┌─❀*̥˚──◌───❀*̥˚──┐

soo-jin
└─◌──❀*̥˚.─◌─❀*̥˚─┘
[italian, english, korean]

⠀⠀⠀⠀"OH MY FUCKING GOD." Imelda groaned, pointing at the two dead men below her. She took a step back when their leaking blood started to come near her bare feet. The girl was dead asleep until she heard rustling noises followed by loud bangs. She immediately grabbed her brassed knuckles from the nightstand and ran out, ready for action. All of that just to be disappointed. Her brother already had it handled. She yawned, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "It's too early for this shit."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Pack your things and get dressed." Vincenzo ordered. "We have to go."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Luckily for Imelda, she never had the time to unpack her things.

*̥❀*̥

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Are you sure that you don't want to ride with me?" Vincenzo worriedly asked as the two exited their plane. "I don't want you to get lost."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "It's okay. I already called my friend and let her know that I'm here." Imelda smiled, feeling excited to see her friend for the first time in two years. "She's going to take me to my place so I can drop off my things."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "You have friends in Korea?" He raised an eyebrow momentarily before his confusion doubled. "Wait– what place?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Hell yeah. I have plenty." Imelda scoffed. "And I googled your 'plaza'. I'm not staying there."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"But Mel, you know Pablo–"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I booked a nice hotel right down the street from the plaza." She rushed out before he could ruin her plans. "Plenty of security and I am just a speed walk away from you."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"With what money?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Imelda sheepishly looked away, knowing damn well it was going to be his. "... No need to worry about that."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "It's mine.. isn't it?" Vincenzo sighed to himself. "Whatever. I already texted you the address. Be sure to be there by–"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Excuse me."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ The Cassano siblings stopped walking, sharing a confused look before turning their attention to the airport security that approached them.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "I need to do a quick inspection." The security guard pulled out his phone, taking a brief glance at a picture. He looked at Vincenzo then back at the picture once again. He shoved the phone back into his pocket. "May I see your identification, sir?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Vincenzo lets out a quiet sigh as he pulled his passport out of his suit pocket. The security guard took his passport, eyes moving to skim the information.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Oh? Ah– I wasn't expecting you to be Korean-Italian!" The man gasped, eyes widening. "Gosh, I am so sorry. The wanted man is Korean, you see." He chuckled nervously. "Ah, I'm sorry."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Imelda nodded, understanding completely while Vincenzo just stood there with an annoyed facial expression. The man was about to hand the passport back until he read his name again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Oh, you have such a cool name! Vincen Zo-sshi? Which Zo clan are you from?" He joked. The siblings annoyed eyes didn't move away from the man as he started laughing at his own joke.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He was just wasting their time at this point. Imelda decided that she has had enough of this nonsense. She snatched Vincenzo's passport out of the man's hand and walked away without another word. Vincenzo gave him one last dirty look before following behind.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ As they headed out towards their original destination before they were rudely interrupted, Vincenzo pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket, checking the caller ID then answering.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Yes, Mr. Cho. We got here safely." He continued walking, nodding his head as the man spoke. "Ah, I see. We'll see you there then. It'll take about an hour and a half. Okay."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ They stood outside, searching for taxis for Vincenzo. Imelda's friend had already texted her saying that she was two minutes away. As they looked around, an older man dressed in a suit walked up to them.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Excuse me. Are you looking for a taxi?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Imelda rolled her eyes. What was up with them being approached by random people?

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Yes." Vincenzo nodded.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "I drive a limousine." He said, pointing over at a limo that was parked nearby. "My appointment just got canceled so I'm available. Where are you headed?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Geugma-Dong, Seoul." Vincenzo answered. Imelda narrowed her eyes at the strange man for a moment then stared at the cars ahead. She thought that maybe if she didn't acknowledge him, he'd leave her alone. Something about this whole thing seemed suspicious but it doesn't matter since she's not riding with him anyway.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Really? Then I promise to give you and your girlfriend a comfortable ride."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Imelda continue to stare ahead, having to hold herself back from letting her feelings of disgust reach her face. The man attempted to grab Vincenzo's suitcase.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "We're good." Vincenzo shook his head but the driver was not taking no for an answer.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "I'm good too. Please, get in."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ He grabbed Vincenzo's suitcase and placed it in his trunk. He walked over to Imelda to do the same.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "No, thank you." She said politely, giving him a fake smile. Just as he reached out to get her suitcase, Imelda took a step back then slapped his hand away, looking down at him in disgust. "I said no."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ The man bowed, backing away from the tall woman.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "I'll see you in a bit." She said, giving Vincenzo a quick hug before he got into the car. She watched as the driver rushed to get in with a sly smirk on his face. Something bad was going to happen but she wasn't worried. Vincenzo was a big boy that can handle himself.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Soon after they took off, her ride pulled up in front of her. Imelda squealed when her friend rushed to get out of the car. They both screamed as they ran into each other's arms, meeting half way. Imelda squeezed the much shorter woman tightly, sighing happily.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Imelda! You're really here!" Her friend, Soo-Jin greeted, pulling away from their hug. She lifted her shades to look Imelda up and down, eyes lingering on her butt for a few seconds before moving up to her eyes. Imelda chuckled, turning around so she got her a better look. Soo-Jin had always been on the fruity side despite having a husband. That's Imelda's favorite thing about her. Soo-Jin seems so cute, reserved and innocent when in reality, she's a crazy wild card. You never know what to expect from this woman. She took the opportunity to slap Imelda's butt. "You look good! How long has it been?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Two years." Imelda answered.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Two years?" She shouted, gasping dramatically. "Gosh! We have so much to catch up on! Go sit in the car while I put your suitcase up."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Before Imelda could protest, Soo-Jin picked up her suitcase and started heading towards her car. Imelda sighed at her busy body friend, following her words and getting into the car.

*̥❀*̥

⠀⠀⠀⠀The two had talked the entire ride, making an hour and a half drive feel like minutes. They caught up on life, gossiped, sang along to the radio. Imelda thought it was great to have some girl time before she was stuck with her brother.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"You sure this is the right place?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ The two woman stood outside, staring at the raggedy, run down building in front of them with matching furrowed eyebrows and frowns on their faces. Imelda checked the address on her phone to confirm.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Unfortunately." She sighed, looking up at the building again. It somehow managed to look slightly worse than what she saw online. Booking that hotel was a good call. "That's what the GPS is telling me."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ They stare at it for a few more moments before they silently walked towards the driver side door, still staring the questionable building down. Imelda was wondering what he brother was thinking while Soo-Jin was still worried that it was the wrong address.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Should I wait until your brother gets here?" She asked.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"No, he should be here soon." Imelda smiled, waving her off. "I'll be okay."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"You sure? Because I have no problem–"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm sure." Imelda reassured her worried friend. "You should go home and tell your husband that he better lock the doors since I'm back in town."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Soo-Jin laughed at the thought of her husband's reaction of Imelda being back in Seoul. That man would do everything in his power to keep them apart.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I should, huh?" She chuckled. "You know, he still brings up the time we were dancing together at the club. That, and the other time I got drunk–"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm going to stop you there." Imelda interrupted her, already know what that was going. One night, the two and a few other friends had met up at Soo-Jin's house to pre-game before they went on their girl's night out but ended up getting so drunk that they didn't even go out. The man came home after a long day of work to see his wife taking shots off of Imelda's body that laid on their kitchen island. After that, he saw Imelda as a bad influence. "I mean– That was a really a sight to see. I'm not even mad at him."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"So what? I can't have fun with my friends now that I'm married?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I– Maybe don't take shots off of peoples body?" Imelda shrugged. "I don't know the rules and limitations on that! I'm not married."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Soo-Jin rolled her eyes. "He will live."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Sure.." Imelda playfully rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. My brother should be here soon."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Speaking of which, she texted him a few times since they had separated and he hadn't replied to none of them. Usually, she wouldn't trip about it because he barely replied in the first place but he didn't even read them yet.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Okay.. Be sure to call me when you get settled so we can go out!" Soo-Jin said as she continued to wearily stared at the building. She gave Imelda a quick hug before she got back into her car.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ As soon as she pulled off, Imelda dialed Vincenzo's number, holding her phone to her ear. She furrowed her eyebrows when it made it to the fourth ring then went to voicemail. As she went to dial again, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Mel–"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Before he could finish his sentence, Imelda let out a loud shriek. She turned around and sent a right hook to the person's stomach. He folded over in pain, coughing. Imelda gasped when she realized who it was.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Zozo?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ He groaned in response.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "You can't sneak up on me like that!" Imelda slapped his shoulder. "Almost made me piss myself–"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ She stopped talking to frown at his appearance. His previously neat suit was dirty, hair was a mess, and his suitcase was missing.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "What in the hell happened to you?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Before he could give an answer, a voice spoke from behind them.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Sir."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ They both turned around to see a man with glasses. Vincenzo stepped forward to greet the man.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Mr. Cho, have you been well?" Vincenzo asked, holding his hand out. Mr. Cho reached out and shook his hand.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Yes." He frowned, taking a better look at Vincenzo's appearance. He pointed at his dirty suit. "But what on earth happened to you?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "It's nothing." Vincenzo smiled awkwardly. Mr. Cho's eyes moved to Imelda, eyebrows slightly furrowing in confusion. "This is my younger sister, Imelda."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Ah, yes! I remember you telling me about her." He said. He turned towards Imelda who smiled and waved at him. He held his hand out. "It's nice to meet you."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ She shook his head, bowing slightly. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Cho."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "What about my residence?" Vincenzo asks. "Were you able to get a bedroom like I requested?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Yes I did. I heard you were coming so I had it cleaned. And I also put away your items from Italy. I didn't know that Ms. Cassano would be joining us so I unfortunately only have one room."

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Good thing I already booked a hotel room, am I right?" Imelda grinned, nudging her brother's ribs with her elbow who just scoffed in annoyance.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Mr. Cho chuckled before gesturing towards the building. "Let's get going now."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mr. Cho started walking with Imelda and Vincenzo following closely behind.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "How are things going?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "As you read in the file, the Development Opposition Committee has been formed. I already told them that I won't sell off the building but they don't believe them." Mr. Cho said. The two siblings nodded. Imelda furrowed her eyebrows when she saw something that looked like a big red ball move out of the corner of her eye.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"What the hell?" She muttered in confusion.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh right, Babel E&C bought all the shops around the plaza."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ During their flight to South Korea, Vincenzo was very generous and informed her of everything that has happened so she wouldn't be behind.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Any other pressure from Babel E&C?" Imelda spoke up. The two men gave her a surprised look, not expecting her to say anything. If we're being completely honest, she didn't care much. She just wanted to say something.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Nothing.. Other than the team leader of Investment and Development coming here daily to make an offer."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ The three continue walking down the hallway on the third floor, heading towards Vincenzo's residence. As Mr. Cho pulled out his keys to unlock the door, Vincenzo leaned over the edge to see how high they were. He leaned back, lifting his arms about his head. Imelda scrunched her nose in disgust when she saw a sticky substance his hand. He squinted his eyes to get a better look at it.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Ew, is that gum?" Imelda questioned.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Uh.." Mr. Cho opened the door, taking a step aside to let the two in. "There's soap in the bathroom.."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Damn it." Vincenzo cursed, rushing into the room with Imelda and Mr. Cho following behind. They all take their shoes off at the entrance before fully entering the residence. Mr. Cho turned on the light behind them. The Cassano siblings look around the room, disapproval taking over the male Cassano's facial features. Imelda didn't think it was too bad. It was better than the dorm she lived in her first two years of college, that's for sure.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "I already set up the bed and blankets for you." Mr. Cho says, gesturing towards his bedroom. "And I will schedule a meeting with the tenants tomorrow."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Okay." Vincenzo nodded.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Once the project is done, are you two planning on staying in Korea?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ The siblings shared a look.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "No." They answered simultaneously.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "I see." Mr. Cho smiled, nodding slightly. "I put your new cell phone, cash, and the things you asked for in your bedroom."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Thanks." Vincenzo replied before looking up at the ceiling. Seeing his look of distaste, Imelda looked up to see glow in the dark stars scattered around. She thought it was cute but Vincenzo obviously did not approve. "What's that?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mr. Cho looks up. "Oh, the previous tenants must've put them up. Should I get them off?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "It's fine." Imelda kindly waved the man off. "No need to make such a fuss over that. You won't be here long anyway. Right, Zozo?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀ He sent a glare her way before nodding towards the man. "Thank you again."

⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Very well. I'll leave you to get settled." Mr. Cho gave the two a smile. He headed back towards the entrance and slipped his shoes back onto his feet. He waved at them one last time before heading out.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Once the door closed, the siblings shared a look.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I have to pee!"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"No way! I need to shower before we take a look at the building." Vincenzo gestured to his very dirty suit.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Imelda shoved Vincenzo, catching him off guard. As he stumbled, she ran off to the bathroom being sure to slam the door behind her. She locked it as she heard rapid footsteps coming for her.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Ah ha! Gotta be quicker than that!" Imelda taunted, sticking her tongue out even though he couldn't see her.

✿❯────「✿」────❮✿
Word Count: 2,675 words.

subtle changes here.