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“How did it go?” Kai asked.

The male in the common black and white suit, nearly bald and smelling of aftershave stood in front of his desk politely. “Yes, they’re starting to give her work again.”

“Good.” He commented. If Namjoo got busy with work again there would be less reason for her to opt out of work during irregular hours. If he kept surveillance over her and made sure Sehun didn’t try to mess with her, the wedding would proceed smoothly. It was only this morning that he realized he’d forgotten the one big threat to his plan.

Oh Sehun.

For whatever reason, kept lingering around Namjoo. Did he still think she was Choonhee?

That fool.

No matter the case, he couldn’t risk having Namjoo near him. Namjoo was naïve and her feelings were easy to control. If Sehun managed to sway her it would really be trouble for him.

“But just a minute ago,” the male’s voice drifted through his ears, “the Vice CEO called for Choonhee.”

His attention was quick to return to the man. “The Vice…CEO?”

“Yes,” the man nodded.

“Is she still out there? Tell her she’s not allowed a step out of the office.”

“The problem is,” the man continued, “she already left.”

“Fine then, you can leave,” the urgency of the situation made Kai jumpy. The man nodded and turned to walk out and once the door was closed Kai sprang to his feet. For even a moment, he couldn’t allow Namjoo and Sehun to be alone.

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It had been hard work getting Hayoung away from her desk, but what next disappointed him most was that Namjoo didn’t seem ecstatic to see him. She stood there near the door, as if ready to bolt out any second. It panged him to know that she was scared of him.

Why?

Sehun would admit he might have been rude and mean toward her, but he hadn’t known then that she wasn’t Choonhee. Then he wouldn’t have been so confused and distraught over his sudden turn of emotions that had shocked him greatly. If he’d just had an idea that she was Namjoo, things could have been done differently.

They might have even gotten to know each other the proper way.

Walking to the front of his desk he leaned back against it, “Do you want to sit?”

“No,” she rejected immediately. Her hands were held tight in front of her and her eyes continuously swiveled back and forth around the room.

What was wrong? Was he intimidating her?

Sehun tried to relax and loosen up. Maybe he looked angry?

Speaking gently he said, “I heard about yesterday.”

A quick breath escaped her lips and she was fast to apologize, “I’m sorry. It’s just…I…everything just seemed to fall into place, and it turned out that way. I didn’t mean to, really, I promise. I’m sorry I took your words.” Her eyes darted around the room even faster, as if she were chasing bunnies. “Actually, I was asleep that night but I woke up when you came in.” she shook her head. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

He couldn’t help but slightly smile at how exaggerated she was being. Kim Namjoo, like her sister, was a very innocent soul.

“Do I look angry to you?” 

Namjoo blanked and her lips slightly drooped in stupor. As if catching onto how foolish she’d just been, she silenced for a moment.

“Then,” she anxiously looked around, unable to meet the eyes anticipating hers, “if you’re not angry…why…”

“I was worried.”

She glanced back at him suspiciously, “Why would you? I’m not Choonhee.”

Something at the far back of his mind snapped and he took a step away from his desk. “Do you think everything’s about Choonhee?”

Her lids rapidly fluttered, “Why…haven’t you called the cops yet? You could have done it when you realized I was a fake.”

“Why do you think I would do that?” he asked. “Do I look like I have a reason to?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “You have all the reason to.”

He frowned. Just exactly was going on in that little head of hers.

“Forget it,” he breathed, “I didn’t call you up here to argue with you.”

Looking perplexed, Namjoo averted her eyes away from him. He scanned her. Nothing seemed changed about her, nothing seemed different. She still looked as healthy as before. Was she pregnant or not?

The second he could verify it, the closer he could be to stopping the wedding.

“What?” her voice laced with irritation woke him up from his thoughts.

He found her staring at him with a hard frown. Since they were alone, this was his chance. He needed to know. Two large strides brought him in front of her and grabbed her arm. Her eyes widened and she readied to move away, so he held her other arm as well.

“I…I just want to know something,” he quickly breathed, holding her eyes for as long as possible. “You…are you…are you…”

The abrupt opening of the door interrupted him and within a blink of an eye he was shoved away from Namjoo. Confusion split his focus before he found his landing and stared back at Kai who now stood between him and Namjoo. She looked even more like a lost child, almost cowering behind the uninvited guest.

Appalled, Sehun asked. “What are you doing here?”

“This is work hours, Chief Executive, not time to use for personal matters,” Kai stated, his eyes somber.

Annoyance flared up within his chest, but Sehun restrained it from surfacing. “I don’t think it’s your business teaching me how to manage my time.”

“Time is a necessity, especially for a beginner who doesn’t know the rules of the workplace.” Kai glanced back at Namjoo who lowered her head.

Who the hell did he think he was?

“I’m not finished talking with her. Please leave.” Sehun said.

“Your time’s up. My fiancée can’t just come and go see anyone as she pleases without my permission,” Kai calmly argued, “even in the workplace.”

Sehun’s brow twitched, irked. Then he watched Kai reach back with a heated heart and held her hand up.

“You see this ring?” Kai asked. “A ring tells anyone person that this woman has an owner. Me. So don’t touch her or try to come near her.”

Sehun nearly lashed out when Kai entwined his hand with Namjoo’s and led her out of his office. Fury boiled within the pits of his stomach and gripped his hand into a fist when the door closed.

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Namjoo’s footsteps clambered after calm Kai as he dragged her toward the staircase back toward their department. If he was angry she’d gone to Sehun’s office he needn’t be. Whatever was going on between the two, she wanted nothing to do with. In the first place she didn’t even get why they were warring with each other. Was it because of company matters?

He spoke nothing to her along the way and Namjoo too, didn’t want to say a word to him. What was the big deal that he had to go upstairs to get her? Surely, Sehun wasn’t planning to do anything to her. He had looked almost desperate at that last moment when he held her. What had he wanted to ask her?

All eyes in the office turned to stare curiously when they walked through the empty aisle. The droning of the copy machine and ringing phones faded when Kai led her into his private office, where he immediately released her when the door closed. Swiftly moving toward his desk he returned to his seat, leaving her standing there awkwardly.

“Sit down.” He ordered, his eyes now on some papers he just grabbed and placed onto lap.

No chair in front of his desk, so Namjoo turned to see a set of furniture behind her and moved over to it. The wall sized window behind her let in brilliant rays of sunlight that her back bathed in and she quietly sat down. His office was barely empty despite the two bookshelves lightly filled with books published by his father’s company and some awards framed on the wall.

“Till what level were you educated?” Kai asked, his voice coming from her right where his desk was positioned.

She turned to look at him, answering defensively, “I know how to read at least.”

Lifting his head up from the papers he looked over at her. Somehow, feeling awkwardly uneasy Namjoo averted her eyes and focused on the creamy beige wall ahead of her.

“I know,” he stated, as if she’d treated him lowly, “but how much do you know? If you couldn’t edit the first few assignments handed to you when you got here, there’s something missing. You can’t survive here if you don’t even know the basics.”

Pursing her lips Namjoo swallowed the saliva building up in and wrapped her hands around both knees. Hesitatingly, she muttered, “It’s just…I don’t really understand some grammar rules.”  

For a few seconds there was silence then she heard him sigh and get up after slapping his papers back onto his desk. Namjoo turned, curious about what he was up to then saw him walking toward one of the bookshelves. What exactly was he doing? He wasn’t…really going to make her read was he?

Heading back to her with two three-hundred page books and a thinner one, he set them down onto the coffee table in front of her. Her eyes caught the title Introductions to Writing before she lifted her head up as he spoke.

“Study from these.”

Surprise lit up lights in her eyes. Was he actually helping her?

“From now on you’ll be in here instead of out there at your desk,” he directed. “Do you understand?”

Why was he suddenly being like this to her? Namjoo couldn’t help but be suspicious although she was thankful for the chance. “Oh…ok…” she nodded and listened to him head back to his desk. As she grabbed the first book with activities inside she stole a glance at him through the corner of her eye and suddenly felt a pang of awkwardness.

Was Kai being nice to her?

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Sehun was so silently infuriated he could barely return his focus to work. For an hour now he sat behind his desk slumped forward with his head lowered so much his forehead nearly knocked into the desk.

The ring on Namjoo’s finger…how had he not seen it? How had Kai manged to get it on so easily?

It wasn’t right. This wasn’t right.

Namjoo didn’t love Kai. She didn’t want the marriage. How many times had she tried saying it? He’d heard her voice. She even claimed she would take all control of her own life as Choonhee…but the ring…had managed to get onto her finger.

The frustration just kept piling up. When would it be over? What was he going to do to get closer to her?

No, he was sure Namjoo wasn’t much different from him. Even if a little she liked him too, he was sure of it. He had felt it from her that night in Incheon when she kissed him. It was just her circumstances were making it for her to come to terms with it.

He immediately lifted his head up when the doors opened and foolishly hoped it was Namjoo coming back. Seeing Hayoung made his hopes go down the drain and he straightened back in his chair.

“How did it go?” he feigned attention, knowing she’d returned realizing he’d sent her out on a pointless errand.

As expected, she tossed a large orange envelope onto his desk, her eyes hard and piqued with stinging irritation. “Confirmed by the lawyer who claimed there needn’t be a signature mark, so I got a stamp by the District Attorney instead.” Narrowing her eyes she glared down at him, “Happy? Did you get your alone time with Choonhee?”

“You’re excused for the day,” ignoring her remark he reached for the orange envelope and opened it.

“This is a warning because I fear for you,” Hayoung hissed, “Choonhee isn’t who you think she is. It’s just because I don’t want you to end up feeling like a fool.”

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“Why are we here?” Namjoo questioned the second Kai’s home came into view. She turned to him, “I thought I was going home.”

“My parents want dinner with their daughter-in-law,” he spoke without looking at her.

“I don’t want to,” she shook her head. “How many times do I…”

“And how many times do I have to repeat that it will happen.” He turned to her with deadened eyes that shut her up. Parking the car at the side garage he said as he stepped out, “Get out. My parents have been waiting for you all day.”

Left with no choice, Namjoo pushed her door open and stepped out hotly taking no caution to hide her vexation. She gasped when Kai grabbed her arm and warned, “Don’t try to spoil the mood. Smile and look happy.” Then rashly spinning her around led her toward the house.

Right as they entered through the door his mother, Seulgi, greeted her openly with a heartwarming hug that made Namjoo instinctively shy. It was strange to feel motherly warmth for the first time that she suddenly became a mute. They were instantly led into the dining room where the table was overloaded with side dishes and two main dishes, scalding soup and oven baked fish.

“It’s been quite a while since we’ve had you over, sit down, sit down,” his father welcomed her with a fatherly smile from the head of the table. “How has work been? Has Kai been giving you a hard time?”

“Ah…” Namjoo smiled sitting down a seat away from him beside Kai, “no…it’s quite alright.”

“Everyone thinks Choonhee’s a quick learner,” Kai lied.

“Well, isn’t that great news,” his mother chimed in with a magnificent smile. “Eat up, dear,” she leaned over to debone the fish and placed some onto her plate.

“Your mother especially cooked and prepared that fish for hours today just for you,” his father explained.

Namjoo wasn’t sure whether to be earnestly flattered as she wasn’t the person Kai’s mother had been thinking of. Faking a smile she nodded, “Thanks.”

“Don’t be shy,” the woman urged, “you’re just like my daughter. In soon time we’ll be one family, isn’t that right Kai?”

He smiled from beside her, gleefully going along with his parents but Namjoo felt a strain of suffocation. This setting, her being there was so pretentious she felt sick to her stomach. She was guilty of even looking like Choonhee.

“About the wedding,” his mother spoke, “I recently met up with some wedding planners who can help with decorations and even help Choonhee pick out a wedding dress. Oh! I forgot how they’re so beautiful! Choonhee,” she leaned over happily, “aren’t you excited?! I can’t wait for the day I’ll finally have a daughter-in-law and a grandchild. Oh Kai,” she patted the table in excitement, “you must hurry up. You know your young Aunt Jooyoung just gave birth.”

“I,” finally finding her voice again, she spoke up with her head raised and her eyes on his parents, “the wedding…I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

“Why…what are you talking about?” Sungsik wondered, his eyes wide and lost.

“But we already talked everything over…” his mother quietly reminded, as if she had been a part of the talk. “How much time do you need to prepare for it?”

“It’s not like that. Choonhee’s just nervous,” Kai tried then turned to her, “aren’t you?”

“No, maybe a year or two,” Namjoo spoke. “I want to delay it for a year or two.”

Silence zipped around her wildly. His mother set her utensils down and curiously wondered, “Are you, by any chance, having an affair?”

“No, no, I…” Namjoo felt her stomach do flip and rolls before she almost heaved and quickly pressed a hand to . She was going to throw up.