Chapter Text
If a name caused someone to stop for a moment to think, laying down their task even if it's just for a second, they know that the name stands for power. There are a few ones, mostly it's negative if they think about the terror organizations that made the world shiver whenever they struck. But there is one name that won't cause anxiety, that won't made them feel threatened. In south Korea that name is Halio. The foundation was established shortly after the war and gained so much influence that they now play in all leagues and the charity parties, ah, there are so popular that anyone begged to be a part of it. The donations skyrocket into oblivion and nobody scrutinized the progress at all, leaving the company with total control over billions. How could they when there is a so much they've done already? Building schools, facilitate projects to help the poor. And all because of the great and well known president Jeon. No matter who paved the way he got all the recognition.
And that part made you furious as you sat next to your younger brother Jungkook at a press conference for the company. In the few years where you worked in the higher ranks of the foundation you met with various people, kissed the ground and sucked everything up to get them as partners or to get them out of the way. But to see your younger sister on the pedestal, right next to your father made your face burn with hatred and afterwards you felt glad, that both of you sat at the sidelines, invisible for the cameras. After the sixth question about the new projects you actually proposed and never got mentioned, you stood up quietly and walked out of the hall through a door, just a few journalists had their eyes on. You didn't thought about the possibility that Jungkook followed you to grab your hand.
“Noona, he'll be angry if you leave now.” You looked up, meeting his harsh glance. His hair was styled back and only one strand of hair fell onto his forehead. Your father would be thrilled to see that his only son grew up to be not only attractive but also looked like a president. Even if he might never be on the top because of him.
“Let him, I can't stand this and you shouldn't either.” you answered while freeing your wrist out of the younger mans hand, “You know his plan with Jung-Eun.” You sighed aggressively and rubbed your forehead with frustration. “It's not fair, she never lifted a finger in her entire life and now he wants her on the top? I don't think so.”
The harsh expression faded into a sympathetic one as he moved closer to you and embraced you in a gently hug, “Why are you working so hard then? Maybe you need a vacation. Let's go together somewhere.” You closed your eyes and pictured yourself beside your brother at the beach, clubbing in a warm place or just laying at a pool where the sun beams. You felt for a split second the need to go, the need to get away from all of this. However a new pictured burned inside your mind which made you push him away. The smug grins of both your father and your sister. They would think they won and you got away, your tail between your legs.
“I can't. I wont let this happen.” Again your eyes sought after the caring ones of your brother, “I will not hand over the hard work I did for the foundation only to get it snatched away by our sister and our father. He will see what happens, if I don't get what I deserve.”
With that you turned around to walked the deserted hallway down to the entrance, guarded by the security your father paid. They bowed slightly as you left the building and out of reflex you bowed too even if you weren't in the mood to be polite to the men of your father. You stopped in front of the street and fought the urge to scream away your anger, instead you called your personal secretary, the only thing your father freely gave permission to.
“I'm done.” was all you needed to say to him. A few minutes passed until a black SUV drove in your direction and parked neatly I front of you. The door of the front seat opened and revealed the always astonishing man, who held open your door with an even more beautiful smile. You smiled back, shaking your head, “Seokjin, why are you still working for me? For a split second I thought a model was driving my car.”
He chuckled at your remark, “Miss (Y/N), how can I leave you? Without me you probably throw your sister out of the 30th floor” He wasn't wrong, but even if your sister tried to rip everything you had out of our hands, she will, and always will be your sister and you had good memories too not to mention that if you had a problem, she was always there. You nodded and got into the back seat.
After he sat again in the driving seat, his eyes glanced into the rear view mirror , “You haven't any plans for today, is there something you want to do?” The question caused you to exhale sharply. Right, you wanted to go out to dinner with your family after the conferee but now you left early. And to attend it after you left without the permission was a definite no.
“To the office. I have a few things to sort out and since both my father and sister aren't there now is just a bonus to it.”
Seokjin nodded and drove off, away from the event hall and into the busy streets of Gangnam. You tapped impatiently on the door handle deep in thoughts. Jungkook was right with one thing: Your last vacation was after you left the university and it would be such a wonderful thing to go. The longest time you weren't caught up in work was the time you were sick. Maybe this is the reason the whole affair scratched on your ego like that. But whatever might set you off you decided to get the foundation under your control. You handled nearly everything on your own anyway. Why your father decided that your sister might be the best option to run the Foundation was a mystery to you and why he thought he can actually give her the power over it without losing a lot of shareholders you won't be able to give account for. All the shareholders strongly believed, that you'll be the next chairman of Halio Foundations and bought stocks because of this fact. So at least you had a bunch of people by your side while you reckoned only the old ones stick by your father.
As soon as you entered the company building, everyone bowed deeply and you smiled whereas you walked a beeline to the elevators you opened with your business card. Seokjin strode close behind you and pushed the button for the 30th floor where not only your office was but also the place your personal secretary worked. You walked the hallway halfway through only to look to your left. The office of your sister was empty, only her secretary, Kang, was typing away on her computer as you approached her, bowing lightly. “Miss Kang, my sister won't be coming today. You can go home now.”
You obviously startled her. With a quick motion she pushed her glasses up and smiled stiffly, “Miss Jeon (Y/N)! I- I can't go. Miss Jeon Jung-Eun said I need to finish this and work on-” You interrupted her by turning the screen of. The brunette looked at you with wide eyes that spoke for themselves. Your sister was a short tempered woman and choleric when it came to perfection. You hated how she treated your employees and above all, how she treated poor Miss Kang who made a wonderful job in your opinion.
“No you don't. It's a work instruction.”, you said fondly and padded her shoulder lightly, “If you feel uncomfortable, I give you a task that maybe get you more relaxed.” You looked to Seokjin who grinned friendly, only to get you a few money bills you on the other hand, laid on the desk of the poor secretary whose eyes seemed to get even wider by the sight of it. “Miss Kang, I want you to get me and my secretary a coffee. But before that you will use this money to treat yourself, whatever it is. I assume four hours is enough to get you a bit off work, right?” You winked and saw a little tear streaming down, the brunette quickly wiped dry. She jumped up with such force, that the chair behind her fell to the floor and bowed deeply, thanking you over and over while picking it up again. She left her part of the office with a hurry, burying the money bills into her purse.
“You're very generous, Miss (Y/N)”, Seokjin remarked after the elevator doors closed again, “But I assume you only gave her the money to get rid of her.”
You clutched your chest with pretended offense, “Dear Mr Kim. I won't tolerate this accusation!” Looking as innocent as possible you reached to the computer display and turned it on again. The display revealed a list of party invitations, Mrs Kang needed to express and to mail. “She's planning a party.” You explained to the black haired man who already lost interest and walked away only to turn around again. “In my name. She knew if she planned it with her name, the right people won't attempt. I show her what it means to have more pull. Get me that list please.”
Your secretary nodded, making his way to his desk to retrieve a flesh drive. You crossed your arms while walking past his neat and organized working place, the complete opposite of Miss Kang's. No wonder that your sister tried not only once to get Seokjin to work for her. And not only ones you thanked him for his unbending loyalty because each time, he turned it down.
“The party is in a few weeks, on her birthday”, you mumbled more to yourself than your secretary, “Where is the party? Can you find that out?” You asked now louder for Seokjin to hear.
“I don't know yet but I will tell you as soon as I find it.” he assured and you smiled while opening your office door. You were met with the calming smell of your favorite fragrance which always lingered in it. You passed the small conference table, the sitting area with the beige sofas and arm chairs and headed to your wooden writing desk to think about the information you received from Kang's computer. If she really planned that party in your name and didn't tell you, she'll invent a surely scandalous lie why you didn't want to participate. A media storm would hit you the next morning and a chain of events would occur that nobody can predict after the first stone fell. Again you tapped your fingers in an unknown rhythm, thinking how you can use it as an advantage.
The door opened after you switched your computer on and went through your emails. Your eyes met Seokjin's twinkling one and you knew he found something. “She booked a whole hotel for it. Guess which?”
“Let me think.” Your sarcasm almost dripped from your exaggerated gestures, “Serendipity? The very hotel chain that belonged to the father of a certain Park Jimin Jung-Eun is after?”
“Exactly. I guess that's why she used your name” the noirette confirmed as he laid a folder on your desk, “Jimin told me that he felt uncomfortable around her because she got a little to touchy after a few drinks.” His face changed into something that you could only describe as sympathetically. There are just a select group of people who knew about Jimin a little secret he kept. You knew it since Jungkook is the best friend of him and went out clubbing one night where he let all his guards fell. Jimin was gay. A fact you and at least half the world didn't care at all but he was the son of an influential businessman. A scandal like that could ruin his reputation. “Should I give him a call to cancel the booking?”
“No”, you said with a shaking head, “No, I tell you what we do.”
To open a westerly bar in the middle of Seoul was a dream come true for Kim Namjoon who fell in love with the pubs he visited in London while he made a year abroad. The feeling, the mood and above all, the taste of western alcohol was something he thought everybody should try at least one time in his life. He named it Elizabeth's, clearly after the queen of England and in a blink of an eye it was the center of attention and a hot spot for young and old. The fact that he opened the pub on the edge of Itaewon and Gangnam only gained him more influence and he was asked more than once to expand because his establishment were always packed to the brim.
So when the blonde man walked in a bit later on a Thursday evening and found his bar empty he stopped at the front door, glaring questioningly to his bartender who made a guilty face while pointing at a sign in the windows Namjoon didn't catch at first. He bent slowly backwards, only to get more questions rising up. 'Private function tonight'.
“What?”, the blonde asked while stomping to the bar, “What private function? How can you just decide that without telling me?” The fact that he didn't know what to feel made him look even more dangerous to his employee who fidgeted with his hands like his life depended on it.
“I called you. Three times but you didn't took it and they wanted confirmation...”, he answered sheepishly, looking guilty and a bit intimidated by the look his boss gave him, “They told me to book the bar and-”
“You thought it was a good idea”, anger crept from the pit of his stomach and he was close to a breakdown. He was indisposed and turned his smartphone off. It wasn't his fault and Baekchul, who looked sicker by any passing minute, knew that. “Who?”, he finally asked to maybe get an idea, how much money he'd lose tonight, because of a stupid mistake, “Who is this private function?”
“They... They said Halio.” Baekchul looked up, scared to fail his boss again but instead the same boss who looked like murdering him right then and there seemed to stop all his body functions while his eyes are trained on him. For a good two minutes he stood like that in front of the bar and the bartender was close to call an ambulance.
“Did they say something about the payment?”
Baekchul nodded slowly, “They said they would come up for the expanses and pay the double of tonight's income.”
Namjoon put his hand a bit to hard on the counter, “Wow. Okay.” He cleared his throat which felt a bit dry after this unexpected course of events, “Next time you will wait for my instructions, Baekchul, or else!”
The black haired male exhaled with a bow, already came to terms with being fired, “Yes, boss. The party will start in half an hour, thank you, Sir!”
Namjoon nodded while taking his jacket he had thrown onto one of the bar stools and walked past the man behind the bar into the hallway, past the kitchen and the storage room and into the staff room. He laid his belongings on a chair in the corner and let himself fell into another. Double income. That would be roughly 10 million won if he used the accounting of last Thursday. He chuckled quietly and rubbed his forehead. He couldn't understand the higher society. How they can just book a whole location with the snap of their fingers and getting 10 million won out of their pockets made him feel a bit troubled. If he had that power, that much money, his life would be so much easier.
The blonde shook his head and got out of his hoodie and ripped jeans to change into a white button down and black slacks. His hair looked a bit disheveled from the breeze outside but nothing to serious and he wouldn't make a fuss just because well-heeled people will visit his pub. He went out again and for the last minutes he rearranged the back seats so his guest would be undisturbed and not in the middle of the imported windows he bought back in London. Baekchul informed him, that the party consisted of five people so he didn't needed a big table. He thought sitting on couches instead of chairs would be more comfortable so he set the coffee table in the corner and went back to the front after he checked that everything was at it's place.
With curiosity getting the better of him he walked behind the counter next to Baekchul. “Did you ever get to see the Jeon's yourself, Baekchul?” His employee shook his head while drying a glass. “Me neither, at least not in person. The CEO of Halio is the talk of the town and I heard his children all look like they belong in a movie.”
The bartender laughed and showed his small crinkles around his eyes, “Yeah, I heard that too. Who knows? Maybe you're making such an impact that the mysterious daughter will lay her eyes on you.”
“I really doubt that I'm the type for such a woman”, Namjoon replied and leaned on the bar, facing the door, “Most of them will get arranged marriages anyway.” And, if the young man was honest, he didn't had time for a relationship no matter which woman he would lay eyes on. The only free time he had was consumed by his family and he wasn't sure if he could reschedule anything. At least not in the near future.
The party arrived a few minutes later than intended, but as soon as they entered everyone stopped in the middle of what they did. Even the cook who just brought a few glasses stared a bit to intensely to the entering people. The first one who opened the door was a black haired male in a suit, looking like a model for Chanel while smiling gently. The next three persons all where younger but no less beautiful and handsome. The first with black hair made a quick bow and asked where their tabled is only to crash himself into the cushions as soon as Namjoon pointed it out. The second was a brown haired male with glowing skin who too bowed and followed the first. The third one walked close behind, his light brown hair fell gently in his face as he bowed and his smiles made Baekchul nearly forgot that he was still holding a glass.
The last person who entered was a young woman, who run her hand through her hair, clearly searching the area for the owner of the pub, while the man in the suit let go of the door to embrace her jacket. It took Namjoon a few moments to return to the front of the bar (the young man complimented the bar and asked if they could come back with a real party which was a high compliment for the blonde who smiled wider than ever). But as soon as he stood in front of her, the world around him stopped. It seemed like everything went in slow motion while he met her gaze. Her eyes were as beautiful as the sunset, her hair looked like a waterfall and shined as such in the dimly light and he wanted to drink it all in, to savor it never to let go of the beauty that stood before him in an elegant dress.
Not till she spoke he noticed his staring and cleared his throat and bowed, “Good evening, I'm Kim Namjoon and I'm the owner of Elizabeth's. If you want anything just say it.”
Her smile struck him like lightning and her voice sounded to him like thousands of bells ringed. What happened to him? “I indeed have a question.” She looked around, to Baekchul and then to the sounds which came from the kitchen, “How many employees are here tonight? I assume you cut a few out because we are just five, right?”
The question was strange and Namjoon furrowed his brows in light confusion, “Well, yes. Only one cook and one bartender are here with me. If you expected more, I can call-”
She cut him off with this gorgeous smile and a raised hand, “No no. That's perfect. The thing is, that I need to discuss a few delicate matters with my friends. And we need as much privacy as you can give us.” She smiled to the man in the suit who reached into his pocket and held out a check, “I hope this will compensate the trouble.”
Namjoon bowed while taking the paper and nearly stumbled standing when he saw the number on it. “Ehm, isn't that to much?” It was just courtesy to ask. If he could, he would just get it and run to the nearest bank to transfer the money on his account as fast as possible.
The Jeon Daughter chuckled, “Yes, but I must emphasize that you and your employees keep your mouth shut. You see, nobody needs to know that we're here. That's why we decided to pay a bit more.” She indicated a bow and walked to the back, followed by the black haired male who still held her jacket.
Baekchul who heard the conversation, crept as quiet as possible to his boss, who looked at him in pure disbelief and showed him the cause of it. 15 million won, neatly written on the legal paper. Even if these private party was a pain in his ass, he would just suck it up. This money will help his family more than his dignity.