Pairing: ceo!Jongin x journalist!Reader
Genre: CEO AU
Rating: M
Summary: You confront him and find you might have bitten off more than you can chew.
Word Count: 1.6k 😭 he said fuck a drabble
Warnings: language, invasion of personal space with no clear consent as well as a kiss, ends on a cliffhanger because I'm putting the smut in its own post, they low-key admit to stalking each other, it's a messy situation but I promised i'd share so here we are.
⟨⟨ Series ML || Group ML || Next ⟩⟩
If it hadn’t been for the flash of headlights when he unlocked his car, you wouldn’t have spotted him. Your source swore on his mother’s grave the rumor was true, that he’d seen it himself, and now you owed him five hundred bucks. All in the name of journalism.
One of the more infamous Kims, Jongin was a master of deception. He avoided the paparazzi with ease and turned down all attempts to interview him. But not tonight, not this time. You double checked your recorder was ready and left your hiding spot in the shadows.
“Mr. Kim!” You jogged over, careful not to touch his shiny Maserati lest he accuse you of vandalism on top of harassment. “Fancy seeing you out this late. Got a minute?”
He looked around bewildered until his gaze landed on you and his eyes narrowed as he kept eye contact. “Whatever it is the answer’s ‘no’, ‘no comment’, or ‘fuck off.’”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” you muttered as you scrambled to put yourself between him and the driver’s door. “Like what you’re doing here at Oh Sehun’s penthouse at,” you checked your watch, “two in the morning. Wow. Kinda late for any business meetings, isn’t it?” You looked up at him with a smirk. “But then again, aren’t you two ‘sworn rivals’ who refuse to work together?”
“Get out of my way before I call the police.” His voice was monotone, utterly bored even though the show had barely started. “I’ll make sure to have my attorney contact your boss about personal space and stalking.”
“Look, I’ll cut the shit if you do to the same.” You shifted your weight to your other leg as you pulled out a stack of polaroids your source had given you. “It looks like some secret love affair between rivals, but I know better. I’ve seen the numbers after these little visits. Tell me you two aren’t secretly working together to maximize your company’s profits.”
He blinked a few times. “What?”
“Stock manipulation is fraud, Kim. This is so close to insider trading I can smell the SEC crawling out of their sewer hole.” You palmed the recorder hidden in your pocket, reassuring yourself you could do it. You could go in for the kill. “All I have to do is turn in my findings and they’ll jump at the chance to bring you both down. Imagine what it’ll do to your company, your reputation.”
He was quiet as he processed your words, eyes still focused on you. You could almost see the gears in his head turning. When he spoke, his voice was low, just above a whisper that you weren’t sure would pick up on your recorder. “Are you sure you want to go that route?”
The threat left you uneasy, but it wasn’t unexpected. You knew this could happen given who he was and the money he had at his disposal. “Are you? I admit, I’m just one person. If I disappear there’s not many who’d miss me. But once the accusation’s out there, no one will ever let you forget it, especially with the evidence I’ve gathered.”
He blinked a few times as his head slowly tilted to the side. It was possible he’d get violent. You weren’t even sure he was unarmed. You’d had the sense to send a backup of your files to your coworker, Minhee, along with a scheduled email to your supervisor, but you hadn’t processed that meant you wouldn’t see either of them again. A slow smirk curved his lips and he took a step forward into your personal space.
“You’re so brave, you know that?” He put a hand on top of his car over your shoulder and leaned in. “And so smart. Anyone else would keep their distance and make wild assumptions, but not you. Oh, no. You were a good girl and had to be thorough.” One of his cold fingertips traced your cheek. “I have to admit, I admire that level of dedication.”
The switch in his demeanor was sudden. It felt like your head was actually spinning. “I’m sorry?”
“You don’t get to where I am without knowing everyone, _____. And I’ve known about you for a while now.” He reached into your pocket, closed his hand around yours, and pressed stop on the recorder. “I’ve heard all about your exceptional detective work, about your award winning articles, and your addiction to danger.” He bit his bottom lip. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
Mindfuck couldn’t even begin to cover your mental state at the moment. All you could do was nod dumbly.
He leaned against you, slotting his thigh between yours, and said, “This is the most trouble I’ve ever gone through to get closer to someone.” His fingers lightly traced over your coat before settling on your waist. “Will you make it worth my time?”
You blinked away the stupor and leaned back to look up, bringing your faces mere inches away from each other. “I’m not stupid enough to fall for your schemes. I know what I saw and what I’ve found.”
He nodded. “And I know people who can hack networks and databases and manipulate the information you find. I know your most trusted source would say anything for the right amount of money. For fuck’s sake, I’m the king of the fashion industry. If anyone knows how to set the stage, it’s me.” His hands moved up to your waist and gently pulled you back to him. “Everything you think you know is all a part of my show.”
For the first time since you’d stepped out that night, you felt the cold. The chill seeped through your gloves and boots and into your skin, right down to the bone. “B-bullshit. You’re full of—”
“I could be, sure. You’re more than welcome to file a report. Go public and tell the world how I’m a wolf in sheep’s skin. My PR team and lawyers will have it all swept away by the time you go to sleep.” He shrugged. “Whatever makes you feel better. I won’t hold it against you. As long as you’ll reward me for working so hard.”
You put a hand on his chest with barely enough push behind it to keep him from getting closer. “Reward you? How would I—”
“Come home with me, pretty girl.” His voice dropped to a murmur as his thigh moved higher. “Just give me one night. Need to see you spread out on my bed, tangled in my sheets. Gotta know how you taste, what sounds you make.”
You grabbed his arms and squeezed. “You want me to believe you risked your reputation just to get me in bed? That’s outrageous!”
The lust in his eyes gave way to a confused frown. “I take it flattery doesn’t do it for you?”
“Not when it’s obvious bullshit. I’ll take my chances.” You pushed a little harder and he took a step back, putting his hands into the pockets of his slacks to adjust them. Popping a boner to sell his story was a bit much, but maybe he was really committed to the lie. You’d heard of stories of millionaires getting into kinky, stupid shit because they were bored and could wipe their ass with money. If this wasn’t some clever way to cover his ass and keep the SEC out of his business, it was entirely possible he’d really orchestrated everything. But for you? Nah.
Unless…
“Can you prove it?” It took a lot of willpower to look him in the eyes and not shy away. “Can you prove everything you’ve done? To trick me, I mean. Prove to me you’re not committing fraud.”
That smile returned. “Of course. I accounted for your skepticism, and since I was already leaving a trail for you to follow, made a backup on a flash drive. Of course, that’s at my place.” His eyes trailed down your body and back up. “It’s just a short ride from here.”
“You want me to follow you to your place?” You poked a thumb in the direction of your car.
He shook his head. “It’d be much easier if you just rode with me.” He gestured to his car. “Just hop in and we’ll be on our way.”
You threw up your hands. “If you’re gonna kill me, just do it here and be done with it! Or let me go home so you can pay someone else to do it.”
“I already told you. How many other ways do I need to spell it out for you?” He took a step forward. “I’ve had my eyes on you.” Another step. “And l want you bad enough to go through all this trouble,” he caged you up against his car, “just to get you right here, just like this. I wanna kiss you so bad, pretty girl. Bet you taste better than I imagine. The innocent ones always do.”
He leaned in and you couldn’t help it. You couldn’t ignore the growing spark of desire he’d ignited. His lips were cold, but the way he moaned upon contact with yours was enough to forget the sensation. His hands cradled your head, keeping you in place as he ghosted his lips over your mouth. A quick swipe of his tongue left a chill over your bottom lip before he pulled away.
“Don’t make me get on my knees and beg, baby. Get in the car.”
