SLOW RIDE | jumin han

| CHAPTER ONE |

—

He was a workaholic.

Every second of every day, it seemed, he was working, trying to better the company to the best of his abilities, which included countless meetings, business trips, and all-nighters. He drowned in his work, pouring every ounce of his time and effort into it, with no breaks unless it was to appease his hunger or to whiz, which, with how little water he drank, wasn't very often.

He had always been this way, but lately, the work hours doubled. He desperately needed a distraction, and obsessively working was the only way he knew how to divert his thoughts away from her and him, the two people responsible for his constantly wandering mind.

And poor Jaehee also suffered from it, despite being unrelated to his inner problems, simply due to the fact that whenever he worked, she was automatically forced to as well. "Mr. Han—"

"Have it finished by tomorrow," he ordered and didn't spare her a single glance as he returned his focus to his own task. She nearly objected again at the sudden workload he piled upon her already busy hours but decided that this wasn't an argument she could win. He was her boss, after all, and no matter how much she valued her sleep, it would have to wait. As she turned to leave him, his voice stopped her in her tracks: "Call Driver Kim. I have a meeting in half an hour."

"Yes, Mr. Han," she said and went on her way to do as he had asked.

Overworking became normal, sleep became far below-average, and thoughts became an annoyance. He rarely ever entered RFA chatrooms because the people he was trying to avoid were almost always there, so he did what he did best: be the corporate heir to the C&R International Company. Twenty-four/seven. Nothing else, and certainly not a significant other.

"Driver Kim has arrived," Jaehee informed Jumin after a few moments of him being on his lonesome, going through the usual stack of paperwork. He sighed, obviously not looking forward to the meeting he was to attend, but thanked her and gathered his things to leave.

It was smooth sailing. Jumin Han noted the seemingly effortless turns Driver Kim had accomplished, internally wishing he could do the same, but knew it was pointless; Jumin Han was a horrendous driver, and he knew it. Driver Kim, on the other hand, was a natural, and his job only seemed fitting for him and his talents.

Although Driver Kim's reflexes are brilliant, no one could have foreseen the truck speeding in their direction. The stationary limousine, patiently waiting for the light to turn green, was crashed into the moment a truck incorrectly estimated their angle while turning and smashed directly into the corporate heir and his driver despite them not moving at the time.

The entire car jerked, and the airbags burst harshly into both of the men's bodies the moment the truck made contact with the side of their automobile. An indescribable pain shot through Jumin Han's shoulder, more so from the force of the airbag than from the truck hitting the car (though, the injuries would have been a million times worse had the airbag not been there). Unfortunately, a hurt shoulder was the least of his troubles.

"... Driver Kim?"

The driver had hit his head against the side of his window, knocked out unconscious, and Jumin Han's injured shoulder prevented him from moving to reach for his phone and call an ambulance. He internally prayed help would come soon, with his upcoming meeting far from his mind as he stared at his passed out employee with intense concern, repeatedly calling out his name in a weak, desperate mumble.

—

"Mom, I'm just not looking for a relationship right now. I'm focusing on school," The young woman explained to her mother for the millionth time that day. She heard her mother's scoff over the phone, making her furrow her eyebrows together. "I'm serious! I need this to find a good job. I can't be distracted by boys."

"When you're married, you might not even need to work! Give you time to relax and take care of the children!"

"But I want to do something with my life, mom," she admitted, hoping for her mother to drop the subject. Thankfully, she did after realizing that [Y/N] was an adult now, and she didn't really have a say in what her daughter chose to do with her time.

After being away at college for over three years, they didn't see each other often. So, being the good daughter that [Y/N] was, she called her mother daily, but unfortunately, the majority of their conversations were similar to their most recent one: marriage.

"You're not getting any younger you know," her mother reminded her, but after [Y/N] protested by saying she was only 21 years old, the subject was forgotten, and eventually, the call had to end. "I'm getting another call, so I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, mom."

"I love you!" Then, she hung up.

But not even seven minutes after they finished their conversation, [Y/N]'s mother was calling again, and she was definitely not prepared for the news she was given.

"What?" she asked, not wanting to believe the news her mother had broken to her. She felt as if all air was knocked out of her, and she struggled to calm her shaking hands as her mother elaborated.

"Dad... He was in an accident."

"What? Wh—When did this happen?"

"I got a call from the hospital right after we finished speaking." Her mother's voice shook as she spoke. "I am on my way there right now." Tears welled up in [Y/N]'s eyes as her mother further explained his condition. "He.. He is currently unconscious. Not in a coma or anything, but..."

"I'm coming."

Her mother paused for a moment, knowing that her daughter was dead set on driving all the way back home. "But, sweetie, your studies—"

"This is my father," she stated, gathering her keys and wallet to leave the university. "I can't just not see him. I—I need to see him."

Her mother understood why she would want to come, but the drive was a long one, and after her husband only just recently was involved in a terrible accident, she was frightened of any other family member going out on the road. She knew her daughter was a safe driver, but she still worried.

Though, seeing her daughter in person didn't seem like a bad thing at all, and she herself definitely needed the emotional support; so, albeit reluctantly, she said, "... Okay. I'll see you there, baby. Be safe."