It was a tiring week as Mr. Im had meetings after meetings but his passion in his work makes you admire him even more. It was finally the last day of the trip. You were happy that your work is finally going to be over but you would be lying if you said you weren’t sad as your time spending with just him shall soon be over.

"Good morning Mr. Im. " You greeted him as you met him at the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

"Good .. Morning."

He looked up from his newspaper and stared at you widely.

"Is there a problem Mr. Im?" you followed his gaze to check if there's anything wrong with your appearance.

"You look beautiful today.”

“Not that you don't look beautiful everyday! It's just that today you look different." His gaze never leaves you.

"Thank you Mr. Im," You blushed three shades of pink, the least.

"Mr. Im, since your last appointment finishes at 5.00 today can I have the evening off please? I'm meeting with a friend. If that's okay with you."

"Oh.. O-okay." Somehow he seemed reluctant to oblige.

 

‘Mr. Im, if there isn’t anything else I’ll take my leave now.” You asked as you packed your notes pursuant to the meeting that just ended.

“Where do you have to go? I’ll drive you there.”

“It’s okay Mr. Im. I can find my way there.”

“No. I’m sending you there.”

He replied sternly but softened when he saw that you were slightly taken aback.

“It’s just .. that.. I’m more familiar with this place so I know the faster route there since it’s traffic peak hour now. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He justified himself before finishing off that last sentence in a softer voice.

There was an air of awkward tension during the drive. “So who are you meeting?” He broke the silence.

“Just a friend from college.”

“Oh, your close friend?”

“Well, not really. We barely talked much during college and we lost contact after graduation but he found me on Facebook recently.” You noticed that his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Will you .. be staying with him tonight?”

You were surprised by that question but you quickly replied to dismiss any negative thoughts in his mind,

“Oh no no! I’ll be back to the hotel after our meet up. It shouldn’t be too late.”

“Just give me a call when you’re done, I’ll come fetch you.”

“That’s not necessary Mr. Im. I really don’t want to trouble you.”

“I insist. I need to make sure you arrive there and return back safely. It's my responsibility to take care of you.” You knew there’s no point in arguing further when he made up his mind so you just nodded.

“Just give me a call if anything comes up alright?” He said before you nodded and walked into the restaurant.

Your friend waved at you as you were searching for him in the crowd of patrons. He stood up and helped you with your seat. After ordering, you exchanged greetings and starts the small talks. You noticed that he is wearing a Rolex watch, the latest Iphone on the table next to a Porsche car key.

"You seem to be quite well-off now. What do you do?"

"Nothing much, just a business." He smiled widely when the question was arisen.

"So all you need to do is get another five person to join you and you'll earn thirty percent commission. Those five person will help you generate more income as your downline increases. Easy money! All you need to do is join me now. You know, normal membership fee costs fifteen thousand dollars. But now we are having a promotion and it only costs ten thousand dollars. Imagine by investing only ten thousand you can gain millions! Stop hesitating."

You choked on a piece of chicken. "Ten thousand?? No thanks." You rolled your eyes as you gulped down the glass of water.

"It's only ten thousand, such a small amount. Think of the returns that you'll gain." He started to repeat his well-rehearsed lines enthusiastically and all you want to do now is walk out of the door, never to see him again. How am I going to escape this? You thought to yourself as your fingers fiddled with your mobile phone. Should I?

“Mr. Im, I know this is a little sudden and I’m really sorry to bother you but can you come rescue me please?”

The moment your friend excused himself to the washroom you pulled out your phone and dialed the first name on your call log.

“What happened?? Did he do something to you?” You heard his panicked voice through the phone line, a side of him that you’ve never seen (or in this case, heard) before.

“He’s trying to sell me this stupid pyramid scheme business. I rejected him but he's not taking no for an answer." You whispered through the phone as you looked left and right couple of times, wary of your friend's return.

"I'm on my way." He hung up instantly. You prayed hard that Jaebum would be here soon to save you.

"So what do you say? Will you join our family of wealth?" He asked the moment he returned, barely even sitting yet.

"I’m sure she said no."

You turned around as you recognize the familiar voice.

"Do I know you?" Your friend questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"You don’t have to but you do need to know that I will report the police if you ever disturb her again. Now excuse us as me and my girlfriend here need to take our leave." He grabbed your hand and you followed him out of the restaurant before turning back to see your very confused friend stunned in his seat.

 

It's been ten minutes since you followed Jaebum out of the restaurant and he is still holding your hand. You kept silent (and just enjoy the moment) until both of you reached a nearby park.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you anywhere?"

You shook your head.

"I knew I should have stop you." There was a mixture of frustration and worry in his voice.

"Thank you Mr. Im and sorry to bother you. You even had to rush over."

“It wasn’t a rush at all. I was actually waiting for you outside. I couldn’t leave you with him.” You looked at him curiously, realizing now that he barely took much time to reach you after the call.

"Y/N, I really like you. From the first day you started work. No, actually from the time you impressed me during your interview. I've like you since then. I would have confessed to you earlier if it wasn't for the stupid HR policy. But I can't hold it in any longer."

"I .. I like you too……. Jaebum."

"I know this is stupid because you may not even like me, wait… Did you just ... call me Jaebum? You never call me Jaebum."

"I try to push away my feelings for you. I never call you Jaebum no matter how much I wanted to because I don't want to acknowledge my feelings. You are my boss after all and yeah, because of that HR policy too."

"You should have told me earlier."

He stepped closer and reach out to hold both of your hands and looked into your eyes with a soft smile plastered on his face. You instantly looked down on the ground, hiding your blushing face from him.

"We could have been together sooner."

He placed his index finger below your chin and gently lifted your face closer to his. As he cupped your face, you felt the butterflies in your stomach. When he captured your lips with his, your legs nearly gave way as a content feeling that you never felt before bubbles up.

“I’ll have a word with Jinyoung as soon as we get back to the office. It’s time to revise that HR policy.”