Chereads / Two Skins Apart / Chapter 20 - CHAPTER 21: Turning Green

Chapter 20 - CHAPTER 21: Turning Green

Hyunmin

My friendship with Michelle has greatly improved since the elevator incident, we talked more during office hours and in our free time.

I discovered I had a lot more in common with her than I could ever imagine and it was nice to know that many of my staff have already started gossiping about us saying Michelle is trying to seduce me.

I couldn't blame them though because Michelle's sudden transformation attracted a lot of attention, she was just becoming more and more beautiful to me but unfortunately her beauty wasn't for my eyes alone.

I've caught some of the male staff gawking at her when she walks in with me and even the board members can't seem to focus on the meeting when Michelle is in the room.

Yes! She was getting attention, But the kind of attention that makes my blood boil for some unknown reason

********************

I was busy doing my work as usual on the computer when someone unexpected suddenly barged into my office.

"Hey Hyunmin! What's up"

My annoying cousin Seungwon who has been living in the U.S for years suddenly popped out of nowhere. He had a habit of showing up unannounced whenever he was in Korea. He especially likes roaming around my company because I am supposedly his favorite cousin.

"You still haven't learned how to knock yet have you?"

"I'm so sorry Cous, I forgot to knock again but I really missed seeing the irritated look on your face whenever you see me"

I gave him a stern look but then laughed, he was a crazy one indeed but he was really playful and fun to be around. I had to admit I had also missed his quirkiness.

"How have you been Seungwon? You suddenly left the U.S to come here, did you do something again"

"Really? Why do you always have to make me look like a troublemaker? Geez! I just got bored of staying in the U.S so I decided to come back, what's so wrong with that"

"And you expect me to believe that, am sure you remembered what happened the last time you appeared out of nowhere"

"Please don't remind me of that, I was literally chased all the way from the U.S down here by a crazy chick I broke up with who wouldn't let me rest but It's not my fault women find it hard to forget me"

"Hmmm, Yeah sure"

Knock! Knock!!

"Excuse me Boss, Can I come in?"

"Come in Michelle"

Michelle walked in carrying some files in her hands, she was wearing a long sleeve off-shoulder Turquoise blue mini gown with a pearl necklace and black heels.

She walked towards me and placed the files on my table.

"Here are the files you asked for and Mr Chan just booked an appointment, should I confirm or not?"

I could see Seungwon gawking at Michelle from the moment she stepped in. I knew what that look on his face meant and I didn't like it one bit.

"Tell him I will see him at noon, 2pm"

"Alright Sir"

She turned and was about to walk towards the door when she noticed Seungwon, she slightly bowed with a small smile and she left.

"Holy Mary, mother of Christ! Who was that?"

"She is my assistant"

I replied to him with a frown cause I knew what he was driving at

"My God! she is drop-dead gorgeous and sexy, exactly my type"

"Really? Exactly your type, I thought you liked American girls"

"Well she is American right? And I

especially have a thing for Black girls"

"Stop exaggerating, she isn't that pretty"

"Cous you must really be blind to say that, anyway what's her name"

"Ask her yourself"

"Give me her number"

I banged my fist on the table, he was really getting on my nerves cause nothing seemed to stop him from chasing after Michelle.

"Will you freaking leave me alone, go ask her yourself!"

Seungwon froze for a moment but then stared straight into my eyes

"Is it just me or do I smell jealousy here"

"What…. Are you…. What the heck are you talking about? Who….Who is jealous"

I stammered a bit because I got the feeling that what he said was true but I didn't want to believe it.

Seungwon chuckled softly and just shook his head at me.

"Anyway, I will go look for her office and ask for her name since you've decided not to tell me anything"

With that he stood up from his seat and walked towards the door giving me a knowing smile before leaving.

Michelle

******************

I walked into my office and sat at my desk, I opened my computer and started going through Hyunmin's schedule for the day when a random thought popped into my head; the guy I saw in Hyunmin's office.

He looked pretty comfortable around Hyunmin so I guessed he could be his friend. I caught him staring at me every now and then but I didn't think much of it though I had to admit he was very handsome and even dressed like a Kpop idol coming for an interview.

He was truly good-looking but I've had enough time with good-looking guys to know they're always the worst heartbreakers, also he looked very much like a womanizer to me.

Knock!!!

"Come in!"

My eyes widened out of surprise, I mean speaking of the devil, the guy from Hyunmin's office just walked in.

How did he know my office and what was he doing here? Cause I thought he left already.

He walked towards me with a charming smile like they always do😒

and he took a seat in front of my desk.

"Hi! Am sorry to barge in on you"

I looked at him skeptically

"It's alright"

"By the way My name is Kim Seungwon, What's yours?"

"Michelle Parker"

"It's nice to meet you Michelle and your beautiful by the way"

He brought his hand forward for a handshake and I took his hand but he surprised me when he suddenly placed a soft kiss on the back of my hand. I smiled because of his quirky behavior.

"Just look at that smile, it's worth a Thousand Dollars"

We started having a conversation and I learn a few facts about him; he told me stayed in the U.S for nine years and this is his third time of coming back to Korea, he told me he is Hyunmin's Cousin which came as a surprise to me, he even told me the story of a crazy ex-girlfriend he once had and I got me laughing so hard I also fell of my chair.

I had to admit he was a fun person to be around and I kinda felt we clicked well considering this to be our first time meeting each other but I was still very weary of him.

"It was really nice meeting to you Michelle, I have to leave now but I would like to see you again"

He was already leaving and so was I but I knew he wouldn't leave without asking for something.

"So can I have your number"

"Hmm! Nice try but No"

"Why?"

"Cause I don't trust you yet Mr playboy, Don't expect to get anything from me"

"What gives you the impression that I'm a playboy? Huh"

"My intuition is never wrong and you pretty much look like one, anyway I have to go now"

I locked the door to my office and walked away leaving Seungwon standing at the entrance though he had a somewhat amused look on his face.

"I will keep coming back till I get your number!"

He yelled those words behind me which I just ignored and kept walking.

I went to Hyunmin's office to inform him I was leaving. I walked into his office only to see him sitting on the couch at one corner in the room with an anxious look on his face which I thought was odd, I wondered.

What could make him look so restless?

"Umm! Boss is Everything alright?"

"Am alright, Did anyone come to see you earlier today?"

"Yes, Someone did and He said he is your cousin"

"What did he want from you? Is Seungwon bothering you! If he is, I'm going to..."

"No he isn't, we just had a friendly chat"

I didn't quite understand why he was questioning me but he didn't look too satisfied with my last answer.

"I'm heading home now Boss, so see you tomorrow"

"Are you going out with Seungwon….I….I mean are you meeting someone"

"Yes, I'm meeting with my friend Jiyoon"

He fell silent and kinda looked defeated, I bowed slightly and walked out of his office.

I couldn't help but notice that was acting very weird. He looked somehow angry and restless when I told him about Seungwon.

Wait a sec! Was that why he looked so anxious earlier? Why am I getting the feeling that he is jealous?

I shook my head to push the thought away, I mean It isn't even possible unless.... He likes me.

I remembered Jiyoon asked if we could have dinner out and we were supposed to meet in a few minutes. I dashed to the elevator to see Jiyoon because I really needed her opinion on this.

Jiyoon and I went to a restaurant not too far from our neighborhood. Being the foodie that we both are, we ordered a lot of food; Dumplings, Kimchi fried rice, Ramyeon, and Soju.

I narrated the whole Seungwon encounter and my thoughts about Hyunmin's odd behavior.

"Well I think he likes you but am not so sure about the other Seungwon guy though"

"What! That's impossible, maybe he….."

"He wouldn't act all weird and jealous if he doesn't like you, that's one thing about guys"

"I don't wanna assume things, you know"

"Then confirm your suspicion, try making jealous again to see if he will react or not then you'll be sure"

"And How do I do that?"

"You can just use Seungwon, Don't get me wrong not in a bad way but just to be sure if the Chairman has feelings for you"

"I don't think it's right to use people like that"

"Look Michelle the guy is probably not even serious about you and your not actually using him just don't give him the impression that you like him, you can always back out later"

"Your totally right, I'll find a way"

I looked at Jiyoon who was now having her fifteenth cup of Soju, no wonder she was talking nonsense in that drunken state of hers.

What she said did actually make sense though because it was the only way I could be sure of Hyunmin's feelings for me aside from asking him directly so why not try it out.

As expected Seungwon came the next morning showing his pretty boy face to me trying to get my number, only this time I did give it to him. I made sure to always have a sheepish smile on my face while texting Seungwon whenever Hyunmin was around. I would also talk more loudly when Seungwon called so he could hear me and each time I did this he always looked so annoyed that I thought he would flip at any moment but he did nothing.

Still it was becoming more and more clear to me that he may be jealous of Seungwon. After about a week of texting and calling Seungwon finally asked me on a date which was the day I've been dreading.

I dressed up nicely and went down to meet Seungwon, as usual he showered me with compliments as he drove us to the restaurant. It was a fancy restaurant with a lot of rich people coming in and out. The receptionist took us to our table and we ordered some food from the menu which had outrageous prices. After the food arrived we started chatting for a while when Seungwon suddenly said something.

"I think my cousin likes you and like him too"

I froze mid air with a spoon in my hand and blinked at him a few times.

"What! No no what are you..."

"Don't try to deny it cause I know you didn't like me from the start, I also noticed how you always make sure Hyunmin see us anytime I came to see you at the office, I'm not a fool Michelle I know you were trying to make him jealous"

"Here I thought handsome guys are always dumb and clueless, Seungwon. I'm really sorry about all this but honestly you are a nice guy I just…."

"It's okay Michelle, I actually wasn't looking for a serious relationship and besides Hyunmin has been threatening me since the day I came to your office, he is way too protective of you for just a boss. It's obvious he likes you but he is just too stupid to realize it himself"

"You really think so?"

"Look I maybe a cassanova and all but I know when a guy really likes a girl"

"I don't even know what to do?"

"He can be slow-witted when it comes to expressing himself but he will come around but as for us we can just be friends, I can even be you and Hyunmin's relationship advisor"

I smacked him on his right shoulder with a soft chuckle.

"Relationship advisor my foot! Which fool would take advice from a flirt like you"

We talked some more and both enjoyed the rest of the night.

*************************

These past few days have been nothing short of a nightmare for me, Seungwon was being very adamant about Michelle and nothing I said stopped him from going after her. I would always see him talking to Michelle with that stupid smile he usually used on girls and Michelle would also smile back, I was slowly losing my mind and I didn't even know why, Michelle's private life had nothing to do with me no matter who she was dating even if it was my cousin.

So why was I always getting a headache thinking about where Michelle was and she was with?

I heaved a sigh out of frustration not being able to understand what my problem is.

"Boss! Boss!!"

Michelle stormed into my office with an excited smile on her face yelling in a high pitched voice.

"Calm down Michelle, What is It?"

She took a seat in front of me with a smile that looked like someone who just won the lottery.

"Can I talk to you as a friend, I wanna tell you what happened last night"

"Sure Go Ahead"

I really regretted saying that because she narrated the whole story of how she went on a date with Seungwon. She kept mentioning how wonderful Seungwon was, she even stood up from her seat and talked while pacing back and forth with an excited smile.

I rolled my fingers into a tight fist as I could feel my body temperature raising out of anger.

"He even kissed me but I am not so sure I like him yet, cause…."

I banged my fist on the table which caused Michelle to flinch, all my patience went out the door when I heard Seungwon kissed her, I could feel myself losing control as I stalked towards her.

Michelle tensed up as she stepped backwards with each step I took towards her until her back hit the wall. I placed one hand beside her head, trapping her between the wall and me, making sure she was cornered.

I looked down at her because she was slightly shorter that me and moved my face so close to hers we were only one inch apart, She shrinked backwards as I stared directly into her chocolate eyes with a devilish smirk on my face.

"Will you quit talking about Seungwon, It's annoying me"

I said to her with a low voice and purposely blew hot air on her face which caused her to shut her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

She asked me while still closing her eyes.

"I want to check if I can kiss you better than Seungwon or not"

I moved my lips close to her ears as I whispered.

"I want know if he can make you feel the way I make you feel"

I could feel her shiver as my lips slightly brushed her ears. I looked at her again and slowly moved my lips towards her. I expected her to push me off or yell but she did nothing and just stared at me with the same intensity.

I moved closer to her and kissed her slowly but sensually, I wrapped my other arm around her waist and drew her closer to me so we were standing chest to chest.

I just couldn't explain the electric feeling that coursed through me as my lips touched hers, I didn't want to stop kissing her but she placed her palms on my chest and pushed me away slowly with a somewhat shy look on her face.

"Hyunmin"

I snapped out of my five-minutes madness as I realized what I just did, I totally lost control over myself and went crazy on Michelle.

I was too embarrassed to apologize or even look at Michelle, I just walked out of my office and went to my Car.

"I must be going insane"

I said to myself as the car zoomed off to a bar where I wanted to meet someone.