The Wangs Party, The Haven, March 26, 8:15 PM
"Enjoy the party then, Mr. Choi. I'll see you around." She ended the sentence with a bow and slipped away, as the other person approached Mr. Choi, seeming like an old friend.
Trudging forward, she unceremoniously plopped into the velvety white chair, sipping on her wine casually. The thought of mingling with others was not pleasing her. But, she still had to be aware of people around here.
Sooha's sweeping gaze caught few of her peers and classmates and alumni, talking and having fun with each other. She is sure, soon the table will be filled with ladies and gentlemen, flattering her, trying to curry favor.
Taking a seat next to her, Ha min's cat eyes began to scan the whole hall, noting which big shots attended to be a part of these grand celebrations. He could recognise most of them.
Though not from an elite family, Ha min made quite a reputation for himself, as he graduated from same school and university as Sooha, thanks to the Kims. So, he got along with many elites and successors with his natural social skills.
He could also spot many of his friends, who were like him and now were in respectable and high positions like it. It brought a sense of familiarity and eased his nerves.
Noticing her empty glass, Ha min eyed a waiter and signalled him for another glass of wine. The waiter came around to her, and offered her another glass of wine.
Taking it, Sooha simply held it in her hand. Instead of drinking, she began to lightly swirl the glass, observing the tornado of bubbles. The wine tasted good, extraordinary even, but the exotic taste wasn't able pull her out of her thoughts today. A mindless conversation might do the job.
" I could see your friends calling you through your mental telepathy, " She chuckled, reminiscing the silly thing from uni days, noticing a lot of them calling him, while Ha min sat like a rock in his place, not leaving her side, ignoring their signals.
Though he wanted to meet his friends, he couldn't leave her side to herself. How would it look like when the employee is having fun around while the employer desolated herself from everyone? It was his job to keep her company, until she sought for other.
Not getting any response, she probed further, " Come on brat, I didn't bring you along so you could breath down my neck. Go and enjoy when you can, what's so fun in following this young lady persistently? " She said, wanting him to get away from her instead of wasting his time around her.
Propping his chin in the left hand of his plam, he eyed her suspiciously, " Why do you want to get rid of me so badly? Are you trying to find trouble early tonight?, " He playfully grinned at her, finding the situation amusing.
Pissed off by his teasing, she kicked his shin, making sure none could witness her bold actions. It would create quite a scandal and big gossip. Strangely, healthy friendship with secretary is frowned upon in this circle.
Or this could turn up as abuse from a rich heiress towards her employees. Whatever it maybe, she doesn't need a scandal in her situation right now.
" Ahh..., " he winced with a whine, Ha min's face scrunched up in pain, exaggerating his reaction, when in real, her kick couldn't really hurt him much.
Knowing how least strength she used, she could quickly notice him faking it. Getting a narrow stare, he understood he can't fool her anymore and needed to leave the place.
" Why are you so adamant on making me leave? Are you sure that silly brain of yours isn't cooking up anything?, " As though he felt it's useless to talk to her, resigning, he gave in unwillingly, " Fine then, don't leave the grounds without informing me. I'd be watching out for you " He said, knowing well about her.
Sooha turned her head perplexed. A slight crease formed on her forehead. Isn't she the elder here? Shouldn't it be her who need to educate him? Then why is it him nagging at her instead?
Trying to remind the young man who is elder here, she leaned back in the chair, pushed back her hair strands behind her right ear and crossed her legs. Eyeing him, she began to flaunt her seniority by questioning him, clearing the basics.
" Hey, since when did we exchange roles? " She demanded, attacking him when he is off guarded, while her eyes began to bore into him.
Though her words didn't sound harsh, it's easy to notice her snappy mood. She's usually calm with lots of patience, but sometimes without any particular reason she snaps at others. Wit always sharp as knives. That's one of the two of her weak points which Ha min recognised till this day.
Of course, he was able to fully use that second weakness of hers and successfully got closer to her heart. However, that didn't mean he never faced her wrath, becoming a victim of her first weakness.
( To get to know her second weakness, make sure to follow ' it all started with a kiss' ) wink~ author~
Taken aback by her demanding posture, he couldn't help but put the fact in her face, " Look at that foul mood of yours. My instincts are already screaming at me, how could I be at ease? " He questioned, knowing it's not his place to be concerned, but he couldn't help it.
Getting a rebout, she immediately cut in " Why do you care? " She finished her stance, but she knew, it might have hurt him, so she tried to comfort him a little, " I'm KIM Sooha, " She emphasised on her family name, knowing none could pick on her even if she's at fault.
" And I'm not some ten year old kid " She explained herself, trying to get her point through Ha min.
Ha Min's mouth turned sideways listening to her. Usually he isn't someone who nags like now, but one should trust his guts and it's warning him. So he couldn't help but feel fussy over everything.
" It would have been nice if you were a ten year old kid. I could have used that excuse to stick around, " He mumbled lowly, making sure she couldn't catch his thoughts.
Watching him mumble to himself, Sooha understood he gave up for real this time, averting his attention to something else, she began to speak, "Can't you see them dying to reunion with you? " She shot the breeze at him, knowing how close all his friends are.
Facing her, he spat out, " Since when did you start caring about others? "
Well, Sooha has always been like that. She only receives and looks at what she wants to and never cared about outsider opinions. That doesn't mean she is not open to ideas, but she never cared about public opinion on her, and she is someone who clearly distinguishes work from personal life.
At this point, he is sure she wants some private space, but he is also sure that as soon as he takes his leave, someone will grab his seat, which will make all her attempts to go naught.
Isn't it better to stay with him rather than with those pretentious people? That's how Ha Min's mind thought, however, he couldn't say it out loud.
Meaningfully glancing at his peers, she turned to him, " As if... " She scoffed, spoke her heart out, " I just don't want my reputation go to drains letting people think I overwork my employees and don't even grant them any leaves. You already know the things circling around..." She stated, knowing very well, how everyone thought about her as a boss.
F*ck, he can't refute it. Though he is a secretary, who need to be around his boss all the while, he too had his employee rights. However, work never gave him time to relax, unlike his friends who still meet up very often, when he never even made it to their reunions. It's understandable from their side, seeing how desperate they asking him to join. Not to mention, though Sooha seemed easy going now, whenever it came to work, she never is a moderate person and ruled around strictly.
"Fine. I will see you around noona, " Saying that he bowed as a show for others and left to meet his friends cheerfully, meanwhile, sparing few glances at her.
Lee Ji young, one of his college friend stepped forward, grabbed Ha Min's hand and pulled him into a brotherly hug. " Since when did you change your job? '' he said, breaking free from the hug.
Confused, Ha min didn't say anything, not understanding the context of question.
Comprehending his friend's dimwit look, he cleared his thoughts, " I thought you shifted to the bouncer job from being a secretary, " He commented, knowing how clingy Ha min could get sometimes.
Throwing a punch at Ji Young's stomach, Ha min burst into a laugh, and both of them simply slipped into their group of other friends.
Sooha observed from far and smiled thinly. She was glad Ha Min was mingling with his friends. That secretary of her stuck by her side like a glue, since she started her career as the CEO of INu. And, he deserved every bit of the socialization as now. While, she deserved peace for a while.
But, not everything goes according to her wishes.
Needless to say, it's not even been 2 peaceful minutes since Ha min left, and soon someone bumped into her small world of privacy.
" Sooha!" a high pitched voice of a girl rang from behind, leaving Sooha surprised.