The woman manning the tent arrived to slide a plate of steaming chicken feet onto the table and I my lips at the sight of it. TaeHyung laughed as he watched me practically inhale one immediately, chewing with my mouth open since it was so damned hot. Elegant, I was not.

“Jesus Seol, no ones going to take them off you.”

“Shut up. I need the grease.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Yup.” I agree cheerfully as I grabbed another.

I was refilling our soju glasses and listening to TaeHyung relay a frustrating business deal he was trying to lock down when I glanced to the side and immediately froze, heart slamming against my ribs.

“Seol!” TaeHyung snapped, grabbing my wrist.

I turned and watched him jerk my hand up to stop me continuing to overfill the glass. Liquid pooled on the table, dropping down over the edge onto his lap. He was half out of his seat to try and avoid his pants getting even more wet and I quickly straightened up with a grimace.

“! Sorry!” I panicked, grabbing napkins from the dispenser and attempting to mop up the mess.

People were staring at us with amusement, the well dressed businessman patting down his wet pants and the disgruntled, clearly frazzled girl cleaning the table. I knew we were a sight to behold — especially TaeHyung. The owner of the stall was watching him pat down his pants wistfully and I hadn’t missed the way she’d given us extra chicken feet earlier, either.

But my focus was back outside, where I once again spotted the couple now out of the car I’d watched them pull up in and walking along the side walk. It’s CEO Byun and a woman. She’s talking while he’s listening, his familiar frown in place. I also noticed she’s absolutely stunning — perhaps in her late forties, though she looks amazing, her body in shape under the form fitting black dress she’s wearing, paired with a pair of silver heels and designer clutch bag. She has her arm hooked to his and with her hair up, pinned into an elegant sweep, she looks… Classy. Rich. Sophisticated.

He’s wearing a smart suit, not unlike the ones he wears in the office only this time his suit jacket is fastened, a handkerchief tucked into his pocket, his usually fluffy hair swept off his forehead into a very smart style, pushed over to the right and held in place with gel. Sophisticated. Chaebol-Ghost. I swallowed thickly, because I know he must be on his way to the dinner reservation I’d booked for him, since it’s a little after 8.

“Who are you looking at?” TaeHyung asked, scanning the people out walking.

“My boss.” I admitted.

“You mean the ultra cool COO everyone is in love with?” I shook my head. “Wait… You mean the grumpy CEO you told me about?” He scanned more eagerly. “Where? Who’s he with?”

I pointed to where CEO Byun and his date were making their way towards the direction of the Japanese restaurant, their backs now to us. Despite only seeing the back of the mystery date, TaeHyung let out a low whistle.

“Damn. She looks good.”

“She’s older.”

“Makes sense. Young Chaebols normally marry older women.”

I gave him a sour look at his assessment and turned back to focus on cleaning up the rest of the mess. TaeHyung patted down his damp pants and sighed as he sat back down.

“We have to stay here until they dry. There’s no way I’m waking around with a damp patch there.”

“TaeHyung pee-peed his pants.” I teased in a sing-song voice.

He hurled a balled up wet napkin at me. “Shut up.”

I laughed as I tossed one back, refusing to focus on what I’d just witnessed. It didn’t matter that I’d seen my boss on a date. With an older, classy woman. A woman who was no doubt just as rich and successful as he was. A beautiful woman who had, despite the age difference, looked good next to him.

No big deal at all.

That next morning as I stepped into CEO Byun’s office with his strawberry smoothie I stopped short when I spotted his face.

“Are you ill?” I frowned.

“No.”

“Then why are you wearing a facemask?”

It obscured all of his face bar his eyes, which peeked over the top of it warily. I’m stunned because I’d never seen him wear a face mask to the office before. Then again I’d never heard of him being sick, either.

“I just am.”

I knew I should drop it from the tone of his voice, but I was genuinely worried.

“I can go out and get you some medicine, if you want? It’s no trouble.”

“No.”

“Have you taken some already?”

“I don’t need medicine.”

I eyed him critically. “Ok… But if you start to feel worse…”

“I’m fine.” He snapped, running a hand through his fluffy hair, washed free of the gel her applied last night, I noted. “I’m fine.” He repeated more calmly.

I wasn’t convinced though, but it was clear he didn’t want to discuss it. Leaving his office, I sat at my computer with a huff, staring at my desktop background, unable to focus. I’m annoyed and… Worried. Shaking my head, I stood from my desk and grabbed my tote bag. I knew as I left that I wouldn’t be able to sit there and focus on my work, not when there was something I could do to help him. He was clearly too stubborn to ask but unfortunately for him – I was just as stubborn. Heading into the local pharmacy, I bought a few different cold medicines along with pain relief, unsure what exactly would help when I wasn’t even sure what was wrong with him.

With the carrier bag in hand, I wondered if I’d maybe gone overboard as I felt it’s weight, but without him admitting what was wrong I hadn’t wanted to run the risk of choosing the wrong medicine. So in the end, I’d got a little of everything.

“Everything ok, Seol?” Chul asked as I entered the lobby.

“Yeah. This is for a colleague.” I explained as I held up the bag.

“Someone sick?”

“I think so.”

“Summer flu is killer.” He noted solemnly.

“Sure is!” I agreed as I scanned my badge.

Ignoring the curious looks from the others as they too spotted the carrier bag, I knocked once on the Ghost’s door before letting myself in. He wasn’t behind his desk.

Closing the door softly behind me I frowned as I scanned the office, as though I somehow expected to find him lurking behind a sofa or something, when I noticed the closed bathroom door. His shirt was hung up in the corner on the coat rack and his jacket was draped across the back of his chair. Drifting closer to the bathroom door I could hear the shower running and repressed a smile as I remembered the last time I’d been in here and caught him after a shower. Although seeing a shirtless Ghost again was tempting, I instead quickly made my way to his desk and placed the carrier bag on it, intending to make a speedy retreat.

That, of course, didn’t happen.

As I was backing away from his desk the door to the bathroom opened and I in a sharp breath, freezing in place as I watched him step out. He was toweling his hair, eyes downcast as he rubbed the back of his head idly. He was shirtless again, but despite how that sight should’ve made my heart thump it wasn’t that I focused on.

“What the Hell?” I exclaimed in horror.

The Ghost’s head snapped up and his eyes widened as he spotted me. Instead of moving his towel to cover his exposed torso, however, he used it to obscure the lower half of his face from me. But I’d already seen. Storming over I grabbed at the towel and managed to tug it away enough to get another look, my breath inhaling sharply. It hadn’t been a trick of the light. I looked into his panicked eyes and released my breath slowly.

His bottom lip was swollen, a cut running to the left side which was red and angry, dried blood scabbed along the split. His jaw to his left was also bruised and slightly puffy, the flawless pale skin mottled with red and purple. It didn’t take a genius to figure out someone had hit him and I was absolutely floored with that realisation.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” He muttered, moving around me towards his coat rack and grabbing his shirt.

“What’s happened to your face is not nothing.” I pointed out, my voice weirdly high pitched. “Did you get jumped?”

“No.”

With his back to me he pulled his shirt on and buttoned it quickly before grabbing his facemask from his desk. When he moved to pull on his jacket it was firmly in place, but now I knew what was under it I felt my hands tremble as he spotted the carrier bag. He stared at it a moment and slowly nudged the top open to look inside. I swallowed against the strange fluttering in my stomach at the way his eyes narrowed slightly.

“I thought you were ill.” I explained slowly. “If I knew you were hurt, I’d have gotten you something else.” He remained silent as he studied the contents of the bag and it was making me uneasy. “What happened?” I asked again, my voice softer.

“I’ll pay for these.” He said bluntly, reaching into his jacket pocket for his wallet.

“What?”

“How much did it cost?” He asked, his voice weirdly controlled as he pulled out some notes. 

“I don’t want your money. I did this because I was worried.”

Looking up from his wallet, the Ghost’s eyes were cold. “I told you it’s nothing.”

“But—”

“It’s none of your business!” He snapped. “Stop doing unnecessary things like this—” He picked up the carrier bag with one finger before letting it drop to the desk. A box of fever relief rolled out and bumped against the empty smoothie cup. He sneered down at it. “—and bringing me drinks when I haven’t asked nor want you to. You’re hired to be my assistant not do things like this. It’s annoying.”

I stared at him a moment, stunned by his sudden outburst. He hadn’t raised his voice, but his tone… It was the one that had contributed to his bad reputation here. Cold and controlled. He’d used it once on a Manager who had screwed up a campaign royally, one of the very rare times any of us had ever heard him speak. Hearing it now directed at me…

Confusion, anger and, if I was completely honest, a little hurt soured my stomach as I watched him. He stared right back at me, gaze unflinching. Emotionless. I felt like an idiot. My eyes went down to the carrier bag and a wave of embarrassment hit. Backing up a few steps I cringed as the heel of my boot caught on the carpet and I stumbled a little. He didn’t react. Didn’t even move.

Catching myself on the back of the sofa I jerked upright. My mouth opened and closed mutely, unable to form words – though I had no idea what I’d even say if I could speak – so I turned and rushed out of his office instead. Below the others were working, oblivious to my inner turmoil as I leaned against his office door, feeling strangely out of breath. I wondered what shade of red my face was in that moment. The designers would call it ‘mortified red’ in my honour if they saw it, I thought numbly.

With shaking fingers, I grabbed my tote bag and jacket and left for the second time that morning, cheeks burning. This time I wasn’t intending to come back – at least not today, anyway. There was no way I could face the Angry-Ghost or even the others in the state I was in now. I’d been scolded in the workplace before, of course. Been screamed at even. But this… It felt personal, for some reason. I didn’t just feel embarrassed at being scolded, but at the words he’d used. Unnecessary… Annoying. They smarted and hurt me more than I knew they should. I’d thought I was doing something nice, something helpful…

And all along my actions were unnecessary and annoying.

Chun eyed me as I rushed through t