Petals of Success

Ch.14: Difference

Cece sat in the waiting area right outside of Hwang Sejun’s office. Sanna was inside coming clean to the CEO and her aunt about everything that happened with Kim Sunjin, the prized publicist of Jellyfish. She had all of her gathered files to further prove that this wasn’t the first incident and it made her anxious about what was going to go down, her foot tapping lightly on the floor while the ticks from the clock being much louder than usual in her ears. Please, just be a few more moments.

“Cecilia-ssi.” called out a voice that made her skin crawl. Sunjin walked up to her, a very fake smile on his face. “How is your morning?”

Cece she kept a very neutral facade. “It’s okay but I’m sure it’ll brighten up as the day goes on.” she responded, her hand clutching the strap of her messenger bag which contained all of the files.

“Well, that’s a rather positive way of looking at things.” he responded before taking the seat right next to her, Cece scooting to the edge of her seat as much as possible to keep space. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen and change that outcome, especially for you.” he added, Cece being smart enough to hear the hidden threat. But he would have to try a different tactic with her because that was not working. “Speaking from experience, it’s best if things remain normal, people remain normal. But sometimes low life parasites like to get in the way of things and mess it up.” he added staring her down, not expecting her to keep his gaze, defiant and unperturbed by what he was comparing her to.

“I’m pretty certain my day will be just fine. You don’t have to worry about it.” she said firmly. “I will absolutely make sure of it.” she promised him and she could see the growing fury glimmer in his eyes as well as the tightening of his jaw and the twitch in his fingers. She had no idea what was going through his messed up mind but she really didn’t want to find out.

“Cecilia-ssi, I’m going to be straightforward.” he said condescendingly, looking down on her. “I-”

“Cece! There you are!” came a new voice and Cece’s saving grace, Milan. She was a little late but it was better than not showing up at all. “Oh hello, Sunjin-ssi.” she added, trying to sound polite even though she had a deep resentment towards the man. The Dutch girl had a really strong feeling about something being off in her core and that Cece really needed her to be with her. It might’ve had to do with her being around Cece all the time but her instinct was right and she was happy that she bolted up to the office waiting area. Sunjin looked noticeably pissed but it didn’t matter since the door to Sejun’s office opened, the man standing with his lips pursed into a straight line and his jaw tightening ever so slightly as his eyes fell upon Sunjin.

“Cece and Milan, you can come in now.” he instructed and the girls quickly walked over and entered the office. “Sunjin-ssi.” he greeted, curtly.

Sunjin bowed slightly. “Sejun-ssi.” he responded before Sejun entered back into his office, shutting the door behind him. He turned around to see all of the women standing in his office, Talia off to the side comforting Sanna who had a really hard time talking about the whole ordeal. He wished he caught onto everything sooner, even when Cece came to him with her rhetorical scenario months ago. He then turned to the two females, who Sanna mentioned as the ones who kept an eye on her whenever Sunjin was around. “Did he say anything to you two?” he asked and Cece nodded.

“Sunjin said something to you?” Talia asked, knowing that she should remain calm in her current situation but she gradually got upset by what she was hearing. This man was disgusting.

“He tried to intimidate me but Milan came before it stopped. Then you came out so it wasn’t bad but he definitely knows that I have something on him, he’s known for a while.” Cece said before she pulled out her folder and handed it to him. “That’s all of the information I’ve gathered on Sunjin when it comes to harassment, all that he thought was completely undetectable.” she explained as Sejun sifted through it all, one by one. Talia walking over to see look at the documents herself. “Milan and I talked to all of the people in the folder and half of them are ready to testify what happened to them in court.” she added. Sejun remained silent as he made it to the middle of the stack before he pinched the bridge of her knows, lifting his glasses up slightly. He could not believe that he let all of this slip from under his nose, what kind of CEO was he? He allowed this...man to work under his company and create all this company. Why didn’t he notice years ago? The other girls could tell that he felt horrible about this happening all under his leadership.

“Sajangnim…” Sanna spoke up slowly, gaining the man’s attention. “Don’t feel like this is your fault.”

“Yeah, this is all Sunjin’s fault. He’s the creep.” Milan chimed.

“But all this happened in my company, under my nose. I should’ve paid closer attention. He should’ve been gone long ago.” he exhaled shakily. “Did you make copies of all of these documents?”

Cece nodded vigorously. “Yes, those are actually the copied sheets.”

“Good.” he told her as his hand reached for the phone and swiftly dialed a number. He placed the phone to his ear and waited for a moment.

“Seoul Police Department, how may I help you?”

“Hello my name is Hwang Sejun, CEO of Jellyfish Entertainment. I’d like to file a complaint.”

“Against whom?”

“One of my employees, Kim Sunjin.”

~~~~~~~~~~

After about 20 minutes after the call, sirens could be heard from outside of the building. It alerted pretty much everyone inside and they came to see what was going on. Soon the staff saw four police officers enter their workplace, which caused a bunch of hushed whispers. The officers walked down to the hall and came up to Sunjin’s office to see him writing at his desk.

“Are you Kim Sunjin?” asked one of the male police officers.

“Yes, to what do I owe this visit officer?” asked the male choosing to remain ignorant and in denial. But that wasn’t the cops problem. The officer walked over and hoisted him up, pulling out his handcuffs to detain the male. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Kim Sunjin, you are under arrest for extensive harassment and extortion of multiple Jellyfish Entertainment employees.”

“This is absurd!” he exclaimed, completely losing his mind, as the officers pushed him out of the office.

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do will be used against you in the court of law.” the officer mirandized Sunjin’s rights. “You have a right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. You have the right to speak to an attorney or one may be present with you during the time of questioning.”

“You’re actually arresting me?” Sunjin asked with a shake of his head, a smile on his face. “I won't be in there for long.” he assured as Cece, Milan, Sanna, Sejun, and Talia stood and watched him get carried away. Apparently, that ticked him off. “You couldn't just mind your own business!” he yelled, his rage specifically directed at Cece. The girl didn't give a reaction to show she feared or was bothered by what he was saying. “You stupid !”

“Oh, you are way out of line!” Talia yelled towards him, defending her niece while wanting to say something more vulgar in her native tongue. She then felt a hand grasp her hand.

“Calmate, Tia. Calm down, Auntie.” Cece told her softly. “El no lo vale. He’s not worth it.” To her, silence was the best response for someone with a “God Complex”. The least interaction with him the bigger the impact.

“Oh, Sunjin.” Sejun started off squaring the man up. “You're fired and I'll make sure you won't be able to find a job in Korea again.” he told the man, and Sunjin had the nerve to look shocked before the police walked outside and put him in the car. “Talia-ssi, I’m going down to the police station to make a full complaint.” he told her and the woman nodded in understanding. “Sanna, I would like for you to come with me and file a restraining order. He has connections so I’m not sure how long he’ll be held or how long it’ll take for him to get the bond paid off, so we should be ready for whatever.”

“Okay.” she nodded walking after him. As soon as he left, Talia took over as the temporary head of the company.

“Alright, everyone, sorry for the disturbance.” Talia told the few employees who were scattered in the area. “When Sejun-ssi returns, I’m sure he’ll make a formal announcement about what’s going on but in the meantime, please continue on with your work.” she finished, respectfully and formally. The Jelpi staff followed the instructions but that most certainly didn’t stop them from gossiping amongst each other. Talia knew they would do it but it was not in her power to stop them from such. The woman then turned to her niece who exhaled in relief while Milan held the sides of her head, dazed.

“I can’t believe that...like that really happened.” Milan said, shocked that they got a higher up fired.

“I know but this is only the beginning, I feel. Sunjin thinks he’s above everything so I totally see him trying to do something extra. But atleast he’s out of our workplace.” Cece said honestly and Milan nodded in agreement.

“But, I must say that I’m really proud of you guys.” Talia told the two RM interns. “You guys helped a friend in trouble and did all you could for them. That shows really great character.”

“I’d like to think I was raised pretty well to know.” Milan answered. “Mama and Papa Inoni know what’s up.”

“Agreed. The Jauregui and Rosales familia don’t mess around. You know this, Aunt Talia.” Cece said while smiling at Talia. “I do feel sort of happy right now.” she added. Upon hearing that, Talia thought that this might be the best time to come clean while she’s on her heroic-like high.

“Well, Cece, I have something to tell you. It’s kind of important.” Talia told her.

“Yeah, sure!” Cece nodded as the walked towards her work space. Milan walked towards her own, thinking that she could get some writing in while she could. When she was about to enter, she heard the front doors of the building open. She poked her head around the corner to see the members of Vixx minus Taekwoon and Hongbin. Since the cops left a little before their arrival, she was guessing that they didn’t know about what was happening. Luckily there weren’t any Starlights around since they had a radio show early in the morning.

“Milan-ah!” a voice exclaimed, shocking her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Jaehwan smiling at her like the dork that he was and she waved at him with a smile.

“I don’t know why I thought the radio show would’ve been a little longer.” she said as the Vixx members walked towards her. “I’m guessing it went well?” she asked, keeping the atmosphere light atleast for the time being. They were bound to find out what happened sooner or later but she didn’t just want to gossip, especially after what Talia said about waiting for the boss. Though, it was hard, it really was. The guys nodded in response before carrying on to their second home - the practice room.

Jaehwan walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder something that just didn’t surprise her anymore. “Let’s go get donuts!” he suggested, continuing his mission of trying to hang out with her one on one as much as possible.

“Okay.” Milan answered and it was hard to miss the shock that appeared on Jaehwan’s face. She didn’t have anything to eat earlier and was ready to fuel up. “I’m getting a breakfast bagel though!” she exclaimed, making sure she had her money in her pocket which she did. “Let me just go and see if Cece wants anything.” she said as she walked towards the girl’s personal office.

“You’re what?! You can’t be serious right now?!! Of all the ridiculously irresponsible things to do…!!!” Milan (and Jaehwan) heard her fellow co worker yell out which made her back away slowly. It was pretty scary and she was not trying to be in the middle of whatever that situation.

“Umm...on second thought, I’ll just wing it.” the Dutch intern said with a nervous laugh before walking towards Jaehwan. The cute main vocalist smiled before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the building. “So we’re really going to do this every time, huh?” she asked.

“Yes~!” Jaehwan responded cheekily, making Milan sigh even though she didn’t really bother with trying to reject his hand holding and just went with the flow of things.

~~~~~~~~~~

Erika pulled up to the YG building and parked the car. She had her older sister in the passenger side since they both needed some materials before they took their flight to Japan in a few hours.

“I need a drink.” Erika told Ashleigh randomly, making her snort.

“You and me both, baby sister, you and me both.” Ashleigh added on. “Let’s just get through this weekend of stress then we can chill for a bit. I’m thinking late night spa treatments.”

“That sounds...heavenly. I can’t wait.” Erika responded resting her head against the steering wheel. “After the summer fashion week, I’m taking a vacation. Somewhere in the wilderness with plants and sunshine.”

Ashleigh raised a brow at the younger Pratt. “You sure about that, Miss I-hate-icky-wildlife.”

“Okay, maybe not that.” Erika laughed. “But something that requires me to do close to nothing, just laying around and relaxing.”

“Too bad you can’t join in on the annual getaway even though I want to see some snow.” Ashleigh told her as they exited the car and walked towards the building.

“Oh no, sis. You can have ALL of that!” Erika told her, wanting no parts in dealing with the cold. Ashleigh could help but laugh as Erika checked the time. “So we’ll meet up in half an hour, I just need to get my sketch books and some extra accessories.”

“Okay, that should be enough time for me to download all the photos to my USB.” the photographer told her. With that, they split up and walked to their designated area. After riding up to the eighth floor, she walked down the hall to the wardrobe studio and opened the door only to find someone else in there. It just had to be him, though. Jiyong sat at the table flipping through the sketchbook.

“Umm, yeah, hey. What’re you doing?” Erika asked, scaring Jiyong out of his daze.

“I-I was just…”

“Looking through something that didn’t belong to you, yeah I see that.” Erika interrupted thoroughly annoyed before she let out a sigh. Ever since that night, she had made a promise with herself to atleast be cordial with her ex. “Sorry, I’m just a little stressed out. Atleast its still in tact and where I left it.” she mumbled removing the book from the Big Bang leader’s hands before silently sitting down in her chair, gathering all of her necessary materials into her backpack. Jiyong just stood there awkwardly for a moment not sure of what to do.

“Your designs are really well drawn.” he complimented, finally figuring out what to say. “They look even more realistic than what I remember.”

“Thank you.” she responded after a few moments. Jiyong visibly eased up since she acknowledged his presence.

"I especially like the pea coat designs.” Jiyong continued to compliment as he walked to her side to point at the drawing. “I feel like you should add in a line of hat and scarf designs to complete the whole fall/winter look.” he suggested and saw Erika look thoughtful.

“Yeah that would go really well with the overall appearance. I’ll have to remember to add that when I have a chance.” she muttered organizing everything before she moved on to her box of accessories. No matter what she felt for the YG golden boy, he was a fashionisto after all and his advice is most certainly not bad advice. “Thank you.” she said. Jiyong sat there awkwardly, debating about what he wanted to say. “If you have something to say, please say it. Your fidgeting is annoying the hell out of me and I seriously can’t concentrate. I have a flight to catch in a few hours so please, spit it out.” she said curtly, placing an impatient hand on her hip.

“I...I just wanted to apologize for causing you all of that trouble the other day.” he said referring to his “drunken stupidness” as she called.

“No big deal. I'm over it so you don't need to hold on to that.” she told him with a raised brow.

“Well that's not all I wanted to talk to you about.” Jiyong started. “I wanted to know if you wanted to start over?”

“Uh…” Erika knew damn well he better not be talking about dating. As if reading her mind, he quickly explained.

“Not for dating! Just...I want us to try and work on our friendship.” Jiyong told her. “I miss the JiRika days where we would just talk about everything and how I would pick a print and pair it with another and you would drag me to hell because you thought I was crazy.” he recalled with a slight chuckle and Erika smiled. Those were fun times but...he's messed up so much.

“I share fond memories with people I genuinely trust.” Erika told him honestly. “And I just don't think I can ever trust you the same way again.”

“But, Erika, you can trust me.” Jiyong told her. “Let me prove it to you.”

“Well, you have a lot of proving to do because it's hard to come back from cheating boyfriend.” Erika told him but paused to ponder everything. The question of should she try or should she not try? She admitted that he was a much better friend compared to boyfriend. She could never be completely sure...but… “I'll tell you this...I'll be open to the idea, at the very least. If you can prove to me that you have my back, that you won't betray my trust then we can be friends.” Erika promised to him and she could see that he was excited. “But I swear on everything, Jiyong...if you betray my trust again, I am completely done with you.”

“I will prove it to you.” he promised her and she nodded towards him, waiting for his actions to speak for themself. “I'm going to go but you won't regret this.”

“We'll see.” she responded, sorting through the scarves in her tote. Jiyong then left out of the room, unknowingly to Erika, fist pumping and walking with a certain pep to his step. As he walked towards the elevator, the doors slid open to reveal the older Pratt who politely scowled at him. They nodded in acknowledgement towards each other and Ashleigh continued to walk on. She made it to the entrance of Erika’s spot and saw her little sister arranging things in it’s previous order. Erika looked towards the door and saw the tall sandy blonde. “Hey, did you finish everything you needed to do?”

“Yeah, it downloaded faster than I originally thought.” Ashleigh answered. “I saw Jiyong leave for the elevator. Did he bother you?” she asked feeling protective.

Erika smiled but shook her head. “No, he just came to me asking if we could start over and work on our friendship.”

“Is this guy serious?!” Ashleigh asked. The nerve of this guy! Afterall the that he caused Erika, he has the nerve to ask for her friendship? He was straight whack!

“I know what you’re thinking but I guess I must be even crazier because I told him there was a possibility of us being cool again.” Erika told her sister. The possibility was small, very miniscule, but it was there. “He actually sounded like he was going to try and I’m for giving people another chance so we’ll see. I handed him the knife, I just have to see if he stabs me in the back. Hopefully he doesn’t.”

“You would use the same morbid analogy that mama uses.” Ashleigh said with a shake of her head which made the younger giggle slightly. She would respect her little sister’s (terrible) decision but she would remain on guard with the Big Bang leader. Ashleigh had checked her phone for the time and deduced that they had even bigger fish to fry. “We have about 3 hours before our flight and it takes close to an hour to get to the airport during this time so you ready to head out? Kayla and Yasmin are already there while Tara and Laurie are on their way after picking up Dana.”

“Yeah, of course. Let’s go!” Erika responded as she closed up her office, the two heading out of the building and to the airport, prepared to fulfill one of their biggest tasks in Japan.

~~~~~~~~~~

The lobby was really peaceful around the evening. Barely any of the residents were out and about and it served as a quiet, relaxing spot for Luhan to enjoy himself. Kris and Joonmyeon were arguing for what was the umpteenth time this week and he was starting to think it was going to be a tradition with the stress levels rising as their comeback drew near. The maknae line decided to slip away from the mess and Luhan really liked that idea, not being one who is big on conflict. He just scrolled through his feed on Weibo and went through the comments, frowning when he saw them say “how he was prettier than any girl could ever be” and that made him upset when people made him seem docile and effeminate or worse...make him seem like an actual girl. He was every bit of man. Besides, he knew a few women who could take anyone’s breath away, especially one that comes to mind. He scrolled on when he suddenly felt someone plop down on the couch right beside him. He looked over to see Nadia staring at him with a big cheesy grin on her face.

“Hey, Lulu~!” she said in her creep voice.

“ert.” Luhan responded, wittily.

The dancer gasped. “Rude!” she exclaimed feigning hurt which made the deer prince laugh. “So whatcha up to?” she asked.

“Nothing, just staying away from the drama. Kris and Joonmyeon are having another disagreement.” he explained.

“They’re fighting again?!” Nadia exclaimed, before placing a hand under her chin in thought. “I think they need marriage counseling.” she said and Luhan started to laugh out loud. Those two were Exo’s “mom and dad” afterall. “Sooo…” she threw in offhandedly.

“Sooo…?” he asked her with a raised brow.

“Since my cousin is in England, my other friends are busy, and you’re just sitting here taking up space...I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?” Nadia asked. “There’s this Indian restaurant in Itaewon called Chakraa, that I’ve been wanting to try out since people rant and rave about the place. I’ve been dying to have some Indian food and with my granny not being here, I have to be resourceful.” she explained and he understood her. That was how he was when it came to his craving for Chinese food, especially the spicy Sichuan cuisine.

“Sure, I’ll go with you.” he told her and she looked really happy to hear that, which made him happy. “I’ve never really had Indian food before aside from beef curry so I’m going to be honest; I’m kind of nervous.”

“Curry? Really, Luhan?” she shook her head. You can’t get more stereotypical than that…

“What?! It is all I’ve had!” Luhan tried to defend as Nadia sighed.

“There are Indian restaurants and stores pretty much everywhere, sir. That’s like me saying, despite all of the various regional differences of the country and the many Chinatowns, Chinese stores, Chinese restaurants peppered all over the world, I’ve only had dumplings.” Nadia explained with another sigh. But he was gonna learn that night. “But I’m going to help you expand that bland palate of yours.” she told him as she stood up, making him laugh. “I’m determined to expand your horizons or at the very least expose you to the many different styles of curry. Most people only have the Punjabi version when the Marathi versions are everything, though I'm a little biased.” she added, since her Indian side was Marathi and originated from Mumbai.

“Show me the way, master of Indian food and stuff.” he said as he stood up, bowing slightly before Nadia shoved him with a smile. “I’m gonna grab my coat and some money from the dorm then I’ll be ready.”

Nadia nodded. “Okay, I’ll be out in the car waiting.” she told him before they went their specific ways. After travelling up the multiple floors of the building, Luhan made it to his shared dorm. When he entered he learned that Kris and Joonmyeon were still at it with the arguing. Baekhyun and Chanyeol standing around watching while the others did everything they could to ignore them. They weren’t even arguing about anything of substance nor were they saying anything blatantly hurtful to each other. It looked more like they were arguing for the sake of arguing and that was absolutely ridiculous. Luhan snuck into his room, grabbing his coat and money before leaving undetected. He then travelled down to the parking garage and after recalling what the car Nadia and Logan shared looked like, he walked over to it. Spotting the truck he walked over to it and saw Nadia playing on her phone in the driver’s seat. He opened the car door and jumped into the passenger seat, the dancer turning to look his way. “That was faster than I thought.”

“Well, Kris and Joonmyeon are still arguing and everyone is trying to focus on something else. I basically went undetected.” Luhan explained.

“They’re still arguing?!” the dancer asked. “I’m telling you marriage counselling sounds like it’ll help.” she said and Luhan chuckled again as she started up the car to drive out of the garage. It was about a 15 to 20 minute drive from where they lived and it wasn’t too hard to find the restaurant as the went inside.

To Luhan it was an awesome experience and Nadia was not left disappointed by the food. They had some not so unusual food like lamb kebabs and chili chicken and a bunch of different dishes he hasn’t heard of before such as alu gobi (Indian spiced cauliflower and potatoes), beef vindaloo (beef with white-vinegar and garlic marinate) and Nadia’s aforementioned fave, tambda rassa (Spicy goat curry with red gravy), all of which Luhan loved. Nadia was happy she brought him along since he was able to handle spice very well, being one of the few she new who were able to do so outside of Logan, Cece, Erika, and herself. She really enjoyed the fact that she didn’t have to limit the dishes they tried together, declaring him as a new person she was going to hang out with more often.

“Ugh...I don’t think I’ll be able to eat for the rest of my life.” Luhan sighed with a hand rubbing his stomach, very similar to how her dad and uncles gesture which made her laugh.

Nadia laughed. “I’ll take that as you enjoying yourself.” she nudged him slightly as they walked down the street, getting some fresh air after eating so much. Luhan nodded towards her. “You know, you’re fun to hang around. We should definitely do this again.”

“I would like that.” he smiled. Nadia then had another thought come to mind.

“Exo is going on vacation in a few weeks right? Before the Wolf promotions?”

“Yeah, I had planned on going to Beijing for a while but I most likely won’t stay the whole time due to...reasons.” Luhan told her, Nadia holding back as to not pry into what he meant by “reasons”. He raised a brow towards her. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, a few of us are going on vacation around that time. It’ll count as our spring break getaway.” Nadia explained. “I was wondering if you wanted to tag along.”

“Sure!” he said not giving it much of a second thought, probably due to the “reasons” he was talking about. “Where were you guys planning to go?”

“We haven’t really decided on anything yet.”

“Well, I’m for going somewhere tropical with sand and beaches.” Luhan sighed.

“My boy!” Nadia exclaimed holding her hand up and Luhan high-fived it. “I am 1000% with you. Hopefully when we vote on this it’ll be in our favor.” she said and he nodded. The two walked further down one of the streets and after a few moments, they came across an arcade, one that was still open. “I had no idea there was an arcade here.” she inquired curiously before looking towards the male. “You up for playing some games.”

“As long as there is no dancing or excessive movement, I’ll play.” he told her which made the dancer chuckle.

“Tell you what? We play a few rounds of Street Fighter then we head back home?” Nadia reasoned.

“Fine by me.” Luhan responded liking those conditions, the two going into the spot for a little post-dinner gaming.

~~~~~~~~~~

“And that’s how my morning went.” Cece finished explaining as she plopped down on the couch and sprawled across it, cellphone pressed to her ear.

“So you and Milan actually bagged the bad guy. That’s awesome.” Logan said from the other end, lying on the bed in her hotel room in the British capital. “You guys are heroes, making the world a better place by eliminating one creep at a time.”

“I personally wouldn’t say that. He’s just out of Jellyfish but I feel like things will get a little messier since we aren’t quite sure of the next steps to be made. It can either go to a private court trial where Sanna/Jellyfish testify against Sunjin and he’ll get jail time or, since it’s unavoidable, Sunjin’s people will try to weasel their way out of getting jail time. So Sanna might receive a bunch of money bribes. I’m not sure what will happen since Sanna is going through money troubles.” Cece sighed. “But atleast there is a restraining order in place.”

“Well, I can also see another reason why she would be tempted to take the money bribe. Those trial cases, no matter how many people are telling a similar story, are so humiliating to the victims. Having their every word scrutinized as they recall something horrible, I feel for her. Even though I’ve only met her briefly, I can tell that she’s super sweet and a little on the reserved side.” said an empathetic and observant Logan, bringing up points Cece was shocked she overlooked herself. “But, from what I learned with the lawyers, is that cases like these can garner up a bunch of fines and will be reimbursed to the victims, especially since all the incidents were pretty recent on top of a possible 5 years in prison. It's not a lot but it is something and, let's be real, his high profile career is over. Bastard should be grateful his meeting with Soybean is postponed.”

“I'll never get over how you have hitmen and the most dangerous one is Soybean, the crazy vegan. Never.” Cece sighed which made Logan laugh on the other end. Soon, the doorbell rang which made her curious as to who could possibly be. Miko went on the trip with Erika and company so she had no idea about the other possibilities. “Someone just rang my doorbell, I have no idea who it is.”

“Grab the frying pan or your shoe!”

Cece rolled her eyes. “Logan stop being ridiculous. I have a monitor.” she said as she walked toward it. When she saw who was on the screen, saying she was shocked would be an understatement. She then walked over to the door and opened it. It was Taekwoon, dressed in pretty much all black from head to toe aside from his white t-shirt. “Hey!” she greeted surprised.

“Hi.” he greeted in response.

“Cece, hey, you okay?” she heard Logan ask from the phone.

“Sorry.” she told Taekwoon before talking back to Logan. “Hey, the boyfriend showed up.”

“Taekwoonie-oppa~!!!” Logan squealed so loud that Cece had to move the phone from her ear and Taekwoon laughed in embarrassment from hearing her. “I’m your biggest fan since forever! Cece’s a bias stealer!” she continued.

“Logan, chill! You have your ultimate bias, enough of this!” Cece chastised but a smirk played on her lips. Logan could only giggle from the other end.

“Such is life.” said the former prodigy. “Well since you have company, I’ll let you go. I have to start getting ready for my London activities. But please pray for me!” she begged, causing Cece to roll her eyes for a second time during their conversation.

“Logan, it’s just the left side of the road.” she sighed, knowing the girl got freaked out when going to the countries where people drove on the opposite or in Logan's mind “the wrong side” of the road. It was just her usual ridiculousness.

“I can't get over the fact that everything I've learned and lived by is a lie! I can't understand how these people function being taught to drive on the wrong side of the street.” Logan groaned, really upset by it all. It was rather amusing. “Just keep me in your prayers and I'll let you go.”

Cece laughed. “You're always in them, Logey.” she clarified. “I'll talk to you later.” she added before she hung up the phone. She then put all of her focus to her quiet guest, who had been staring patiently while she talked. “Hey, Woonie. What brings you here?”

“I went for a walk.” he told her calmly. “I now know that you really don't live far from our dorm or Jellyfish.”

Cece smiled. “I told you.” she said. “Did you want to come in?” she asked, noticing he wasn't taking off his shoes.

Taekwoon shook his head. “I know this is sudden but I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a walk with me?” he asked.

Cece’s eyebrows rose. “Oh!” she contemplated on whether she should change from her leggings and oversized hoodie but stuck with it. “Sure, I'll go. I just need to grab my coat.” she said before walking to her closet. Not even a second later, Cece came back into view and put her shoes on. After making sure she had her keys, she walk towards Taekwoon. “Ready!” she smiled. Taekwoon nodded and led the way out of her apartment and out of the building.

A cool breeze filled the night air as the walked into the Seoul night. It was cool, still being the winter season, but not as bad as it was a few days ago. Cece welcomed the cool air but it made her even more surprised that Taekwoon willingly went for a walk since he kind of disliked the cold seasons. That was really just one of the few things she was curious about when it came to this visit from the quiet male. She looked at their laced hands as she allowed herself to be led by Taekwoon but her curiosity was begging for answers. “So where were we headed to?”

“To get gangjeong.” he said easily.

“Yay!” Cece fist pumped her free hand which made Taekwoon smile at her reaction. “Wait...is this going to be considered our first date?” she asked as an afterthought.

Taekwoon shook his head. “No this is a pre-date.” he answered somewhat seriously.

Cece snickered. “Pre-date, huh? Okay, whatever you say, Woonie.” she smiled as they came up to one of the street markets. Knowing the ropes, Taekwoon immediately guided them towards the stall where they made dakgangjeong. Taekwoon ordered and the ahjussi started making it while the ahjumma looked over at her with a kind smile, one she returned happily. The stall ahjumma started to ask if they were dating and when Cece confirmed it the older went on about how they would have cute children, saying Taekwoon was “tall and handsome” and how Cece was “beautiful with nice skin and pure features” also noting how they both had small faces. Cece found her words to be extremely amusing while Taekwoon nearly had a heart attack, hoping for the food to be done quickly. His prayers must’ve been answered since the ahjussi started to wrap up their order. Taekwoon handed the money to the ahjumma, the two of them bowing respectfully in farewell before the male dragged them away. Their next stop was the small convenient store about 5 minutes away where they were going to buy some drinks. After paying up an iced coffee and Sprite for Taekwoon and Cece, respectfully, the two left the store and walked to their final destination - a table close to the Han River. It made Cece happy seeing as this was the same place they hung out before. “It’s cool that you thought of coming here again.”

Taekwoon nodded as he unwrapped the the gangjeong. “I figured that this was a good spot to eat at.” he told her with a smile as he slid her her portion of the food. Cece happily dug into the chicken, in pure bliss from the savory taste. She had been craving it for a while and it totally hit the spot. The chic main vocal smiled at her happy expression before he dug into his own food, the spiciness of the chicken being more than enough to keep them warm. After eating a few more pieces, Cece wiped and hands with a napkin before turning to stare at the male beside her.

“Okay, Woonie, tell me the real reason as to why you brought me out here.” Cece said to him, causing him to freeze in shock. “The whole “pre-date” thing is seriously adorable but if I know you at all, I think this outing has a different motive. So spill it, please.”

Taekwoon finished chewing his chicken before wiping his face to answer. “It is a pre-date but...I wanted to make sure you were okay.” he said honestly and Cece raised a brow. “I heard about what happened this morning with Sunjin being fired.”

“How…”

“Milan-ah told Jaehwan and it’s self explanatory about what happened after that.” he explained and Cece nodded. She can’t say she’s surprised Milan cracked and telling the ever so talkative Jaehwan was the complete end. “I know he said some really...unnecessary things to you and it made me kind of angry, even more so when I learned how he started treating you when you found out about what he was doing to Sanna. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” he went on and she felt really touched. Even though he wasn’t saying it outright, she could feel his protective nature come through when it came to her. “I seriously want to kick his .” he added clenching his jaw slightly. Cece knew he was really upset about it since he wasn’t big on swearing in general and only did it when he was pissed off, she learned from observation. She reached out her hand and gently caressed his cheek while staring at him, her eyes glimmering with adoration.

“I really appreciate how much you care about me but I'm fine.” Cece said softly, staring him straight in his eyes. “I didn't think you would be this affected.”

“Of course, I would be affected. I hate when people abuse their power just because they feel untouchable...even more so since you’re involved, it's not right.” Taekwoon said, his protectiveness all the more clear, as he clutched her hand that was on his face. “I know you’re the type to want to deal with things on your own but I hoped that you trusted me enough to tell me anything, good or bad, when it concerns you and your well-being.” he admitted strongly and her expression saddened slightly.

“I know, I'm sorry.” Cece apologized for not telling him the complete ordeal. “You're not mad at me, are you?”

Taekwoon shook his head. “At the situation, yes. At you, no.” Cece smiled before she rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his.

“Good...and I do trust you and know how reliable you are. It's just that I didn't take his attempts to make me scared about losing my job seriously, seeing that sajangnim trusts me with so much.” she told him as he wrapped an arm around her. “If anything, I was more upset about what my aunt told me after everything if I’m being honest.”

“What happened with her?” he asked curiously.

Cece sighed. “She was in a secret relationship with Miko’s dad but she found out that she’s a few weeks pregnant so now they have to come clean about everything.” she told him. She was kind of surprised to see that he chortled a bit.

“I’m sorry, it just sounds like something I would see on a TV show.” he told her and Cece couldn’t even deny it.

“It sure does, that’s why I lectured her on how ridiculous the situation was.” Cece said before sighing. “But of course, I’m happy she’s having a baby. She would make a pretty cool mom and I would be an awesome cousin~!” she said confidently.

Taekwoon smiled. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.” Cece responded before packing up her and Taekwoon’s trash before throwing it in a nearby bin. The two then walked away from the bench, Taekwoon wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the home. “Well, since we promised to be completely honest with each other, I want you to tell me something.” Cece started while looking up at him. “What were you thinking when the gangjeong ahjumma talked to us?” she asked and she felt him visibly stiffen up.

“A-Ah…” Taekwoon started. Not even a moment after, he removed his arm from her shoulder and speed walked ahead.

“Hey, where are you going? I thought we were being honest about stuff!” Cece teased while laughing, running to catch up to him but he sped up to get further away from answering questions. “Woonie, come back. I need to know!” she exclaimed in laughter as she ran after him.