Update : fixing grammars. Thank you for ruminations for becoming beta-reader and editing this chapter.

At the top floor of the JYJ Enterprise building, Mr. Park was sitting at his chair, elbows propped on the arm rests, eyes gazing out of the big window behind his desk. In the distance, he could see the Wu Enterprise building standing with all it grandeur. He really should applaud Kris Wu and his partners for making the company as big as its now despite their young age.

Everyone in the business world would agree that the twelve bachelors of Wu Enterprise were people that shouldn’t be messed with. They had ambition, power and wealth. Together they had built the most powerful business empire that could easily trample over other companies. Mr. Park had been smart enough not to mess with them.

But now…

Mr. Park lowered his gaze to the picture that he held on his hand. It was a picture of a person that he had missed so much; someone that had grown to be a beautiful and brilliant young woman without his presence. She was his daughter, Park Yoori, or people had known her as Lu Su Ling.

Of course he had known about her whereabouts although it took a while to find out. He had known that Yoori and her mother were gone to China after his late mother and wife kicked them away from their house at Jeju. He knew that Li Fei had changed Yoori’s name into Chinese, using her Chinese maiden surname name; also about how Li Fei’s family had thrown them out and how they ended up on Lu Family’s residence. It broke his heart to know that the two precious women in his life were struggling so hard to earn proper life. And he also knew that Yoori was coming back to Seoul by the request of young Mr. Lu Han and currently working at Wu Enterprise.

Surely it made him very happy to know that his daughter was finally coming back in town. He really wanted to show up in front of her and probably brought her home. He wanted to reconcile with his lost daughter. But he realized that he couldn’t do that. Not when his wife and sons still hate Yoori.

But today, on her birthday, he wanted to give her a present, telling her that he had never forgotten about her. It was why he sent someone to leave a present on Yoori’s desk.

In case you’d been wondering, yes, it was Mr. Park who had given Ling the rabbit doll.

Furthermore, he was also lucky that young Mr. Kim Joonmyeon had known Mr. Ahn and asked him to take Yoori out as a present. Ahn Junhyung might be a lawyer now but he used to work as his secret assistant, that he had assigned to watch over Li Fei and Yoori. After the mother and daughter went to China, Mr. Ahn was the one who found them and watched over them while giving updates about their life to Mr. Park.

And today, also by his help, Mr. Park finally got her contact number.

For hours, he was looking at the numbers, contemplating whether he would give her a call or not. He knew that he would get Yoori into more trouble if his family found out that he had been contacting her. But he was her father. And what could a father do but protect his own daughter.

He picked his phone and dialled the numbers. While waiting for the line to be picked up, he was wondering about how Yoori would react. Will she be happy? Or will she be angry at him and blame him for all those years they had been apart?

Then the line was picked up “Hello?”

His body was immediately perked up to hear a young woman’s voice answering the call. The voice was soft and kind. His smile bloomed to think that he had been missing the girl so much for all of these years. She had never left his mind, not even once.

“Do you like the gift that I left on your desk?”

He could hear a soft gasp from the other side. Of course he had expected her to be surprised by his call “A-appa?” she was stammered “How can you—”

“I have help, Yoori” he said in kind voice “I really hope you like the gifts” A moment of silent fell for a moment. He could hear her heaving a soft sigh “I like them. But I thought you have forgotten”

A bitter smile came to his face as he heard the words “I never forget your birthday, Yoori” he shook his head slowly “Not even once.”

A silence fell between them. He could imagine her hanging her head and feeling confused about what they had talked about. He didn’t blame her for feeling awkward. It was his fault for being away from her for so long.

“So, how’s your life? Is it hard for you?”

“It was. But it got better in time. Mama and I were lucky to have friends who helped us” He knew that she was referring to Lu family. Perhaps, he could go and meet them someday, to thank them for taking care of his beloved ones “It’s good to hear. Perhaps, can you tell me more about your life?” he could hear soft chuckles “Oh, Dad, it will take a lot of time”

It made him smile to hear her chuckles. He remembered how she was when she was still a child; a cheerful and bright girl. But what has he done with that girl?

“Yoori-ah” “Hmm?” “It must be scary for you, right? To meet your brother in Jeju” “Eh?” she sounded surprise. It was expected. Perhaps she didn’t know that he had known about it “How did you know?” “I’ve been watching over you. I know that you’ve been living in China and returned to Seoul earlier this year for working at Wu Enterprise.”

“If you know, how can you never come and visit us?”

It was a question that he feared the most. He knew that it was his fault for never coming for her or visiting her. But he had his own problem; more specifically it was because he got resistance from his family.

A couple of times, he had thought of bringing Yoori into his household. But his mother, wife and Yoochun had always gone against it. Probably it was also his fault of being unable to go against their will. He also realized that he would only make Yoori suffered if he took her in. Besides, he had known that Yoori had lived a proper life with Lu family. So he decided to wait and watch over her from a far.

“I’m so sorry, Yoori-ah, I really am.”

But he swore that he would never let her slip away again.

Two Days Later.

It was morning and Ling was already busy walking back and fro around their condo. Luhan would leave for China today so she was helping him packing his stuff. She had packed the necessary stuff for him, including his rubic cubes in case he was bored. She also packed some gifts for Luhan’s parents and her mother.

Actually, she really wanted to go along but Luhan needed her to stay with the team while he was gone.

As she stood up and turned, she saw Luhan coming out from his room, dress up and ready to go. He put his backpack on the sofa and looked at the girl “Anything else that I should bring?” “Passport? Wallet?” “They’re all in here” Luhan patted his backpack.

“Okay then” Ling looked at her wristwatch “Ah, we’d better hurry. Your plane is scheduled to take off within an hour. I can’t force them to take off in commercial hours.”

Luhan only nodded then took his suitcase and backpack while Ling grabbed her bag and jacket. She would go to the office after sending Luhan off. There would be an internal meeting for her department in the morning so she would need to prepare the material. Luhan had asked her to make the presentation in his behalf; one of his managers would do the presentation later so Ling would need to brief him beforehand; and she would need to report the result back to Luhan in the afternoon. Besides, with Luhan in China, it also meant that she would need to make a lot of international calls to him later.

“Ling” the call stopped Ling in her tracks to the door. She turned to see Luhan, only to find that he was throwing a car key at her. She caught it in reflex “You drive” Luhan said with a smirk while approaching her.

Ling only blinked and looked at the key on her hand. It is the key for his freaking brand new Aston Martin Vanquish, everyone.

“Is it the key for your new car, Ge?” she raised her gaze back to Luhan who almost arrived in front of her “Yup” Luhan popped the ‘p’ “And you trust me to drive this one?” “I need to sleep” he replied calmly as he walked passing her then stopped and turned at her “Besides, my lovely Ling, the car was meant for you anyway” he flashed her a smile before turning to the door and exiting the premises. What?

But then, Ling quickly cast the thought aside. She didn’t have time to argue. If they were not hurried, they would miss the plane.

8.00 AM, Wu Enterprise Building.

“Ling-ssi.”

The call made Ling turn her gaze from the phone on her hand. She was waiting for the elevator to arrive and she saw Hana approaching with her usual smile.

“Good morning” the girl chirped. Ling smiled and replied “Good morning, Miss Kim. Can I ask you if Mr. Kim is available this morning?” Hana’s brows raised to hear the question “Suho? Why?”

“I have something to discuss regarding Mr. Lu’s meeting tomorrow. It won’t take long, probably ten minutes”

Hana seemed to think for a while “I think he can meet you before his meeting this morning. I’ll give you a call if he has arrived”

“Thank you” Ling looked back to the elevator door as it dinged. She entered the four-walled compartment along with Hana and few other employees.

On their way up, Ling noticed Hana fishing out her phone and looking at it with a frowning face. It seemed that Hana had received a very important message. But it wasn’t Ling’s business to care about her life. So she chose to remain silent.

But then, she heard Hana calling her again “Uhm, Ling” Ling looked back at her “Do you mind filling in for me for a few hours this afternoon? Something urgent came up. It won’t take a while, probably an hour or two.”

“Sure.”

Ding. The elevator arrived on Ling’s floor.

“Great. Come to my place at one, okay?”

Ling only nodded as the elevator door opened. She stepped out from the compartment and waved at Hana before the door slid close again. She dropped her smile and lowered her hand. Sigh. Her days without Luhan had officially started.

Suho stepped out from the elevator and walked to his office. As usual, Hana exited her office and greeted him with a smile as he came. He returned the gesture and opened the door to his room. Hana was following him inside. As he sat on his chair, Hana handed him the tablet of his schedules.

“You seem tired, sir” she sounded concerned.

Yeah, Suho was indeed feeling tired. He had piles of paperwork to do, not to mention his meeting schedules. But he had no choice except to do them all. They were his responsibilities after all. Suho lifted his gaze and flashed her a smile while taking the tablet “I’m fine, Miss Kim. Thank you for worrying about me.”

He looked at the tablet, reviewing his meeting schedule. Hmm, his schedule is empty in the afternoon “Miss Kim, can you call the guys for a meeting after lunch? There’s something that I will need to tell them” he said as he handed the tablet back to Hana.

“Alright, Sir” That was a cue for Suho to start working. He heard heels ticking away. But then, it stopped “But, Sir” Suho lifted his gaze again. He saw Hana by the door. It seemed that she had forgotten something “Yes, Hana?” “Miss Lu would like to meet you.”

Well, Ling has asked for a meeting; that’s new. “Ling-ssi? Why?”

Hana shrugged “She just told me that she wants to discuss something regarding about Luhan’s meeting schedule” Suho heaved a soft sigh, feeling somewhat disappointed. He then looked at his watch. Well, he still had time anyway “Sure. Tell her to come.”

“I’ll call her right now” she turned to the door and exited the room.

Suho dropped his head to his table after the door closed. What the hell that he was thinking about. Of course Ling would like to meet him regarding to business matters; he was her boss. Business was the only thing that connected them and the only reason that could make her taking the initiative to meet him. But seriously, Suho wished that she could do the same for something other than business.

Knock. Knock.

It’s her. Suho quickly perked his body up, taking a document and put it in front of him. He didn’t want her to see him slacking around “Come in”

The door opened and Ling showed up, bowing her head to greet her. Suho smiled “Come in, Miss Lu” He dropped his gaze to the document, trying to read the content; it was a financial report for Fashion Summit actually. The heels tackled closer and stopped by his desk.

A moment of silent before Ling started to talk “I’m sorry for bothering you, Sir. But there’s something that I need to discuss” Suho smiled lopsidedly and signed the document before putting it away “You’re not bothering me at all, Miss Lu” he looked at her “Have a seat” he pointed the guest chair across of him.

The girl obeyed.

“So what’s the matter?”

The girl took a long breath before saying, “Mr. Lu will be have a meeting with a business partner tomorrow and this meeting is very important to seal the deal with them—“

“Do you want me to go instead?” Suho interjected her.

“If you have time, Sir. If you can’t, do you mind to assign someone else to go in Mr. Lu’s behalf?”

Suho leaned back to his chair and rested his elbows on the arm rests “Why don’t you go instead, Miss Lu?”

The suggestion surprised Ling “Eh? I’m afraid that I don’t have the authority to seal the deal, Sir” “Even if I give you one?” Ling lowered her gaze “I still can’t, Sir. My position now is only Mr. Lu’s assistant and secretary. If you want to give authority, I honestly think that you should give it to one of his managers.”

Suho scoffed to hear the reply. She was right although he had actually known that Ling was capable to do whatever Luhan did. She had been trained by Mr. Lu to work along with Luhan whenever the guy decided to take over his family company. But then, he realized that Luhan had brought Ling to Wu Enterprise as his assistant. And an assistant can’t do what a boss could do. She knew the boundaries and it was such a waste for her ability. If only Luhan made her as his deputy since the beginning.

“Alright” Suho heaved “Forward the invitation to me and give me the documents that I will need for the meeting. I’ll ask Hana to put the meeting in my schedule tomorrow” “Thank you, Sir. I’ll bring the documents right away” “No problem, Ling” She stood up “Then, please excuse me” She bowed and turned.

Yes, it’s really such a waste for Ling’s ability. Suho repeated to himself as he saw her walking out from his office. But what he could do about it. Suho puffed an air out of his mouth and looked at his desk. Piled documents and scattered papers across of his table… yeah, he still had work to do.

After a meeting session in the morning, Suho drowned himself with endless paperwork. There were so many documents that he would need to review and sign. He was only disturbed by the knocks on his door. He looked up and saw his smiley assistant walking across the room.

“It’s lunch time, Joonmyeon” she reminded him. But he definitely couldn’t leave “I think I’ll pass, Hana” He dropped his gaze back down, lip tucking as he read the document. But then, he saw Hana putting down a plate of kimbab “You’re really working too much, you know. Be concerned about your health a little” Suho scoffed “It’s unavoidable” he sing sang “Besides, I can manage my own health, thank you” then he signed the document before looking up again to Hana “Is there something the matter?”

“Yes… can I ask permission to leave for a while? I have something urgent that I really need to do. I won’t be long, two hours top” Reaching out for a piece of kimbab, Suho only nodded then took another document from the pile while stuffed the food into his mouth “But I’ve asked Ling to fill me in for the meeting later”

Somehow hearing that name made Suho almost choke. He grabbed the glass and drank to shove the food down his throat. He looked back to Hana after his throat cleared “You did?” the girl nodded “Are you sure that she’s available?”

A smile came to Hana’s face “I’m sure that she’s the most available PA you can get right now. Luhan’s not here so she’s basically free” Ah right, Luhan is leaving to China starting today. Suho only nodded his head to hear it, mentally slapping his forehead for forgetting about it “Okay, you can leave. But has everything ready for the meeting?”

Hana smiled again “Everything’s ready and set, Sir” she gave a little salute, making Suho chuckle in return “Alright, alright. You may go. See you later, Hana” “Thank you, Sir” She bowed and left the premises.

Suho only shook his head to see how playful Hana was. But then, he would get Ling as his substitute EPA again. How can he not get happier than that?

But first… yeah… work.

A little bit later, his work was disturbed again with another knocks on his door. Feeling a little bit disturbed, he abruptly said “Come in,” without lifted his gaze. The door creaked open and he heard heels tackling closer before stopping by his desk.

“Mr. Kim.”

His hand stopped when he heard the soft voice. His heart literally almost jumped out from his chest. It’s her, he recognized her voice. He lifted his gaze to see the girl who had stood across of him. She was hugging a document on her chest.

“Oh, Ling.”

“Sorry for disturbing you, Sir. Miss Kim asked me to check on you” her gaze fell to a certain place on his table; the plate of Kimbab that still half intact to be precise. Suho noticed that she heaved a soft sigh “Why are you not eating your lunch, Joonmyeon?” Eh? Badump. What? “It’s what she wanted me to tell you if you haven’t finished your lunch, Sir.”

Damn you, Hana. His heart almost exploded when he heard Ling calling his name, but much to his disappointment, it was Hana’s order. Although, he admitted that he really need to take a break for a while. His head felt so crowded and his stomach was actually craving for food. Fine, Hana, you win. Suho put down his pen and pulled the plate closer then started to eat. It was then Ling had stepped closer to his table and squatted to get some fallen papers then returned them back to his table. As she worked, Suho took the time to watch over her.

Ling was wearing a soft violet short sleeved blouse with white high-waist pencil skirt. The skirt showed how curvy and slender her body was. Her hair was tied and cascading down over one shoulder, showing off her neckline. Damn, her body is really tempting. If only she didn’t have Luhan as her guardian and she was like the other girls, he would love to have her on his bed. But she was Ling and he didn’t have the heart to hurt her in any way.

His gaze fell to the document on her hand. He remembered that he had asked the girl to bring the document for Luhan’s meeting tomorrow “Is that the document for the meeting tomorrow?”

Ling looked back to Suho and nodded “But it can wait until you finish your lunch, Sir.”

Suho stuffed the last piece of the kimbab to his mouth and munched it before gulping it down. He then reached out a hand to ask the document “Give me that.”

For a moment, Ling just stared at him; probably making sure that he really had finished his lunch. She then stepped forward and handed him the document. Suho took it and opened the document before reading the content “Did Chen already review this contract?” Suho looked back at her and found her nodding “Yes, Sir. He already reviewed it. Mr. Lu already negotiated everything before” “So we only need to seal the deal, right?” Again, she nodded “Good” he closed the document and put it on his drawer “I’ll be taking care of it. And how about the internal meeting this afternoon?

“Miss Kim has prepared the room, Sir. It’s ready to go”

“Good” Suho looked at his watch; it was his time to go for the meeting. He stood up and grabbed his jacket then put it on “Let’s go, Ling.”

It was 6 PM sharp when Ling arrived at the condo, feeling more tired than usual. Somehow it was more tiring to spend time at office without doing anything than to have piles of work to do. Back then when she was still working for Mr. Lu, she never had the time for idling. But now… Ling dropped herself to lay on the sofa and covered her eyes with her arm. Sometimes she wished that she hadn’t agreed to take Luhan’s offer as his assistant.

Sigh. But there was nothing that she could do right now.

She turned her head and looked around to the empty condo. It felt so lonely without Luhan around. Perhaps, she would need to check on him. She hadn’t called him since she wanted to let him resting for today. She looked at her watch; it was 6.05 PM so it was still around 5.05 PM in China. She lifted herself to sit as she fished out her phone and dialled a certain phone number in China.

“Hello?”

Ling recognized the voice as one of the maids at Lu family’s residence “Hello, it’s me, Su Ling.”

“Ah, Young Miss. It’s been so long. How are you?”

Ling smiled. To hear the voice, it warmed her heart “I’m fine, Ayi Lim. Anyway, has Gege arrived?”

“Oh, he has yet to return. According to the driver that picked him up, he’s going to Wu Prime after he landed. But he said that he will come for dinner.”

Expected. Ling dropped her gaze.

“Do you really need to talk with Young master Lu?”

“No, I just want to check on him. But if he’s at Wu Prime, perhaps I will call him later.”

But then, she heard ruffles on the other end and a familiar voice “A Ling?”

It was Madam Lu “Hello, Ayi” “Aish, how can you call without talking with me?” Ling only smiled to hear it “I’m so sorry, Ayi” she could hear the woman smiling “It’s fine. How are you, dear? Is work hard for you? I can talk to Han and ask him to let you back home.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine and the work isn’t that hard over here.”

“Are the bosses there giving you hard time?”

“No—“

Ding. Dong.

The bell sound was interjecting her. She turned her gaze to the intercom and saw that she had a guest “Ah, Ayi. There’s someone at the door so I can’t talk longer. Send my regards to Mama and Shushu. I’ll talk with you again later.”

“Alright, A Ling. Stay healthy and don't forget to eat regularly, okay?”

“Yes, I understand. Bye, Ayi” she ended the call as the door’s bell rang again. She stood up and went to the intercom to check who was coming. As she saw the person who stood in front of the camera, her eyes widened and her lips gapped.

Gasp.

It was Kim Joonmyeon.

Author's note:

Please excuse all the grammar errors on this chapter. I didn't ask for review or using any beta-readers for this chapter (perhaps you can provide me with one? ^o^).

But, omo, 30 Upvotes and 231 subscribers.. Oh dear readers and subbies, you're too kind to me. Lemme cry.

Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you for reading and I really hope you enjoying this fic so far.

And thank you for these upvoters:

Maybee

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