a promise.
Preface
“If you keep crying then I’ll leave!” At a young age, little Sehun was quite stubborn already. His friend abruptly fell off a bike during their ride together, injuring her knee as a result. The way he comforted her only made Haemi cry even harder. Sehun quickly got down to her level, wrapping his arms securely around the girl out of panic.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m not leaving, I promise I’ll be here.”
.
.
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Akira Hayashi is deemed one of Japan’s greatest entertainment journalists, the title only she can hold. Thriving on the secrets of some of the biggest names out there, Akira does whatever it takes to accomplish her goal. When she first heard about the mysterious life of a very well-known novelist, she immediately wanted to take on this challenge. No secrets can be hidden forever, at least not on her watch. Up until now, Sehun may be one of her most difficult targets, considering the lack of information about his past. Luckily, she had her paid insiders— ranging from lawyers, cops, and even celebrities who wants to bring down their competitor.
“What was your opinion on your father’s arrest, knowing that your wife was the one who turned him in!” she managed to relay her last question when the crew started to shut down the interview. If it weren’t for all these people holding him back, her safety may not have been guaranteed. Akira watched in satisfaction when his manager dragged Sehun out of the room.
“Buy that clip," he snarled. Vexation in his voice was clearly articulated as he removed the top two buttons of his dress shirt in the process. Sehun turned to his manager, taking him harshly by the collar. The man's eyes widened in surprise at how fast this became physical.
“I don’t care how much money you use, do not let them publish that interview. Call my lawyer if you need to take legal action,” he sent Bohyun a lethal stare before pushing him off.
Unfortunately for Akira, who have certainly found her match this time, the interview was completely wiped out by the author’s legal team. With little to no factual evidence found on the accusations—courtesy of the high price Sehun paid to conceal his history; the case had to be dropped when his lawyer used this as leverage to file a rightful lawsuit. By the following week, the interview crew had no other choice but to get rid of the clip. Bohyun never asked about the details either, acknowledging his employer’s outrage as a sign for him to stop instigating.
“Did you want me to drop this off for your editor?” Bohyun picked up a folder, containing the pages needed for copyediting. The writer simply nodded his head to answer. Since the incident, Sehun had been laying low, not that it made any difference from his usual routine. Realistically speaking, he just wanted to avoid the cruel world in general.
A surprise guest dropped by Haemi’s office just before she took off for the day. She recalled seeing Bohyun once during their initial meeting, making this their second time. The girl greeted him with a smile, pulling herself up from her seat to retrieve her assignment.
“HUN wanted me to drop these off for you, I’ll bring the next batch over in a few weeks.”
Something about his pledge of coming back disappointed her, she didn’t know why exactly. She hated when Sehun made her pick up the drafts, but why the disappointment now she wondered. Must be reverse psychology, she tried explaining her peculiar reaction in the most reasonable way. As if the world doesn’t want her to clock out of work, Haemi’s boss called her in for an update.
“You’ve probably heard from your friend already…” he started, “With Mina back, you can return to your original projects now!”
The man said it like it was a blessing, although it should be in her case…right? In fact, she did hear from Mina— whose workaholic side emerged during her maternity leave. So much that she decided to come back one week earlier than her original end date. But hearing her boss confirm the news finally made it feel real.
“I understand,” she faked a smile. The day unknowingly ended on a rather bitter note.
Haemi bumped into the company’s favorite intern at the entrance, who was also leaving for the day. With a huge grin on his face, Kai did not hold back the urge to greet her this time. Since last week, they bonded a bit more over the car ride and Haemi’s unexpected panic attack earned him all her gratitude.
“What’s that?” he pointed to the folder in her hand, slowing his pace down to match hers.
“These are HUN’s drafts,” Haemi held up the hefty folder, her last one that is. She kept trailing her thoughts right back to him in every way possible, and it was starting to become ridiculous. Snap out of it, she told herself.
“Ah, I heard. Need help with the ‘thank you’ gift?” Kai added. Unsure of what he meant, Haemi paused for a second before asking him to explain. Apparently, her boss advised him to end every project on a good note with his authors. It definitely made sense that the advice came from the man in charge, he was exceptionally skilled at representing the company.
“What about a fountain pen!” he suggested. She didn’t have the heart to tell Kai that he was being brainwas
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