Chapter 6: Let's be friends!

Only three days off and work had piled up on Da Hyun's desk into mountains of urgent files. For a few days she had to work day and night to the point she felt like collapsing. It was busy time for business and now when Kang Min had been fired she had to work for two before his position was filled. He hadn't been exactly useless in the house. In fact, in the beginning he had been quite all right.

Da Hyun was not quite sure how the money laundering case was progressing because her sister had been keeping her up to date with messages such as:

“I met Jongin today. He is so freaking handsome.”

“He is working with the new evidence I told him about. He is y when he concentrates.”

“I found out that he prefers his coffee with milk but no sugar.”

“Should I wear a dress or skinny pants today?”

“I dreamed about Jongin, I wish we could be together forever.”

“Why can't he be mine?”

After getting through the work, which was due immediately, instead of taking a break Da Hyun spent two more days at the company. She didn't sleep for 48 hours and she wasn't even feeling tired yet. It was anger what kept her going. Unlike Sehun, she didn't look like a homeless person after not going home for five days. She showered in the locker room and changed her clothes daily. Her office didn't turn into a pig's stay either. She was a proper lady after all.

The security guards had their own fun while watching Da Hyun going through the archives all night long. She kept cursing and ruffling her already messy hair, throwing files at the wall and stomping on them. She would sent documents flying in the air only to end up on her fours trying to reach under a shelf for stray papers. (Meanwhile the guards were ogling her perfect buttocks with inappropriate thoughts clouding their minds.) She was feeling desperate because she found nothing on Kang Min. There had to be a clue somewhere but where? And she wasn't even sure what she was looking for.

Telling her mother or her uncle crossed her mind many times but she refused to give up just yet. Mostly because her father's company was involved and he didn't like it when her mother meddled into his business. If she meddled her brother might join her and then no one would be able to get rid of them. Knowing her uncle he'd scheme something outrageous like always and make the whole situation worse. And her mother would probably go along with the schemes after trying to bribe everyone she could. Those two were walking disasters and when you put two disasters together that is just bond to tun into an even bigger havoc. Besides, Da Hyun always regarded Kang Min as her own opponent and she wanted to win against him on her own. No matter if her pride would be the death of her.

There was nothing wrong with Da Hyun's uncle, she actually thought he was a good person. When she was a kid she used to love him. He'd always bring her presents, give her sweets and joke around with her. Her mother's big brother was a bubbly and friendly man who liked kids. But when it came to business he was just... He was a heartless man who always had his own secretive plans.

There was nothing wrong with Da Hyun's mother either, except perhaps how she seemed to be living in her own world, a bit distanced from the reality. She was cold, distant and strict on the outside but had an extremely soft and kind heart on the inside. She rarely showed her real emotions to anyone, not even her daughters. Da Hyun loved her but they just didn't get along that well because her mother was too much of a drama queen. She got along with Da Hyun's oldest sister the best, they were like copies of each other.

It had been a year since Da Hyun had seen her uncle and she was sure he was up to no good somewhere nearby. He was always nearby even though no one saw him. He was a master of hiding and plotting. And he always knew everything about everyone just like Da Hyun's mother, they always knew. That's why Da Hyun was a bit nervous because maybe they had already found out about the whole money laundering fiasco.

In the end Da Hyun decided to wait and see how the first round would end. Wars consisted of many battles, after all. It would be possible to request for an appeal after the trial and see where that would take her. And because Da Hyun didn't know much about trials in general she decided to go and watch one. Then she remembered Sehun's case about that man who was accused of someone's daughter. Maybe she could go and see how that would turn out. She didn't want to see Sehun but she was also curious for last time he had been so sure he'd win and the defendant hadn't seemed all that innocent to her.

This time she didn't want to be as obvious as last time because she didn't want to be discovered by Sehun. If possible she'd like to avoid him for the rest of her life and slowly forget about him. Making a quick trip home Da Hyun changed her business attire into something she wouldn't usual wear: a pair of sweatpants, a loose sweater and a biker style leather jacket which she didn't know she still had. After going through the small closet in the hallway she found a pair of worn out pink converses and a dark green cap.

When she looked in the mirror she wanted to faint, that's how horrible she looked. Besides this style brought unwanted memories. But at least she looked different, just what she needed. She even washed her make up off just in case. If any of her sisters or her mother saw her now they'd kill her and then kill themselves out of shame she had brought upon their stylish perfect family. She couldn't believe she was going this far for nothing in particular. At least it was fun, at least that.

*

Ever since the failed family breakfast Sehun had been in bad mood. Even Eun Yoo's delicious cooking couldn't cheer him up, even sleeping in her arms didn't help him to fall asleep, even didn't feel like anything anymore. When he started thinking he couldn't stop.

He spent his days loitering in his dirty office where he felt at home more than at his home. His mother called him non stop wanting to discuss wedding matters and eventually he turned off his phone. Why was everyone stressing about it, anyway? For him it would have been enough to just get married quickly somewhere and then keep living like before. Eun Yoo agreed with him but his mother thought otherwise. Wedding invitations had been sent to over 300 people and the press was invited. Sehun dreaded that day and he didn't wish to think about it any more than necessary. So much hassle about putting a ring on someone's finger.

What was bothering him was Da Hyun's case. He hated that woman with passion. He hated her so much he had found a photo of her face online, printed it and made 100 copies. Then he attached them, one copy at a time, on his flip board and threw darts at at it to pass time. Because he was constantly seeing her face he couldn't relax and that's why he was so angry, he couldn't even sleep properly because he'd dream of her face, because he was seeing it so much lately. It was a vicious loop.

Even though she had been surprised to find out who he was, he had always known her. The first time he saw her was when she was five and the impression had been so powerful he still remembered everything clearly. A black Mercedes had pulled in front of their house and one of his father's closest friends came out, followed by a small 'thing' with snotty nose and curious eyes. That time Sehun had thought it was a boy because her hair was short and she was wearing some random clothes. The fathers had something to discuss so he was asked to keep an eye on the kid who was already snooping around totally out of control.

The next thing he knew she had climbed on a tree and fallen down on her head. He just stood there staring in shock how she lied on the ground unconscious and her nose bleeding. He though she was dead and just a thought about a dead body made him faint. He was 9 back then.

The second time he met her was two years later. Now he knew she was a girl but he didn't really believe because this time she was dressed in a karate uniform and her hair was still really short. This time their fathers met in the office and he was once again asked to keep an eye on her. She had laughed at his drawing, made fun of him and bugged him to annoyance. When he tried to ignore her, sitting beside the coffee table drawing, she climbed to sit on his shoulders, placed her palms over his eyes and asked “Guess who?” When he tried to shake her off she held onto his hair with all her might almost ripping his scalp off. That was the first time in his life he had thought about murdering someone.

In the end he asked about her karate uniform and when she told him she did martial arts he had laughed his head off. She was a tiny little boy-girl with skinny limbs, how could she do martial arts? She got really riled up by his snide comments and decided to show him her best moves. After hitting him in the stomach and headbutting him she threw him over her shoulder and he lost his consciousness after hitting his head against the floor. The end.

The last time he met her was when her father brought her over to apologize. She was holding an apology card, a teddy bear and chocolates while flashing him a shy apologetic smile. This time she was dressed like a girl in a pink dress but he still had his doubts. Once again the fathers left him to keep an eye on her. While he wasn't looking she ate the chocolates. Never mind that but when she saw his room she went to explore it without even asking permission, causing a huge mess while he wasn't looking.

When she found a pair of swords she challenged him. He thought she'd play like his friends and not really hit him with all her might causing him to walk funny for three days. In the end she “accidentally” broke his favorite robot toy by stuffing the apology card inside of it then beheading the poor toy with a sword, which also broke. She also “accidentally” took the teddy bear back with her. After this he never really met her again face to face until now, just seen her from the distance a few times. He was glad he could live all these years without her presence.

Believe it or not Sehun was ready to forgive her for these actions for it had happened long ago and they were just kids back then. Sehun was not some petty person who would hold grudges over some insignificant matters of the past. His wounds ran much deeper when it came to Da Hyun. Maybe she hadn't been there physically but he had to go through a lot of mental pain. He hated her for turning his life into hell. Literally. Ever since meeting her his relationship with his father had turned to worse and it was still worsening year by year, day by day and even as we speak. It was all her fault.

Still, no matter how much he hated Da Hyun he couldn't blame her for something she hadn't done. He was a bigger person than that and he blamed his good heart, which was generous and loving, at least according to him. On the day when he had received the thick envelope with a lead to a money laundering scheme he had been delighted to find out that Da Hyun was one of the suspects. It was great enough to have her sister but it would be even better to have her. To finally have her at his feet begging for mercy.

What did she do? She pulled his hair, shoved him to the ground, hugged him, kissed him, kicked him, jumped at him, made fun of him, burped into his face, humiliated him, made him faint, broke his perfect plan. She treated his wound before thinking about herself. She took him to the hospital after he hurt his head. When he insulted her she only cared about his mother. When he threatened her she only talked about her sister.

And after he had made it clear that he was going to put her to jail she came to him to tell about some new information she had learned because she thought that maybe if she managed to find a lead to Kang Min's guilt he would change his mind. But the most outrageous thing was that she had come to him instead of Jongin. Him of all people?

Throwing the last dart at Da Hyun's already over abused face Sehun leaned back in his chair and let out a groan. He had his feet spread forward on his desk, his ankles crossed. What was he supposed to do now? He was curious, he was feeling so curious he couldn't sleep. What was it that had happened between Kang Min and Da Hyun or Kang Min and her father? Could it be he killed the old man? Sehun had even gone through that case which had been brushed off as mere traffic accident.

There was no knock on the door before it flew open and Jongin's angry face came into the view.

“What do you want?” Sehun spat. Another person he currently despised with all he had. He wished Jongin and Da Hyun could end up together and win the most hateful couple of all times award. He would gladly award it himself, there was a juicy rotten banana somewhere in the room, that would just do.

“Until when are you going to act like this?” Jongin barked. “You are being such a bit.ch right now, did know that?”

“You have Ji Hwan now, don't you?”

“We were a team!” Jongin exclaimed. “How could you be so irresponsible?!”

“What the fu.ck?” Sehun asked lazily. “I got a money launder case in my hands, it was particularly solved. All I needed was to interrogate and trial. Then you ing transferred it to “our team” which doesn't even exist. Fu.ck off, douche bag. What for did you need more time?”

“So, what we had doesn't mean anything to you anymore?” Jongin snarled. “Remember how we used to work together and actually get work done?”

“Then go work. And tell chief I'm not part of it cause I don't want to get more sh.it from him”, Sehun retorted lazily.

“I see, you still haven't come to your right mind”, Jongin narrowed his eyes.

“Ever since you saw it you said 'this is a setup, this is not right' whatnot. Now you are like yeah, let's take bribes. Do you think I want to be part of that?”

“You don't even know half of it.” The look in Jongin's eyes darkened.

“And I don't wan to know anything more.”

“Ever since you found out Da Hyun was involved you changed. You are freaking obsessed. You are being ridiculous right now you childish sh.it!”

Sehun scoffed. “All right, maybe I am being childish but at least I'm not someone like you...”

“How are we even supposed to talk it over when you don't want to talk about it?!” Jongin yelled. “Fu.ck I'm so losing my patience with you!”

“Then get the fu.ck out of here, I'm not in the mood for your dou.chy face right now.”

“I'm sorry!” Jongin shrieked. “How many times do you want to hear it?!”

“I don't need an apology for something what is unforgivable”, Sehun's eyes narrowed. “Go. And. Die”, he spat with venom like he meat it.

Hurt crossed Jongin's face and he slammed the door shut, his heart falling apart from the agony. They had been best friends for about 8 years now how could something so simple get between them? He missed Sehun, he missed their fun moments, he missed working with him, being around him. Jongin knew he had made a mistake but he had admitted to it and now he wanted to make amends. But everything was useless. Every time Sehun told him to go and die he died a small death and he wasn't sure how many times he could resurrect anymore. This friendship was something he had treasure the most in his life.

Inside the office Sehun glared at the closed door. He wanted to glare a hole in it. It's not like he wanted to be at war with someone who had been an important friend for so many years but he couldn't just forget something so painful. No matter how many times he tried, he could not let go of that pain. Jongin probably knew him better than he knew himself, he always told him everything, they shared secrets no one else knew. They had always been inseparable.

How could something so ridiculous ruin what they had? Sehun stiffened in his seat when he felt a tear rolling down his cheek. He missed having Jongin around, he always had answers for everything. Sehun knew it was his own fault for ruining everything but maybe this was better than hurting forever.

With a swift movement Sehun was on his feet. He strolled to the flip board and ripped the photo of Da Hyun's smiling face off, scrunching it up into a ball and trowing over his shoulder. Then he grabbed a marker and started writing, pressing the tip of the marker too hard against the paper, leaving smudged notes behind.

If you asked him what happened it went like this: Da Hyun got between Kang Min and her father. Realizing that Kang Min was going to lose the CEO position he quickly got rid of the father but lost it anyway. Now he was going to get rid of Da Hyun. But where was the evidence for these outrageous claims? Why go as far as to kill someone?

When Jung Woo's body was found it was clear whoever killed him was not going to keep it a secret. He had been stabbed ten times in his chest and left on a motel bed to die. The matters had in all his blood. His eyes were gauged out and his heart was missing along with them.

Funny enough there was a suspicious coincidence that night and all security cameras were switched off because of technical problems. The hotel room had been booked by some nonexistent person with fake ID who paid with cash. None of the employees had seen anything suspicious. That if something was suspicious.

Now then it came to light that Kang Min and Jung Woo had had a special secret relationship and there was Mi Rae between them. If Kang Min killed before why not again? Was he a jealous type of husband? Who knew. Maybe Da Hyun knew? She would definitely know a lot about this man. But Sehun didn't want to meet her, he hated her. Every time he saw her something stupid happened. Yet he wanted to meet her to get answers. The vicious circle it was.

No matter how he thought about it, no matter how he observed Da Hyun he couldn't figure her out. Maybe she really did launder the money, maybe he was suspecting Kang Min for no reason now? And when did Jongin scoop as low as to accept bribes or whatever was going on between him and Kang Min? What was that Kang Min up to lately, anyway? There had been some news about him being fired. If he really wanted to get rid of Da Hyun he'd attempt to do something to her. Would she then pretend that she fell again?

Sehun's head was exploding. To find out more he needed to work with Jongin and Da Hyun and he couldn't bear to be anywhere near them. His eyes darted at the clock and he sighed. It was almost time for trial to begin. He dragged his feet to his desk and gathered his files. Maybe he'd try to get a hold of Kang Min first.

The trial hadn't started yet when Da Hyun arrived. There were now more people in the audience, including lawyers and other personnel. From what she had eavesdropped it was going to be an interesting one. Everyone was anticipating for it and a group of young lawyers was pooling money, each betting for their sides. Da Hyun narrowed her eyes at them, that was just shameless. But if she was a part of their group she'd bet all her money against Sehun.

More people came in and the court room was rather lively, not what she had expected. Why was everyone so jumpy about a simple trial, anyway? But she was also secretly happy for so many people gathering, since now she could hide in the mass. Finally the judge arrived and everyone quieted down, she saw Sehun walking in. He was dressed in a suit again, looking all crisp, fresh and attractive. Without looking at anyone in particular he went straight to the front and threw his stuff on the table, eyeing his opponents lazily.

The trial began and Da Hyun straightened in her seat. The atmosphere grew tense and serious with all the formalities. All eyes were on the front of the room where all the action happened like on a stage. Da Hyun squinted her eyes, cursing for sitting so far.

When it was Sehun's turn to speak he was completely different from before. He was serious, fierce and ironic. His questions and conclusions sometimes causing the audience to chuckle. He spoke with confidence and carried himself proudly with a tint of handsome arrogance. He was like an invincible warrior in a war, no arrows seemed to pierce him but his attacks were deadly.

Needless to say Da Hyun was impressed. To be fair the other lawyer was good too but he wasn't Sehun, he didn't have the same charisma, the passion. Actually, if she didn't know better she'd like Sehun, she could even crush on him if he was always this way. But she knew better than that, this was just 'him' in the courtroom just like she had 'her' in the office. Just the cool polished surface for people to see, admire and be afraid of. Crossing her arms over her chest she stifled a yawn and started dozing off. The trial was going on and on with new witnesses arriving and she was getting sleepy.

*

“You have got to be kidding me?” Sehun groaned as he went through his desk once again. He had somehow managed to lose his employee card somewhere and it was not in his office. At least not on his desk. He didn't feel like going through the whole mess to find it. Thinking back he still had it on before going to the court room and he did take it off there. Maybe he had dropped it there? He glanced at his wristwatch, the trial had ended one hour ago and no more trials were scheduled for the day.

When he entered the courtroom he saw someone still sitting at the back, deep asleep. He couldn't figure out if it was a man or a woman and he didn't really care. Making his way to the front he looked around, finally finding his employee card under the front bench, it must have somehow fallen from his pile of files earlier.

When he walked towards the exit his eyes landed on the sleeping person again. He was not the type to mind other people's business but sleeping in an empty courtroom was kind of strange if not even slightly offensive. Besides, who would dare to fall asleep during his trial? All people were supposed to watch and admire him. Finding it as his duty to wake this ignorant soul he turned towards the bench. When he came closer the person started to look familiar. He already knew who it was when he sat next to her and dropped his head to see her face. It was Da Hyun.

Scoffing, he leaned his back against the back rest and slid his hands in his pants' pockets. Who else would dare to fall asleep on him? He bet if they had she'd fall asleep too. Then he mentally scolded himself for having such disgusting thoughts, maybe not that disgusting and even exciting but, anyway. Once again he glanced at her indifferently. If she was here she came to meet him for sure. Maybe she had something to tell him regarding the case? This is what he especially hated about her. She made him feel so damn curious.

Taking in a deep breath he relaxed a bit, thinking that she'd probably wake up soon and then he could mock her. His eyes widened a little and his body stiffened when her head fell on his shoulder. Grimacing in disgust he pushed her head away with his index finger but she stubbornly laid her head on his shoulder again, this time hugging his arm and leaning into him, even snuggling against him. His lips parted and he made a disgusted face trying to gently shake her off to no avail. When he tried to inch away she inched closed, placing one of her legs on his lap. He held his breath in shock. Actually when he changed his position a bit her leg was adding a nice pressure on his crotch but he quickly snapped from it, trying to find another position.

He glared at her, cursing her in his mind. If she woke up in this position that would be extremely awkward. What was he supposed to do then? Pretend he was asleep too? He reached his hand to her head and took off her cap, angling his head lower to see her face. She looked serious, like she was really concentrating on sleeping. Her eyes were tightly shut and her lips pouted. As if she was claiming him hers in this manner, holding onto him like a little monkey.

Sehun heaved a sigh, sliding a bit lower so she would have a more comfortable position. She wasn't so bad while asleep, he could get used to her if she was always like this. Besides, what was she even wearing? He eyed her clothes with dull look on his face. No wonder he hadn't spotted her in the audience like the last time. Slowly, the corners of his lips started to curl up as he watched her.

“You are so... damn...”

When someone pat Sehun's arm he stirred awake with a slight startle, he couldn't believe he had fallen asleep somehow. The position was rather awkward and his neck now hurt because he had been sleeping with his head leaning back. One of his arms was spread over the back rest and the other was pressed against his side by Da Hyun's body. She had been leaning on him all this time, her arm draped over his waist and her cheek resting on his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and she leaned away from him, startled and confused.

“No matter how cute you two look I still need to do my job”, the janitor teased. He was standing next to them with a broom in his hand. The two quickly got up, bowing apologetically, both still disoriented and sleepy.

They say that if you want to know if the person you love is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with you should wake up together. If you still can stand each other in the morning you can stand each other any time. It was not morning but after such deep sleep both Sehun and Da Hyun were honestly themselves while still disoriented.

“How did the case end?” she asked, rubbing the sleep off her eyes.

“I won, of course. Do you even need to ask?” Sehun answered sourly.

“And I wanted to bet all my money against you”, Da Hyun chuckled. “I was so sure you'd lose, it was obvious.”

“Nothing is ever obvious just like that”, Sehun said matter-of-factly. “The culprit was the plaintiff.”

“No!”, Da Hyun glanced at him wide eyed. “The father ually harassed his own daughter? Who was that other man then?”

“Someone from the neighborhood. He has been in a relationship with the girl for some time now.”

“No!”, Da Hyun gasped. “How old is the girl?”

“15.”

“No!” Da Hyun exclaimed. “The guy looked a lot older than that!”

“He is 36 years old.”

“No!” Da Hyun gaped at him in shock. “What kind of messed up relationship is that?”

Sehun shrugged. “There is nothing illegal about it because she wants to stay with him herself.”

“But that big of an ... she is still a teenager. That's so wrong and sick.”

“It's none of my business, anyway”, Sehun simply commented, slipping his hands into his pants' pockets. They now stopped in front of the elevators.

“Tell me your honest opinion about the relationship.” Da Hyun just couldn't get over the shock.

Sehun let out a sigh and looked at her indifferently. “No problem from legal point of view.”

“I asked about your point of view”, she persisted on the topic.

“She loves him. He loves her. What's the problem?” Sehun said simply, the words rolling of his tongue in a lazy manner.

“But still”, Da Hyun pouted as they entered the elevator. “It's not that simple.”

“Are you that shocked?” Sehun asked with a small amused smile. When he turned to press the 2nd floor button he realized the elevator was going up and groaned inwardly.

“Well yeah!” Da Hyun exclaimed, all serious and riled up about the matter. His smile growing wider Sehun slumped his body against the wall while staring at her lazily. He was still feeling sleepy.

“Their social lives are totally ruined. What about their parents? What about their future? What if the girl gets pregnant?” Da Hyun asked in hushed voice.

“Your life sounds so complicated”, Sehun uttered a chuckle.

“And yours is too simple”, Da Hyun said matter-of-factly.

It was nearing 4pm and a lot of people were getting off work. There were 12 floors in the building and the elevator kept stopping at each floor on the way down. Soon it was cramped and Sehun leaned closer to Da Hyun, his hand slamming against the wall above her shoulder.

Someone had accidentally pushed him while letting others exit. Her eyes darted at his arm which was on the level of her head, his chest which was almost pressing to her face, and then at his face. He was glancing behind his back with a slight frown, the person who had pushed him apologized and Sehun shook his head signaling it was all right. Once he turned his head and faced Da Hyun he finally realized in what awkward position they were, he had trapped her into the corner.

The incident of last week crossed Da Hyun's mind and she swallowed. Her eyes scanned his face, his beady eyes, his long eyelashes, his straight nose, those perfectly shaped pouty lips, his jawline, his neck, ed collars. Even though his face had feminine traits he still looked like a man. He had broad shoulders, he was tall, his scent was musky. Subconsciously she liked her lips, all that information sinking into her brain, generating warmth inside of her.

“You look hungry”, Sehun commented when he saw her strange expression. She didn't seem to be bothered by his closeness but at the same time she didn't look like she was pleased either. She was spacing out, her blank gaze on his chest. Removing his hand from the wall he slipped it into his pant's pocket.

“Is that what I look like when I think someone is y?” Da Hyun blurted, oblivious of her inappropriate question.

Sehun raised a brow. “Is that what you were thinking about?”

“Oh no”, Da Hyun cupped her cheeks, shock filling her eyes. “How do I look like when I'm hungry? I probably look really lame.”

With a smile on his lips Sehun turned to glance at the opening doors, they had reached 2nd floor.“We are here, let's go”, he simply said before walking out, shaking his head lightly, an amused smile lingering on his lips.

They were already standing in his office in front of the flip board and Sehun was holding marker in his hand as he flipped to a clean page.

“Wait”, Da Hyun snapped from her thoughts. She couldn't believe she looked hungry. Did that mean she looked hungry during too? Was that why no man would fall in love with her? Because she looked dorky when she was not concentrating on being cool? “Why am I here?”

“Because you followed me?” Sehun looked at her dully.

“I didn't even come to meet you today. Why would I even want to meet you?” She frowned slightly.

“How am I supposed to know?” He frowned too. “Anyway, now that you are here I have a question.” He tapped the flip board with his index finger. She glanced at what he had scribbled and let out a sigh.

“So you are saying that father decided not to give the company to Kang Min after all?”

“Tell me everything about you and Kang Min.” Sehun looked at her intently as he spoke.

She searched his eyes there was no contempt, no anger, only concentration and curiosity. Shifting her gaze at the flip board she furrowed her eyebrows and pouted her lips. What was going between her and Kang Min? She took the marker from Sehun's hand and wrote 'WAR' in big bold letters. Then she turned to look at him. His eyebrows raised and he let out a scoff, giving her a scornful look.

“What am I supposed to conclude from this?”

“You are the prosecutor, you are supposed to be smart”, was her snide comment.

“Do you want my help or do you want to go to jail?”

“Your help?” Da Hyun asked in suspicion. “What games are you playing with me now?”

Sehun clenched his jaw, the look in his eyes sharpening.

“And that too”, she nodded at the notes. “Father never approved of me working at the company, he wanted to leave it to Kang Min.”

“Are you sure about that?”

A lopsided smile tugged at the corners of Da Hyun's lips as she gave it a thought. Once again she looked at Sehun with a tint of sadness in her eyes. He noticed it right away, the observant person he was.

“Do you know how it feels like when you are never good enough?” she asked in quiet voice, breaking their eye contact. A deep sigh left her lips and she felt a sad tug at her heart. “No matter what you do, no matter how you try, no matter how hard you work.” Her bittersweet smile widened a little as she got lost in her sad memories.

“Father never praised me. Not even once. No matter how I tried... he was always disappointed. Sometimes I wonder if he even loved me...” She pouted her lips but then flashed another sad smile, glancing at Sehun who was now looking at her with unreadable expression on his face.

“Maybe he was right seeing in what trouble I have gotten myself into now. Once the news gets out the company is going to suffer a huge blow. In the end I'm unable to even protect it. I'm such a failure.” She handed the marker to him but he didn't move his hand, it hung limply by his side. She placed the marker on a pen holder at the bottom of the flip board. “I'll leave now. I just came to see the trial out of interest. Just wondering what's waiting for me...” she uttered a dry chuckle.

“Wait”, Sehun's hand landed on her shoulder before she could take a step. Their eyes met and he leaned closer, his eyes searching hers thoughtfully. Just like a few times before he was staring at her with concentration, his brows sightly furrowed and his eyes narrowed while his lips formed a thin line. Da Hyun wondered what was he looking for, what was he trying to figure out? Why was he doing this again?

'snap'

Suddenly something connected between them, she felt it but she didn't know what it was. Her heart stiffened in her chest and she held her breath, it was such a frightening feeling, it was confusing. She wanted to break the eye contact but she couldn't anymore as if it was too late now. He didn't move, he was still there with his head angled to the side and his eyes holding her gaze forcefully. His hand burned her shoulder, it was suddenly so heavy her shoulder started to hurt but that was only her imagination.

“Is that botox?” he finally asked. The corner of his lips twitching a little and the intense palpable moment was over just like that. It disappeared, nothing was left of it as if it had never happened. Finally getting a hold of herself Da Hyun pushed his face away.

“Never look at me like that again”, she grunted.

“Like what?” Sehun asked with a mocking little smile.

“Just don't do it”, she mumbled and with a final glare she walked away, disappearing behind the closed door, clacking of her heels echoing in the hallway.

Ever since the funeral Da Hyun had not visited her father's grave even once. She couldn't. It was not because she disliked him, actually she loved him a lot and that was the reason. Just seeing his gravestone made the void in her heart throb in pain, a void she couldn't fill with anything. But that day, after walking out from Sehun's office she decided to finally face her father again, even if it was just a small photograph on the gravestone.

As she walked out from the building a pair of eyes noticed her. It was Jongin in his red sports car with baseball bat imprints and new windows. He had parked it on the curb and was about to get off when he saw her walking to the roadside to flag a taxi. She looked listless and absentminded. He knew she must have met up with Sehun and he wondered why? What did they talk about? Why didn't she ever come meet him instead? Interested about where she was going he followed the cab.

It was a relatively long ride and Jongin's eyebrows raised in surprise when he arrived to a graveyard. Da Hyun got out from the taxi and soon disappeared somewhere among the gravestones. After waiting for a moment Jongin got off too. First he walked to the taxi and informed the driver that he'd be taking the lady home. He said he was her boyfriend and the driver believed him easily. In an instant he was gone and Jongin flashed a satisfied smile. He liked being in control.

The sky had turned gray and it seemed like it would rain soon so Jongin grabbed an umbrella from his car before looking for Da Hyun. In no time he found her squatting in front of one of the gravestones in complete silence. Slowly he walked to stand closer to her, almost behind her and he stood there patiently waiting for her to stand up and turn around.

However, she sat there for the longest time without saying anything or even one slightest movement. Jongin too, squatted down with a bored expression on his face. At some point he felt droplets of water on his face and opened the umbrella over his head while still squatting. His legs were getting uncomfortable but he ignored, his bored eyes lingered on the back of Da Hyun's head. He thought she was really thick skinned for not noticing him. The rain got heavier and he decided to finally let himself be known. He stood up and shook the muscle pain off his legs before walking beside her and squatting down, holding the umbrella over their heads.

“So this is your father. You look like him”, he said with a small tight lipped smile as his eyes darted at her surprised face. Da Hyun stared at him with wide open eyes, unable to comprehend that he was actually there. She blinked a few times, looked away and then looked at him again. He grinned, his eyes shining playfully. It was Lee Jongin, he was there right beside her and million question floated into her mind.

“What are you doing here?” Da Hyun asked with a frown.

“I followed you”, was his simple answer.

“Why?” Her frown deepened. He shrugged and then looked at her father's photograph again.

“You must miss him.”

“Why would you follow me?” she asked again, her voice growing tense. Her heart picked its pace and she grew nervous. There was something scary about having people following her. What did he want from her? What would he do next?

“I just felt like it”, Jongin smiled gently. “Don't worry, I'm here out of curiosity that's all.”

“Well, that's pretty dam fu.cked up”, she blurted.

Throwing one last disapproving look his way she stood up and started stomping away. With a chuckle he followed, trying to hold the umbrella over her head the gentleman he was.