[A/N]: Chapter 7/7; This is the last chapter of Being in Time.

11.16.23.0810111214

Months have passed after the eventful incidents with the company came down. Namjoo, along with Sungjae and several other victims, presented themselves to the police station to testify and validate the illegal transactions made under AG Linings. The victims also provided the necessary evidences proving that coercion was done and used against them every time their payment was collected. After all of these, Sungjae was granted protection as the primary witness by the judge who was in-charge of the case. However, he was still given jail time for the crimes he committed which he wholeheartedly accepted.

Eunji, on the other hand, made her grand return to the company upon discovering the new evidence behind her father’s death. Not only was the name of the company tarnished from all of the recent accusations, but all of the board members were also in a state of disarray after the plot behind the previous chairman’s death was discovered. Thus, the board members decided to hold an emergency meeting where they voted to remove Daehyun and his mother from their positions. However, reinstituting Eunji back into her original position was still in the talks, but the eye-smiling woman couldn’t care less.

The reinvestigation started again upon Eunji’s request as there was no statute of limitation for the murder case. As the evidences presented to the prosecution sufficed, the allegations were successfully turned over against her stepmother who was the perpetrator, and her stepbrother Daehyun who acted as his mother’s accomplice.

After the trial for the day ended, Eunji waited outside the courthouse for her ride. Her hands were pressing onto two hot packs squeezed together as it was a snowy afternoon.

Honks blasted from an incoming red car. “Yo!” Chorong called out after rolling down the window.

“Oh?” Eunji was surprised it wasn’t her usual same-aged friend. “Where’s Bomi?”

“She’s busy today so I’m the one who went,” Chorong explained. “Hop in.”

Eunji sat on the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. “Your car is so clean.”

“Of course. What do you expect from that junk Bomi keeps calling a car?” Chorong scoffed.

Eunji laughed out loud. “That is so true.”

It was a long ride back home so Eunji decided to open the radio and play some music.

“The dangerous things you did that Sojin unnie told me before, was it related to your company?” Chorong asked carefully.

“Yeah…”

Chorong nodded in understanding. “It seems like you didn’t tell unnie about it too. I guess you were just getting what was rightfully yours.”

“Well, actually… I’m spending all that I have now for Father.” Eunji relaxed into her seat as she faced the window. She hoped to enjoy the rest of the season relaxing at home, but a frown formed on her face as she realized it was unlikely to happen since she have to attend trials.

“Should we call you by your birth name? Or-”

“Nah,” the eye-smiling woman replied. “Just call me Eunji.”

“Okay.” Chorong smiled. “Whatever floats your boat.”

An hour into their ride, Eunji was bored with nothing to do in her seat. “Unnie, what are you up to nowadays?” she asked randomly.

“I’m converting the club into a family restaurant.”

“Really?!”

“Renovations started a month ago. Hopefully, it will be done by Minah’s birthday,” Chorong explained. “You’ll come, right?”

“When is it?” Eunji asked.

“In exactly a week.”

“Oh,” Eunji uttered after looking at the calendar in her phone. “I might be running late on that day if ever.”

“Why?” Chorong asked. A split second after, the reason eventually dawned on her. “Ahh, I remember now. Just don’t forget to bring Naeun with you on that day.”

-----

“Namjoo sunbaenim!”

The blonde woman turned around, facing a man who brought out a bouquet of flowers.

“Uhh…” Namjoo cocked her head in confusion.

“Flowers for you.” The man raised the bouquet to her face. “W-will you go out with me to dinner?”

Much to her discomfort, they were already earning glances from the other students that were walking along the path. Namjoo scratched her head shyly. “You see… I’m-”

“She’s engaged. Can’t you see the silver ring on her finger?” Hayoung butted in and held Namjoo’s hand. “Now go ahead, run along,” she said, doing a shooing motion with her other hand.

“Oooh,” the witnesses cooed.

The disheartened man slumped his shoulders as he left the corridor.

“You didn’t have to be so mean about it.” Namjoo sighed tiredly.

“I was telling the truth though. Why don’t you come back to the company and work as my secretary again?” Hayoung pouted. “Do I have to worry more about your suitors in the near future?”

“We talked about this before, didn’t we?” Namjoo slapped the younger woman lightly on the arm. “I’ll only start working full-time again after I earn my degree.” She was planning to work as a waitress in her sister’s restaurant once the renovations were done in order to pay for her own tuition until she graduated from university. “After that, I’ll decide whether I’ll go back as your secretary or not.”

“I know…” Hayoung raised their hands which were intertwined. “Then just do a better job flashing off your ring so they’ll know we’re together.”

“You wanted me to do that for a long time now, didn’t you?” Namjoo grinned, landing a peck on her fiancée’s lips. “I’ll let them know so stop worrying already. Geez. I’m yours, okay?”

-----

“How was work?” Eunji closed her book, raising her head as the fair woman entered the apartment. She and Naeun decided to live together to cut down some of their expenses since the latter was the only one working between them.

A month ago, Naeun was scouted on the street by a popular entertainment agency who immediately signed a contract with her, resulting to plenty of commercial deals as her primary source of income.

“It was tiring.” Naeun groaned. “My feet are freaking tired from wearing these high heels all day.” She removed the straps off her feet, and then she lazily kicked off the pair which flew across the living room.

“Come here.” Eunji opened her arms. “Look at you, you’re working hard,” she said as the younger woman sat on her lap.

“Mhmm,” Naeun hummed, snuggling onto the neck of the older woman. “Why are you still awake?”

“I was waiting for you,” Eunji said while massaging the calves and feet of the tired woman.

“Really?” Naeun wrapped her arms around the eye-smiling woman. “Then are you going to sleep now?”

“Not yet, I guess.” Eunji raised her book. “I’ll finish this first.”

“Hmph, okay.” Naeun huffed silently because she was slightly disappointed. “Then can you sing me a song instead?”

Eunji nodded in reply. Her soothing voice fluttered inside the room while she gently cradled the younger woman in her arms. It was almost a duty that she would sing a song for her every time, but she was happy to do it all the more so because Naeun would ask for it.

“I’ll cherish you more than yesterday… oh.” Eunji chuckled as the woman immediately fell asleep just after the chorus.

Eunji carried the woman in her arms and gently laid her on the bed. After tucking her in the blanket, Eunji landed a kiss on her forehead.

“Good night,” Eunji said in a soft voice. “Sweet dreams.”

A smile slowly curled on the lips of the younger woman. “Good night…”

-----

“Good morning.” Chorong grinned as the brunette slowly opened her eyes.

“Such beautiful way to start the day, aye?” Bomi cupped the cheeks of the redhead.

“Wanna go for another round to make it better?” Chorong slipped her hand inside the shirt of the brunette. “What do you think?”

With her eyes closed, Bomi moaned at the touch of the redhead before she moved atop of the latter. “Someone’s feisty.”

“Are you referring to yourself?” Chorong smirked.

“Mom! Mom!” Minah wildly barged into their room just when Bomi was about to start. “You didn’t forget to invite my friends, right?”

“ing. ed,” the pissed brunette whispered to herself, biting her tongue in annoyance. “Yes, sweetie. We invited them so just stay calm in one place,” she said, masking a wide grin.

“Yehey!” Minah beamed, jumping in her place excitedly. “Thanks, Mom!” She hugged her mother and then ran outside the room.

“Happy birthday, sweetie!” Bomi shouted.

“You two really look alike.” Chorong chuckled, “especially when you smile.”

Bomi turned around, tilting her head to one side. “What are you talking about?”