There was a demonic sacrifice happening.

At least, that’s what it sounded like when Ha Jin stepped into her house. She’d heard the heavy crash of the music from outside, and now there was a deep, evil-sounding voice proclaiming what she could only imagine were threats against her very soul, if not humanity at large.

Stalking into the living room, she found her brother draped across part of the sofa with the rest of him poured out on the floor like some kind of spaced out cat. His hair was growing out again since he ended his military service, but it wasn’t long enough for her to yank yet, so she went for another option. Drawing on a large sketch pad, Jae Yoon didn’t notice her until she turned off the stereo. That made him look.

“Oh hi!” He grinned up at her. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Really? I wonder why. What on earth were you listening to?”

“Norwegian death metal.”

Ha Jin blinked. “Norwegian…death metal?” She didn’t realize that was a thing. She was always reading about how Norway was such a happy country. Maybe not that happy, if they were into death metal?

“Yeah.” Jae Yoon turned his attention back to his drawing. At a glance, Ha Jin saw that it looked technical and boring so it must be something for work.

“…why are you listening to Norwegian death metal?” She shoved her brother’s long legs off the sofa and took it over for herself, stretching out with a sigh of satisfaction. As much as she liked her job, being on her feet all day was tiring.

Unfazed by being removed from his perch, her brother sat up and leaned back against the sofa. “I saw this meme online about how llamas listen to it and it made me curious.”

“…llamas listen to Norwegian death metal.” Ha Jin stared down at him on the floor. “Are you drunk? It’s not even dinner time.”

Jae Yoon laughed. “No. It was just something silly I saw. But the music’s actually pretty cool, don’t you think?”

She shook her head. “It’s creepy. I thought I was going to find a human sacrifice going on when I came in.” She lay back and stared up at the ceiling.  “So what do they sing about?”

He just shrugged. “How should I know? I don’t speak Norwegian.”

Ha Jin rolled her eyes. “Weirdos. My life is full of weirdos.”

“Hey, that’s plural. Do you have another weirdo in your life? I thought I was the only one.”

Ha Jin reached down and patted her brother’s head. “Never fear, you will always be the biggest weirdo in my life. But my new boss is taking a close second.”

“Oh? I thought things were going okay since that new company took over.”

“They are. We’ve all still got our jobs, and the new boss hasn’t tried to change how we do things. He’s just making other changes.”

“What kind of changes?” Jae Yoon wasn’t looking at her, concentrating on his work, and Ha Jin watched him.  She was right; it was technical drawing, the lines of a building taking shape under his hand, with measurements and other little notes scribbled haphazardly around the page.

“He doesn’t like his new office, says it doesn’t have enough windows. So he’s having one of the conference rooms remodeled into a new office for him. Because it’s on the corner and has bigger windows.”

The first couple of days after helping Kim So move into the CEO’s office went quietly. She didn’t see him except for in passing on his way to what she assumed were all the meetings and power lunches and other things big shots of corporations did, and other than a polite nod he didn’t acknowledge her existence. She thought maybe things were going back to normal.

Then some men who looked like construction workers came in today, and during lunch one of the girls from upstairs told her that Mr. Kim had brought in a contractor because he was having a conference room changed over into his new office. Ha Jin kind of understood it, since he’d explained his philosophy regarding life, the world and the necessity of windows, but didn’t he already have an office somewhere else? He was one of the higher-ups in the Kim Corporation, surely he had an office of his own with as many windows as he wanted, why did he have to come in here and take it over? It sounded like he was planning to make the Bella Bella corporate office his home base, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“Okay, that sounds a little weird, but he’s a rich guy, right? They do stuff like that all the time. They can afford to be weird, doesn’t take that much effort.”

“True. But you manage to be weird without paying for it, so you’re better.”

Jae Yoon nodded. “Damn straight. But what does the boss’s need for windows have to do with you?”

Ha Jin sighed. “He’s not a typical rich business guy. He seems almost human.” She made a face. “He likes to tease me.”

“Oh?” He continued his work, but there was a whole load of question in that one word.

“Nooo….nothing like that. He’s not like that lawyer. He hasn’t tried anything. He just…likes to get a reaction out of me.”

Jae Yoon turned his head at this and grinned at his sister. “Discovered how much fun it is to get you mad, did he?”

Ha Jin scowled. “Yes.”

He laughed. “I think I like him already. Do I get to meet him?”

“NO. The thought of the two of you ganging up on me is scary. Besides, he’s just my boss. I hardly see him; we don’t have much reason to interact.”

“Darn. That could have been fun.”

Ha Jin heard the front door open and close as their mother came home.

“It’s a good thing I turned that stuff off before Mom got here. She’d have a heart attack if she heard it.”

“Nah, Mom’s cool. Maybe she’d like it?”

Ha Jin rolled her eyes. “Riiiiight. Hey Mom! Your son is summoning demons now.” She called out as she climbed off the couch and headed to the kitchen to help with dinner.

There was a pause that was almost pregnant in its heaviness.

“I don’t want to know.”

Ha Jin left the living room to the sound of her brother’s laughter.

0-o-o-o-0

 “Turning the conference room into your office? Seriously?” Chan Ki asked as he watched the contractor and his assistants at work taking measurements and making notes.

“The windows are better in here.” So said.

“But you just took the place over. Bella Bella’s just one of the many companies you manage. You’re not really going to be spending that much time here, are you?”

So glanced at him and smirked.

“…right.” Chan Ki shook his head. “What was I thinking? This is your new home office now.”

“Of course.” So was parked at one end of the conference room table, sipping a cup of coffee (made with the espresso machine he’d brought with him) while he looked over some paperwork. Maybe it was bad of him, but he kind of liked provoking Hong Chan Ki. Call it taking karma into his own hands for retribution. The man wasn’t completely Wook though. Maybe it was a difference in personality, maybe it was the freedom of the twenty-first century that allowed him to get away with things that might have gotten him killed in the past, but Chan Ki was more outspoken, a little more aggressive than Wook had been.

So felt like he understood the man’s motivations. Hong Chan Ki tasked himself with rebuilding the family fortune after his uncle lost it. There were some similarities to trying to gain a throne but living in this century allowed him to do this more honestly than in the past. So liked that he was choosing to get what he wanted through hard work rather than deviousness. If only they weren’t after the same woman…

It was hard to make himself stay from Ha Jin, but So forced himself to it. Knowing that she was here and he could see her with just a minimum of effort helped. . They passed each other occasionally, and he wanted to smile and greet her, say something to make her laugh, but he made himself just walk on by. He just had to look at it as if they were back at the Damiwon in Goryeo. She had her work and he had his. This was no different. And he did have plenty to keep him busy. There were still leftover things to deal with from the speedy takeover of Bella Bella, as well as work from his other businesses. There were managers to deal a lot of them, but some things still needed his personal attention. Most of it were things he could do over the phone or computer however, which meant he could stay right here.

“And just think, when you buy the company from me some day, you’ll have this great office to move into.” So looked up from his paperwork in time to see Chan Ki rolling his eyes.

“How can a multimillionaire be such a dork.”

So leaned back in his chair and stretched. “Billionaire, please. If you’re going to insult me, at least get it right.”

0-o-o-o-0

Ha Jin wandered around the store, mentally kicking herself. It was her day off, and Sang-mi had invited her over to her home for dinner and movies since her husband was out of town on business and she wanted the company. Ha Jin had accepted, but it wasn’t until she was about halfway there that she realized that she’d forgotten to buy the dessert she promised to bring with her. Now she was in an unfamiliar grocery store looking for the bakery section.

“You look lost, Miss Go.”

Startled, she turned her head to see Hong Chan Ki standing nearby. Wearing a plain gray pullover and jeans, he carried a half-full shopping basket and looked so different than how she usually saw him.

“I am..a little bit.” Ha Jin admitted. “Do you know where the bakery section is?”

He smiled and she was reminded of how nice she’d thought him, before the existence of his soon to be ex-wife was made known to her. This was just a grocery store though and they’d run into each other; she might as well make use of his help.

“In fact I do. I was just on my way there myself. Come on.” Chan Ki said, and headed down one of the aisles.

“Thanks.” Ha Jin said, following him. “I’m on way to a friend’s house for dinner, but I forgot dessert.”

“No problem. I must confess I am intimately familiar with their bakery section, more than I probably should be.” He laughed. “They make the best donuts in this part of town.”

She couldn’t help but grin. “Taking me into a den of iniquity, are you?”

“Hey, don’t blame me. You’re the one who wanted to go there.”

“True. But you could have warned me.”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing now? You can still leave, we’re not there yet.”

Ha Jin sighed melodramatically. “No, I must go on. I did promise dessert.”

Chan Ki shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

The bakery was much nicer than the one at her neighborhood store. The smell was lovely and Ha Jin wanted to drool when she saw the assortment of bread and sweets.

“There should be a sign overhead saying ‘abandon hope, all who enter here’.” She muttered, hearing a snicker from beside her in response. “You know it’s not nice to laugh at other people’s misfortune.”

Chan Ki picked up a paper bag and started choosing donuts. “Can’t help it. Misery loves company.”

Ha Jin followed along, trying to decide on her own selection. She’d forgotten to ask Sang-mi what she wanted, but after having shared enough lunches with the other woman she knew her friend was a major chocolaholic, so brownies seemed like a good choice. Thankfully they had like three different types.

Having selected a box of them, she glanced at Chan Ki, who had his bag half-full of donuts. “Are you sure you have enough there?” What she found herself really wanting to ask is if some of them were for his wife, but she didn’t want him getting the wrong idea if she did, so it was left unsaid.

“I heat them up and have them with my coffee, so these will last.”

So he was shopping for himself. Well, she was sorry his marriage was ending, but she didn’t want to be someone’s rebound. And, as she reminded herself, she wasn’t dating anyway. So she would leave him to his donuts and be on her way.

“I see. Well, thank you for showing me where this is. I’ll have to come back some time and try the donuts, but I need to get going. My friend is waiting.”

“Ha Jin, wait…” Chan Ki said quietly, resting one hand on her box of brownies. “I’m sorry you feel like you have to treat me like a pariah. I’m not trying to cause trouble for you at work, I swear I’m not. I just thought we connected that first day, and I can’t help but notice that if we’re not at work we seem to get along really well. I don’t know what’s going to happen with my life next, and I find I could really use a friend right now. I don’t have a lot of those, or at least not many who will listen without preconceived notions about me or my situation.”

Ha Jin was torn; the part of her who knew exactly where he was coming from because she’d been there warring with the part of her who remembered the ugly looks she received at work after the lunch they’d shared. She didn’t want to deal with that again, but at the same time she remembered the loneliness she’d felt after being dumped. Her brother wasn’t around and her friends all just seemed to want to pass judgment or gather fuel for gossip. Nobody wanted to just listen, or talk about something that wasn’t her breakup if that was what she needed.  

Look at her now. Given how badly she’d needed a friend at that time, how horrible a person was she for denying someone the same thing just because it might be inconvenient for her? Sure, people would gossip, but they would do that anyway over the least little thing. The people who had her back, like Sang-mi, would continue to do so, and everyone else could go screw themselves. She wasn’t doing anything wrong by just talking to Chan Ki.

“You’re right.” Ha Jin said finally. “I’m sorry. I let fear of gossip scare me. I can listen if you want someone to talk to. Just, maybe not at work? I’d rather not invite trouble if I don’t have to.”

Chan Ki’s smile was relieved and happy. “Thank you. We could do coffee sometime? I know a shop that makes donuts almost as good as these.”

Ha Jin nodded. “That sounds good. I really do need to go now though.” She started to turn to leave, but then turned back. “I think I will grab a couple of these first. My brother loves donuts.”

“Don’t blame me if you end up here for more. They’re addicting.”

“I will blame you. Assuming I get to try one. He’s such a pig.” Taking a paper bag, she took two donuts, but then on second thought grabbed one more.

“Have a good evening.” She said, finally ready to go.

“Thanks, you too. Have a good dinner.”

Ha Jin paid for her items and left the store, feeling better at having the situation with Hong Chan Ki resolved. She could be friends with the man. He was right; they did have a nice, playful vibe going when they weren’t at work. And it couldn’t hurt to have a friend in the upper levels of the company like that. She didn’t think she would tell Sang-mi though, at least not yet. And she definitely wasn’t going to tell her brother.

0-o-o-o-0

The Korea Times had its’ offices on the fourteenth floor, the very top. How many of those stairs Park Ye Seul took before giving up and heading for the elevator depended on how athletic she was feeling on any given day. It was a matter of finding that delicate balance between getting exercise and not looking a mess when she stepped into the office, but she usually managed it. She’d gotten some strange looks at first when she started working there and people saw her walking up the stairs barefoot, but the regulars were now used to it. Her high heels were always back on by the time she used the elevator, and when she arrived at work she was calm, cool and collected. Just like always.

She was heading for the elevator sooner than usual lately, but her friends would consider that an effect of the stress she was under. They were all appropriately sympathetic of her situation and condemning of her soon to be ex-husband, but there was only one person she’d not heard from, the one she needed to hear from, the one who mattered most of all, and this was why soon to be ex was not ex.

Ye Seul had opened her email this morning to find a message from her lawyer. The usual information. Nothing changed. Sipping her coffee, she fumed. What the hell was he waiting for? She knew it was a bomb that she’d dropped on him, but she thought he would have been happy to sign the paperwork. The speed with which she thought he would sign it would have confirmed everything she knew about the rightness of what she was doing. But in the time since her lawyer sent the divorce papers there’d been nothing, no communication and no attempts at it. What was he doing? Okay so she’d changed her phone number, but he knew how to contact her family, her friends. She could be reached, if he wanted to talk to her. She didn’t want to make things too easy for him though. He’d certainly made things difficult enough for her.

If this were anyone else, then the fact that he hadn’t signed the papers would be an indication that maybe he didn’t want to, maybe there was a chance. But this was Hong Chan Ki, and after the past couple of years she could only think that the silence on his side meant that he couldn’t be bothered to take time from his work to deal with it. Had he even noticed that she was gone? No, she was pretty sure he knew she was gone. She did leave the letter on his briefcase after all. He would have had to have seen it, at least long enough for him to move it out of the way.

Her phone rang, and Ye Seul was dragged out of her bitter thoughts with the reminder that she was at the office, and she should at least try to look productive. Her boss was on the other end, and after calling her into his office for a meeting she was rearranging her calendar. A major concert would be happening next month overseas, and her boss was actually going to send her to cover it. It was the best news she’d had in days; she’d always wanted to see Dubai, and the change of scenery was just what she needed. If she still smoked she’d probably be up to a pack a day, but she’d quit over a year ago and so if she was stressed she couldn’t reach for a cigarette, no matter badly she might want it. The amount of mints she went through instead made her fear for her teeth. Better tooth decay than cancer though, right?

She was back at her desk and tearing at the remains of her breakfast sandwich when her friend Byeon Kan Hee, who worked over in the sports section, came over.

“Ye Seul, you’re not going to believe this. I was getting groceries yesterday and guess who I saw at the store, shopping together with another woman? Just guess.”

Ye Seul closed her eyes. Kan Hee was a good person, but she was fond of gossip and her indignation on Ye Seul’s behalf told her all she needed to know.

“I don’t need to guess.” She sighed.

No wonder he hasn’t signed the papers. He’s been busy, but not with work.