─── ·𖥸· ───

In Jeongguk's world, business dinners mean good food. You see, high-quality meat and caviar, who is he to complain then?

Jeongguk almost sent his company's Managing director in place of him to today's dinner at the Park's but after the debate, he was curious about this man. Park Jimin.

Secretary Kim told him that three years back, Park Jimin opened the skincare subsidiary of his dad's company, 'ON'. ON ranks fourth currently with its leading market being online shopping portals like Sahara and such. Has a background in dance, but suddenly switched to business because of a leg injury that forced him out of competition. That guy has raised a lot of questions in Jeongguk's brain.

"Do you see that man, white hair but black moustache?" Secretary Kim whispers in Jeongguk's ear, "Here." He passes him a glass.

"Yes I see him and I don't drink—"

"It's sprite." Secretary Kim clinks their glasses together and takes a sip. Jeongguk scoffs, You are too chic, Secretary Kim.

The elder continues, "He's the only one who has managed to make it on the Persona magazine. He used to be a model during his 40s, and got a column in the father's day edition."

Jeongguk twists his mouth in disapproval, "You mean to say such a magazine has approached us to feature not in some random column but their cover?"

Secretary Kim nods. "I find it strange too. I have been trying to fish out more information about the project from their team but all of them speak in circles. So typical."

Jeongguk nods, understandingly. That magazine company is definitely up to something. Jeongguk only sees red flags all hanging from it. Sending just an email with the most deceptive language that sounds like 'Sale! Sale! Sale!' and Jeongguk is just waiting to find an asterisk which says 'Terms and conditions apply'.

Secretary Kim walks away to find other secretaries and ultimately potential business partners for the future because he always says, "If you want to know what type of a CEO someone is, talk to their secretary."

That smartass.

Jeongguk sits on a stool near the bar, declining the waiter to get him a drink by waving his glass of sprite in his hand and looking around the room. A bunch of few boys sit on the couch pressed to the wall two seats behind him.

"But she really hasn't had any plastic surgery done." The particular statement from one of them makes his ears perk up and he looks over his shoulder briefly at the boys. He recognises one of them— and if he is correct— that is Park Jimin's younger brother, Park Jinwoo.

"She is wearing that purple bodycon dress today, everything looks real through them," Jinwoo says. Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows, what an asshole. He tries to ignore them, focuses on finding some familiar faces and do his business but then he spots Minhee standing just a few steps from the couch, looking at the artefacts hanging on the wall. She's wearing a purple bodycon dress.

"She really looks that way," one of the boys nods and takes a sip from his drink.

Are they talking about Minhee? Jeongguk turns towards them out of curiosity and sees their eyes trained towards her indeed. He reasons, maybe someone behind her, not her...but then Jeongguk looks around. Minhee is the only one wearing that purple bodycon dress tonight. It makes his blood boil.

Jeongguk exhales harshly. They are so loud, he's sure Minhee can hear them. In fact, anyone around the bar can hear them because the most significant thing about Park's dinners is the relative silence compared to other business parties.

Jinwoo smirks and keeps his glass on the table before bringing his hands near his chest area. "These are also real," he says while making gestures of groping with his fingers.

Jeongguk's hold on his glass tightens.

"Dude, that's sexual harassment," someone in the group says.

"Sexual harassment? Bro, you are too much," Jinwoo widens his eyes, picking up his glass, "I only said it to be funny, why are you attacking me?"

It'snotfunnyouasshole. Jeongguk wants to just go and punch. He's currently weighing his options. Violence has never been the answer for him, but what if he tries to fail an exam today?

"If no one laughed, it is not a joke bro," the other friend says. Jinwoo raises his hands up, "Alright, Gosh, Sorry," then proceeds to laugh, "The conclusion is, those are real."

Alright, fuck it. He would give the teacher a blowjob to make him pass. He's failing the exam for now.

He places his glass on the tabletop and stands up when someone stops him. He looks down at the hand around his bicep, and then up at its owner, "Don't worry, she'll manage."

It's Park Jimin who says that and Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows before looking back at Minhee. She's now holding a glass of red wine and approaching the group. Sirens flare in his head, her face screams danger.

Jimin releases his hold and stuffs his hands in his pocket before clearing his throat.

"That is a lovely jacket, Mr Park." Jeongguk hears Minhee say. He tries not to stare but he can't be subtle about the situation. Jinwoo's friends push each other to walk away and leave Minhee alone with him. Jinwoo visibly tenses, then smirks, "Thank you, Ms Yoon. You have a great eye indeed."

Minhee laughs. It's vicious and filled with enmity, Jeongguk could feel it down to his bones.

"What to do? I hate blue though." Minhee says and raises the wine glass in her hand, "Cheers to purple, Mr Park."

And before anyone can even realise, Minhee empties the entire glass of wine on his shoulder, drenching one side of his jacket with the liquid.

Jeongguk's lips part, in shock. "See, I told you she'll manage." Jimin says, making Jeongguk look at him, "Seems like you don't know your girlfriend that well, after all, Mr Jeon."

Before Jeongguk could defend himself, the sound of a glass breaking on the floor echoes in the room.

"What the fuck! Are you out of your mind?" Jinwoo barks, immediately standing up and snatching Minhee's glass to throw it on the floor like his. His chest is heaving, nostrils flaring and hands balled in a fist.

"No hard feelings Mr Park, wine is good for the skin and blood." Minhee chuckles, pretending to dust her hands. "It makes your blood redder, right now it's too dark with all your shit."

"You—"

It all happens too fast. Jinwoo raises his balled fist at her, Jeongguk and Jimin rush towards him, Jinwoo's friends stumble across the bar to hold him back and...Minhee lifts her leg up to kick his crotch.

By the time Jimin's parents arrive at the scene, Minhee is out of the hall with Jinwoo lying on the floor clutching his crotch and Jimin is sitting on a chair with his legs spread. Jimin's parents come to aid their child while the secretaries and staff try to keep the dinner going pleasantly.

...

Minhee has tried eating bath bombs to find out whether or not they taste the way they smell. She has used Eunwoo's razor to shave her legs because she thought it was the reason why his skin was so clean. She has tried inserting stress balls in her bra to make her chest look bigger.

Out of all the stupid things she has done, today's too cool for the blue session to rank second. (The stress ball in the bra remains first, it had made her look like an alien with six boobs.)

So, anything that has 'math' in it never crosses Minhee's mind and that includes 'aftermath'. Keeping the lame joke aside, the more important point is that Minhee's purple dress is getting dirty as she is crouched down beside her car in the parking lot with her head resting against one of the doors.

"How can you be so stupid, Yoon Minhee? Did you have to go so far and give the media more reasons to make you a villain?" Minhee sighs, thumping her head against the car door gently.

"You would have become the villain, either way." Minhee shivers hearing someone speak behind her and loses her balance, landing her butt straight on the ground. Sorry, Minhee's stylist, blame—

"Jeongguk!" Minhee yells, standing up and patting her behind to get the dust off, "When will you stop sneaking up on people?"

He ignores her and continues on his point, crossing his arms in front of it. "The media is cruel, Ms Yoon. If you hadn't stood up for yourself, you would have become a bad influence on young women for keeping quiet about it."

"You're not helping."

"I am just saying you did nothing wrong."

"Is that a praise?" Minhee leans her head back, looking at Jeongguk with squinted eyes. Jeongguk shrugs.

"I give credit where credit is due."

Jeongguk is sick in his mind. He knows. He can't physically bear with the calming air surrounding them in the parking lot, layered with the smell of fuel, tyres and coal.

He just indirectly praised Minhee, didn't he? That's against 'Business rivals, 101' you fucker.

Jeongguk pretends to think and then says, "Even though there were better ways to handle it than teach him colour mixing, he needed a lesson. His fashion was awful."

Better. The guy needed a lesson, Minhee taught him one. Perfect. Nothing more.

"I should kick your secretary first then." Minhee mumbles. Jeongguk points at her, offended. "He aces it, you don't get to say anything then."

Minhee rolls her eyes, leaning back on the car.

It's silent and calm, again. Jeongguk's skin is itching. It's never been silent between them, it's strange and almost..frightening.

"Mr Park actually loves people who make him laugh," Jeongguk says. "You should have posed for the camera with a peace sign and shouted 'Borahae' before exiting."

Jeongguk laughs and sounds like he's breaking inside, almost crying because whatever he said was so lame. He knows it. He knows that Minhee knows it.

"If you're done with your Borahae event, get lost."

Jeongguk scratches his head, "About that...give me a ride."

"What the fuck Jeon? Why would I?" Minhee scoffs, turning to remove her car keys from her handbag.

"Because my secretary kind of took the car with him?"

"Without you."

"Without me."

"Bad secretary." Minhee points. Jeongguk huffs.

"Book a cab."

"Can't. Give me a ride."

"Can't."

"I will buy you an ice cream." Jeongguk pretends to look elsewhere than Minhee who he is sure is giving him a pointed look, literally. "How old do you think I am?"

"Does eating ice cream require you to be of a particular age?"

Minhee sucks in breath sharply before holding a finger up. "Point. I am still not letting you sit in my car, in fact, I shouldn't even let you near it."

"I didn't marry your car behind your back, stop acting like a dad," Jeongguk says. He's too tired after a long day of work and dinner but he can't afford to lose this one.

"I— you. The last time when we visited your parents, your cats had put a scratch on the windows. Consider it payback." Minhee says, tone indicating that the conversation is over. She has won.

"What about the time you used my shampoo in my own house when you couldn't even save yourself from the rains?" Jeongguk tilts his head.

"And how's that an issue?" Minhee shrugs.

"You used up the whole bottle."

"Still no issue, baby millionaire."

Jeongguk fumes and points an accusing finger towards her, "That was a limited edition!"

Minhee scoffs, opening the door to the driver's seat, "Shampoos don't have limited editions, Jeon."

"And you call yourself a CEO." Jeongguk rolls his eyes, walking to the other side of the car. Minhee closes the door with a force. Jeongguk reaches the other side of the car, the chilly air now seeping through his translucent shirt, making him shiver.

He tries to open the door but realises Minhee has locked the car. It takes another five minutes of Jeongguk's most aggressive threats for Minhee to finally unlock the car and let him in the warmth. She must find some sort of sick thrill from making him suffer, Jeongguk was sure of it. He buckles on his seatbelt and grumbles in his head all the curse words he knew, he was shivering so hard it was becoming hard to think.

When Minhee inserts the key to ignite the engine, Jeongguk realises something, "Wait, you haven't had any drink have you?"

Minhee quirks an eyebrow. "Oh, I did though. What are you gonna do? Get off or continue on the road to hell."

Jeongguk relaxes at that, sinking comfortably in the seat. "I don't necessarily need to die to reach hell. Your car is one— " then he widens his eyes, pointing towards his shoes and almost yells, "Are those bits of chips on the ground?"

Jeongguk's face twists in disgust, trying hard to not step over any bits. And then the crunching sound of a chip is heard. It is so clear that Jeongguk is sure he's turned it into a powder. He sits still, looking like he will almost cry.

He makes a fake sound of crying, apologising to the chips for stepping on them. Minhee ignores him, pressing down the gear stick and pulling it into reverse. Always so dramatic.

"Why can't you clean your car?" Jeongguk whines. He can definitely smell grease in there, probably a lot of food parties go on here.

"I didn't ask you to sit in my car, you insisted! Suck it up, my car is clean."

"It is not! It looks like a shipwreck of the Titanic except instead of a painting of a nude woman we find chips!" Jeongguk says in one breath and then gasps for breathing.

Minhee laughs, if Jeongguk couldn't see the upturn of her lips he would assume she is gasping for air. "It would be weird if you found a painting of a nude woman in my car."

"I don't judge people's preferences. Unless!" he turns his body towards Minhee, resting his back on the door, "You have a nude painting of a woman and she is wearing a necklace of chips instead of diamonds."

Minhee looks at Jeongguk briefly but refuses to meet his soft gaze. It's too pleasant in the car, the sunset of Hokkaido looms over when Jeongguk laughs. She looks back in the front and says monotonously, "Okay Titanic enthusiast, stop making it weird."

Jeongguk scoffs, sitting back straight. "Then clean your car."

─── ·𖥸· ───

at this point, i am embarassed to reuse the whole shampoo exchange but the fic is incomplete without that. yes.