Seong Yi...continued... (Part II)

(Herein she continues her romance of Jumin Han...)

Day 5, continued:  She couldn't get Jumin out of her mind. Why did Zen always have to pick a fight about such silly things? He was being petty and mean. Jumin said he didn't care, but she did. She was right about to call him to see if he was okay -- fingers hovering over the number pad, ready to dial, when the phone rang.

And there he was, trying to explain himself to her as if her opinion mattered to him, even though they'd known each other for so little time. Of course, she said that to herself but she knew exactly what he meant.  Maybe their conversations were starting to mean something to him too. And besides Yoosung, who seemed to have a bit of a schoolboy crush on her, he was the only one who seemed genuinely worried about her safety with the hacker on the loose. Seven just joked, as always. But Jumin had called again later, telling her to put his number on speed dial and call him at any time if she was worried or saw something suspicious or...just to chat. She didn't admit that she'd already put his number in that spot that morning. Didn't really want to admit it to herself either. It was a silly thing to have done. So juvenile.

But maybe she was getting to him too.

But now, all thoughts of the hacker have been pushed right out of Seong Yi's head. That last chat, that last call...she was worried. And upset, though trying to tell herself it was all on his behalf. How could The Chairman treat his son that way? To arrange a marriage for such a flimsy reason? She was trying to be calm about it. She had no right to feel as upset as she did. She knew that. She was nothing to him. But she wanted to know who this woman was. She wanted to know what Jumin really thought. And would he go through with it?

Day 6...Seong wakes up feeling unsettled in her skin, like there's an itch just underneath the surface that she can't get to, an itch she doesn't even know how to scratch. The longer the day goes on, the more on edge she feels. She feels powerless and useless. She doesn't like this feeling. Jaehee is the one helping Jumin. All she can do is offer up words of encouragement, but they feel hollow. She feels hollow. Why does it matter to her if Jumin marries this woman? Why? But she feels his pain and loneliness when he calls. And when she hangs up the phone, she wants to call him back immediately but she doesn't want to annoy him. He's got enough on his mind as it is.

At loose ends, Seong popped into the chat room on the off chance that someone might be there. Who was she kidding? Not someone. Someone in particular. Her pulse quickened. He was there and...looking for her. He was upset but trying to deny it. She wanted to reach through the screen so that her feelings could reach him. Make him feel better. Take away some of his burden. But all she could do was listen. Was it enough? He felt so far away but close at the same time, perhaps closer than he had ever felt before. She felt sad but happy...and lonely. She looked around the apartment. Even with some of her things here, it felt empty and hollow. This wasn't her home. Had she ever had a home, really? Maybe that was why she had moved so many times. She was still looking for a place to call home.

And then he...he asked her to explain to him what love was. What a man and a woman might feel together. She couldn't even type for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. There were so many things she wanted to say...but did she really know either? She wanted to know. That was maybe the only thing she did know.  She wanted to learn.

Day 7...It was early morning and night still lay over the city, leaving only an array of city lights that spread out into the distance like a blanket of stars. Seong couldn't sleep. She paced, walking a triangle between the tiny kitchen, the window, and the door. She wanted to go out and walk the streets. That had always calmed her when she felt restless, but the hacker was still loose. She imagined what the other members of the RFA would say if they knew she was thinking about going out at night by herself. So she paced. And checked her phone.

Then Jaehee came by the chat room with strange news. Those women had showed up at her apartment. What was going on? And then Zen, with his strange dream about Elizabeth the 3rd. Maybe it was just because she hadn't had enough sleep, but she felt almost detached, like she was in a dream herself. Maybe she had felt that way since this whole thing had started. It didn't feel like her normal life at all. She wasn't sure how she felt about anything anymore. It was all too strange and new.

And then Jumin. Did he realise what he did to her heart when he said things like that so casually? And what had she been thinking saying that she hoped he was jealous? Gah! How could she have said that? She would have taken it back if she could but instead she found herself curled up on the couch reading and re-reading the chat transcript until finally, eyelids drooping, her phone still in her hand...she slept.

Once she awoke, Seong spent the morning and early afternoon both groggy and grumpy. She couldn't seem to get any work done. She had finally given up in the late afternoon and had settled into the sofa with a cup of coffee and a book. But she kept re-reading the same page over and over again. She threw the book across the room, where it thunked satisfyingly against the wall and slid to the floor. Then she sighed and picked it up to put it away. It wasn't the book's fault. She gave up again, this time for good, and opened the Messenger. Jaehee was in the chat room. Seong was surprised to have Jaehee ask her if she would go see Jumin. She agreed immediately, of course, and headed for the door. But she stopped before she turned the door handle and turned back around. It wouldn't hurt if she brushed her teeth first, right? Coffee breath. And maybe she should change out of the t-shirt and jeans she was wearing if she had to go to the C&R offices...

She was going to go meet Jumin.

It took forever to get there. Forever and a day. The traffic was terrible. There was a wreck--two cars and a motorcycle, police cars everywhere, flashing lights. And by the time Seong arrived at the building where Jumin's penthouse was, she felt like a wreck herself. She rubbed her sweaty palms against her skirt, glad she'd worn a dark material. She passed through three separate checkpoints, questioned each time about who she was and who had sent her. At least Jaehee's name seemed to be the magic key.

There were guards everywhere, ear pieces in their ears, dark suits, looking like something out of a spy movie. Were these the kinds of security guards Zen and Yoosung had been talking about? Now she understood. The elevator ride up felt almost as long as the drive there had been. She tried a smile on the guard accompanying her in the elevator, but it came out weak and died quickly. He didn't smile back.

But finally, they were at Jumin's door and the last guard, even more serious than the one before, waved her on. She took a deep breath and went in.

And there he was. Jumin. He was taller than she had expected and slim, his well-tailored suit fitted perfectly across his shoulders. She suspected it cost more than all of the clothes she owned. Possibly all of the clothes she had ever owned. His tie pin was perfectly straight but his dark hair was slightly unruly, like it alone had rebelled. She had to pull her hand back. She had reached out without even thinking about it, wanting to smooth the strands back from his forehead, smooth it back so she could see his eyes better. Were they grey? Brown? Charcoal. Smouldering. Like a fire burned low. God, what was she thinking? She had to get herself together before she made a fool of herself. She was here to help him, not...well, not whatever it was her brain was thinking.

He seemed surprised to see her. "I didn't know Assistant Kang would send you. God...Sorry. I just stared into your eyes."

She cleared her throat, surprised Jaehee hadn't called him to warn him she was coming. "Jumin...I'm so glad to finally meet you."

"I never expected you to come to my house." He was still staring at her. He hadn't moved, so she didn't either. "I feel a bit nervous...to actually see you like this."

She resisted the urge to laugh. He was nervous? She felt like a teenager again. She managed to make it through the rest of the conversation without saying anything embarrassing. She sounded almost calm and managed to take a look around, if only to stop herself from staring into his eyes.

The penthouse was...like nothing she had ever seen before. There was a floor to ceiling aquarium in one corner and a wall to wall window where you could see the entire city spread out below. And she had thought the view from Rika's apartment was nice!

"Your house...is quite amazing."

"Do you like it?"

Why did he sound surprised? Who wouldn't like it? It was beautiful. He was beautiful. She stuck her hands behind her back and twined her fingers together. Good heavens. She wanted to trace a finger across his lips when he smiled like that. It was a small, private smile, like he really was glad she had come.

She came back to herself when he introduced her to Elizabeth the 3rd. The cat was in a cage. A large cage, but a cage nonetheless, even if he had filled it with silk cushions. She hadn't expected that. What could that mean? Jumin loved that cat. Why was it in a cage?

He was still talking. "...I never expected you to come, but now that you're here, I'd hate for you to leave," he said softly. She took another step into the room.

(But wait...there's more... Later this night... )