case 03

chapter 24: first, rain; second, downpour

“This isn’t it!” Wendy jumped up, her voice ringing with gusto. “I need more romance!”

A collective groan swept through the dingy meeting room. Seulgi buried her face deeper into her book – she figured it was not a good time to be out and about in the real world. Next to her, Jaehyun drummed his fingers over his guitar, pulling the strings with an intentionally overdramatic twang. He lived to irritate her, Seulgi knew.

But it didn’t deter Wendy, who started prancing about the room with her hands exaggeratedly in the air, like she was a musical actor on a Broadway stage. “Our ratings haven’t been going up. We’re supposed to be a romance-themed broadcast, but these days, we’re closer to a ing funeral! This can’t go on!”

Across Wendy, an annoyed Jungwoo rose to his feet. “That’s because you always choose these sad and sappy concepts!”

Wendy frowned indignantly. “But they sell!”

“Now, they’re not selling! You’re just doing whatever you like!” Jungwoo fought back. Johnny, Yuta and Jaehyun snickered – it was like they were at the toddler version of the MMA.

“Maybe we can change up our marketing strategy a little,” Yuta suggested.

As the only person in a non-traditional major, Yuta’s keen business acumen was always a step ahead of the curve. Seulgi breathed a little, because all the racket was preventing her from finishing her novel and Yuta’s intervention meant that at least one of them would shut the up.

“Great idea!” Johnny clapped his hands. “Let’s get ourselves some sponsors! We can totally get Chamisul or something – oh, I know a guy who got Smirnoff to sponsor his club!”

Yuta and Johnny exchanged high-fives. “Yeah, I could redesign our banners, too.”

 “Can’t we do something a little more wholesome?” Jungwoo seemed hesitant. “Maybe we could do like a charity drive or something, engage one of those non-profits that work with little kids–“

“You’re all missing the point!” Wendy bellowed.

Wendy launched into a long rant about how their content was too predictable, too unenthusiastic, because none of them actually believed in the theme. Of course, Jungwoo was back to fervently opposing her, and both Johnny and Yuta were happily inserting incendiary little comments, adding fuel to the flame. Seulgi narrowed her eyes at Yuta, who was probably the only person who could keep situations like that under control, but who also often oscillated between mediator and instigator just for the s and giggles.

At his corner, Jaehyun strummed on his guitar, amusedly eyeing the increasingly irritated Seulgi. “You know you’re going to have to redo the script based on whatever they decide, right?” Jaehyun reminded.

“Don’t remind me,” Seulgi sighed. “It’s like they think I have nothing better to write.”

“I’ve got it! The theme is ‘first love’!”

Jaehyun laughed at Seulgi’s scrunched-up expression. He knew she’d already disliked penning their overly cheesy scripts. He’d always thought Seulgi would have a side hustle writing legal thrillers –she had already spent the past hour leafing through a John Grisham novel– and not some fluffy, high-school-musical-esque romance fiction.

“Why do people like this ?” Seulgi muttered.

Jaehyun nudged her teasingly. “You’re just saying that because you’ve never fallen in love.”

“Even when I do,” Seulgi said, turning a page airily, “I’m not going to make a big deal out of it. Most first loves fail, anyway. I’ll forget about it before I’m thirty.”

Jaehyun chuckled. Taeil was right – for someone so strong-willed, Seulgi could be such a naïve little girl. “That’s what you say now.”

Seulgi tried not to stare at the man next to her, who was rifling through the different currencies in his wallet and struggling to produce the right one. She thanked her lucky stars that he wasn’t looking at her, or her heart would’ve popped right out of . It was already thundering in her ears, threatening to expose all of her.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you’re holding up the line,” the cashier said. She actually did sound apologetic, probably because Yixing was unknowingly flashing his mega-watt smile and well-defined dimples at her. How someone could be that attractive while veering on forty, Seulgi would never know.

Seulgi subconsciously reached towards her wallet, intending to just pull out her credit card, but promptly stopped herself.

“In our culture, the man always pays,” Yixing had told her, eight years back. She had been about to challenge him about modern culture evolving away from archaic traditions, but he had given her a little wink. “So if you love me, you have to let me pay, Kang Seulgi.”

Seulgi smiled at the thought. Twenty-five-year-old Seulgi was a mess of weak knees and red cheeks, but thirty-three-year-old Seulgi tried to hide her heart where it stung. It was strange to think that it all really was that long ago.

 After battling his wallet to little success, Yixing finally produced his credit cards, sighing probably at the thought of his foreign transaction fees, Seulgi knew. “You’re still using one wallet, Xing-ge,” she remarked.

“I should really change it,” he said. He met her eyes and chuckled. “I know – I’ve been saying that for years.”

The smile in his eyes found its way to her face, unfaltering even as they moved their conversation to one of the café tables. After so many years and so many unsaid words, Zhang Yixing was somehow still a comforting presence who could render her heart both calm and anxious at the same time.

“So,” Yixing started, “how have you been, Seul? You look good.”

Twenty-five-year-old Seulgi definitely would have blushed there. “Hardly,” she chuckled. “I’m alright. Just lots of work, as usual.”

 “Why? Changmin that slavedriver still offloading all his top cases to you?”

“Yeah, I’m still his low-level lackey, unfortunately,” Seulgi joked. Yixing laughed mirthfully. For a while, Seulgi remembered how much she missed that laugh. She still did, sometimes. “How about you? What brings you back to Seoul?”

“Why? Can I not be here?” Seulgi smiled – Yixing hadn’t changed at all. “I’m here on business,” Yixing clarified, his lips still curved at the edges. “Changmin needed my help with– Ah well, since you probably worked on it, I can just tell you – I’m helping him and Victoria finalize their divorce.”

“Shared assets in China?” Seulgi guessed.

“Yup,” he nodded. “Tricky to navigate, but at least they’ve both been pretty cooperative. I’m guessing that’s partially your doing, right?”

Yixing gave her a knowing look. Seulgi just smiled. In his eyes, she probably hadn’t changed, either. They were just as they had been eight years back.

“So you flew all the way here just to help them out?”

“Yes and no. I also have another old friend who’s marrying a Korean girl, so I’m going to help them out with the legalities. I might also take up another case or two, while I’m here.”

“Oh,” she said. She then raised her brows. “Would your firm allow that, though?”

“I quit a while ago, actually,” he smiled. “I’m actually unemployed.”

Seulgi chuckled. “You’re a freelancer, not unemployed, Xing-ge. You have enough contacts to keep you very, very employed.”

“Can’t hide a thing from you, Seul,” he laughed.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, their eyes still unwaveringly transfixed on each other. The way he looked at her took her back in time and made her want to stay where she had been eight years ago.

How different things would be, Seulgi thought. Something about the melancholic look in his eyes seemed to say: Yeah, how different.

The phone she had thoughtlessly left on the table began to buzz. Alight on the screen was the only name that could possibly distract her.

Calling: Jaehyun

Seulgi quickly flipped the phone over. Her fingers slammed against the corner buttons, probably hitting the volume buttons a few times before she managed to switch off her phone. Her nerves were wracked with a sense of guilt she didn’t need to have. She hoped Yixing wouldn’t notice, but she knew he probably did.

“If you have work, don’t let me keep you,” Yixing said kindly.

I never did, thought Seulgi. There was a bitterness on her tongue that didn’t seem to go away. “No, no, it’s fine,” Seulgi assured. “How long will you be in town for?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps a month or two, depending how long everything takes to settle,” Yixing shrugged, smiling softly. “When you’re less busy, maybe we should grab dinner.”

Dinner. The word alone pulled up the corners of Seulgi’s lips.

“We could invite the others along too, if they’re up for it,” Yixing added quickly, like he was trying to correct a slip of tongue. “I haven’t seen Jungwoo and Taeil in a while. It would be nice to catch up.”

“Sure,” Seulgi nodded. “I’ll arrange something next week.”

Seulgi fumbled with her coffee, attempting to follow Yixing in standing up. “Xing-ge, I…”

I’m glad to see you. I’m glad you’re okay. I’m glad you’ve been well. I’m glad that you’ve–

I’m sorry.

Yixing smiled. She knew he read her mind. “It’s really, really good to see you, Seulgi,” he said, extending out his hand. Part of her wanted to take it and pull him in.

“Yeah,” she said, taking in a breath. “It’s good to see you too.”

Seulgi: Sorry, was busy just now. I’ll meet you for lunch?

Jaehyun laid his head back and emitted a groan. The contents of Seulgi’s message were almost entirely harmless – and perhaps, that was the problem.

Jung Jaehyun had been surrounded by women his whole life. Whether they were his meddlesome sisters or some run-of-the-mill one-night-stand he thoughtlessly picked up, they all reacted the same. They craved his validation, his all-consuming attention, and would start to whine, cry and play passive-aggressive games when it wasn’t given to them. And when he strayed, all hell would break loose. For a while he thought it was funny, but as he grew older, the drama tired him. They tired him.

But not Kang Seulgi. Amidst the death and destruction that seemed to swirl around her, she remained as firm as steel, as calm as still water. Almost nothing could shake her, and even when something did, she would crawl back up on her feet before he could even stretch out a hand. And with him, even if he ignored her, fooled around, even played tongue hockey with a girl right in front of her face, Seulgi wouldn’t move a muscle. They were just friends, after all.

Just pretend to be mad, won’t you? Jaehyun tossed his phone aside. How could he play games with someone who knew them all?

She knew them –she knew him– like the back of her hand. That was why she’d never give him the time of day. That was why he was fighting an uphill battle and had been, for almost a decade. How ironic was it that he was the one creating the drama, and she’d probably grown tired of his bull.

The door burst open, but Jaehyun didn’t bother turning his chair. It wasn’t Seulgi. Seulgi would never be mad enough to burst in, unless–

“Jung Jaehyun!” Male voice. Yup, not Seulgi. “What the is wrong with you?”

He reluctantly turned, only because Kim Jungwoo would throttle him otherwise. He wasn’t too scared of dying, but he wasn’t about to go down by Kim Jungwoo, the loser. “What?” he sighed. “I thought that client would be better with you.”

Jungwoo stopped. “What client?”

Jaehyun knitted his brows. Wrong topic.

“Did you refer one of your clients to me again?”

“Nope,” lied Jaehyun quickly. He did, but he wasn’t about to dig his own grave before Jungwoo could find out on his own.

Jungwoo gave him a quizzical look, but then remembered what he was mad about. He slapped a stack of papers on Jaehyun’s desk. “Are you trying to fire Ningning?”

“Oh, that,” Jaehyun replied. He could be relaxed again. “Yeah, why?”

“What do you mean ‘yeah, why’?” Jungwoo hollered. Jaehyun wished he could videotape the moment and send it to Ningning. The silly girl would be a blushing mess. “You can’t just fire someone after cozying up with her! That’s workplace harassment!”

“Well, I can – she harassed me,” Jaehyun replied coolly.

Jungwoo groaned. “Christ,” he muttered. “Seulgi was right. How can you still be the same ?”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything,” Jungwoo snapped.

But Jaehyun heard him loud and clear. It was time to make his own intentions loud and clear, too.

“I’m not into her,” Jaehyun clarified. He set his feet on his table and leaned back. “I’m