A Thousand Purple Stars (JinJi)

Malice

Jisoo smirked flirtatiously. "Is that why you called me?" she asked in a low voice.

Jinyoung laughed on the other end, realizing he'd walked straight into that one.

"Maybe," he said. "Actually, I called to ask if you wanted to meet me for dinner tonight. After my exam. You get off work at six don't you?"

Date #3, Jisoo thought. Do people typically settle on relationship labels after a handful of dates? She thought of asking him now but then decided that it was too early.

She liked Jinyoung. She liked spending time with him, liked talking to him, liked going on dates with him, walking by his side, hearing his stories, she liked kissing him. And if her reaction to their steamy kissing in front of her apartment was any indication, she couldn't be sure just how far she'd go with him if she let go of her inhibitions.

But it was hard to really know, especially since she belonged to a generation of people who date serially and kiss casually and sleep around carelessly. When and how would she know if this was something more than a fling?

"Jisoo?" Jinyoung asked, prompting her. Jisoo cleared her throat.

"Dinner tonight sounds perfect," she said.

She could practically hear him smiling over the phone. "Go on home after work, then, I'll pick you up at your apartment."

Jisoo agreed to the arrangement. She took her food tray and sat at a table by the window that was quieter and more private, and they continued talking until the end of her lunch break. Jisoo told Jinyoung about how long it was taking Julie to call her into her office to discuss her promotion, and Jinyoung talked about an incident at work involving someone who came in with a dog bite.

The rest of the day unfolded much like any other. Dara came out of her office after her lunch break and gave Jisoo a whole new task list, putting her in charge of things like typing in more data from surveys into spreadsheets and various kinds of business research. In a way, her work at Embrace was starting to resemble her old job at Vector Marketing, and it was disheartening.

At least I have dinner tonight to look forward to, she thought. She locked in an order to catering on the day of the meeting with Editor Jeon, and after doing a quick scan through her checklist to make sure she had finished it all, she looked at the clock.

It was five minutes to six. Dara was still in her office, agonizing over a draft, but Jisoo was sure that Julie had already left her office. Jisoo sighed. She guessed it wasn't going to happen today after all.

She started to pack her things, which included a portfolio containing some of her old stories. She had been hoping to bring it up again and possibly get Julie's feedback at the meeting she had promised the other day, to discuss her future at Embrace. But she supposed that would have to wait for another time.

Jisoo bade Dara a quick goodbye that went practically unnoticed. She took the elevator down to the ground level and started heading for the exit. But when she stepped out into the warm evening, Jisoo was surprised to see Julie Kiyoko waiting there for her.

"I thought your shift ended at six," Julie said, beaming at Jisoo. The editorial assistant wasn't sure how to reply. Julie Kiyoko took a few steps toward her.

"I know you're off the clock already," Kiyoko said. "But I was wondering if you had a minute to speak with me?"

Jisoo stuttered when she replied: "Y—Sur—Yes, sure," she said. She thought for sure that Julie was going to lead her back into the building and up to her office, where all official business was supposed to take place. But instead, she crossed the street and left Jisoo to follow her.