You threatened me earlier. What if you suddenly knocked me out? You said I can sue, right? My secretary will be here with KH's legal team tomorrow. If there's anything you'd like to tell me. Say it now. Do you want to settle instead?”
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