A/N: hi chapter three! So sorry again it’s been so long but I’ll finish this, it should be done in about six chapters or so, give or take. Please enjoy 

Yerim was bored out of her mind attending this late afternoon lunch her mother had planned, mostly because she knows the real reason her mother did this is to hopefully set her up with one of her rich friend’s daughters. It would be beneficial for her if Yerim found someone she liked, got married, and kept the money flowing. Too bad Yerim had only one person in her mind, and in her heart. The moment she could, she slipped away and outside. Yerim sighs and looks through her phone.

She had to get out of here soon so she could see Joy. She had to get time alone with Joy. She just missed her so much, and it seemed like these days all she thinks about is Joy.

“Yerim?” She hears her name and looks to the door to see Son Seungwan. Her mother is a good business partner of her mom’s, and in truth Yerim does like her. Seungwan is sweet and funny, plus she’s very smart. 

“Hi, Seungwan.” Yerim puts her phone away and gestures to the bench she’s sitting on. She won’t be rude to Seungwan.

“Hi, I feel like I barely saw you at lunch. Are you okay?” The brown-haired woman asks with that gentle concern in her voice. 

“I’m okay, please don’t worry. Work is rough, I’m sure you do understand.” She knows Seungwan can relate since she is a few years older than her and already is running the majority of her family company.

“I do understand and I do worry about you.” That part is said rather softly, gently in a way that Yerim has to look at her. She isn’t used to hearing someone talk to her like this, not even her own mother. The blonde is at a loss for words and wants to talk but her phone alarm she set rings.

“Oh, I’ve got to go.”

“Business as usual, huh?” Seungwan asks, with a somewhat sad smile on her face. Like she knows there is no way it’s business related, since Yerim’s mom is here and wouldn’t just want for her daughter to leave this party that is essentially for her. 

“Yeah, I need to go. But, hey let’s have lunch together soon. I’ll call you and let you know when I’m free. Does that sound okay?”

Seungwan’s face gets significantly brighter. She agrees and before Yerim can go she hugs her. “I’ll hold you to it, Yerim.”

Yerim thanks her again and does intend to keep her promise for lunch soon. Right now, she just has to hurry, get home to her apartment, change and go to the hotel to meet Joy. Nothing was going to stop her from meeting Joy. This was the happiest she felt all week because she’d see the woman she loved. At least, she felt ecstatic until she actually got to the hotel room where they met and noticed how down Joy seemed. More so than usual, and if that wasn’t bad enough the dark-haired woman was walking in a way that suggested she was hiding an injury. 

“Yerim, hey. I…”

The younger woman walks over to her and gently takes a hold of her arm. The fact that Joy flinches right away is enough to make her pissed beyond words. She is indeed hiding an injury and she carefully pulls back Joy’s dark sleeve shirt.

“Who did this to you?” 

Joy tries not to think about how nice Yerim’s hand feels against her arm. Yerim is so gentle with her as she helps her sit down and goes to get the first aid kit that’s in the cabinet of the hotel bathroom.

“It’s nothing, some ’s get rough sometimes. I’ve had worse.”

That doesn’t make Yerim feel good to hear. She kind of just wants to go find whatever jackass put their hands onto Joy and hurt them back, maybe even worse. The blonde sighs and gets control of her thoughts before coming back to see Joy sitting on the bed, red heels kicked off and to the side of the bed, looking like she could fall asleep at any moment. 

“Let me help you.”

“Yerim, you don’t…”

“Let me help you.” The young heiress repeats and gently touches her face. Normally, Joy would never let anyone touch her face. She deals with all the physical touch she supposed to as her job dictates. But when it comes to her face, she won’t allow it. It’s funny how she’s been touched particularly everywhere possible, and yet her face is the one she isn’t comfortable with. Perhaps, it’s the intimate and delicate way that Yerim is touching her that makes her uncomfortable. Because Joy doesn’t feel like she should be touched in such a kindly manner, especially by this woman here. Still, she allows for Yerim to ice her bruise and even cover it with the bandage gauze. Joy can’t remember the last time anyone was this careful with her. 

Yerim is truly the most sincere person she has ever met. And because she never asks for anything but to spend time with her. It makes Joy feel like a human being for at least a few hours out of her day. If she could, she’d only see Yerim and no one else. Joy can remember how she was teased ever so slightly when the secretary who schedules everyone, mentioned how Yerim called for her. She mentioned how it’s interesting that Yerim only calls for her when there’s plenty of other girls she could call for. Joy honestly took it as some strange sort of compliment, that Yerim only wanted to see her. Because Yerim wasn’t out to use her like everyone else. 

“Thank you.” The dark-haired woman says it softly, almost to the point that Yerim didn’t hear. 

“Are you hungry? Have you eaten, let me order you something?”

“I’m honestly kind of tired of hotel food, though it is all delicious.”

That makes sense. Yerim knows she spends so much time here in this hotel room, there’s no way she’s not sick of the food here. Yerim has an idea.

“How are you feeling, are you up for taking a walk? Because I know a great place with great food that’s really homemade and hits all the right spots.”

Joy blinks curiously. She honestly wanted to lay in this bed and forget about her life for a few moments. However, with Yerim looking and sounding so hopeful. She does decide to go with her.

“Alright, let me just put on my sneakers first.”

“Sure, take your time.”

Now, Yerim had other problems on her hand too. Because she had left that party/lunch thing her mother had planned earlier than she should have. Her phone was currently blowing up with so many texts from her mom. All that suggested she would hear an earful when she was back at the company. Or knowing her mother before that.

TyrantMother: Yerim, that was entirely rude of you to walk out on our guests.

TyrantMother: I am disappointed in you, I have no idea why you’re acting so recklessly this day. But you will apologize to everyone, I will see to it.

TyrantMother: What in the world has gotten into you, Kim Yerim?

Yerim had such a worried frown on her face that Joy came up behind her and carefully took her phone away from her.

“Hey?”

“Your mom, sounds like a . Sorry.” 

“No, she’s just...excessive and a control freak.” Yerim explains in the most flattering way possible. As she doesn’t hate her mother. She does believe at her core the woman is always trying to do her best for her. Despite, not knowing how to express herself better. Joy takes her phone and hits the call button.

“Oh, hey...you don’t…”

Because Yerim is shorter than her. All Joy has to do is hold out her hand to stop her from trying to get her phone back, it’s kind of hilariously cute in a way. Joy listens to the woman on the phone sounding like any typical rich woman who has no time for disobedience.

“Yerim, Yerim, is this you?”

“Mrs. Kim?” Joy asks into the phone, putting on a polite voice. “I’m afraid I’ve gotten into Yerim, and now she’s the perfect little badass. So how about you pop a pill and take a shot of wine, whatever. Leave her alone for a few hours.” 

“Excuse me!”

Before she could hear her mother go into a full rant. She watches as Joy hangs up the phone and hands it back over to her. The younger woman has wide open and looks like she is in shock. Before laughing and shaking my head.

“I can’t believe you did that. I mean, my mom will probably kill me now, but that was the coolest thing I ever saw.”

Joy grins and playfully pats her cheeks. “I owed you one. And I was right, your mom does sound like a , and I mean that. Now, are we going out to eat?” She was feeling suddenly better after telling off Yerim’s mom. She even forgot about her ty day with that who left this bruise on her arm. Everything about Yerim made her forget about the bad things. The two of them left their room and Joy could see wherever they we’re going needed a car.

“Are you alright?” Yerim asks, noticing how Joy looks suddenly uncomfortable. The taller woman instead smiles.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

She clearly wasn’t fine. Joy got in the car anyway and told herself to calm down. Yerim wasn’t going to suddenly change and start being aggressive with her. She wouldn’t ever make her uncomfortable or do anything she didn’t like, just because it was what she wanted. 

“It won’t be a long drive. I can put on some music if that’ll help calm you down?”

“Yeah, sure, Yerim.”

The music comes on and it does help Joy relax at least some. She is grateful that Yerim didn’t pry