F A L L I N G    F O R    M Y    B O S S

Woo Sunghyun    |    Jung Yumi

requested by gmellyexo97

Yumi's POV

"How old did you say you were again?"

"I just turned 18 last month."

He nodded thoughtfully, though I had no idea what age had to do with it.

"Okay. $10 an hour. Your first shift will be tomorrow, 8am sharp. I'll tell you your other shifts later."

He started to turn around, but the cogs in my head turned.

"W-wait! But the sign outside says $15."

"True. But I was expecting someone a little older, with more experience. Not someone like...you."

Ouch. Blunt.

"That's not fair." I said stubbornly.

He shrugged. "That's the way things work. It's a job. Take it or leave it."

I scrunched up my nose. But it wasn't like I had any other option. I'd already spent the past week finding a job, and this was the closest I'd gotten.

"Fine, I'll take it."

"8am tomorrow."

I nodded, still grumbling to myself about the amount of money this guy was ripping me off. I made my way out of the café, heading towards the direction of my house.

Well, it wasn't really my house. It was my aunt's. Ever since I could remember, I lived in an orphanage with a bunch of other kids. It wasn't exactly the best of all places; it was dirty, dusty, and far too small for 80 rowdy children. The food portions were meagre, but it was better than nothing.

That is, until just one week after I'd turned 18, my aunt had found me, and she'd helped get me out of the place. She'd kindly taken me under her wing, and I was currently living in her small house.

Though she had refused at first, I'd convinced her to let me get a job. I couldn't just sit around, eating out her fridge, snoring around on the couch, and singing in showers. I needed to do something to repay her back for everything she'd done for me.

Although it wasn't much, I'd just managed to pick up a part time job. It was something at least. I was getting there...slowly.

All that's left to do is hope I don't get fired on the first day...

* * * * * * * *

That next morning when I arrived at the café, my boss ran through all the basic things, like the prices, service attitude, how the cashier register worked, etc. It was all very basic, and he only needed to tell me once before I'd memorised everything.

For some reason, mathematics and memorisation proved no challenge to me. I knew it was a bit of a waste to take up a job as a cashier, but it wasn't like I had the money to afford an education. And I most certainly didn't want to use my aunt's money. She was already doing enough for me.

I'll make you proud, aunt. I'll earn lots of money, and we can get a bigger house. I'll take care of you. Just wait for me to get a better job. Nothing will get in my way.

I settled on my seat behind the touch screen computer, and waited for the first customers of the day. I looked up from my lap when I heard the jingle of the door, and someone walked in. She was in her mid 30s, her hair was sleeked back into a neat bun, and she was dressed formally in black.

For some reason, there was a sense of importance that came from her, and I felt that if anyone, she was definitely not the customer to get a wrong order on.

"One coffee, please."

"Will you be having that here, or would you like takeaway?" I spewed out the scripted lines.

"I'll be having it here."

"That'll be $3.70." I still rolled my eyes mentally whenever I looked at the prices of the drinks. Some douche had decided it would be utterly convenient to price things so that people had to dig out 20 cent coins, or receive ridiculously scattered change.

She took out a $100 note from her wallet, and judging from the other 10 notes or so in it, I was right in thinking she was important in some sense.

Without even referring to the register, I pulled out notes and coins, handing them over to my customer. My boss, who had been watching to make sure I didn't screw up, raised an unapproving eyebrow at me. He eyed the register, and then back at me.

I huffed, wishing I didn't have to rely on some stupid thing to do the math for me.

For the next half hour, the woman sat on the table in the very corner, sipping her coffee slowly. I was busy with the steady stream of customers, but every now and then when I could spare a few minutes, I noticed her watching me intently whenever I looked up.

By the next few days, she had become a regular customer. She was always the first one to order, buying her coffee, and settling on the table in the corner. She also watched me, sometimes her attention on her phone and a strange notebook, but she would always look up whenever someone ordered at the counter.

That Friday, I was serving a customer, grabbing their change recklessly without batting an eyelid again.

"Jung Yumi!" I felt someone thwack me across the head. I turned around to face my boss, who wasn't looking very pleased.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Use. The. Register."

"But I haven't gotten anything wrong yet."

"Yet. It's only a matter of time before you do. Now use it."

I rolled my eyes as he walked away, and I turned my attention back to the counter. I was surprised to see the middle aged woman standing in front of me. Normally, she would leave at 8:45 on the dot, and right now, it was 8:47.

I blinked at her. "U-um...how can I help you?"

She didn't answer me, but instead, pulled out a small card from inside her jacket. She handed it over to me.

I took it, not sure what to expect, but I raised my eyebrows in surprise when I read the business card.

"NH Co...Modelling Company?" I flipped it around, only to find nothing. I looked up at her questioningly. "U-um, what's this for? If it's a modelling job, I think you've got the wrong person. I'm no model material."

She chuckled softly, her eyes wrinkling and her smile bright. Instantly, she seemed a lot nicer than her icy appearance.

"As you may have noticed, I've been observing you this past week, and I've noticed memorising and keeping track of things is an easy task for you."

I nodded, still clueless as to where this was going.

She pointed vaguely at the card I was holding. "I'm here to offer you a job as the secretary of NH Co.'s boss."

"Me?" I motioned myself. Her nod confirmed my doubts.

"But, what about this job?" As much as I didn't like my current boss, it didn't seem very courteous of me to quit within a week.

"I'll take care of it."

As tempting as it sounded, I still wanted to make sure of one thing. "What's in it for me?"

"It'll be full time. And, you'll have a much higher pay than you'll get here." She ended it with a wink, eyes giving off a sense of cheekiness that made her seem younger.

I was already convinced. I pulled off my working apron and tossed it onto my seat.

I grinned at her, extending my hand out in a greeting. "I'm Jung Yumi, and I'll take the job."

Kevin's POV

There was a knock on my door, but I kept my gaze on the sheets in front of me.

"Come in."

I heard the door creak open, and soft footsteps padded into my office. I mumbled for her talk.

"Kevin?"

I vaguely gestured for her to continue, but I was met with silence. Quickly scribbling down the last words, I let out a sigh and looked up.

My secretary, Miyung, was standing a few steps from my table with someone half out of the door, uncertain as to where to go.

"Who is it?" I said without much interest.

She motioned towards the figure, coaxing them into the office. "Kevin, this is your new secretary. Yumi, go introduce yourself."

The said person looked flustered and bowed in my direction.

"H-hello! I'm Yumi. Jung Yumi. Please take care of me!"

Before I could even think, I let out a scoff.

She's probably just another woman who's after my money. They're all the same. Except for Miyung. She's the only one I can trust.

"Isn't she a little young? She looks like a little kid. Are you sure I can trust her with my schedules and everything? It's grown up business, not a playground." The last sentence was directed more at Yumi than my secretary.

I hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, and the hurt that briefly flashed through her eyes almost made me feel guilty. But I brushed the thoughts away.

Can't even take a little scolding. Princess.

My secretary coughed awkwardly. "She's already 18…"

"Would've never guessed." I muttered to myself. "Never mind. I don't need her. Give her some money and tell her to find another job."

That's all she wants, isn't it?

"I need her." My secretary stated as a matter-of-factly.

When I didn't respond, she raised an eyebrow. "Kevin." Miyung's voice was firm.

I bit back a sharp remark. Sometimes, she reminded me more of my grandmother than a secretary.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, I looked at Yumi, glaring at her coldly but refusing to address her. "Fine. But one mistake, and she's fired."

Yumi's POV

"Please forgive him, Yumi." Miyung said to me once we were a fair distance away from the boss' office. "He's like that to everyone."

She sighed, and I turned my head to look at her. "As icy as he seems, he's really just an innocent child inside. All the women he's ever fallen in love never returned his feelings. They were only after his money. He's sworn to never fall for someone else again. He just needs time to warm up towards people. Please don't take it to heart."

"That's...horrible. His life must be so bleak. Without love to brighten up his days."

She nodded solemnly. "I'm just hoping that someday, a special girl will break down his walls."

The words sunk in, and my eyebrows knitted together. I could never imagine life without a little love. Maybe in the time that I work for him, I could possible change him for the better. Maybe my goal for now was not to earn as much money as I could, but to help him find the magic of love again.

Sorry aunt, but this...this is more important.

Silence engulfed us, until she suddenly spoke up again. "Take care of him while I'm gone, okay? I trust you."

"While you're gone?" I asked her anxiously. Though I'd only known her for a very short time, I'd already taken a liking to her. There was something motherly and caring about her, and it gave me a sense of security whenever I was around her.

"Yes, I'll be gone for a while. A few months maybe? I'm not sure. My mother is sick, and I...wish to stay with her for the time being."

I gathered her hands with mine, squeezing them reassuringly.

"She'll be fine."

Kevin's POV

I glanced at my wristwatch, sighing when I saw it was already late into the night. There was still a stack of work to do, but thankfully to my new secretary, she'd taken some of my workload.

It'd already been a month since she'd started working for me. Without Miyung, I'd begrudgingly started depending on her for my schedule and times and little odd jobs here and there.

Her job meant that we had to communicate with each other, and although I had started off with a sharp tongue, I had reasonably softened up towards her.

Being the boss of a rich company, girls only ever flocked to me for my money. No one ever appreciated me for...me. I was only ever the 'rich husband' that everyone wanted, and no one actually loved me for who I was.

I don't know what, but there was something about her that was different. Something that told me although she was naïve, she was innocent. Her optimism and personality was completely different from my negativity and self-pity, and it was somewhat refreshing.

She seemed unfazed by my attitude towards her. Sometimes, it even seemed like she was pleased when I didn't throw back a retort at her.

I found myself starting to look out not only for myself, but her too. I worked faster and harder, trying to lessen her responsibilities and work time. When I knew she hadn't eaten, I'd buy her something, saying they were handing it out for free as a promotion.

Without even knowing, I'd started developing feelings for her.

I tousled my hair in frustration. What was it about her that made her so special?

Sighing, I got up and stretched my sore limbs. I was extremely fatigued; I'd not had a good night's sleep in a while. Probably even more so for Yumi. Although she pretended it was no big deal, I could see the job slowly taking its toll on her. She was still quite young for such a strenuous job, especially when the fact that I had many more schedules than the average boss was taken into consideration.

Deciding some coffee would do the trick, I made my way out of my office. Normally, my secretary would be the one doing it, but I decided that she already had enough on her shoulders.

I took a detour towards her smaller office, asking whether she wanted one too. She didn't really like coffee. The taste was 'too bitter and strong' for her. Only when she was working late into the night did she drink some. And only if there were three teaspoons of sugar in it.

It's funny how much I know about her...

I raised my hand to knock on her door, but stopped when I saw her through the small crack. Her head was resting upon her folded arms, papers under her and scattered on her table.

Without realising, my feet had already taken me towards her desk. From my close distance, I could clearly see how beautiful she was. I kneeled down so I was level with her, and for a while, I watched her slightly parted mouth, softly breathing in and out.

I wriggled out of my jacket, and gingerly placed it over her shoulders. With her small figure encased in my jacket, she looked like a cute child.

I took out my phone and took a picture, freezing when it made a shutter sound. Thankfully, she didn't stir, and I looked at my screen.

She looks like an angel.

I smiled momentarily, but then abruptly stepped back when I realised what I was thinking. I stood there, watching Yumi. How had she made me soften up so much? I wasn't supposed to be acting like this. I'd sworn never to fall in love with another woman. Yet here she was. Yumi. My secretary. Making my heart flutter at her sheer presence.

Was it...finally time to try love again?

Yumi's POV

There was a funny feeling. Like someone was watching me. I forced my eyes open, only to jerk up from my sleeping position in surprise.

I winced slightly as my limbs protested against sudden movements. My arms had fallen asleep and I was attacked with pins and needles. My neck was sore and my back was stiff from leaning over the desk, and I started regretting falling asleep.

But what made me regret it the most was the fact that my boss had just caught me sleeping. When I was meant to be working.

I massaged my neck with a hand while I craned up to look at him.

"A-are you going to fire me?" I asked him timidly. I never heard his answer, because I was distracted by something that slipped off my back.

I swiveled around in my chair to find a dark blue jacket that was far too big to be mine on the ground. There was no one left in the office except for me and my boss. My sleep-ridden brain slowly connected the dots, and I gasped in surprise from realisation.

"Oh my gosh I am so sorry. I fell asleep when I was meant to be working and you had to give me your jacket as well and oh gosh. I promise it won't happe-"

I stopped mid sentence, freezing when Kevin moved behind me. I tensed at the touch of his hands on my shoulders, and before I could protest, he started massaging the knots in my neck.

"Relax your shoulders. Otherwise you could get cramps." He chuckled softly.

His warm breath tickled the back of my neck, and did nothing to help calm me down.

Why is he like this? Where did the cold guy go?

The way he was acting was so weird, but in a way it was nice, for him to be kind for a change.

As much as I hated myself for it, I couldn't help but develop feelings for my boss. He had a kind of charm that was hard to explain, even if he hadn't been exactly welcoming at first. But I'd noticed he'd warmed up to me in the past month. It was quite amusing and cute though, the way he did things for me.

He'd give me food that was far too good to have been handed out for free. Even for promotions. Sometimes, I recognized which shop he'd bought it from, and I would question him just to make him flustered. He'd scramble to make up an excuse, and his answers were adorkable.

Seriously. By now, he probably 'knew' every single shop owner within a 20 meter radius.

Whenever I needed a sugar or caffeine boost, he'd magically show up at the right time, with a hot cup of coffee. I never really dug coffee. It was too bitter for my taste buds.

But for some reason, the coffee Kevin made never seemed to be bitter. It was always sweet.

There were endless reasons as to why I'd developed feelings for him.

Sure, Miyung had told me to take care of him. But I highly doubted she meant for me to fall in love with him.

For a moment I held my breath, still stiff under the hands of Kevin, until I snapped out of my trance. What was I doing?

My boss was too innocent. Hurt too many times by women. And here I was, falling in love with him. It almost felt like I was taking advantage of him. I had to try and supress my feelings. Otherwise, things could go bad…

Jerking from the thought, I pulled away from him, nearly slipping off my chair.

"U-um sorry. Um. Did you want coffee? Of course you did, it's late. Um. I'll go make it now. Sorry. Bye."

I walked off as fast as my legs could handle, before my boss could say anything.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why does he have to make it so hard for me?

I was going to have to be more careful around him.

* * * * * * * *

I made my way out of the conference room, where we'd just had a meeting with other people of high status. It was already late at night, and I wanted nothing more than to go home, take a hot shower, and go to bed.

Yawning, I quickly grabbed my things from my office, the same place where the awkward incident between me and my boss had occurred 3 weeks ago.

Since then, I'd tried my best to avoid being alone with him, but that in itself proved to be a hard task, considering I was meant to be around him all the time.

Although I'd acted a little more icily towards him the first few days, I found it was futile, as it in no way stopped my growing feelings.

In the end, I just gave up, submitting to the one sided relationship. And so from afar, I secretly loved him.

I sighed, just as my boss walked past me.

"Do you need a lift or anything?"

I shook my head, smiling at his offer. "No, it's okay. My house is only 20 minutes walk from here."

"20 minutes is still a very long time. And it's late. It's not safe for a pretty girl like you to walk alone in the dark."

I bit my lip, wishing the blush spreading across my face would disappear. "N-no, it's r-really okay. I have a mobile phone. But thank you."

He nodded hesitantly, slightly pouting. "Well...okay. But be really careful, okay? Avoid the alleyways or narrow streets. Walk on big roads and stay away from any strangers. If you think there's any chance of trouble, call me. You got it?"

"Yes mum." I saluted him playfully, and he tousled my hair. I turned around and walked away before he could her the thumping of my heart.

I was still grinning stupidly to myself a few minutes later when I was out on the street. I let my thoughts wander off to silly fantasies, giggling to myself whenever it got too cheesy.

When I felt my fingers starting to curl at my thoughts, I decided maybe it was time to drift back to reality before I suffered from cheese overload.

I shook my heads to clear my thoughts, only to find myself walking along an unfamiliar street. I blinked twice, trying to figure out where I was. The streets were dark, only dimly lit with the streetlights, and so it was hard to work out my surroundings.

I retraced my steps as best as I could remember, and let out a sigh of relief when I spotted the café I had worked at before I got the job as a secretary. Glad to be back on a familiar street, I let out a small smile and continued walking home.

But someone emerged from the shadows in between the shops, and the smile wiped off my face.

He had stubble on his chin, and his hair was messy and matted. He wore a brown cloak that reached his shins, and he held a glass bottle in his hand.

"Well 'ello there young lady! What’s a pretty thing like you doing out 'ere so late at night?"

He broke out into a toothless grin, cackling like a maniac. His steps were shaky, and I could hear the liquid sloshing from the mouth of his bottle.

"Let's you and me have a lil' fun…'eh?"

I took a step back, wondering whether I could outrun a male in heels. Surely it was possible. He was drunk! He continued staggering towards me, and I was rooted to the spot, wondering what to do.

I took another step back, slightly looking over my shoulder when I felt a brick wall behind me. I let out a small whimper, and he snorted.

He advanced, and I desperately pushed him away by his shoulders. His smirk dropped, and his eyes narrowed at me. I could see his mouth twitching in annoyance, and he looked like he was going to explode any moment.

Before I could react, I felt a stinging pain on my cheek. I was on my knees, facing the ground. I looked up just in time to see him raise his beer bottle, but before it could even swing down, a hand gripped his arm from out of nowhere.

In all his glory, he stood there, glaring at the man with an intensity I'd never seen in him before. How was someone so sweet and cute capable of delivering such a deadly look that could kill?

Kevin's POV

"I suggest you leave my girlfriend alone."

The man growled, and I pulled Yumi up to her feet. I swept her behind me protectively, daring the man to so much as lay a finger on her.

Over my dead body.

As drunk as he was, he seemed to sense he'd picked the wrong person. He scrambled away before I could knock some sense into him.

I turned around to face my shaken secretary.

"Are you okay?!"

"H-how, why a-are you here?"

Seeing as she could talk, I assumed it was a yes.

"I told you to stay safe!" I raised my voice slightly, ignoring her question.

She flinched, though I wasn't sure whether it was from the tone of my voice or my hands on her shoulders.

"Do you know how worried I was? I told you to stay away from strangers! And to avoid dark alleyways! Look around! These streetlights hardly light anything up! The best they can do is attract moths. And do you know how angry I was when I saw him hit you? You should have run away or something when you had the chance! Not stand there and gawk at him!" I took a deep breath, but before I could rant on, she butted in.

"Sorry."

But that wasn't it.

"I was in heels. Why don't you try and run in heels someday." She probably meant to sound angry, but it wasn't working with her cute pout.

My glare softened up considerably, and I sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just...so worried and worked up and-"

"You were worried? For me?"

I rubbed the back of my neck with a hand.

"You have feelings?!" She joked.

"Hey!" I bopped her lightly on the head, cutting short her giggling as it was replaced by a blush.

After a short silence, she muttered a sentence that made my heart ache for her.

"No one has ever been worried for me."

I could understand her pain. "Me too. They only ever worry about my money."

In a moment of sentimentality, I reached out and gingerly hugged her. She was much smaller than I had thought she was, and my heart pounded inside my chest when I realised what I was doing.

Maybe...it's telling me...it's time to confess.

I decided to be blunt. I wasn't good with words.

"Yumi, do you love me?"

She took a step back, and blinked furiously at me. I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering if I had been a bit too direct.

"H-huh? W-whaddya mean?"

 I internally slapped myself.

Way to go, Kevin. Scaring your secretary like that. Now she must think I'm a creep.

She dropped her gaze, suddenly interested with her shoes. "Y-yeah...I tried not to! But...but, I can't help it…"

I was ecstatic, but I needed to hear it one more time for me to believe it.

"What did you say?"

She blushed bright red. "I...I love you."

"Why?"

"I don’t know. You're icy façade is just your way of protecting yourself, but when you drop it and show your true self, you're actually really caring and sweet. You're always looking out for me, and you just seem to be there whenever I need you. It just...happened so...

"Thank you, Yumi."

"Huh?" She said again for the nth time.

"You gave me a different perspective on life and women. You've given me hope and trust, and you've broken down the wall I've built around myself. So, thank you, for loving me. And thank you for teaching me how to love again."

With that, I engulfed her into another embrace, only this one wasn't just warm and comforting. It was loving.

Yumi's POV

"Next time I'm driving you home." We were walking together down the last few blocks before my house, because Kevin didn't 'trust the streets' anymore.

"No that's o-"

"Actually, I'm going to drive you home everyday."

I rolled my eyes. "It's fine, really."

"That's what you said today. And that turned out great, didn’t it?"

"It was just once!" I whined at him.

"And it could happen again." He mimicked my tone, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I don't care!" I snapped, though I was struggling to stay pokerfaced.

Gosh. He was just as stubborn as me. And that was saying something.

He held me an arm's distance away from him. "Well I do."

I lightly swatted his arms away, laughing as I rolled my eyes. "Don't you think you're getting a little overprotective already?"

"Maybe. But I don't care." He shrugged nonchalantly. "If I have to, I'll glue you to my side."

He looked sincerely into my eyes. "Just as long as you're safe."