Let's Live Together

Seo In Guk, President of Star Infinity, sat on the huge black couch kept in his cabin. The crystal clear glass walls, scared him a little due to the height but gave him a beautiful view of the streets outsides. It was like a dream come true for him, to be sitting and watching over the city, sipping his coffee, and not bothered about being under any cover.

" What did I do to deserve this, Mr. Kim?" Inguk said to himself, remembering his times with the best producer he had ever worked with. Mr. Kim was like a guardian to him. His mentor, his teacher, and a humble human being.

Inguk took another sip from his coffee mug when he heard a knock on the door.

"Yes, come in," he said, clearly making out from the gaps of his glass door that it was Boyoung.

She looked different in her formal brown one-piece dress. Her face shined as always and Inguk wished she had kept her hair open instead of tying it into a bun. But the locks falling on her face, made her look even more beautiful. He admired her ever since the beginning, but his feelings were limited to being friends with her. Best friends indeed, or was he just unaware?

"Mr. Seo? You seem lost?" She said putting down some files in front of him.

"Yes, I was wondering why you don't keep your hair open anymore?" He asked.

"I just don't feel like."

"Why so?"

"I don't know."

"You always kept them open when you were happy. Is there something wrong?" Inguk asked with concern.

Boyoung sighed and sat next to him.

"It's nothing, when Uncle Kim passed away, I was shattered. Ever since that day I've been busy handling his work, I don't get time for myself." She explained.

Inguk took a deep breath and held her hand.

"It's okay now. You have me. I'll help you " he said.

Boyoung smirked and took her hand away.

"Where were you when I needed you? You could have contacted me when Uncle passed away right?"

Inguk held his ears and made an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't here in Korea, I was out for a shoot." He said.

"You didn't even return for Uncle Kim's funeral?" Boyoung blamed.

"I didn't. Because the project I was working on was suggested by him and I felt closer to him while I did the work" Inguk explained.

Boyoung didn't have an answer to that. She just looked away trying not to cry.

"Boyoung... " Inguk kept his arm across her shoulders from the back, trying to console her.

"I'm alright," she said.

"No, you're not. I know" he replied calmly, trying to look at her, but she kept looking away trying to hide her tears.

"Look at me," he said.

"No."

"Please." He pleaded.

Boyoung slowly turned her head to face him. Inguk could see a tear rolling down her cheek. He carefully used his thumb to wipe it off.

"I'm here for you now."

"You weren't here when I needed my best friend" Boyoung complained.

"I needed my best friend too Boyoung, I needed you too"

"Then why didn't you call"

"The same reason why you didn't call me"

Boyoung knew she was at fault too. They were best friends and if they lost contact, it was a fault from both sides.

"I'm sorry," she said in a low voice.

Inguk smiled warmly and pulled her into a hug. Boyoung shut her eyes and felt as if she had found a long-lost friend back. But there was a sudden red alert in her mind and she broke the hug.

"What?" Inguk asked.

"You're not supposed to hug me like that, Mr. Seo," she said looking around.

"Why? I'm your best friend." He said.

"Not here in the office." She reminded.

"Okay okay.. sorry Miss Park," he said jokingly.

"Anyway, I came here to tell you that we have a meeting in an hour. Before that you should go through these two overview scripts" Boyoung explained.

"Hmm" inguk picked up the files. "What are these?" He asked.

"Overview of two dramas that we are producing, you are supposed to be the lead in one of them. We need to decide which one" Boyoung informed.

"Okay. Got it."

"I'll go now. Be on time for the meeting"

"Okay, Ms. Park" inguk teased as Boyoung left his cabin with a smirk.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw a bunch of girls standing near it.

"Yes?" Boyoung asked with a raised brow.

"Umm... Hello Ma'am, we were just wondering if Sir needs anything " one of the girls said.

"He will call for the person in charge if he needs anything," Boyoung said sternly.

"Umm. But we just gave him coffee and he accepted" the girl said with a wide grin.

Boyoung rolled her eyes. She was used to such fangirls even during the shoot and promotions of DAYS, but now she had to face it even in the office?

"Well, he prefers green tea in the morning, not coffee. So remember that for the next time you want to impress him" Boyoung said with a straight face.

"Oh okay, Ma'am" the girls chuckled.

Boyoung smiled and started walking away.

Crazy girls - she thought to herself

"She knows him so well " - Boyoung overheard the girls as she walked ahead.

Of course, I do - she thought.

~

The meeting hall was all set for the discussion to take place. Boyoung was a little early as usual and going through some pages in her file. There was a huge table with two head seats at the two ends of it. One was booked for Inguk and the other was for Boyoung so that they could face each other. While she waited for him to come, others started joining in.

"Boyoungie," said Hyun Jung, sitting on her left.

"Jung, Hi " Boyoung replied with a smile.

"What's up? You seem busy?" He asked.

"I am worried, we need to put Opp- I mean, Inguk-sshi in the right project." She said.

"But it's not in your hands Boyoungie, don't you know ?" Jung raised his brow.

"What? I don't understand?" She asked.

"Well, in one of the projects called - Miracle, you know who has been cast as the female lead, right? It's Kang Min Ji."

"So what ?" Boyoung asked.

"Huh, Boyoungie you're so innocent. Mr. Seo is definitely going to pick this project because I've heard he's close to Min Ji " shrugged Jung.

Boyoung, for the first time in her life, felt offended. She didn't know why.

"W-what do you mean, close?" She stammered.

"You know they were cast as a couple in another show a few years back and people went crazy over them. I've heard they are very close friends.. and you never know..."

Boyoung felt as if she skipped a breath. She knew Inguk was close to Min Ji but she was concerned that others were talking about them this way.

"I don't think he would choose a project just because of the female lead" Boyoung defended.

"Well, we all heard what he said in Baeksang awards" Jung smirked.

"That was for me. And he was just kidding"

"Was he?" Jung chuckled.

Boyoung wanted to say something but she herself didn't know why it bothered her so much. She looked at the door when Inguk walked in. She couldn't deny he had a charm that was different from others. He was dressed in a grey blazer with a white shirt and black pants, carrying the files in his hands. He greeted everyone and sat down, giving her a slight nod.

Boyoung didn't react and went ahead to brief the members.

"Good afternoon everyone, we are here today to make a decision. We have two Projects coming up, Miracle and Golden Bucket. Mr. Seo is supposed to star as the male lead in one of them, but we need to take a strategic decision on this. Whichever project we put Mr. Seo in, will be a major work for us in the coming months and will need most of our time."

Everyone nodded and looked at Inguk.

"Well, I would like to know all your opinions first. I'd like each one of you to tell me what you would pick and the reason" he said.

They went around the table and everyone presented their opinions. It was mostly mixed. The last one to speak was Boyoung.

"My opinion is clear, I want you to take up Golden Bucket. It is a fantasy drama and we know you would do good in that" she said.

Inguk heard everyone and thought for a while before expressing his point of view.

"I think our production house has always taken up fantasy and mainstream drama. Like the Golden Bucket. It is very generic and safe for us to take it. But repeating the same thing over and over again might end up putting a fantasy tag on Star Infinity. I want us to try something different, a romantic melodrama with a deep message, like Miracle. "

Boyoung crossed her brows and gritted her teeth. What he said made sense, but she was reluctant, she didn't know why.

"I think that's very risky Mr. Seo. We have never worked on a project like Miracle before, there is no guarantee " she said.

"That's why I want us to work on it. Let's master all genres of dramas and not just stick to our comfort zone" Inguk explained.

Boyoung looked around and saw everyone agreeing to him.

"I told you, he would do anything to work with Min Ji" whispered Jung, making Boyoung furious.

"That's absurd! And a big mistake" Boyoung said sternly to Inguk.

"I think Mr. Seo is right Ma'am," said one of the casting team members, and everyone else agreed except Jung.

"It's too risky, I can't say yes to this," said Boyoung.

"Ms. Park, you are ignoring the opinions of most of the team members? " Warned Inguk.

"I will not allow this because Mr. Kim would never do this," said Boyoung.

"I think Mr. Kim would do exactly what I'm doing Ms. Park, besides, I am the one who will take the final call on this since I'm the Actor," said Inguk sternly.

Boyoung didn't know what took over her senses but she suddenly stood up and banged the table.

"OPPA!" She shouted.

The entire team looked at Boyoung in horror. Inguk frowned, feeling entirely confused about her behavior. But he had to handle the situation.

He looked straight into her eyes, softening his expressions.

"Ms. Park?" He said calmly as if he was trying to bring her back to her sense.

Boyoung immediately realized what she had done. She apologized to everyone and sat down.

"Team, I'll discuss this separately with Ms. Park and let you know the decision tomorrow. Thank you for your time." Inguk said before ending the meeting.

Boyoung kept staring at him as he walked out of the room.

"Huh, now I know why Appa never kept a Vice president position when he was President. To avoid such conflicts" taunted Jung, leaving a furious Boyoung alone in the room. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

She picked up her phone and texted Inguk.

Don't shift to the President's Villa. I am not comfortable, hope I can decide on that?She wrote.

~

Boyoung was standing on the terrace. She was immensely angry at Inguk and stood with her hands folded and a grumpy face.

She looked over the street as the strong wind blew her hair and tickled her face. Suddenly there was an orange Ice lolly in front of her.

She frowned and looked to her side. It was Inguk, offering her that with a wide grin.

Boyoung rolled her eyes and looked away.

"C'mon, take it or else it will melt," he said.

"I don't want it" she replied without looking at him.

"Ya! I know you won't waste an ice lolly like that. "

She took a deep breath and turned to him.

"What do you want? What are you here for?"

"I'm here for you. The ice lolly is melting." He said insisting her to have it.

She saw that I was actually melting and falling on his hand. It was her instinct that she took it off immediately and started having it. But she was still mad. She looked away and didn't say anything.

" Is it nice?" Inguk asked.

"Yes," she said without thinking.

"I knew it. Ice lollies always melt you" he chuckled.

"You still remember?" She taunted.

"Of course." He smiled at her.

"I'm still mad at you. Go away" she commanded.

"Why?" He asked.

"You insulted me in front of everyone."

"Why? I wasn't the one who shouted at you. " Inguk chuckled.

Boyoung stared at him, with the ice lolly in her mouth.

"You went against me." She complained.

"You went against the majority of team members " Inguk defended.

"Huh! Really. There's no point arguing" Boyoung rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why you are so mad about it Boyoung"

"You clearly selected Miracle because you want to work with Min Ji again" she objected.

Inguk chuckled and tried not to laugh.

"Boyoung-ah, I would have told you this reason if that was the case," inguk said.

"Oh I see, so this could have been a reason too right? You're accepting it."

"Yes I am, Min Ji is a good friend and a nice actress, I would love to work with her again but .."

"Shhh! Just go away. " Boyoung looked away.

"Boyoung... you know I wouldn't lie to you. Min Ji is a close friend, but I didn't select Miracle for her. I know Mr. Kim wanted to do something different. Trust me."

"I don't trust you."

"Okay, if you have a problem with Min Ji, tell the casting team to change her. Okay?" Inguk suggested.

"Problem with her? Why would I have a problem with her? I don't care whoever you date. But at least you should let your best friend know." Boyoung sighed.

Inguk giggled and burst out into laughter.

"Who told you I'm dating her?" He asked.

"Umm... I- I heard people say you are close to her"

"That's true, she's a close friend, but not my best friend or girlfriend" he confessed.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Why would I lie to you? Don't you remember, I promised that if I ever date anyone, you'd be the first one to know?"

Boyoung finished her ice lolly and thought to herself.

Yes, that's the only reason I was bothered about Min Ji. Because if they were dating, he should have told me. That's it.

"Boyoung, Mr. Kim personally told me that he wanted to work on a different kind of project. That's why I took the decision. I hope you trust me enough to know that I won't lie about him."

Boyoung looked at him and nodded. Inguk smiled and extended his hand to take the ice lolly stick from Boyoung.

"Give it to me, I'll throw it on my way back"

It was normal for them, they were friends without any formalities. He pampered her whenever she was angry and she liked it.

She gave it over to him and looked away.

"Fine, I trust you." She said.

"Thank God. Ice lolly worked again." Inguk chuckled.

Boyoung darted her eyes back at him and twitched her nose.

"Was it a bribe? For your Vice president to agree with you?"

"Ummm.. you can say that. But I gave it to you because you look cute when you're angry and I was happy you called me Oppa today." He smirked.

Boyoung was taken aback. She had decided not to call him Oppa because she was angry at him for being away for so long. But she was so overpowered by her emotions at that moment that she did that.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Don't be. I'll See you later, I have some work Ms. Park" Inguk said walking away.

Boyoung wanted him to stay but she let him go. She wanted to get some fresh air for a bit longer to focus better on work.

~

It was late in the evening and office time was almost over. Boyoung wanted to have a final word with Inguk for which she rushed to his cabin. But she found him missing.

She went to his secretary who was sitting outside his cabin.

"Where is Mr. Seo?" She asked.

"Oh, Ma'am he left just now. His manager was here, He said Mr. Seo wanted to look for a place to live." The secretary informed.

Boyoung felt a sudden hit in her stomach. She had completely forgotten about her angry text which she had sent to him. Of course, there was no way he would make her feel uncomfortable.

"I need to rush," Boyoung said before running towards the elevator to catch him in the parking area.

What a fool I am. Why didn't I think practically that time? She said to herself.

She anxiously rubbed her hands together as the elevator went to the basement.

As the door opened she ran towards the parking. From a distance, she saw him walking towards his car while Sangwon was starting the car.

"Inguk-sshi" she called out.

Inguk stopped right there and turned around.

"Boyoung?" He felt surprised.

She ran as fast as she could and stood at a little distance.

"Hi, Boyoung" waved Sangwon getting out of the car.

"Hello" she greeted him and looked back at Inguk.

"Did I miss something Boyoung?" Asked Inguk.

"No. I mean... yes, I wanted to tell you that... umm..."

"Yes? Boyoung I'm getting late." He said.

"I am happy with your decision to take Miracle as your next project" she didn't know why she couldn't say what she wanted to.

"Oh. Good to know Boyoung." Inguk waved her a bye and turned back towards his car.

Boyoung knew he wouldn't get any hints and she had to do something to convince him right away.

She took a deep breath and called out.

"Oppa!"

He stopped immediately and looked back.

"Yes?"

Boyoung stayed quiet for a while before she spoke.

"Let's live together" Boyoung chuckled.

Inguk was stunned. It took him a few seconds to understand what she meant and he smiled.

"You and I" Boyoung continued.

Inguked couldn't help but giggle. Boyoung was still confused if he would agree or not. She kept looking at him with hope.

Inguk tuned to Sangwon and shrugged.

"Change of plans. We need to bring my stuff to President's Villa." He said.

"Ah. You two are impossible" Sangwon teased.

Boyoung grinned, feeling elated. She somehow felt she got her best friend back. She didn't think twice and ran towards him and felt like hugging him. But she was hesitant for some reason and stopped. Inguk smiled and gave her a friendly hug for a second.

"Thank you. I hope you won't be uncomfortable " he said.

"No. I was just angry that time." She said.

"Good then, I'll go get my bags"

"I'll tell the caretaker to prepare a room for you." She said.

"Thank you, Ms. Park. See you tonight " he said before going towards his car.

~

Inguk brought some of the necessary things along with him and entered the President's Villa. It was a huge mansion with three floors. The construction was unique with a mixture of traditional houses and modern homes. Mr. Kim loved woodworks and it was evident in the Villa. The ground floor was a huge hall with fancy couches, television, a music system, costly showpieces, a bar, a dining area, and everything necessary to entertain guests.

He was in awe of the beauty and comfort that the house radiated. His eyes went up to the first floor where Boyoung stood in a silver nightgown with a black robe.

"Welcome home, President Seo" she teased.

Inguk chuckled and a thought crossed his mind. She looked beautiful. But her hair was still tied in a bun.

The caretaker took Inguk's suitcases from the car and started shifting them to his room.

"Come up," said Boyoung.

Inguk took the stairs and reached her. He was dressed in a simple brown T-shirt and blue jeans. But his large round specs made him stand out.

"This is my floor, you'll have the one above this." She said.

"Hmm. Interesting" he said. "I love this place," Inguk looked around.

"Me too. Come, let's sit in my room while your room is getting ready" she said.

"Yes."

Inguk followed her to the room. There was a large well crafted wooden door that opened to her spacious room. It had white and golden wallpaper with a Poster Bed in the middle. It was made of strong wood, with a luxurious headrest and white frilled curtains on the frame. There was enough space for a couch and table at the side of her room. She had decorated the room with some of the gifts from her fans. There was a huge glass door that led to her massive balcony. She pulled the curtains on the glass door and walked towards her bed.

Inguk couldn't deny that the room had a scent of her which made him feel very comfortable.

"Do you like my room?" She asked.

"Yes. It's beautiful." He said.

"Thanks."

"I don't understand, why wouldn't Mr. Kim's kids live here?" Inguk asked.

"They have another Villa nearby. It is more modern. Since this had a traditional touch, his sons shifted there."

"So while his wife was alive, did they live here all by themselves?" Inguk asked.

"Yes, they lived here together," Boyoung said.

"Hmm.. no wonder this house radiates a lot of love," he said.

Boyoung felt nice that her thoughts matched with his.

"By the way, you have an important meeting tomorrow. For that, you need to know a lot of things." She reminded.

"Oh, I forgot about it."

"Yes, don't worry. I'll tell you everything right now. Just wait here." She said before walking out to get her laptop.

Inguk looked around and sat on the comfortable bed. This was the first time he had seen a poster bed this beautiful.

"I thought you'd prefer to sit on the couch, Mr. Seo?" Said Boyoung, standing near the door.

"Oh" Inguk stood up immediately. "Sorry, I - "

Boyoung started laughing and told him to sit down.

"It's okay. I don't like formalities in our friendship " she said.

Boyoung comfortably sat next to him and opened the laptop. Inguk adjusted himself and focused on the work.

"I'll get you some coffee, while you go through these details okay." She said.

Inguk nodded and took the laptop, leaning against the headrest.

A couple of hours passed this way, and they continued to prepare for the meeting. Boyoung didn't realize that it was too late until she looked to her side and saw that Inguk was fast asleep.

"Oppa" she whispered and leaned towards him. He did not respond.

"Are you sleeping ?" She asked in a low voice but got no reply.

She kept her hand on his shoulder to wake him up but stopped.

"No. He must be very tired. I should let him sleep." She said before sitting back up.

I'll go sleep in the guest room instead - she thought to herself and started getting up.

But her heart skipped a beat when she felt her wrist being held tightly. She immediately looked back to see Inguk half awake.

"Boyoung," he said in a husky voice.

Boyoung gulped in hard, she didn't know why she felt chills run down her spine. His grip was strong, not ready to let her go.

"W-what," she asked nervously.

"Where are you going?" He asked, with a blank stare. But his voice had a lot of depth which made her heart race faster.

"I'm... going to sleep" She stammered.

"Sleep here," he said sternly as if it was a command without losing eye contact.

Boyoung didn't know what to say or feel. It was weird but it didn't feel wrong to her for some reason. She didn't have control over her thoughts at all. She had to gather a lot of courage to question his intention but before she could say anything, he freed her wrist and sat up rubbing his eyes.

"I'll go sleep in my room, why were you leaving." He said yawning.

Boyoung immediately stood up and looked away. What a blunder! Did she really think he was asking her to sleep next to him? Or worse, was she on the verge of agreeing?

"Boyoung?" Inguk called out to her which brought her out of her thoughts and she looked back at him.

"Y-yes. Umm."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all" she said gulping in.

"Good night Ms. Park," he said with a smile, still sleepy and drowsy.

"You'll find your room right?" Boyoung asked.

"Yes yes," he said before walking out.

Boyoung took a glass of water and drank all of it to calm down her senses. She thought it was best to ignore what she felt.

**************

A/N : I updated after 2 weeks! I know, I deserve your anger 🙏😭

Anyway, it's really nice to release it on Valentine's Day 😍♥️ Happy Valentines Day Bboing Nation 😘

Coming to the chapter, I hope you liked it 🤞 there's a lot of plot in this story actually but I'll keep it slow 🤭 Sorry for any silly mistakes 🤧 Let me know your thoughts on insta, watty or AO3 😁😘 I'll be waiting 🙈

Also, Min Ji is just a made up name so don't relate her to any actress for real but you can have your own imagination of who she is 😎

I'll try to update the next one asap. I have realized, I love comments so I tend to update faster if I get more 😎🙂

See you all in the next chapter. Suggestions are always welcome 🙏♥️