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I never expected you to come, but now you’re here,
I’d hate for you to l e a v e.
His world was crumbling a couple of hours ago – and he didn’t even try to exaggerate anything.
The news did spread fast. The good one, the bad one. But definitely not the true one. Jumin Han couldn’t think clearly when he saw his face, side by side with the woman who once visited his residence, which he heartlessly drove out without any slight hesitation. Sarah was indeed something, he thought; how crude and shameless of her to publish such fake news regarding their ‘relationship’. But Jumin, being Jumin Han, he decided not to take further action and let his trusted chief assistant take care of her. He knew he could trust Jaehee Kang more than anyone – or at least until one of his bodyguards knocked his room,
She was there.
That particular lady he had been longing for was there.
Jumin never knew that a person could rebuild his shattered life in seconds; he realized it now in an instant when he looked at her in the eyes. The sound of her stepping heels escaped his ears, the noise from the swinging door behind her back vanished – but the time, the time stopped. He could almost see how those light brown strands of her froze when it should’ve been swaying. Seconds and minutes became irrelevant.
And she was there,
He once believed it was her who appeared in his dream, but tonight, he was deeply convinced that it was always her all this time. The words she typed to calm him down. The voice she spoke to soothe his anxiety. The picture of her he tried to enhance the resolution to get a better view of her face – all those things, came to the truest form of a human, standing right before him. Jumin, lost in the trap of time, stared a bit too much longer than appropriate, absorbed by her innocent beauty. He had to mentally slap himself before apologizing for being rude – and he swore to God, his voice was cracking, so very close to sighing in relief.
He couldn’t map those strange emotions storming inside of his head; excited, delighted, but at the same time, contended. It was similar but far more pleasant if he compared it with the giddy sensation he experienced every time he got a chance to hug Elizabeth after a long business trip across countries.
Happiness – was this it, they called happiness?
Looking at her and she looked at him back, concerned, that was happiness?
Jumin thought he was fulfilled, for wealth, money and power were things which accompanied him since he was born. He was born with it, raised in it, growing up using it – but now, once her lips moved and her sincere, soft voice echoed in the room, Jumin knew he found the missing piece he didn’t even bother to search. And how stupid he was for letting her look for him when it was he who needed her the most.
“…it would’ve been better if I went to pick you up.”
There was a glimpse of remorse, but Jumin concealed it by question after question. Who asked her to do this, was it dangerous to come alone, and – he couldn’t believe he said this – asked her to stay for today.
‘Stay’ was a powerful request,
For him, who never let anyone came too close, not after V and Rika, not even the rest of the RFA members – to logically think that this lady was the newest to join the organization… Jumin, for the first time of his lonely life, failed to justify his action. He barely relied on his brain when he made this decision, to have her around, to be with her a little bit longer. Perhaps, Rika was right – one day, he would find someone who could see him beneath his stone-cold exterior, who was willing to penetrate the hard shell of him, to understand him wholly. Jumin placed a palm to cover his mouth from blabbering more unnecessary words,
Am I allowed to be this happy?
Jumin turned his back, avoiding her worried eyes, wondering if his sudden heart palpitation was a normal reaction to this surprise. The fact that she radiated warm energy and made him feel better, every single thing about her – Jumin gulped hard, tried his best to hide his nervousness by introducing her to Elizabeth.
Get a grip of yourself, Jumin Han, his internal monologue resumed, as he maintained his polite manner, but less unapproachable. He might don’t realize it; how the twitch of his lips transformed into a gentle curve, how his usual sharp glare gradually softened, and how delicate his voice was when he held a light conversation with her. The wild, brutal beats of his heart slowly turned into its normal pulse; his breathing followed right after. Even though he didn’t feel sleepy at all – not to mention he had to solve abandoned documents tonight – he felt… peace. A balanced state he never experienced before meeting her in person.
Her presence beside him was the truest form of sincerity,
(—because in her, Jumin found something else but company; but also a purpose.)