I was still talking to Ben when I reached the door; I turned to face him while holding the handle, I had my back to it, when it flew open and a voice said sarcastically, “Sorry, are we interrupting?” I felt all color leave my face and I was frozen in place, I didn’t have to turn to look at him because I already knew who it was. Ben was on his way to his room when he stopped and exclaimed, “Hey Byunghee, come on in.” The latter didn’t even wait for him to finish when he bolted past me followed by Miyong. Byunghee pretended that he didn’t see me and just walked in the room toward Ben, “Hey hyung, Seojin asked me to drop something here, but she didn’t say you had company. I guess I should have called first.” Ben shook his head, “No, no problem. I was about to go out…” He entered his room and motioned for Byunghee to follow him and I was left alone with Miyong. For a moment she didn’t say anything and just detailed me from head to toe, just like Ben did earlier but instead of admiration, she was detailing me with a murderous look in her eyes as if she wanted to jump on my throat and tear me apart. As soon as the guys were out of sight she exclaimed, “So, you are everywhere, huh. Almost like a pest or a cockroach, people like you are everywhere.” I walked back to the couch, took the controller and went back to the game I was playing. I didn’t want to say anything to her that would ignite a fire especially with her boyfriend here, I didn’t want to get fired.

She was sitting in a leather chair on the other side of the room, she looked very comfortable and it looked like it wasn't her first time here. She crossed her thin legs, her eyes fixed on me. I was observing her at the corner of my eyes so that I didn't have to turn my head in her direction. Usually she looked very confident and cool, but right now, she looked very nervous and unsettled. She was lacing and unlacing her fingers, crossing and uncrossing her legs, and shifting left and right. I was still ignoring her, and after a little bit she got up and stood in front of me, I lift my eyes to look at her; I paused the game I was playing and put the controller down. She crossed her arms over her ample chest, “So are you going to tell me what games you’re playing?” I looked up at her, “I am playing Titan Fall. Do you want to play?” she looked at me horrified, I scoffed but didn’t say anything, I checked around to see where the boys went, Ben and Byunghee must have been gone for probably five minutes but it felt like an eternity. ‘What the heck were they still doing in there, Ben was supposed to put a shirt on and that was it.’ For a moment, I forgot that she was standing there and got lost in my thoughts, I was a bit worried about what they might be talking about in his bedroom. An annoyed Miyong pulled me out of my dread, “Han Jinju-ssi, don’t you know that it’s rude to ignore someone when they are talking to you?”

I watched her and scoffed with a feigned surprise, “What do you know, she knows my name.” I stood up and head for the kitchen to get some water, where she followed me, “I didn’t know that you and Jinsoo Oppa where lovers. Did Byunghee Oppa know about you two before today? Because by the look of it, he didn’t know did he?” I poured myself some water and took a sip looking at her over the glass. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said that she was jealous and it wasn't because of Byunghee. It didn’t make sense that she was following me around and asking those kinds of questions. She was pretending not to care, but since I was not answering her she started losing her patience. “Well it’s obvious that you are lovers because you two were practically  when we walked in. Did we interrupt you in the middle of something?” I put the glass in the sink before answering her, “Ben Oppa and I are both adults, whatever we do together in private is none of your business. And yes, you did interrupt.” I left her standing in the kitchen and walked back in the living room to focus on my video game. She went back to her previous sit, but still didn’t want to let go, she continued, “You know, I don’t think the Chairman would be happy to learn about your relationship with one of the managers, especially one working on such an important project.” She thought for a moment before adding, “By the way, did you know that Jinsoo was going out with me today? You probably think that he was going out with Byung…” I have had enough, I didn’t want to blow up on her while her boyfriend was here, so I got up to walk out of the room but not before telling her off, so I cut her short, “Listen lady, I don’t have any explanation to give to you. If my boss wants to talk to me about something, he knows where to find me. I wasn’t hired by the Chairman so I am not worried about him.” Before I leave the room I turned to her and said, “And yes, he told me last night that he was going out with you today because he doesn’t hide anything from me.” The look on her face was priceless; it was like I had punched her in the face, I snickered thinking that Seojin would have backed me up with a ‘CHACHING’ if she was here. I headed to Ben’s bedroom to see what was taking so long, it hadn’t been more than twenty five minutes but they were still dragging.  

When I walked into the room, they were in a deep conversation about some musical arrangement for the project; I prayed that it was all they talked about though. They stopped talking once they noticed my presence, “Oppa can I talk to you for a moment?” Ben walked up to me smiling, but I was not, I couldn’t smile back, I felt like I had something tied in my throat. Byunghee was detailing me with a weird expression, it was kind of like anger mixed with disgust, and it was very painful for me to watch. Ben took me by the shoulder and pulled me toward the end of the corridor, “Ben, I want to go home. Is it possible for you to take me on your way?” I couldn’t look at him in the eyes, and I was hoping if I evaded his gaze, he would not be tempted to ask any questions, either way it worked. He took my chin between his fingers and lifted my face toward him, “Are you sure you are going to be alright? You can talk to me about anything you know that, right?” I looked at him, shook my head sniffling and replied, “Yeah, I know Oppa. Thank you for taking care of me last night.” He smiled and pulled me in a hug, “You know I will always be there for you. Come see me more often, I liked spending time with you.” I put my head on his shoulder and hugged him back.

I stayed in his embrace longer than I meant to be, but it felt so comforting. We were holding on to each other when a voice came behind us, “Is everything okay? Hyung, I have to…” I was startled and pushed Ben away abruptly, as if we were caught doing something bad. He was surprised by my action, but if he suspected something, he didn’t say a word about it. He turned to look at Byunghee and the latter scratched his throat before explaining, “Sorry, hyung. I wanted to let you know that I was leaving.” Then he headed out to the living room, I followed him with my eyes and met those of Miyong. I guessed she witnessed the scene also, but if I thought that she was losing her cool earlier, right now she was shooting arrows at me with her eyes. Byunghee was half way to the door when Ben called him, “Byunghee, why don’t you drop Ana to her house for me.” I turned to Ben giving him a supplicating look trying to tell him no. He looked oblivious to my request and continued, “I wouldn't mind dropping her, but Miyong and I are going on the opposite direction.” I didn’t want him to know that I had an issue with Byunghee, so I decided not to persuade him, but I think he suspected something and wanted to give us time to talk it out. Byunghee gave me a defiant look, almost like he couldn’t wait to rip me apart. Miyong gave me a victory smirk as if to tell me that I was going to get it. I shook my head thinking that these two were definitely made for each other.

I turned to Ben, he told me that he would call me later and I thanked him again for his hospitality, before following Byunghee out. In another situation or if it was someone else, I would have to admit that fate was pushing us together. However, it felt like Byunghee was in my life only to make it miserable. I followed him into the elevator and to the parking garage under the building, he opened the passenger side and held the door open for me, ‘How gentleman like’, I thought. I sat quietly and fastened my seatbelt; he got into the car without a word, started the engine and headed out. I turned my head away from him admiring the scenery that lay before me; we drove for about fifteen minutes without saying anything to each other. When we stopped at a red light, I saw him reach across the back seat, pulled a paper bag, and put it on my lap. I turned to him with a questioning look, he motioned for me to open it and when I did, I saw that my purse was in there. “Seojin asked me to bring it over to Jinsoo’s for you. I didn’t want to get you in trouble because I thought that he probably wasn't aware of what had happen last night between the two of us.” I looked at him with a confused look, “Thank… you,” I said hesitantly.

He glared at me and scoffed sarcastically, “You don’t have to play the frightened little kitty with me. Your lover may not know who you are but I had you figured out a long time ago, and I told you so.” ‘So he still thought that I was a gold digger.’ I had decided to play the amnesic so that I could face him tomorrow, but I guess I would have to play it tonight then. “What do you mean boss?” He took his eyes off the road for a moment and laid them on me, “You know exactly what I mean. Did you feel so guilty that you had to run to your lover to make up for what you did?” I pretended that I had no idea what he was talking about, “I am sorry sir, but I don’t know what to tell you, because I don’t even know what you are talking about.” I saw him clenching his jaw in sign of anger; he was trying to control himself but was doing a poor job at it. “Does Hyung know that you are sleeping with other people behind his back, huh? Do you go around seducing people, turn them on and then run out on them without an explanation?” he was pissed, I could tell. I figured that he would be mad because I left him hanging, but I didn’t do it intentionally, I thought I was dreaming and conceded to my passion, but I would die before admitting to him that I knew what he meant, oh so perfectly. “I wish I could tell you something, boss, but I don’t know what you are talking about. I was drunk and I don’t remember anything that happened after you gave me vodka. And I think that I should tell you that whatever happened between Oppa and I last night has nothing to do with you and I shouldn’t have to give you an explanation. As far as I know, it isn’t affecting my work, so your authority can only reach this far…”

Before I knew it, he veered off the road and stop the car abruptly cutting the engine off, he grabbed both of my wrists and pulled me toward him, “You little minx.” He spat between his teeth, “Do you get off at playing with people’s feelings. Do you enjoy when a man is writhing with desire for you? Huh? Wasn't I what you expected that you had to run to your “Oppa” to finish the job?” There was no doubt that he was mad, he was red with anger and it scared me. I tried to disengage from him, but his grip tightened and he pulled me closer to his chest, before I knew it, he grabbed both of my wrists with one hand and with his other free hand pulled my head and crushed his lips on mine. He was forcing his way into my mouth but I wouldn't let him, he let go of my wrists and held my head with both hands in order to stop me from moving it from side to side. I took this opportunity to push him away and went to open the door, but he quickly grabbed me and pressed me against his chest capturing my left arm under his shoulder preventing me from running, I was still hitting him with my right hand but he slid his arm around my back and held my right arm too. I was physically immobilized but I was still moving my head back and forth, until he grabbed me by the hair and held me captive. “You are not running away this time.” He said between his teeth. Unable to move I grunted, “So what? Are you going to take me by force by the side of the road?” I would have been better off not to provoke him, but I was starting to get mad. He chuckled dryly, “Who would blame me if I did. I am a provoked man, and the way you dress is not helping at all.” His comment scared me, I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself if he tried to take me by force, but I still had my mouth, “I always knew you were an animal, but right now you only sound like a coward. You pretend…” I knew I shouldn’t have provoked him, but that was my only defense against him. His face turned red with anger and he crushed his lips on mine again to shut me up. I bit my teeth together denying him access, but he pulled hard on my hair and I gasped from the pain, he took the occasion and slipped his tongue into my mouth.

I was torn between desire, anger, and fear. Even in the peculiar situation that I was, my body as a traitor was opening up to him. I felt my s harden and for a moment, I stopped resisting and kissed him back passionately, tangling and rolling my tongue around his, deepening the kiss. I was angry with myself for not being able to resist him, and for a moment I didn't care because he was the man I loved, so I stopped struggling. However, when I heard him chuckled sarcastically, I felt humiliated and tears started running down my face. Once it was clear in my head that he will probably always treat me like that, it was like a dam broke and tears started flowing uncontrollably. He probably tasted the tears off my lips and he finally let go, he looked at me confused, “I…I am sorry…” he said hesitantly running his hand through his hair, “I don’t know what happened. I…I’ve never lost control like that before…” He tried to reach over to me, but I cowered away to the door, pushed it open and dashed out. He got out and followed me, “Ana… Ana…Ana” I ignored and continued walking, it wasn't until he grabbed me by the arm that I finally stopped. “WHAT!” I screamed turning to face him. He looked surprised by my sudden outburst, he stopped and scrutinized my face, there were no tears anymore, but my eyes were burning with desire and rage. I looked at him straight in the eyes and we held each other’s gaze for a moment, it’s like he wanted to tell me something, his eyes soften and his grip on my arm loosened also, and my heart stated beating like drums in a parade. I was breathing hard and I realized that he was also, I felt an electric current run from his fingers to my skin giving me goose bumps, and my s hardened again. Damn it!

My body was my biggest enemy; I had no idea that I could ever desire someone like I desired him and the worst part was that he treated me like something cheap, he enjoys breaking me and making me feel inferior, and there was no way I would take that from a man, not even him. I pulled my arm out of his grip, “What do you want from me Jung Byunghee-ssi?” I made sure to address him formally and as detached as possible. I wanted to maintain as much distance between us as possible, because if I listen to my body and go down that road, I will suffer greatly and I didn’t want to spend the next ten years of my life waiting for a man again, I wasn't ready to go through that again. Contrarily to me, his voice was soft and calm, voided of mockery, which was very surprising to me, “Look Ana… I’m… I’m sorry about that. It’s just that… I just can’t control myself around you. You get under my skin, it’s like that thing…” I remembered what Miyong told me earlier, and I cut him coldly “I am like a pest right? Since I am a nobody.” He looked confused and tried to continue, “It’s… it’s…” I didn’t want to hear anything, “Spare me your explanations, I already know my place. And your girlfriend has taken the charge to remind me already.” I was already walking away from him, I heard his steps behind me and in seconds I was jolted back, he held me by the shoulder and almost shaking me he declared, “Why are you so difficult woman? You think you know it all, huh. Do you think that being cold makes you seem special or interesting?”

I looked at him with cold eyes, slapped his hands off my shoulders, and told him between my teeth, “Get your hands off of me and do not touch me ever again.” He gave me a surprised look then shrugged, “Fine, I will never touch you again. Just let me take you home.” He looked serious making that statement, but I had to ask, “What makes you think that I would go back to the car with you after what happened?” He gave me a strange look but shrugged again, “Listen, I wouldn't mind leaving you here and anywhere you’d like, but I promised hyung that I would take you home and it would be rude to leave a women in the middle of the street by herself.” I scoffed sarcastically, “Oh! How chivalrous of you? You worrying about being rude to me, that’s a first, I’d be surprised if you cared.” I knew I was being difficult, but I was trying to get him as far away from as possible so the incident that happened earlier wouldn't happen again. “I do care, especially when my honor is in play, and of course if anything was to happen to you, it would be a big problem for me…” My heart skipped a beat and I felt a smile trace across my lips, but it wasn't for long as he continued, “…Because it would be a hassle to look for your new replacement. And as I said, I promise to never touch you again.” my smile quickly faded. Of course he didn't care, did I actually have a glimmer of hope? That was very stupid of me.

Finally, I gave up, I wanted to go home since it was getting dark and I was tired of fighting with him. I followed him quietly to the car and we resumed our ride. As soon as I got out of the car, he drove off without looking back. I guess I got my wish; wanting him as far away from me as possible, but why were my eyes filled with tears again?