34

"Hair flip! Hair flip!" Jimin demanded, hands waving in the air as if we were at a concert.

I obliged, catching the perfect catwalk, and then flipping my hair over my shoulder as I waited to show them off. I wasn't a model, but man, was I serious about using the length of the office pantry like I owned it.

I pushed my hips out, throwing a look at the non-existent crowd as Seokjin and Hoseok cheered for me. Sohyun and Seulgi couldn't stop giggling. But being overdramatic was free. The new hair was letting me feel myself up perfectly. Mirae was clapping for me.

I wondered if a modelling job would pay better than this stupid desk job that threatened the size of my butt.

"This lady deserves a proper presentation!" Hoseok jumped up, acting like he was in charge of advertising me to the public. I tried not to burst out laughing ugly as I flipped my hair one more time and heard more cheers from everyone sitting around me.

This was awesome. My new hair was a hit at Neureva.

"So, what do you think?" I smiled as I finally broke character and grinned. "I thought I could try something new and my friend knows this amazing salon."

"Where is this?" Seulgi pleaded, wide-eyed as she reached for my hands  "I wanna go!"

"I'll drop you the address." I smiled.

Like hell was I going to tell her the address; to someone who left me hanging all the time whenever she went out with Sohyun. Call me a petty bitch but I didn't care. They did it to me first.

Mr Min fixed his glasses as he sipped from his coffee, a simper on his lips. "It's good to change sometimes."

I grinned, patting my warm face. "I know. It was just something I wanted to try. I didn't imagine it would look this good. I can even put it up in a ponytail. See?" I said, gathering my hair up.

Mr Min nodded, his brows raised. "Pretty."

"I guess I have one new thing about me for the trip." I lifted my shoulders up.

"I guess so." He smiled at me.

"Our assistant manager has officially entered her fashion era." Hoseok nodded, lapping his legs on the chair.

"Thank you for cheering me, all of you." I held my hands to my chest as I grinned wide enough to tear my face.

"Oh my god, that cybersecurity guy is here again." I heard a dreadful whisper from Sohyun as she stood up.

Well fuck me.

I intentionally flipped my hair as I turned to the devious man entering the pantry like he didn't care for a thing. He had another senior director on his arm, both of them in crisp suits as they walked towards the coffee machines to the far left of where my ramp was sprawled.

Why the hell was this man always in our pantry?

A part of me wanted to run from there but a stupid portion of my brain wanted him to see me in this new look and fall to his knees and confess that I was the queen of everything. Pretty simple, right? Of course, Jeonalisa wasn't going to do it even under the threat of his eyebrows being shaved off. Old news. But defeating him like that would make me ascend into heaven.

I clicked my tongue, frustrated that everyone was already scattering because of him.

I hated how corporate leaders always scared the shit out of people. It was like they could never see you working but one coffee break and the CEO officially spots you lagging. Now it's in the news.

"Does the third-floor coffee machine not work?" Sohyun whispered behind the clay coffee cup, rolling her eyes as she turned to Mr Min for an answer.

"Sixth-floor coffee machines are all the rage and you know that." Mr Min leaned comfortably into his chair, "And Mr Jeon has friends in the senior management."

"Really?" Seulgi's eyes narrowed, distrustfully. "But he never came by before...recently? I think I only started seeing him here after the cybersecurity mess-up."

Huh. Interesting news.

"Well, we did get our coffee machines right around that time." Namjoon got his first sentence into the conversation. "It's not a crime to visit the pantry."

"No! I mean—" Seulgi sighed quickly, stumbling over her excuses to make sure she didn't look like a hater. But oh well. She was too late. "It's just that he's very high in the hierarchy and seeing him around so much kind of kills the mood..."

Oh, honey. I support this decision.

I couldn't believe how happy I was to have someone else hate him too. Maybe we could make an I hate Jungkook club. But we were not in high school anymore so that vision needed to die.

"I understand, Seulgi," Mr Min, the defender began, "but it's just the pantry. Besides, he is very easy going when it's not his work."

Easy going in a lying world! He was a torture chair away from being the Machiavellian he was.

"I'll believe you because what choice do we have?" She rolled her eyes.

"Ask Haerin." Mr Min pointed to me and my red hair was ready to be set up in flames.

I tore my most professional smile, "Sure."

Seulgi nodded and looked away, unimpressed.

Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that I was forgetting something. I couldn't tell what. I turned to Jungkook suspiciously, he was now inspecting the coffee options.

Something about what happened with him...

I nearly gasped when I turned to Mirae. Because oh fuck.

I had forgotten what the fuck happened with Jungkook and her.

She must be hurting so bad seeing him there. I inspected her face, my fingers icing up.

She looked fine. Her cheeks were red but she didn't seem that bothered. But of course, this had to be her hiding how miserable she actually was. Even if she didn't like him, being rejected was always heartbreaking no matter what—unless she hated him in the first place.

I put a hand on Mirae's shoulder. "I'm sorry," I whispered as I sat down next to her.

Mirae blinked. "What for?"

I bit my lip, my teeth sliding over it, "About the date..."

"No!" She whispered back. "I had a crush of barely two days. I'm fine. In fact, I'm already dating someone else."

"Really?" I leaned forward, eyes wide.

"Yes." She smiled and rubbed my thigh to assure me "And, I think you should be the one more affected. I think he lik—"

"No. No, he doesn't. He just said that to get back at me." I rolled my eyes. "He hates me. I drove him insane with the cybercrime stuff I committed."

"You mean cybersecurity." She laughed.

"Oh, but he made me feel like it was a crime." I was dreadfully informed, my hand on my chest. "Assessments, meetings and the constant synopsis of exactly how I jeopardised his career. He just wouldn't stop!"

"Miss Kang..!" Mirae gripped my arm at the same time that I felt a shadow on my back.

I closed my eyes because fuck it. Every. Time. He had to be eavesdropping every single time I bitched about him to Mirae. Why did he always arrive behind me as if he was about to give me the backshot-trauma of my life? I guessed in a way, he did fuck me up.

I didn't want to turn to him. And I wasn't even going to. Not with him sending laser curl treatment into my hair with his glare from the back. He wasn't saying anything but that bastard had already soaked his negativity into my skull by now.

"Good morning, Miss Kang. Interesting look."

Oh fuck this man, please. Who the hell did he think he was to give me a backhanded compliment like that?

I didn't turn but I shifted and let the light catch my hair just enough to make sure that he knew what he was insulting. He was insulting Kang Haerin, the chestnut beauty, and that was not going to end well for him if he didn't know that already.

"Miss Yoo. Mr Min." He proceeded to get out of my chestnut brown-red hair and shook his hands firmly with Mr Min instead.

"Mr Jeon. Good morning." Mr Min stood up, "Good to have the coffee machine bring you up here."

He laughed softly. "I'm glad it does."

Fake ass bitch.

"Definitely. Did you try the espresso on this one?" Mr Min proceeded to pamper this sly fox's tail.

"Sure I did. That's my go-to."

ThAt'S mY gO-tO.

I sighed and then finally turned to Mirae who was looking at me worriedly. I raised a brow.

"Are you okay? You were making all these faces on your own." She whispered, frowning with genuine concern.

I chuckled awkwardly and tilted my head, "It was nothing. Just a mental conversation." I pointed at my temple.

She didn't look much convinced with my reason but I didn't have much to defend there. If she didn't believe me, good for her. I was a liar either way.

Mirae nodded and bit her lip, "I can't help but think about his mother when I see him."

Oh right.

Why didn't I think of this first?

His mom! How was his mom?

My face whipped around to look at him. He was now giving his final goodbyes to head towards the coffee machine again.

"As a thank you for supporting my hair, my chair croaked when I pushed it. I stood up, making everyone turn to me. "Why don't I get everyone vending machine cakes to side with the coffee?"

"Sure." Mr Min nodded and I darted into the wind like I needed an exit like a fart needed its asscape.

I followed after him to the coffee machine where his heating cup waited. Stupid Espresso jerk. What kind of drink was this anyway? I swear I tried Espresso once and I had to eat sugar for two days straight to kill the bitterness on my tongue. What a nasty drink just like this jerk.

Grabbing a cup for myself, I put it under the machine, selecting the latte option on it. Cakes can wait. I needed to deal with this fucker first.

"How's your—"

"Did a rooster throw up on you, Miss Kang?"

He didn't deserve it.

My glare snapped up at him. My eyes narrowed, "Seriously? Did you not see me making a modelling career over there? This hair is a hit."

"A hit in the shin, yes." He smirked, taking a sip from his coffee.

I slammed the button off of the machine and set it to heat. "You're just jealous your hair can't do this." I pointed at my waves. "All it can do is make you look like a fifty-year-old uncle at a family reunion."

He laughed, running his fingers through his beautiful hair, "Really? I think my hair is pretty good."

"Do you want the chestnut brown of my coffee on it?" I glared, and he stepped behind dramatically but he couldn't stop smiling. "Because I'm not going to hold back."

"You really seem to hate me, Miss Kang. Even calling me names all the time with your friend there." He tilted his head to get a better view of my exploding face. "And now lying about my hair."

I huffed and turned away, securing my coffee cup, moving to the vending machine next to the coffee counter. "You're always eavesdropping. Maybe you're a fifty-year-old woman trapped in the body of a cybersecure bit—"

"Whoa ho." He swooped in. "Getting unprofessional, are we? Just so you know, degrading remarks turn me on so you wouldn't want to try that."

"Are you drunk?" I looked up at him, disgusted and red in the cheeks because my head just imagined him getting turned on. "What the hell are you even saying? I don't want to know what turns you on. That's your personal problem."

I tried to step away from that obscene man—closer to the vending machine, but something hit my elbow. It whirred like a dying robot.

My body jumped, unprepared.

I squeaked—SQUEAKED—and my hand latched to the nearest thing to help me out. Well, the nearest thing being a strange man's shirt, did not end up well. I turned and looked at the sanitiser dispenser like it had ruined my life by whirring like that.

Then I immediately looked at the tall stranger, embarrassed the fuck out of my mind. He smirked like women clung to him for sport.

"I'm so sorry!" I moved away just as the packets of cake slid out of the glass vending door in a thirsty and ugly sound.

God, the machines here were moaning like they're having sex, robot version.

I let his shirt go and quickly reached for the cakes. When I stood up and turned to Jungkook, his eyes were locked on my hands, brow twitching.

Maybe he wanted to get slapped. I couldn't think of another reason.

"What?"

His eyes snapped up, dark for a split second before they returned to their original colour. The colour of stupid. "A dispenser scared you. Really?"

I scowled. "I didn't know it was behind me—wait. Why am I even telling you this? I was about to ask you about your mom but you know what? Nevermind. I hope she's surviving this stupid son well."

"Stupid?" His eyes widened and my mouth shut.

Did I go too far? Should I not have called him stupid?

I gulped and stepped away, creating distance. "Anyways, bye." I stuttered and ran out of there like I was about to be ground in the vending machine.

My hands were shaking when I returned to the others and offered them the cakes to pair with their cups of steaming coffees, which was appreciated.

I sat next to Mirae.

"You're not going to drink coffee?" She asked, ripping the packet of cake slowly and elegantly. Too elegantly, actually. I noticed that she just used her forefinger and her thumb.

"No...I'm just cutting down on sugar right now." I tried to explain. "I mean, I haven't been actually faithful to it but I try."

Mirae nodded, taking a bite. "Don't do it too much though. It ruins your mood if you don't have sugar."

"I know right. It's like an addiction or something." I sighed.

Someone hated girls and then made processed sweets to kill them slowly. Because I swear they taste like heaven when they're in my mouth.

I was about to bitch more about sweets and get sad over it but my phone started buzzing all of a sudden. And well, I should have known that something as simple as a phone ringing was capable enough to destroy me. But I didn't.

It was flat on the table where Sohyun, Seulgi and Mirae sat and I lost my mind a bit when Jungkook's name flashed on it.

And the fucking death metal vibration of it, made their eyes snap at it.

I wanted to kill myself. I really did.

My jaw fell because this wasn't that Bae Jungkook. This was Bastard Jungkook. The real devil one who was here near the coffee machine just a few seconds ago. My hair whipped as I turned around and he wasn't there. He wasn't there! Where the heck did he go with his coffee so fast?

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Haerin..." Seulgi's voice softened with a speechless alarm.

I gulped as I reached for the phone, a watery smile on my face.

"It's probably about cyber-something..." I chuckled awkwardly and answered the phone to curse him out first, but people were watching, so the universe helped me out for once.

And honestly, I couldn't even think why else this hunk would call out of the blue. On my phone of all places. We had Cirq. We had fucking people to relay messages through. No world in my life required him to call me on the phone.

"Yes, Mr Jeon?" I said in the most professional-sounding voice I could offer.

He cleared his throat, "Miss Kang, you're a girl, right?"

Now he wants to test me. Now he wants to say stupid shit because I can't lose it in front of my team. Now.

Something warm twisted in my gut and I closed my eyes for a second, totally aware that the girls were still looking.

"Sure," I answered.

I heard his soft chuckle on the other end of the phone, "Well, I need your help."

My help?

I stood up, pretending that he called for me, "Okay. Okay." I repeated like I was in a war movie, taking notes from my commander. "I'll get the file for you. Sure."

"What?"

I didn't care where his head went. I just waved at the rest of the team looking at me and I ran out of there even with heels on.

Once I was in a safer area in the corridor where I could finally speak, I finally let the demon out. My legs almost crouched, regretting the run in heels.

"I want to use unprofessional language so bad right now. Why the hell would you ask me if I'm a girl?" I rasped, leaning into the wall, my eyes on everything passing me by to make sure no one who knew me had spotted me.

"I have a female colleague who's about to go on maternity leave." He began. "I need to buy something for her right now."

"Right now?" My brows shot up. "Clearly, you're not punctual with this one."

"It was sudden, Miss Kang. Her maternity wasn't supposed to begin until next month, but she's having complications. She has decided to take her leave from tomorrow. I need to get her a gift. But—But I don't know this stuff."

"So you need me to buy it for you?" I scowled.

"No. Do you know any shops around here where we can go and buy something quickly?"

"Um...mom shops huh?" I mused, "I mean, there is one but it's like a fifteen-minute ride by the bus."

"I have my bike, remember? We'll get there faster." His tone was weird. Mocking...but almost amused. Did he just sound...nice? No, shut up. Shut up, Haerin.

My voice came out hoarse. "Okay, sure. But no one can know, alright? I'm going to die if anyone knows I went out with you. I'm only doing this because there's another woman involved."

"Relax, Miss Kang. I'm not announcing it on the office intercom. Ten minutes." He coolly said. That didn't help at all.

Fuck this man.

I rolled my eyes.

Great. Now I was willingly getting kidnapped by this cyber threat to Neureva. And to buy soft mommy-baby stuff in a pink shop at that.