The Bitch & The Bastard | Jaehyun

𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

Jaehyun felt cold, a distant rustle of the wind reaching his ears as hid body shivered. Someone had opened the window. His fingers moved first followed by his neck as he realized that his back was numb. Pulling himself out of the daze, he groaned, each breath making him wince with pain that travelled up his nose.

The last thing he remembered was being in Haeyoung's office, the sage, the smoke, the chanting and the chaos that followed. With a jolt, he opened his eyes and screamed. Haeyoung was standing right above him, peering at his state. Even in the dark, he could tell that she was angry.

'Great, you're alive,' she said, her tone devoid of emotion.

'You!' He pointed his finger at her. 'What are you doing here?'

'What am I doing here?' she scoffed in disbelief. 'What the hell are you doing in my office?'

'I- we,' Jaehyun knew whatever came out of his mouth won't be enough to explain the situation. He resolved to the thing that would at least annoy her enough to take her mind off this. 'I think you have forgotten that this entire building belongs to my family. I can do whatever I like,' he said, with confidence he did not feel.

Haeyoung did not move. She stared at him for a long moment, her expression turning more annoyed by the second. She bent down, closing in on his cowering figure. 'You are getting bolder each day, Jaehyun. I don't like this.'

He gulped dryly trying to form words, any words but she spared him the effort.

'The only thing I need to remember is Paris but it seems that you have forgotten it,' she said, the familiar smirk creeping up her face. 'Do I need to remind you what soap you like the best in the world?'

'Stop,' he yelled, glaring at her, half angry at his own carelessness a year ago.

'You think I don't know what you are trying to do,' Haeyoung said and for the first time Jaehyun saw something other than annoyance in her eyes. 'But this, whatever it was, is too much. What the fuck were you trying to do here?'

He was used to her anger, her irritation and judgement but the seriousness in her tone seemed to cut through him like a knife. 'I- it was stupid,' he said and looked around the office. The toppled tray, the fallen ash and the box next to the open window all lay untouched like a scene of crime.

'It was,' she said, evenly and got up to her feet.

'But why are you here?' Jaehyun asked again, softly.

She walked over to her desk, the pallid moonlight illuminating one side of her frame. 'I left this here,' she said, turning around with her phone in her hand.

'Right.' He rose from the floor too, nodding. The apology was right there on his tongue but it refused to leave him. 'It's late,' he said. 'I better get going. Did you bring a driver?'

'Hm?' Haeyoung hopped onto the desk, casually swinging her legs back and forth.

'Are you planning on staying here?' he asked, seeing her stretch her limbs and leaning back on her palms.

With a sigh, she tilted her head to the side. 'Go ahead, open the door and leave.'

Jaehyun stared at her for a long time, frowning at the way she said it. Haeyoung waited patiently, watching him bring himself to the realization, which when dawned on him, he shrieked.

'NO!' He rushed to the door, almost banging his head against a shelf in the dark, and pulled at the handle but it did not budge. Harder he pulled again, almost yanking the glass with his grip but it was locked.