005
Bound By Duty
005.
She paid attention to him because she was intrigued. She learned several things about Jongin: one) he drew an invisible line to everybody to have his own space; two) he knows his coffee; three) he’s hard to crack. He never gets friendlier than when he met his relatives. Business is strictly business to him. He didn’t like to mix his personal life with his business. He likes his arabica with a little bit of sugar and his documents piled neatly—that’s about it. Other than that, she didn't know much about him except how awkward it was for Jongin to open a conversation when it was just them (Jongin and Naeun) in the room.
Tonight’s going to be a Friday night. It’s not just a Friday night. But it’s the first Friday of the month. Naeun’s been working long enough to know that tonight will go wild. The young generation of the family will get together in a cabin woods. It was a massive cabin, and hella nice too. It got fireplace, soft couches, plasma TV, and an incredible sound system. The get together will have a lot of liquor and weeds. She always strayed away from the weeds because the ones who actually smoke didn’t even like Jongin. So, she didn’t have to actually cross paths.
Naeun was vacuuming under the couch when Jieun asked with her legs hovering above the vacuum cleaner, “Did you do as I say?”
“Do what?” Both of them got quite friendly of each other’s company since the funeral.
“Um, groceries. Liquor groceries.”
“I’m not your assistant, Jieun. Go find someone else to bother with your chores.” Naeun moved on to clean the rest of the room.
“I wish you were, though. We could be fun together.” Jieun was a bit devastated.
“You’ll be a damsel in distress, and I’m not up for that.”
Jieun gave her two middle fingers. Naeun’s not even slightly bothered. Jongin was away for a while and Jieun—being herself—made his house become hers too. Jongin liked her presence and she was the closest to him, so he kept her beside her. She also needed his company as she doesn’t get a lot of acceptance among the relatives because she was too wild to contain. Naeun grew fond of her company as she’s currently her only friend in her life.
“What a ing party pooper.” She sighed, bored.
The doorknob clicked and opened, revealing sweaty Jongin with his usual sportswear and airpods stuck on his ears. He wasn’t even surprised at the sight of Jieun. He was still panting as he walked to the kitchen counter. Naeun was ready with a glass of water. She slid the glass across the counter and Jongin caught the glass almost immediately and chugged in the water. Naeun waited for him.
“Naeun, I need you in my room by ten. We’ll overview several things before the meeting with the Park family.” He said as he put down the glass.
Naeun nodded, “Yes, sir. I’ll get the files.”
She exited the living room and into her office. Jieun looked at Jongin who was pulling out his airpods and putting them in the case. Jongin looked back at her, feeling fishy with her gaze.
“You’re going on a meeting with the Parks?” She started.
“Yeah.”
“You’re not going to the First Friday?”
“If the meeting went well—I might.”
“Chanyeol’s gonna be there?”
“Most likely. Why?” Jongin sensed a mischievous air around her.
Jieun grinned, “Count me in. I’m bored.”
Jongin almost rolled his eyes. He knew Jieun and Chanyeol had a thing. They screw around here and there, but it wasn’t serious—at least to Jieun. Their fling never bothered him because it never affected him and the business badly. If so, Jieun could be the key to seduce him into a settlement. Jongin said nothing and went to his room to get ready.
A few moments later, as his requested, Naeun came out with a bunch of folders and an iPad. She strode to his door, “Excuse me, sir. I have the files.”
She heard a few rumble here and there before she caught a voice, “Hold a moment.”
The rumble began again before it faded and a click in his door appeared. There was Jongin with his damp disheveled hair and his casual dark clothes. His towel spread along his shoulder, making Naeun note how broad his shoulder was. He let her in. Naeun placed the folders and her iPad on his work table. She waited for him to sit so she could present the folders to him, but the moment never came. Instead, he beckoned her to sit so casually it confused the hell out of Naeun. She took note of him: Today, my boss got a little weird. First, he never invited anybody to his room (not that she knows of); Second, he actually let her sit in his chair?
It looked like Naeun appear to zone out because Jongin’s voice snapped her back to reality, “You should sit, Naeun. Then, you can start to explain.”
Jongin walked closer as she sat. He propped one hand in the table and leaned in. Both of them didn’t seem to notice how close they were to each other.
She began to explain the folders one by one, “The administrative terms have been cleared out from last week. The building will be recorded as a pub and it is under your name, sir. Uh—I’ve called the Parks’ representative team and they will agree on these terms if the profits of the pub will be fairly splitted.”
“Me and Chanyeol will talk about it later. What about the Cheongdamdong building rents? Is it fully paid to Father?”
Naeun moved to another folder, “Uh—it is said that 90% of the total payment is already wired to Father’s bank account. The rest 10% is from tenants who haven’t paid their due.”
“Ah, okay. I’ll tell Tian to take care those tenants. Anything I should know?” Jongin and Naeun locked eyes, noticing the incredible short gap between them. She could smell the fresh soap on her nose. Jongin could see the tinted brown in both of her eyes. He never knew that her eyes could be this mesmerizing.
She almost whispered, “No, sir.”
Naeun couldn’t resist her heightened heartbeats, so she tried to break the gaze first by standing up abruptly from her seat. Jongin’s chin got head-shoved by Naeun so hard that both of them heard a thud. Jongin moved a few steps back, still holding to his chin. Naeun, realizing what she has done, instinctively approach Jongin but he put his hand up. She stopped.
“Jesus , Naeun.” He winced.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Is your head made from rocks?” He brushed his chin with his hands to let the pain subside, “It stings a lot.”
She noticed a small blue spot on his chin, exactly where she headbutt him. She grew anxious, “I think I made your chin went blue.”
Jongin went wide for a second, checking on the nearest mirror, “Holy , Naeun.”
“I’ll get you an icebag.” Naeun went out and prepared him an icebag in hurry.
Jieun watched Naeun in confusion, “What the hell happened in there?”
Having no answer from Naeun, she decided to check it out herself. He went into Jongin’s room (answered by a yelling to get out) and found the exact reason in his chin. A satisfied laugh echoed around the walls, “Holy , cousin, this is a GOLDEN time.”
Jieun pulled out her phone and took several pictures of Jongin. He waved around in annoyance, but Jieun was noticeably enjoying what she saw. Naeun came with an icebag and press it lightly on his chin. Jongin winced a little as he took over the icebag. She stood there, feeling guilty. Jieun was enjoying her view and nudged on Naeun, “What did you do, sis?”
“She headbutt me.” Jongin told her, in which replied by another set of laughter.
“That’s okay. He can take that anytime.” She managed to say between her laughter.
“All of you should get ready and get out of my room,” He still lock the icebag on his chin. “Tian will be here any minute.”
Jongin and Naeun accidentally locked eyes awkwardly. She broke it off first before it could get any weirder.
“Hold on,” Jieun stopped abruptly. She looked at a nice café in front of her. She looked rather disgusted. “This is your meeting place?”
Jongin came to her side, eyeing her, “Yeah. The coffee’s not so bad.”
“I don’t mind the coffee. It would give the wrong ing impression to Chanyeol.” She gritted her teeth.
Naeun waited behind them with Tian. She had a hard time averting her gaze away from Jongin’s face. The spot was still there, but it didn’t seem to bother Jongin anymore. She might be the only one who over concerning the situation, but she was concern for good reasons. One of them was trying not to get killed. Tian’s words caught her off guard more than before, “What happened with his chin?”
Naeun tried to avert her gaze everywhere but Tian and Jongin, “I… kinda headbutt him accidentally.”
Tian snorted, “Seriously?”
“Is it… bad?”
Tian paused, looking at Jongin’s chin for a hot second, “Probably nothing. He’s chill.”
It’s the answer that she wanted to hear, but she was still not confident.
Jieun and Jongin started to walk inside as they bicker. Naeun and Tian was following them when they heard a loud, excited voice. Chanyeol was standing up and his face lighted up with his eyes following the figure of Jieun. In the other hand, Jieun didn’t seem to catch the same vibe as him. Jongin didn’t care about any of it. He bumped his fist with Chanyeol and sat down. Jieun didn’t even bother to catch his fist, but Chanyeol kept his cool and sat down. Naeun and Tian stood behind Jongin and Jieun.
“So… how’s life?” Chanyeol averted his eyes on Jieun. She was too bored to answer.
“Sorry. Jieun didn’t have any manner. Per usual.” Jongin answered back for her.
Jieun rolled her eyes, “It’s fine.”
“Well, I was wondering when I should return your Cartier bracelet. It’s still sitting in my desk prettily.” Chanyeol fished.
Jieun was caught off guard. She’s been looking for the bracelet for months. She answered a little too fast, “Did you have it?”
“Of course, I have it—”
Jieun’s gaze fixated at him, hopeful.
“—in my house.” His continuation made Jieun pissed. She sat back with her hands crossed. Not saying any words. She glued her gaze outside, trying to be unbothered.
“Hit me up and I’ll bring your bracelet, Ji.” Chanyeol said.
Jieun paused before saying, “I’ll text you.”
Jongin sat up, feigning interest, “Now, since all of your problems are solved, let’s move on to business. Shall we?”
His hand reached in front of Naeun, asking for the file. She pulled out the file she had prepared and put it in his palm. He laid the document on the table. Chanyeol took out his pen and read the paper. There was silence for a hot moment before Chanyeol looked at Jongin and asked, “My dad agreed to these terms?”
“He did.”
“Then, I’m in.” Chanyeol signed the paper. After that, Jongin passed the document to Naeun. She kept it safely organized in her hands. He sighed in relief and sat back, but Chanyeol didn’t. His posture kept steady and his eyes wandered nervously. Jongin saw him and immediately knew something was off. Chanyeol never went serious when it wasn’t needed.
“What’s wrong?” Jongin started. It was enough to made Jieun joined the party.
“I can’t say it.” His gaze laid on Naeun and Tian. Jongin followed Chanyeol’s gaze and picked up the code.
“You guys should wait in the car.” Jongin said to both of them, in which they immediately obliged and went off their way. Now, Chanyeol got Jieun and Jongin’s full attention.
Naeun observed them from outside the café. Chanyeol looked nervous and the Kims looked rigid. She can’t see Jongin and Jieun’s expression, but she can see Chanyeol’s very clearly. He spoke fast to both of them and it seemed like every word make it even more suspense. But there was one thing that Naeun could see: Chanyeol muttering the word ‘wrong’.
The conversation didn’t last long after that and they continued their way to the family cabin. The ride along the way was quiet. It wasn’t the usual quiet. Something was in the air but Naeun can’t pinpoint it—not that it was her business to tell. Jongin and Jieun were uneasy. Jongin kept tapping his fingers against his thigh and Jieun flicked her phone screen on and off. Naeun knew they were nervous about something and they weren’t doing a great job on hiding it.
As they arrived, they got out of the car a little too fast. Both of them walked in pair, definitely talking to each other. Then, they vanished into the cabin. Naeun accompanied Tian to park the car and walked in together. Both of them knew something was off between their bosses, but both of them knew they don’t have the answer. So, they stayed quiet until they have to part to their designated room.
Her room was small with two bunk beds, which she will share with the other assistants. It wasn’t a bother for her since she decided to sit out the party and sleep throughout the night. Naeun put down her sling bag before a voice startled her.
“Naeun,” Jieun was at the door side. “Go upstairs. You’re sleeping with me.”
“Oh. No. I’m good.” Sleeping with Jieun meant participating.
“No,” Jieun walked in, only to sling Naeun’s bag and walked out as she yelled, “I’m not asking.”
“Why don’t you leave me alone, Ji?” Naeun followed her, helpless.
“Why don’t you shut the up? I need sleeping companion.”
They went upstairs. It was full of doors from both side of the hall. They were still mostly empty, considering the party didn’t start until the last minute of midnight. There were only a few cousins—that Naeun was not familiar—filling in the bedrooms. But Naeun studied each person she see—out of curiousity—and the cousins looked as chaotic as Jieun. They wore luxury brands and dressed like going to a nightclub. It wasn’t a bother for Naeun, but it just made her think that this family business could easily compare its wealth to the conglomerates. Their lifestyle was almost similar except on carrying illegal guns and bribing police.
Jongin was laying on the bed when Naeun and Jieun entered the room. He looked up from his phone once he noticed there were additional person in the room. He tracked Naeun with his eyes. She was hoping if she didn’t encounter any eyecontact with Jongin, she wouldn’t have to have Jongin’s eyes boring a hole on her back. So, she tried her best to ignore his presence by trying to act busy with her bag.
Jieun plopped next to Jongin. Jieun casually said as she played with her phone, “Stop looking at her. She’s miserable enough.”
“Fair enough.” Jongin averted his eyes back on his phone.
The room went into an awkward pause with Naeun hovering on the corner of the room, unsure. After a few seconds, Naeun couldn’t handle the awkwardness and decided to bail out, “Do you know where the bathroom is?”
Jieun answered, “Go right. The second door after this room.”
Naeun wasted no time and walked out fast. She closed the bathroom door and sat on the toilet. She heaved a long sigh. Jieun always got her in the most uncomfortable position every time they were around. But, this awkwardness beat everything that has happened so far. Naeun washed her face and looked at her own reflection for reassurance. She thought to herself, she can do it.
The night came and the Kims already gathered in front of the house with a big bonfire. Music were blaring and the cousins were casually drinking. They were having a bonfire party—per Jieun’s information—to commemorate their late aunt that passed away one month ago. But, Naeun believed that these people are here to solely party and have fun. They didn’t really care about their late aunt anymore. The assistants and bodyguards were there, making sure everyone didn’t really do stupid choices while being under influence.
Jieun looked at her cousins dissatisfied, “We’re too old for this .”
Jongin and Tian stood not far from Jieun and Naeun. They were observing the party on the sidelines and exchanging conversations. Jongin looked rather bored with the party as well as Jieun. She chugged all of her drink and threw her cup elsewhere. She looked at Jongin and said, “Should we go back?”
Jongin nodded and the four of them walked back to the house. Jieun was complaining about something to Jongin and he blamed her from dragging them into this mess. Tian went to the back of the building to get the car. The rest of them waited in front of the house for the pickup. Jongin and Jieun went silent for awhile as they went back to being busy with their phones. Naeun was the only one who wasn’t attached to her phone and tried to enjoy the sight of a big bonfire lighting up in the middle of a forest. The party wasn’t her cup of tea, but for people like her, the concept was fascinating enough.
Then, she heard something faint ticking in the back of her ear. Tick... tick... tick... tickticktick. Before she told anybody anything, Jieun ran farther and Jongin instinctively took Naeun's hand and dragged her to run with him. Naeun heard a loud blast and she felt a heavy current pushed her body flying. The next second, gravity slam her body onto the ground. She remembered she couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t see anything but black. The colors distorted into lights in her eyes but the silence turned into a loud ringing in her ears. She vaguely remembered Jongin was on top of her, moving his mouth frantically. She felt his hands on her cheeks—warm. She felt out of touch but she can feel his fingers tinted her cheeks with warmth.
She couldn’t understand what he was saying, but she noticed his ears bleed. Her fingers traced his cheek and managed to wipe the blood. Before she lost herself, she managed to say, “Your ear bleeds.”
Jongin froze by the sudden movement. Her cold fingers brushed against his cheek and when she said those words, there were certain feelings grew within him and most of it were anger. He knew he had to get his revenge on this. He took a look around, finding the cousins gathered around them. Jieun sat up not far from their position, coughing. He caught Jieun’s gaze and as her eyes turned as fiery as he is, she yelled, “This is war. I claim war against the Huang Family!”
The cousins echoed and so did Jongin, “I claim.”
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