Ring, ring.
Thud!
Ari's hand kept looking for the phone to turn it off.
She was sleeping on her stomach, her face immersed in her pillow.
Ari slowly raised her head growling, raising her hand to push her messy hair from her eyes.
She looked around and sat straight.
She took a few moments doing nothing and just staring at the corner of her room.
It seemed like she slept poorly that night.
Life slowly returned to her eyes, but she still seemed too tired.
She stood up to wash up, got out of her bedroom bathroom in a few with a ponytail, and fell on her bed.
"Haaa," a lazy quiet scream.
She turned around to face the roof, staring at it blankly for seconds.
"Alright, let's do this, hah," she took a heavy sigh before getting up.
It didn't take her long to get ready and go down to her kitchen to catch something to eat.
But looking at the fridge nothing appealed to her nor was she in the mood.
"Meh," she lazily said as she closed it.
Another day without breakfast.
She wasn't the type to eat it either way, and work only added to her having no appetite in the mornings.
She took her things and walked out, wearing a soft sweater blazer that couldn't cover the curves of her slim waist with a black top and jeans, and finally heels that matched them.
She was comfortable in both this style and her comfy one in big warm hoodies.
As she walked down the small path in her garden to the door she noticed she forgot about Kale.
She took out her phone only to pause.
He doesn't have a phone, she thought putting it down in her bag.
She turned and looked at his balcony.
No one was there.
She still kept looking for a while.
Hmm...
She shook her head and walked out of her house to go to his.
But as she opened the door she saw the back of a figure standing in front of her car.
Kale.
Being a tall man, a beautiful back portrait wearing a black suit jacket above his shoulder without wearing its arms, and black trousers that made her notice his strong long legs.
She stared at his broad shoulders without moving for a moment.
She didn't know what to do.
And suddenly, as if she finally woke up from her morning lazy mood, yesterday's memories started storming her mind.
She got so embarrassed she closed the door to catch her breath.
What am I doing? She scolded herself.
Knock knock.
Ari let go of the door handle surprised.
"Miss Soo?"
Was that just her or was his voice deeper and coarser than usual?
Was that, his morning voice?
Ari turned around clenching her teeth and clutching her fingers to punches, screaming silently as she shook her hands.
Fooo, she took a deep breath.
She calmed herself.
Then gently, held the door handle and twisted it.
Her eyes fell on his black tie, falling inside his waistcoat.
Her eyes were on his white shirt.
His tight, white shirt that a bit tight for his arms and chest.
He had his left hand in his pocket.
She slowly raised her eyes.
And there she met his gray eyes.
He tilted his head slightly and squinted his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh, hm, yes, yes."
He tilted his head the other way while maintaining eye contact.
"Let me take you to your work."
He didn't say more and turned around walking to the car.
She followed him silently while being conscious of him and stealing glances.
He opened the door for her and left to his seat.
The ride was quiet, especially after Ari opened her tablet to read over some work-related matters.
She didn't speak nor say a word ever since, eyes totally focused.
She didn't notice, that there were eyes watching her from the rearview mirror.
He smirked and looked out the window seat next to him.
He placed his elbow on the open window and bit his mouth, his fingers on his grinning lips covering them from people to see.
If Ari saw this, it would be another reason to lose it with this man.
---
They arrived shortly.
Ari had the door opened for her.
She was still immersed in her tablet, thinking.
The western market was pretty hard to enter while she still wasn't on her feet.
She just received an answer from a Japanese family.
If she could make this work they could open a restaurant directly rather than work hard to introduce a foreign cuisine to another culture.
If she had enough capital and time to put in for that she would.
But if she could build her strength in Asia...
As long as it was outside Korea where her grandfather had all the influence, that would be enough.
Even if it meant working over her plans from the beginning and standing before the directors' board again, it was worth it.
Ari was fully focused, already looking out for whatever could help her make this work.
She walked inside the company, many eyes were following her and many bowed greeting her.
But her ears were deaf.
They knew she had those eyes which meant she was about to make a move for the company so many rumors already started boiling.
And of course, half of those rumors were about the identity of the handsome man following her.
Even in the elevator, she focused on her tablet.
Quiet and collected he kept up with her pace all the way to her desk.
Ari didn't mind him and turned on her computer, looked for papers here and there, and started working, not noticing that he was left outside.
No, he walked away on his own.
Where was he going to leave her after making sure she reached her desk?
He took the elevator again and walked out.
A few moments later he was back with a white bag.
Eyes followed him wherever he went, attracting attention wherever he walked.
He was such a man, one that made people turn around even when they weren't looking in his direction.
His presence was always felt, unless he wanted to hide it.
But right now, he turned many heads.
He walked into the elevator again, only to find a beautiful woman coming from the parking area below the company.
He stood in front of her, his back against her without saying a word, and looked straight ahead.
Two floors up the woman suddenly spoke.
"I never saw you here," she said after a while.
This is the first time I am intimidated to talk to a man, huh. A good knockout of a man, wasn't he? She thought.
He didn't answer her.
"Did you start working here today? I never knew they took in new members."
He still didn't answer.
The woman became frustrated, and her face was put to light, she was Ari's half-sister, Soo Chae-Won.
Her eyes fell on his rings, then on the white sack.
"Oh dear, forgot to have breakfast?" She jokingly said.
And to her words, he slowly turned and tilted his head, his eyes on the ground, slowly rose to look at her by the side not even turning his back.
Her eyes widened, she staggered back on her heels.
His eyes were different than when they fell on Ari.
They were cold.
Not murderous or anything.
Just, ice... cold...
Chae-Won felt shivers down her spine.
He calmly looked in front of him again.
The rest of the elevator ride was silent, with Chae-Won shaking in the back staring blankly in front of her.
Ding.
That was his floor.
He walked away without looking back.
Chae-Won raised her eyes to look at his back leaving.
She looked at the floor number, carving it in her mind as the doors closed in front of her.
Ari was still focused on her work, if anything more papers lined up on her desktop.
Suddenly a white bag was placed in front of her.
"Eat first."
Ari paused, as she got back to herself and raised her eyes she only saw his back closing the door as he left.
Her eyes fell on the bag, where she found some Sahm-gak (Triangle) kimbap with different fillings and banana milk.
How did he know?
And just now, he sounded mad, didn't he?