𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞

13. Bourbon Old Fashioned

shuffling through the bunch of papers you needed to sign and going through documents were driving you crazy. it hasn't even been a full month and you're already knee deep in work.

at least work was not as stressful as people were right now.

"Mr. Ma, can you please get me the list of all the branches with the lowest returns on revenue? I want to meet some of the managers there on Friday... they would try having company dinners anyway, might as well have one with me, all of them together. and on Monday, I want to see some updates on some of the projects we invested in, we'll discuss which ones later. just mark these two things for me please" you asked your secretary and gave him instructions.

after reviewing a few other things, you heard you phone vibrate and checked out the notification that only made your stress levels shoot up, making you tap your foot against the floor violently and pick the dried skin on your chapped lips as you looked at the message on your phone.

'make sure you're not busy tomorrow, I'll pick you up at 10. dress comfortably'

who else could it have been other than the man of many names. you couldn't even bother at deciding which name you should call him by, that's an even tougher choice to make than the choices you got for your math algebra test in school.

'I'm busy.' was your simple reply

'shut up and just listen. we need to talk'

'We can do that over the pho-|' was what you were going to answer but you knew better than to get on his bad side now so you went back and answered with an okay and placed your phone away

your cracked your knuckles and crossed your arms close to your chest, your body slowly swaying back and forth, mind occupied by what he wanted to meet up with you tomorrow.
An hour passed by like that, you were pacing around the office and drinking more water than you usually did, deciding that this was not helping and need to get away and destress you left work.

all you knew was that you needed to get drunk to calm yourself down and so you drove to the only bar you knew.

and there he was, sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the room. His presence unexpected but not surprising.

"Jang Han Seo" you greeted him without any warmth in your tone yet you weren't cold either and sat down in the chair opposite, facing him

sighing and bowing down in response with his hands clenched together and arms resting on his knee, he loosened and messed with his tie a little bit after making a brief eye contact with you until he turned his head away pursing his lips, it was clearly written on his face that he did not want to be in this situation and neither did you, yet here were the both of you.

wasting no time, you ordered for a bourbon old fashioned while he took took a sip from his own drink.

shorty after your own drink was placed on the table you glanced at him, "your brother asked me wants to meet me tomorrow, do you know why?"

he shook his head in denial, "he does what he wants, I don't always know what he is up to unless he tells me."

"I thought I knew him but I was wrong" you chuckled disappointedly, "I feel so lost and at a dead end"

"the more you try to know him, the more you'll only end up getting hurt. please, just give him what he wants," Han Seo looked at you dead in the eye, his words seeming like advice, "and hopefully he'll leave you alone."

now it was your time to look down and purse your lips, when his own brother warns you that your best friend is dangerous, who are you to argue about it when you yourself witnessed it.