"Ahh… so much work," I groaned, sinking back into my chair.
I glanced at the clock.
"What the it's past 5 and the so much work is still pending? Oh god I'm exhausted."
Promotion, my ass.
I really thought it meant perks. A lighter workload. Maybe even one of those fancy pens with my name on it.
But no instead I got a mountain of tasks and a whole bundle of responsibilities thrown in for free.
Honestly… I kind of miss Mr. Kim now as least i could
But fine. Fashion Week Paris isn't something small.
For someone like me, it's actually huge.
Maybe I should be grateful… even if I want to scream into a pillow.
Jiwoo, stop whining. Be happy.
I stretched hard, arching over the chair, staring at the ceiling and then my brain decided to torture me with this morning's elevator flashback.
We were so close. His cologne. The warm air between us.
If the doors hadn't opened… we could have..
we could have… ki..
"UGHHH, what the hell?" I slapped my own cheek.
"Stop it. STOP. Writing smut has broken your brain. He's literally a ghost-man from your dreams get a grip."
"I just need a smoke break," I muttered, grabbing my lighter and standing up.
I barely took one step when some called.
"Mr. Han."
A deep voice hit me from behind.
Great. Of course. Not even a five-minute break.
I turned, and there he was:
A tall man in all black, sunglasses indoors, built like he was guarding BTS backstage.
"Uh… yes?"
He lowered his shades a little.
"Hello. I'm Seok Jin, Mr. Kang's assistant. Mr. Kang asked me to bring you."
MINJAE??
I probably made a weird noise because he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh" I mean, Mr. Kang. Why does he want to see me?"
"I'm not sure, Mr. Han," he whispered, leaning in a bit.
"Boss only told me to bring you."
I laughed awkwardly—one of those tiny "haha please don't look at me" laughs.
"Ah… o-okay."
"So, shall we? Boss is waiting."
"Y-Yes, yes… Mr. Bodyguard—sorry—Assistant Seok. Let's go."
Ughhh, what does Minjae want NOW?
After that elevator moment? Facing him again is going to feel like crawling into a live broadcast of my own embarrassment.
"Mr. Han? Are you okay? I called you multiple times."
Assistant Seok pulled me out of my mental meltdown.
"Yeah—yeah. I'm fine. Just… thinking about the project deadline."
We stepped into the elevator.
I watched the floor numbers.
…Down?
Why are we going down?
"Um, Assistant Seok?" I pointed at the panel.
"Mr. Kang's office is on the 10th floor. Why are we going to the basement?"
He stayed expressionless.
Sunglasses still on like he was in a Marvel movie.
"We're going where Mr. Kang instructed."
Huh?? Why the basement??
"Boss will explain once you meet him."
Ugh. Always the same line.
Why does this man love mystery so much?
Ding.
Basement level.
"Mr. Han," Seok said, stepping aside,
"Mr. Kang is waiting for you in the car."
I stepped out, and sure enough, a big black car was parked right in front of me.
I knocked on the window.
"Mr. Kang… it's Mr. Han. You called."
The door opened, and he gestured for me to get in.
"So uh… Mr. Kang," I said, sliding inside, "what's the matter you wanted to discuss?"
He smirked.
"What's the rush? Let's go to the place first. We'll talk there.
Don't worry, Mr. Han you'll have a great time."
Huh??
Place?? Fun??
What exactly is going on in his brain right now?
And why does it feel like I just walked straight into a tiger's den?
I looked at him with every ounce of confusion written across my face.
And on top of that, that jerk was smiling.
Oh god.
If he wasn't my boss, I would've punched that smirk right off.
The car started moving. It was already dark outside; city lights streaked past the windows.
The atmosphere inside the car felt painfully awkward the driver and Assistant Seok focused on the road, Mr. Kang scrolling through his phone, and me… stressing over what the hell was happening.
I still hadn't processed anything.
Not the sudden invitation, not the smirk, and definitely not the fact that I was in his car going… somewhere I knew absolutely nothing about.
Then, out of nowhere, the car took a sharp turn.
Into a forest.
A dark forest.
Why does it somehow feel like I'm being taken as bait?
I swallowed hard.
The silence was killing me. I finally had to speak.
"U-Um… Mr. Kang? Could you please tell me where we're going…?"
He could clearly hear the tension in my voice. And he definitely saw the panic on my face.
He just reached over and patted my head.
"Don't worry, Mr. Han. I won't eat you alive," he said lightly. "You'll see soon."
My heart started pounding so hard it felt like it wanted to escape my chest.
I immediately turned my face toward the window so he wouldn't see how red my cheeks were getting.
Five minutes passed.
Suddenly, I saw bright lights through the tinted windows, but I still couldn't make out anything clearly.
"Mr. Kang, we're here," Seok said.
Minjae looked at me.
"Mr. Han. Let's go. Weren't you excited to know where we're going?"
"O-Oh. Yes, Mr. Kang."
The moment I stepped out.
My jaw dropped.
A huge mansion stood in front of me. The kind you only see in dramas. Or luxury magazines. Or your delusional daydreams.
"Wow… It's so big. And beautiful…"
I didn't even notice Minjae walking closer until he was suddenly right beside me.
"So?" he murmured. "Was the wait worth it, Mr. Han?"
"A-Ah… yes, Mr. Kang," I muttered awkwardly.
"Seok," Minjae called, "go get the things."
Then Minjae stepped even closer close enough that the cold night air suddenly felt too warm.
"Mr. Han," he said softly, "may I have your hand?"
"Huh?? M-My hand?"
He smirked.
"Mm. Your hand."
What in the world is happening right now?
— To be continued