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If Jaehee had to admit it—and she didn’t mind admitting this—she had to agree with Zen. The entire situation with Mr. Han and the party coordinator was… odd. And it was only getting worse.
Hana had gone to see the C&R director in an effort to cheer him up, but unfortunately for everyone, the situation with Sarah Choi escalated quickly, leaving Hana stuck at the penthouse. And strangely enough, she didn’t seem discouraged by that. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
With Mr. Han.
Jaehee shook her head, sighing as she waited for her coffee to brew. She was the last one in the office, which meant she had to lock up the floor. But it also meant that she could take her sweet time.
She stretched her shoulders, rolling her neck to the side. All of her muscles felt stiff after spending so much time in a chair—it had been a long day, and the RFA’s drama certainly hadn’t eased her workload. If anything, Mr. Han’s absence did exactly the opposite.
Lifting her arm, she pulled back her sleeve and looked at her watch. 11:31pm. As she noted the time, she couldn’t help the yawn that overtook her. Well, that’s what the coffee was for.
At last, she collected her drink and placed the lid on her travel cup, taking a careful sip. Scalding hot, just the way she liked it. At least something was going her way.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, drawing her attention away from her caffeinated salvation. She pulled it out and checked her lockscreen for a notification:
Hana has entered the chatroom.
Jaehee blinked, taking a moment to register what that meant. Hana was still awake?
Well, there was no sense in leaving her by herself.
She unlocked her phone and logged into the messenger, opening up the chatroom. As she did, she began leaving office, flicking off the breakroom lights and making her way toward the elevator.
Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom.
Hana : Jaehee, you’re here!
Jaehee Kang : Hello, Hana. It’s quite late for you to be awake, isn’t it?
Hana: I could say the same to you.
Hana: Besides, I couldn’t sleep.
Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han isn’t keeping you up, is he?
Hana: Oh, not at all. Jumin is the perfect gentleman, actually ^^ He’s really sweet.
Jaehee felt a sudden pang of emotion, one that she couldn’t identify, and it made her heart ache. That frustrated her—how could she not know her own feelings? Then again, everything was confusing when it came to Hana Yu.
She also had a hard time imagining her boss as “sweet”. She wasn’t sure what made her more uncomfortable: Mr. Han’s alleged sweetness, or the fact that Hana was happy with him.
Neither was a pleasant thought.
Jaehee Kang: I’m happy for the both of you. But is something keeping you awake?
Hana: Just thinking, I guess. What are you up to, Jaehee? Rewatching Zen’s DVDs? lol
Jaehee Kang: Sadly, no. I’m just leaving the office now.
Hana: What?!? You’re still working? Jaehee, that’s really not healthy…
Another twinge, but this time, she smiled. The girl’s concern was touching, truly. Unwarranted though it was, as she herself had chosen to stay late, it was a thoughtful gesture. She briefly wondered why Hana chose to worry, especially when she had Jumin beside her—metaphorically, she hoped—but a ding! from the elevator interrupted her thoughts.
She never liked to text while she walked, viewing it as highly irresponsible, so she logged out of the messenger and continued on her way.
Once she exited the office building, she took a deep breath, relishing the fresh air that entered her lungs. Well, as fresh as the city air could get, she supposed. Nonetheless, it felt freeing to finally get out of the building at the day’s end. Even if it felt like her day never ended.
The subway station was just a block away, and once she was seated in the metro, she debated upon going back to the messenger. But was anyone even online?
She pulled the app up and quickly scanned the chatroom. It was empty. She had been the first to leave, so she shouldn’t have expected anything. Regardless, she felt her heart sink ever so slightly.
She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, thankfully, as the train reached her stop within minutes. Only once she was entering her apartment was she truly able to relax. Her safe space.
At the kitchen table, she set up her laptop to take care of the day’s final tasks. The week had been a storm of deadlines, new hires, and cat projects, and of course Jaehee was the one to handle it all. So, like the good little employee she was, she carried out her tasks with the practiced efficiency of a lifetime corporate servant.
An hour later, she was finished. Well, finished with her own work, that is. She yawned and set about the tasks that Mr. Han had abandoned, which took about another two hours. By the time she was finally ready to retire (for the night, anyway), the clock read 3:00 A.M.
Placing her now-empty coffee cup on a table, she shed her blazer as she made her way to the bedroom. And, irresponsible though it was, she sank into her bed, despite not having changed out of her work clothes.
God, she was tired. But she couldn’t stop thinking.
She turned her face into her pillow, sighing. “Poor Hana,” she mumbled, and she pulled the comforter up to her face before realizing she was speaking to herself.
She decided to check her phone one last time before she fell asleep. Opening the messenger, a text from Hana was waiting for her:
‘Goodnight, Jaehee. I hope you don’t work too hard <3’
Jaehee exhaled a soft laugh, and she smiled. It was nice to be appreciated.
Morning brought her the gift of a pounding headache—her karma for another caffeine-fueled night. Always the early riser, she slipped out of bed and fell into her routine. She practically ran on autopilot as she ate breakfast, showered, brushed her teeth, and put on clothes; every day was more of the same. But the mechanical rhythm of her morning allowed her mind to wander to more pressing matters.
Hana had stayed another night with Mr. Han. For some reason, the thought made her queasy. To settle her racing mind, she sent Hana a quick message wishing her a good morning.
She shook her head as if to chase away her misgivings. Best not to dwell on it, she thought. No, it was better to focus on her job. Pushing thoughts of Hana aside, she went to the office. If she could bury herself in her work, as she always did, then perhaps she wouldn’t have to sort out all of her confusing, convoluted emotions.
Her hopes were dashed when she arrived at the C&R building, however, upon discovering that Mr. Han had not arrived. It was relatively early, and Jaehee always arrived before him, but as the morning drew on, he was still absent. Which meant he was still at his penthouse, with Hana.
Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair, leaving it slightly mussed. Then she pulled out her phone and logged into the messenger.
To her surprise, there were a slew of messages waiting for her in the chatroom.
707: ZEN!! YOOSUNG!! JAEHEE!!!! URGENT MESSAGE REPLY IMMEDIATELY
Zen: Stop yelling please, it’s bad for my skin.
Yoosung Kim: Lol, wut
707: WHERE IS JAEHEE
707: The plan fails without her.
Yoosung Kim: Plan? What plan?
707: The plan……….
707: to…………
Zen: Omg just spit it out
707: …….to……
707: ……………
707: ……………
707: RESCUE HANA!!!!
Yoosung Kim: What???
Zen: Omg.
Jaehee Kang: Rescue Hana?
707: Assistant Kang, you’re here.
Jaehee Kang: Don’t imitate Mr. Han. It’s disturbing.
707: lolol okay
Jaehee Kang: Is Hana alright? Is she in danger?
Zen: She’s in danger as long as she’s with that jerk.
Yoosung: I don’t think she’s really in any danger, but I don’t like it either…
Jaehee Kang: My time is quite valuable right now. Are you all wasting it on nonsense?
Zen: Jaehee…
Zen: It’s not right for Jumin to keep her there.
Jaehee Kang: I wasn’t aware she was being held against her will.
Zen: There’s no way anyone would willingly spend days with that jerk.
Yoosung Kim: We all know you don’t like him, Zen
Yoosung Kim: But he’s kinda right, right?
707: EVERYONE!!!
707: Hana left her laptop at Rika’s apartment.
Jaehee Kang: Are you spying on her?
Zen: Yeah, how do you know that?
707: I spy on everyone.
707: But you all know what this means, don’t you???
Yoosung Kim: No…
Jaehee Kang: It means she can’t work on the party.
707: DING DING DING!!!
707: She hasn’t been able to work on the party for two days. TWO. WHOLE. DAYS.
Yoosung Kim: That’s not good…
Yoosung Kim: We have to save her!! For the sake of the party!!
707: Yes.
Zen: And we have to save her from Jumin.
707: Yes.
Zen: And you have a plan?
707: Yes.
Zen: What is it?
707: Everyone, meet at Zen’s house in thirty minutes.
Yoosung Kim: Okay!!
Yoosung Kim left the chatroom.
Zen: Wait, huh?? Why my house??
707: For Hana.
Zen: Ugh, okay.
Zen left the chatroom.
707: Jaehee?
707: Earth to Jaehee, Earth to Jaehee!!
Jaehee Kang: Luciel.
707: ?
Jaehee Kang: Please delete this chat after you leave.
707: Yes ma’am!
Jaehee Kang left the chatroom.
707 left the chatroom.
Typically, Jaehee would have been thrilled to be at Zen’s house, but the current situation was far from typical. Furthermore, she didn’t like leaving work so suddenly, but it was unavoidable. If Mr. Han could do it, then so would she—besides, her work could be delegated to the numerous interns and other assistants at the office. For now.
They sat in Zen’s living room: Luciel and Yoosung took up the couch, while Zen and Jaehee occupied chairs dragged in from the kitchen. Of course, Zen complained about the boys “hogging his space”, but she was just happy for a place to sit.
“So…” Zen began. “Do you guys want a beer?”
They all declined, for one reason or another. (“I have to be a perfectly lucid Luciel!”, said Seven.) Zen shrugged and retrieved a can from the fridge. It cracked open with a hiss.
“Luciel,” Jaehee said, folding her arms across her chest. There was no time to waste. “You said you have a plan to help Hana?”
“Yes!” He grinned and pushed up his glasses, eyes glinting with mischief. “I’ll need a computer, internet access, and a bag of Honey Buddha chips.”
Zen frowned. “I can give you the wifi password, but I don’t have a computer here.”
“Don’t worry!” Yoosung piped up, unzipping his backpack. “I have my gaming laptop.”
“Of course you do.” Zen rolled his eyes. “Honestly, if you stopped gaming for five minutes , maybe you—”
“You can bicker later,” Jaehee interrupted, then returned her attention to Luciel. “What do you need the chips for?”
“That’s the most important part. It’s… my brain fuel.”
“So, a snack.”
“Exactly!”
She shook her head. “You can make do without it.”
Luciel pouted in response. “I can’t think without Honey Buddha…”
Jaehee narrowed her eyes at him and stood from her chair. “Luciel. Hana could be in trouble. We are not going to waste time simply because you want a snack . You will sit down on this couch and you will not move until we know that she is safe. Do I make myself clear?”
Luckily, he had the good sense to look afraid, and he swallowed nervously. “Yes ma’am, you got it ma’am.” He swiftly turned his attention away from her, tapping away at Yoosung’s computer.
Jaehee glanced at the other boys, who had gone quiet. They both stared at her, expressions incredulous.
“What?” she asked.
Yoosung looked away, and Zen was the first to respond. “You’re worried about Hana.”
She scoffed. “Obviously. We all are.”
“No, but like, you’re really worried.”
A sigh brushed past her lips, and she sank back into the chair. “I know Hana can take care of herself, but… Mr. Han can be quite irresponsible. He may endanger her despite having good intentions.”
“You don’t think…” Zen’s expression morphed into one of horror. “She was attacked by that demon disguised as a cat?”
She stared at him for a quiet moment, and then she relaxed, allowing herself the ghost of a smile. “You’re trying to cheer me up.”
“I’m serious, Jaehee! That thing is a monster.”
Yoosung added, “I’ve heard that cats sometimes eat people when they die,” rather unhelpfully. Zen looked even more horrified.
“Aha!”
All three looked at Luciel, who had cried out. He flipped the computer around to face them, and they quickly crowded around the screen.
“Behold: Jumin Han’s CCTV footage!”
On the screen, there was an image of Mr. Han’s kitchen. A woman sat at the counter, and there was a fluffy white cat perched on the stool beside her.
Zen gasped. “I knew it! Hana’s being attacked!”
Yoosung shook his head and pointed with a finger. “No, look. She’s playing with Elizabeth.”
Before Zen could continue, he suddenly sneezed. Then he sneezed again. “Ugh… I can’t watch this.” He took several steps backward and watched from a distance.
Jaehee observed the footage as Hana played with the cat. She looked to be in good health, at least physically. Her expression, though… it was somewhat glum.
For a few minutes, nothing changed. Then, a man’s figure entered the room.
“It’s Jumin!” Yoosung shouted. “Look!”
He entered in a flurry, slinging a satchel over his shoulder and shoving things inside: keys, papers, etc.. Hana quickly stood, moving to his side, and Jaehee narrowed her eyes when she set a hand on his shoulder. A deep, hidden part of her began to ache.
The two appeared to be conversing, lips moving too quickly to read. “Luciel,” Jaehee demanded. “Where’s the audio?”
Luciel swiveled the screen back to himself, and his fingers flew on the keyboard. “Working on it!” Within seconds, new voices flooded the apartment, and she returned her gaze to the computer.
“—don’t have to go alone.”
“Yes, I do. They’ve done something drastic, so I must respond.
“They’re just trying to upset you, you can’t let it get to your head.”
Distress was clear in Hana’s voice, but Mr. Han wasn’t having any of it. He approached the door, then looked back.
“Regardless, I am leaving. I don’t want them to see you, so please stay here while I am gone. Don’t open the door for anyone but me.”
“Jumin…”
She reached for him again, and he brushed her off roughly. The door opened, and then slammed shut as he left.
Several thoughts raced through Jaehee’s brain, the most prominent being, How dare he?
“Yikes…” Yoosung said.
Zen nodded in furious agreement. “What do we do, Seven?”
“I’m glad you asked! So, the plan is obviously to break in and whisk Hana away safely.”
“How?”
“I, agent Seven-Zero-Seven, will scale the building and smash one of the penthouse windows from outside.”
Yoosung gasped. “Wow!”
“Of course, we’ll need a distraction. Yoosung, you will play the cleaning lady.”
“What?!”
“No arguing! This is for Hana.”
“Um… okay...”
“Then Hana and I will jump out the window, where Zen will be waiting with a trampoline.”
Zen nodded. “Go on.”
“Finally, Jaehee will be waiting with the getaway car, and…” He paused, looking around the room. “Hey, where’s Jaehee?”
Jaehee had left the apartment almost immediately after seeing Mr. Han leave. She leapt into her car and sped away—if she drove fast enough, she could make it to the penthouse in fifteen minutes.
Doubts continued to plague her. She had only seen one interaction; what if Mr. Han had been mistreating Hana the whole time? She had mentioned him being a “gentleman”, but that could easily be a lie to protect him. The question was, why? And what was the nature of their relationship?
She didn’t want to think about it.
When she arrived at the building, she took the elevator straight up to Mr. Han’s floor, and soon she was faced with his front door. Without hesitation, she stormed up to it and knocked thrice.
At first, there was no answer, so she knocked again. “Hana? It’s Jaehee.”
When Hana’s reply came, she seemed entirely shocked. “Jaehee? What are you doing here?”
“I'll explain shortly. Can you please let me in?”
“Er, the door is locked…” she said sheepishly. “I don’t have the key.”
It was rare that her emotions got the better of her, but her anger flared. “He locked you inside?”
“It’s not like that…”
Who the hell does Mr. Han think he is? She clenched her jaw, glaring at the door as if demanding that it step aside. After a moment, she said, “Stand back. I’m coming in.”
“Huh?”
“Just stand back.”
She took a deep breath, then kicked down the door.
There was the telltale sound of splintering wood, and the door swung open wildly, revealing a young woman wearing an incredulous stare.
“Wh—You—Jae—Huh??”
Ignoring Hana’s stuttering, Jaehee rushed inside the penthouse and took Hana’s hands in hers. “Are you hurt? Are you alright?”
Hana blinked at her. “That wasn’t judo.”
“No, it was not.”
Her eyes flicked between the door and Jaehee. “I’ve never had anyone kick open a door for me.” Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her face began to turn red.
“What’s wrong? I’m sorry if that was frightening, I didn’t mean—”
Hana waved her hands quickly. “No, no, it’s fine!” She bit her lip momentarily, then met Jaehee’s gaze. “Um… what are you doing here?”
“I… that is, we… were worried about you…”
“The RFA was worried?”
“Yes.” Noticing that she was still holding onto Hana, she quickly dropped her hands. “Luciel hacked into the security footage.” She nodded in the direction of the kitchen’s camera. “We saw the… altercation.”
“Oh, I see.” She frowned. “I’m really touched that you came here for me, but…” Hana shook her head gently. “I’m not in any trouble.”
“You were locked inside the penthouse mere moments ago,” Jaehee reminded her.
“Well, yes. But Jumin is…” She sighed. “He’s just going through some things, that’s all. I want to be here to support him.”
“Hana. Can we please have this conversation elsewhere?”
Once again, Hana looked at the broken door, then she nodded. “Sure. Let me just put Elizabeth somewhere safe so she doesn’t get out.”
She disappeared further into the penthouse, and Jaehee heard a soft meow from another room. Then Hana entered again, scribbled a quick note using a notepad on the fridge, and returned to Jaehee. Wordlessly, they left the penthouse, returning to Jaehee’s car.
As Jaehee drove, Hana took the chance to explain herself. “I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I’m okay! Jumin is a good person, even if he does make some questionable choices.”
Jaehee bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from arguing. “What kinds of choices?”
“Oh, I mean…” She shook her head. “He’s a little possessive, but I understand. He’s not used to depending on people.”
“Hana, a good person wouldn’t hold you hostage in their home.”
“He didn’t!”
“Then please, enlighten me.” Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. “What did he do?”
“He…” Hana looked out the window. “He just wanted to protect me from his problems. He was upset.”
“When I’m upset, I watch musicals. I don’t kidnap my friends. Normal people don’t do that.”
“He’s not good at dealing with stress.”
“I’m well aware that my boss has the emotional intelligence of a toddler.”
“That’s…” She giggled quietly. “Well, that’s true. But it’s not his fault that he never learned to cope.”
“It’s not yours, either.”
“Of course not.”
“Then stop treating him like your responsibility!” Jaehee snapped.
“I’m just trying to help him!” Hana shot back.
A tense silence settled between them, so thick that it threatened to suffocate her. When it became too much to bear, Jaehee sighed, then turned the car into an empty parking lot, shifted the gear into park, and faced Hana. “Why do you keep defending him?”
Hana wouldn’t look at her. “I don’t know.“
“Yes, you do.”
“I don’t want you to think less of me.”
Jaehee shook her head vehemently. “I would never. I already think the world of you.”
Hana lifted her gaze, locking eyes with her. “Really?”
“I promise.”
“Well…” She sighed. “I feel useless if I’m not helping someone. And when Jumin told me how lonely he was, I just… it felt like my job to make that go away. I thought that I could be there for him, but… I don’t think I can be what he wants.”
Jaehee just looked at her as she collected her thoughts. Then, she said, “Mr. Han would be a terrible boyfriend.”
At that, laughter bubbled out of Hana, and Jaehee chuckled along with her as a fuzzy feeling warmed her heart. “Jaehee, you—” She giggled. “I think that’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said about him.”
“Thank you.“
Hana laughed again. “You’re right, though.” She shook her head. “God, I do not want to be Jumin’s girlfriend.”
Jaehee reached across the center console, taking one of Hana’s hands in both of her own. “You deserve someone who would treat you like a queen, not a princess to be locked away in a tower.”
Hana quieted, glancing down at their hands then back up again.
“You deserve to be with someone you trust, someone you love. Someone who will cherish you, respect you, and love you with all their heart. Someone who will ask nothing more than for you to be yourself. You should be with someone who would treasure you.”
“And…” Hana’s voice wavered as she gazed into Jaehee’s eyes. “You would treasure me?”
Her heart leapt into her throat. “God, yes,” she breathed.
Apparently, that was all Hana needed to hear—without saying another word, she surged forward, closing the gap between them and pressing their lips together. Taken by surprise, Jaehee let out a soft gasp, but she quickly closed her eyes and deepened the kiss, her hands coming up to cradle Hana’s face. She hummed and leaned into the touch, sending a shiver down Jaehee’s spine.
When they pulled away, Hana clutched at Jaehee’s blazer, holding her close. Jaehee smiled, ducking her head to press a chaste kiss against her hand.
“Jaehee, I… I didn’t know you felt that way about me.”
“I didn’t think you felt that way about me .”
Hana laughed, shaking her head. “Of course I do. You’re incredible.” She pursed her lips. “But I thought you liked Zen, so I tried not to think about you like that. I tried so hard, Jaehee.”
Jaehee was quiet for a moment as she processed Hana’s words. “ Zen? ”
Hana blushed, looking away. “You’re always talking about him, and sending pictures of him, and, and…” She looked back up. “I’m stupid, aren’t I?”
“You’re not stupid.” Jaehee brushed a stray piece of hair from Hana’s face. “I don’t like Zen, though, not in that way. He’s just a distraction from work, that’s all.”
“I see…” She then poked a finger at Jaehee’s chest. “You let me pine over you this whole time without saying anything?”
“I thought you liked Mr. Han.”
“Oh my god.”
Jaehee laughed, shaking her head. “There were many times when I wanted to confess, but… I didn’t want to be unprofessional.”
Hana glared at her, entirely playful and without malice. “But I like it when you’re unprofessional. Like when you… when…” She trailed off, appearing flustered.
“When I kicked down that door?” Jaehee suggested, smiling.
“Oh my god,” Hana repeated, and she buried her face in her hands. “That was so hot.”