Zen looked at Jumin with a growing glare, but he wasn't able to say anything since Jumin had already escaped from the garden, Jaehee hot on his heels.
---

"Wait! Mr. Han!" Jaehee called, confusion seeping into her voice as Jumin stormed through the building until they reached the restaurant and Jaehee was able to free her hand from his.

Jumin turned around as he snapped back to reality, and stared at her with wide eyes.

"What happened back there?" she demanded to know, crossing her arms. "Why did we run away from Zen?"

Jumin avoided her sharp sight, glancing away before asking her a question. "Why were you with him...?"

"Because we were about to discuss the artistic project for the company," Jaehee stated firmly, "And Zen is a major part in helping us achieve success."

Jumin frowned, still unable to look at her. "In that case... it'd be most beneficial if we canceled the project."

"Huh..." Jaehee's eyes widened in disbelief. "Pardon? Why?" she asked with a frown of her own.

Jumin put one his hands on his hips. "I have my reasons," he said blankly. "And partnering up with such an unpredictable and irresponsible person as Zen would do no good to C&R."

Jaehee stepped closer to him, glaring even further. "You're not making any sense," she told him, unable to comprehend what caused this sudden change.

The director finally shifted his steely eyes back at his assistant. "...I don't have to explain everything to you," he said in an impulse, with that cold voice that characterized him.

Jaehee felt something snap inside her at that moment. After all this time, she had thought he had changed.

"You..." She couldn't finish her sentence. She quickly glanced away with a choked up expression. "Then I suppose I should take my leave."

Jumin's glare immediately dissipated into regret as he saw his assistant rush away with an angered and disappointed face.

He wasn't able to say anything as she disappeared despite how much he wanted to stop her, to implore her to stay. He went against his desires and instead walked away instead, turning to one of the opposite doors when a food trolley accidentally ran into him.

Looking down he saw the chef's and waiters' apologetic faces as they were ready to carry the strawberry cake and red wine to him and Jaehee. He shook his head slightly before continuing to hurry out of the place.
---

Jaehee truly felt foolish.

She should have known better than getting her hopes up and seeing all her illusions get torn apart in front of her.

She thought... she thought she understood Jumin.

"I..." She took off her heels before plopping down on her bed. "I should have listened to Yoosung." They really were too different to fit, it seemed. And she would only hurt herself more if this ridiculous jest continued between her and Jumin.
---

"V?"

"Hyun," the mint-haired man replied from the other line. "I wished to talk to you. Forgive me for not appearing in so long..."

Zen scoffed as he talked into his phone. "The Trust-Fund Kid must be worried," he remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes..." V sounded concerned. "Speaking of Jumin, I've been meaning to ask you about something important..."

"Huh? About that jerk?" Zen asked, bemused.

"I heard you two had an argument not too long ago."

"How did you find out about that?!" Zen exclaimed with surprise.

"Luciel informed me," V mysteriously stated.

"And how did Seven find out about that?!"

V gave in to a nervous laugh before proceeding. "What I'm actually trying to convey is that I'm worried over your relationship right now."

"I wouldn't even call it a 'relationship'," Zen said with clear disgust.

"You know the least I want is for the RFA members to be enemies, Hyun." V sighed deeply though the phone. "I want to do my best in encouraging you to apologize to Jumin."

"Eh?! Excuse me?!" Zen hollered in response. "What?! V! There's no way on Earth I'm apologizing to that jerk!"

"I dislike to highlight it Hyun, but you did start the fistfight..."

"Because I had a good reason!" Zen emphasized. "That CEO-in-line was being even more of a bastard than usual!"

"Hyun..." V reproached him with disapproval. "Like I said, RFA members shouldn't be enemies, and I believe this strange battle between you and Jumin has gone too far."
---

The last person Jumin had expected to see after the horrible night this had turned out to be was Zen himself, standing right in his front door. He debated whether if he should tell the security guards to escort him out, but Zen made eye contact with him and he knew there was no turning back.

"What do you want?" he harshly asked the albino man, who now was sitting on the sofa in his living room while glaring daggers at the back of his head. "I thought I made it clear I didn't want you in my sight ever again."

"The feeling is mutual," Zen noticed how Jumin planned on ignoring him completely as he stared into the French windows with his back turned at him. His figure with crossed arms was reflected on the glass alongside the beautiful view of the city outside. "...But I came here because I had no other choice," Hyun finished, leaning forward. "V-"

"What were you doing with Jaehee?" Jumin cut him off, shooting a side glare at the other man.

Zen blinked in confusion. "What's with her?" He huffed as an annoyed look crossed his face. "Apart from you being an irrational jerk, of course."

"You were the one being irrational when you prevented Assistant Kang from arriving to her meeting with me on purpose," Jumin accused with disdain, finally shifting a bit towards him. "That was low and petty, even for you."

"What?" Zen began laughing mockingly. "Why would I-" Then his crimson eyes widened in realization. "You... you're scared, aren't you?"

"Scared of what?" Jumin snapped.

"Of me taking her away from you," Zen told him with a blank, serious expression. "You're scared of losing her."

Jumin's glare suddenly faltered, and Zen knew he was right.

"Wow, look at that." Zen got up from his seat with new confidence, a wide smirk spreading over his features. "The insensitive Trust-Fund Kid is actually afraid I will sweep his assistant off her feet..." he mockingly laughed.

Jumin refused to respond to that, deciding on turning back to the window defensively.

"You know what, Jumin?" Zen inquired with a sense of amusement. "I may actually just do that. I will... and I will show you that whoever Jaehee likes is none of your business, and never will be."

Jumin still wouldn't reply; his hands started to shake nervously as he gripped his nails into his arms in an attempt to hide his fear.

"I bet you'll also cancel the art project because of your irrational insecurity, too," Zen smirk got replaced with a glare. "You pretend you're some kind of unreachable robot, Jumin Han... but truly you're just a privileged, unprofessional coward who lets his feelings damage everyone around him."

Jaehee's disappointed expression when he told her he had canceled the project flashed through his mind and his blank mask broke.

He turned to Zen with a defiant, determined stance on his grey eyes. "I will continue the project," Jumin growled under his breath as he informed him. "And I could care less whether you're part of it or not."

Zen chuckled with a sneer before walking away and opening the door to leave. "I wonder how this will turn out, CEO-in-line."
---

"Miss Kang, I need your help with some documents for the art project," one of the subordinates asked Jaehee.

"Huh? But there's no art project anymore..." Jaehee replied with bemusement, her eyebrows creasing. "Mr. Han canceled it."

"Eh? No, miss. Mr. Han ordered the documents from me just this morning."

Now Jaehee's confusion was replaced with sheer anger. "Pardon?" She didn't wait for the nervous employee to stutter out a response and marched down to office for explanations.

When she finally arrived, she didn't even bother knocking before basically bursting into the room. Jumin surprisedly turned towards her and she put herself in front of him with a clear frown gracing her features. "Excuse me, Mr. Han, but I can't help but be confused over the fact the art project has been restored out of the blue."

Jumin glanced at her before putting away a stack of papers next to his elegant fountain pen. "I decided to restore the idea, is there an issue with that, Assistant Kang?"

Jaehee was practically fuming at this point. "I thought you expressed continuing this project would be a terrible idea, awful for the company..." Jaehee stepped away from him, her hands balled up into fists. "That's what you told me last night." He knew how much she wanted to do that project...

Jumin looked away from her; the events of last night still too overwhelming. "...I changed my mind," was all he said before turning back to work, urgently wanting to distract himself from Jaehee's piercing golden eyes.

Jaehee's gaze widened slightly, disbelieving of how he was behaving. "Oh, right," her voice resounded in a rare, sarcastic tone. "You don't have to explain everything to me."

Jumin still was unresponsive; unable to comprehend how disappointed she was. "Mr. Han... please do not make me resign twice," she warned him before walking away, leaving Jumin more than distressed.