The rain that will let their hearts be in a safe again.

∞

​​​​​​

7:46 am 

The chirping morning had fallen; the gone rain had left the smell of soil through their home from the open balcony door as the shade of blue sky was in a sight along with the white clouds, and a ray of daylight coming through that seeped through the glass wall of their room in a blurry vision since the drops of gone rain were still etched like a shining dew. 

The ray of warm daylight shone the pair in a deep slumber of their embraces; safe, and a comfort. 

A disturb frown on the woman's face after awakening to the world; a feel of being hold, and a feel of warmth around her, until the familiar smell hitting her mind with a jolt, and Iseul's eyes opened with a flinch, along with her heartbeat quickening at the astonishing position of her in the embrace of her husband, as she was laid on her side like he was facing her; her arms in a fold against his chest as her left-hand was clutching the material of his shirt by the open-buttons while his arms around her in a tight fold of their tangled legs. 

He was close; her system warmed in a rapid hammer against her chest. 

Her surprised eyes twitched in a sudden deep stare at his sleeping face behind her thumping heart at his fanning warmth, yet he appeared hard to look away, and the sight was familiar but her mind began to play the reminder of her being away from him last night so how come they ended up like this? 

How come she didn't get the nightmare after being in the familiar incident? 

How come she always sleeps fine whenever he's near when she hardly could? 

How come him holding her close felt comfy? 

He shifted, and Iseul snapped out, flushing at her own actions, as she lifted herself up cautiously to glance at him nuzzling into his pillow as his silver tresses shone through the daylight, before untangling her legs from his with a warmth of her system, but a frown of annoyance. 

“How the hell is he so close to me?” 

She glared at his handsome shining face before holding his hand to take it off until he shifted again, and his other hand behind her back had pulled her towards him as a surprise gasp left her lips, her seated figure hovering over him as he had shifted on his back, while her hands either side of his head, “This scum,” Her eyes narrowed, but her breath hitched as his fingers tucked through the strings of her knots with a soft brush to her skin and her hands fisted behind her heated up system. 

“Byun Baekhyun.”

Iseul deadpanned, her chest warming up as she gulped, wanting to punch his handsome face at the moment, before her arm bent backwards to remove his hand with a slight wince unaware of Baekhyun feeling the strands of hair on his face in a disturbance to open his eyes in a flutter with his deep frown only to widen them at the sight of his wife almost leaning over him while struggling over something. 

“Get your up already!” 

Iseul opted to hit his chest only to find her hand being held, and her eyes glanced down at him to find him wide awake, looking back at her already, and her heart thumped, where she felt his hand behind her back sliding down softly to rest on her lower back where Baekhyun held her gaze deeply yet in an enchantment of the daylight enhancing her features in a beholding sight. 

“Get your hands off.”

“How about you stop attacking me first?” 

His voice deep; a chill to her system, and she squinted her eyes, pulling her hand away from his hold to sit back straight, “How did you end up here?” She questioned, watching him, rubbing his eyes with a clear ignorance that she hated, and Baekhyun felt a hard slap on his shoulder to narrow his eyes at her. “What's wrong with you again?” 

“Answer me.”

Iseul demanded; her arms crossed, and Baekhyun sat up straight with a mess of his hair, trying to be awake but his wife was good at it, “You crossed the lane,” He chuckled at her words, and she definitely didn't like it as he was grabbed by his neckline to meet her glaring eyes yet unable to hate it; damn it, as he heard her sharp tone. “Don't laugh.”

Iseul watched him looking down at her hands grabbing his neckline to meet his eyes in a jolt; intense. “Let go.”

“Make me.”

Iseul stated; unflinching, and the next second, he had leaned forward, his arm around her waist, as she leaned back in reflex with her eyes rounding at his actions as in the flow, her left leg ended up on his thigh while her other hand on the mattress as one hand still holding onto his neckline; his face closer in a proximity that her heart thumped, almost brushing his nose against hers as his intense gaze bored into hers intimidatingly. 

“This is how you crossed your barrier last night to me, sweetheart.”

Baekhyun whispered; his eyes flickering to her parted rosy lips to her drowning almond shaped eyes in surprise, and he gulped, feeling warm, where Iseul let out a shaky breath as her eyes narrowed. “Impossible.”

A smirk curled his lips at her actions. “Is it?” 

Iseul glanced at his actions to meet his eyes again; playful, and teasing, surprising her more, while his sturdy chest almost colliding hers didn't help either for her developing warmth, and she was quick to push him away for his arm to be off from her waist, but was placed on her bare knee on his thigh, and a meet of their eyes in a jolt of the intense warmth as Iseul tried to pull her leg off only for him to hold it still; a thud into her system. 

“What are you doing?” 

Instead of answering; Baekhyun felt her temperature to place the back of his hand on her forehead as Iseul leaned back to hear him with a nod. “Your fever is gone.”

A wave of pleasant warmth into her heart. 

“I'm still not believing your made-up words.”

Iseul pulled her leg away with a glare towards him; Baekhyun had his lips in an upside-down curve, “What's there to make-up?” He brushed his fingers through his hair, “Your husband is charming and y,” He trailed off, meeting his wife's glaring eyes with a smirk. “Not doing anything would be an impossible thing, sweetheart.”

Iseul threw the cushion on his face. “Get lost!” 

She was already pacing to the bathroom; her slipper coming off as she stumbled, and heard his chuckle for her to glare at him, and Baekhyun shut his mouth with a threatening smile, until she had closed the door with a loud thud, and he closed his eyes with a flinch yet a smile curled his lips. 

The glimpses from last night flashed in his mind; his own actions couldn't be justified against it, and he sighed deeply. 

“Damn it.”

_________________

11:01 am 

The familiar building stood tall amongst the others; shone under the daylight, and the elevator door opened on the fourteenth floor where the sound of loud heels echoed against the marble floor in an authority that the walking down the floor woman carried within her; clad in a maroon silk top accentuated with black pants, and the blazer enhancing her demeanor as one hand had her purse while another one holding the phone against her ear with her curls in a sight behind her back. 

“Let's have a meeting tomorrow, Mr. Yoon.”

Iseul hung up; dropping her hand down as her authoritative eyes continued to roam around the insides of the hallway as she gave a nod of reciprocation to the greetings of the employees who stared at the authority in awe. 

“Yoon Seok-ju is visiting tomorrow; keep my appointment ready for it, Mr. Jung.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“What about the nameplates?” 

“Everything will be done by tomorrow.”

Iseul nodded; an acknowledging expression, as she checked the time through her wristwatch with a frown, “Mr. Jung, inform my husband that he doesn't have to rush here; I'm taking care of things fine,” She continued her pace towards the main office, where Hae-Jin trailing behind her had called Baekhyun to get it done. 

“Are they here to flaunt their marriage here or something?”

“Don't talk like that, Ms. Nara.”

A faint conversation hit Iseul's ears from the organization department that she was passing by but her heeled feet halted just by the entrance of it as she found the department employees gathered together around a lady; clad in an elegant outfit yet her demeanor appeared much opposite of it as Iseul had her eyes cold, and observant towards the sight with her hands behind her back as she listened to her words of a nonsense. 

“Who are you to stop me? Am I saying something wrong? They are suddenly owners of this place and showing married behavior by going into the storage room; did you see the husband in a disheveled sight, I'm sure he was here just for that and the woman who thinks so highly of herself and how y her attitude was even during one of meetings with Mr. Choi?”

“Let me also hear it.”

Iseul's one sentence had the employees turn to her; a silence had followed after, a silence of an eerie and ominous, as she stood still, with her tilted head, and cold glinting eyes in a authoritative demeanor staring down at the employees until it pierced towards the standing woman named Nara, enjoying the attention from the nonsense she had been spouting, and Iseul found her looking away in a fear for her lips to curve into a smug smirk. 

She could guess it; the incident yesterday had them believe that she was easy to be trampled on but she wasn't, and she would never let anyone trample her or her people. 

“Come on,” She trailed off, pacing further inside with her hands behind her back as everyone stood still, until she was standing in front of Nara with a tilted head; sharp eyes boring into her soul. “Enlighten me, my y attitude, Ms,” She paused, taking a look at her ID card, “Nara.”

Iseul's mind clicked at the name; the name Hae-Jin mentioned in the car during their brief session about the interviews yesterday and he hadn't approved of a few ones that included this one woman; the one hired on the higher position of a team leader with her father's connection by Choi Myung-Soo for his benefits. 

Iseul didn't need it; neither the benefit, nor this woman who could hardly maintain a professionalism. 

“Actually, nevermind; you're not wrong there.”

She stated, as she settled down on the chair of the leader's desk with her purse on it, her posture leaned back as her leg rested over another with her interlocked hands on her lap, declaring her authority as the employees around her stayed silent, and feared, while her sass filled eyes stared at the woman standing before her in a pool of tremble yet an anger for being embarrassed by her own actions. 

“You're also not wrong about my ownership over this place, and I know your place as well,” She paused, her eyes sharpened. “It's outside of my building.”

“You can't do this, Ms. Jeon.”

“Mrs. Jeon,” Iseul corrected her; her eyes unflinching of her sharpness. “And the man you had been disrespecting is my husband, only mine,” Her eyes glared down at her. “He's Mr. Byun for the ones who work under him, got it?” She paused, her eyes looked at everyone, unable to meet her ominous gaze, before looking at the familiar woman standing in a white formal outfit as she read her profile earlier. “Ms. Kim Yoorim.”

She immediately met Iseul's eyes. “Yes?” 

“You're the team leader from now on.”

“You-” 

“Do not interrupt when I'm talking,” Iseul glared at Nara, and she zipped with an anger almost bursting out, as Iseul scoffed, internally at her attitude and her forehead creased as she leaned her elbow on the armchair to lean her fist against her chin. “Why are you still standing here?” 

“You can't fire me without any reason.”

“Actually I can,” Iseul's held a sass. “Look at me, I'm Jeon Iseul; this is my building, I can do whatever I want and I don't allow someone who isn't worthy of working under me, so get out, before I make you, Ms. Nara,” She paused, tilting her head with a smirk. “And I know enough of your doings around here; you weren't really going to be re-hired so better leave quietly or I'd gladly make a show for you; I'm good at it.”

Her face paled; Iseul had guessed it because she was familiar with people like her and her eyes didn't hold a surprise at it. 

The next moment, the woman had left the room in a hurry and in an embarrassment. 

“Let me brief everyone for the first, and last time,” Iseul stared at everyone with a cold gaze, “If I hear anyone disrespecting me or my husband,” She paused, her eyes enraged by the fire of a warning. “I will do worse than this.”

“Ms. Kim.”

Iseul stood up, as she looked at the woman as everyone was standing silent. “Bring me the previous designers info and their work throughout the years.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Iseul had walked out of the room with her loud clicking sound; the atmosphere of a tension released right after as Hae-Jin followed after her without any surprise of her actions until he heard her words. “Mr. Jung, let my husband know that we'll stick to our discussion about the employees.”

The married pair had discussed not re-hiring the suspicious ones or the ones who weren't needed in the company. 

Unaware of her husband listening to the whole conversation from the moment he was called, as Hae-Jin had his phone leaned away from his ear since he was ordered by the other owner to be heard as Hae-Jin kept the phone against his ear back. “Sir?” 

“Thank you, Mr. Jung; you can continue your work, and don't strain my wife too much.”

“I will try, Mr. Byun.”

Baekhyun had hung up as he leaned back against his chair of his cabin; the daylight coming through the glass wall, enhancing his outfit of a dark maroon suit, as his eyes stared at his phone while the scene happening earlier crossed his head that he listened through his phone; the moment Hae-Jin had called, he had faintly heard the awful words towards him, and Iseul until he listened to how she had taken the hold of the situation, and shutting it down. 

A smirk curled his lips, somehow proud of her actions, “My wife is feisty,” He trailed off, as the smirk turned into a beautiful curve of his lips. “So damn y.”

He still couldn't get her words out of his mind; how she authoritatively called him hers and how she forbade any disrespect towards him. 

He didn't mind it; he liked it. 

The last night's moments flashed in his mind; the closeness of hers, and his emotions to be in a familiar realization, as his head threw back against the headrest while playing with the pen between his fingers drowning in his thoughts, and unable to get out of the denial for the acceptance. 

Yet he was worried about her health at the moment and flashed him that he was done for good. 

At the moment, his door was knocked, and his head lifted up towards it, “Come in,” He paused, and the moment Kang-min walked in, Baekhyun let his head be back on the headrest comfortably while watching his friend's visage forwarding in front of his desk for him to raise his eyebrows. “You're done?” 

“You know it?” 

Kang-min frowned, sensing a low energy from his boss, but nevertheless, he nodded. “I have talked to Park Hayley,” He trailed off, taking a chair comfortably. “She'll arrive the day after tomorrow; I have informed her about the change of the merge brand, and she's alright with it.”

Baekhyun hummed; uninterested, and Kang-min leaned back with an attentive frown towards him. “Is the lady boss giving you a hard time?”

Baekhyun met his eyes immediately. “No.”

“So she is.” Kang-min chuckled, and Baekhyun threw the pen towards him. “Shut up, Lee.” He rolled his eyes at his smiling dimple face, “Your face sure is shining, has Madre agreed to be with you?” 

Kang-min's choking between chuckles had Baekhyun to have his lips in an upside-down curve with amusement in his eyes. “No wonder you're shining; guess, you running to her for not picking up your phone must have impressed her, lover boy.”

The pen was thrown back at him from the dimple man in a blush. “Not yet.”

“But you're tension free.”

“You're talking as if your head is full of tension.”

Baekhyun hummed. “Iseul.”

The next second, he regretted it as Kang-min's teasing grin was unstoppable as the boss rolled his eyes. “Anything else?” 

“Ji-eun was being followed last night.”

Baekhyun was quick to sit up straight; a deep frown of concern, and seriousness, and Kang-min had his own serious expression as he leaned his folded arms on the desk. “On her way to her family dinner, a car was following her till she had reached,” He trailed off, a confusion rushing in, “Strangely, on her way back home, she wasn't; Hwang Oh-Seong dropped her off by himself.”

“She didn't tell us last night.”

“She wanted to but since it's just an assumption, she couldn't until she was sure of it.”

Baekhyun nodded, his mind clicking towards the information, “This was the warning for us,” He trailed off, his fingers to his lips and another one drumming his fingers on the desk with a focused expression. “But why Ji-eun?” 

“Hwang Oh-Seong is involved; what if he was also being warned?” 

Baekhyun met Kang-min's eyes with a flash of his mind, “That might be the reason he himself dropped his daughter,” He trailed off, tilting his head with confusion. “But if he's involved, why would he be threatened? I still think he's the reason behind the disappearance of the file, and the burning farmhouse of Choi.”

“Wasn't he close to Choi? How come he wasn't aware?” 

“Maybe he wasn't close to him.”

“Should I look into it more?” 

Baekhyun stared at him for a moment; Iseul's words from last night flashing in his head about the faithfulness, and a guilt evoking in his system as he shook his head, “Let's stop that for now,” He trailed off, meeting Kang-min's confused eyes for him to his lips with a sigh. “Let me discuss it with my wife; I don't think we should do this without her and other's awareness.”

Kang-min stared at him for a moment; an astonishment of his changed thought, as he barely cared for the team work, because he'd ignore the morals to get his work done but he could see the change, and it was the lady boss bringing the good changes in his friend; he felt glad about it. 

Baekhyun's one eyebrow raised, “You're making it obvious that I'm handsome.” He paused, as Kang-min rolled his eyes but threw him a question that left him in a warmth. “Are you finally realizing your love for your wife, boss?” 

“The door is that way; get out, Lee.”

Baekhyun waved his hand towards him; Kang-min had a smirk at his boss's flustered expression. “I'm spot on, ain't I?” 

“Get out before people spot your lifeless body.”

Kang-min let out a laugh and Baekhyun had his lips pressed to hide his threatening smile; damn, he was really done for and he was feeling fear yet pleasant about it. 

All because of a certain woman and his sweetheart wife; Jeon Iseul. 

_______________

7:39 pm

The sun had set, yet the dark blue sky had given a faint sight of the clouds like an enchanting painting to be sighted, as the bright Seoul was enhanced through the city-lights and a familiar apartment had the familiar people gathered in to be in a discussion. 

Another sight of familiarity unknowingly turning into a bond but yet to be known. 

“You were being followed?!”

The loud voice of Iseul's erupted in the midst of their discussion; the trio of the men flinched, and the woman beside her, who was being chased last night was seated with a sheepish expression as Ji-eun turned to her angry bird best-friend, with a pout. “I didn't know it was related to this; I thought I was beautiful enough to be chased.”

Kang-min grinned at Ji-eun's words, finding her adorable; Se-Ju scoffed at her sister's delusion, where Baekhyun snickered, and met his wife's sharp eyes, settled beside him on the couch, as his stretched arm on the headrest behind her head brushed the strands on his forearm by the rolled up sleeves of his black shirt, his tie loosened, as he shut his mouth right after she turned to him; her thigh brushing against his as his head tilted, staring at her because he was unable to look away. 

“What's so funny?” Ji-eun spat; an offended look on her face. “Am I not beautiful?” 

“You are.”

Everyone turned to Kang-min who shrugged; a hidden blush, and a shown blush on Ji-eun's face as Se-Ju and Baekhyun shot him a look, where Iseul stared at them with a silence, as something felt different between them, and she sensed it was a good one, before glaring at Kang-min, “You knew,” She paused, sharpening her eyes at her husband; seated awfully close to her as his posture of his arm behind her; his leg in a warm contact with hers had bubbled her in an tingling warmth that she had been ignoring like right now. “And you knew as well,” Pausing, she turned to Se-Ju with a sarcastic look. “You must be invited too.”

Se-Ju frowned. “No; she didn't tell me either.”

Baekhyun didn't ignore her way of snapping; similar to him, as his eyes continued to stare at her with an intent glint, and a hidden glow of his realized emotions towards his wife yet to accept but the others could, as Ji-eun stared at the scene with an amusement to take Iseul's attention. 

“I wanted to tell you but I wanted to be sure about it; plus, everything was already exhausting to be added, smarty.”

“I don't care.” Iseul gave her a sharp gaze yet Ji-eun could find fear and worry into them for her. “I told you before; whatever happens, you will let me know, Ji-eun, and this is really serious,” Iseul tilted her head, holding Ji-eun's hand. “We're surrounded by danger; nothing could be neglected, not even your assumptions, Eun.”

“I understand.”

Iseul was concerned for Ji-eun; the only person by her side had been her after losing her father and she couldn't lose her. 

However; there was someone else too. 

The man who had his eyes in a deep stare on her; the one getting a familiarity of her actions in a commendable manner, of her unchanged trait, and nature of protecting her people until his own reflection was within it; she had saved him without caring about herself and after a long time he had felt safe again in her hold. 

The same urge to have her safe at every cost. 

The realizations w