Seriously Yours

Chapter 17 - Blackmail

“What?”

“You heard me right, Jeong Hyeok-ssi. Let me join your undercover if you want me to zip my mouth and not reveal your identity,” Se Ri repeats, zipping her mouth literally using her two fingers to emphasize her meaning.

I am already surprised to see her here, now she surprises me again by asking me this ridiculous demand. Well, it doesn’t look like she’s asking me at all but is forcing me to say yes. This is a blackmail!

“You don’t know what you are talking about. Going undercover is a dangerous task. I can’t just let you in,” I say in a firm voice with my hands planted on my waist.

“Okay, if I can’t be in the plan then I’ll just ruin it then!” Giving me one last threatening look, she tries to walk away from me, “Here! There’s a-” 

Her words drown in her own mouth as I instantly block it off using my hand. When she stands still, I let my hand loose lightly.

“Listen, this is something-”

“Here!” she yells after sensing that I am trying to reason out again, I immediately block her mouth again.

“Okay! Okay!” I cry desperately.

She no longer struggled when I say that so I put my hand down as she stares at me curiously.

“Okay? So that means I’m in?! Right?” she asks, her eyes dancing from delight as she tugs my coat.

I nod helplessly. She smiles widely which instantly fades when she lowers her eyes and notices her hands tightly clasped on my coat. Immediately, she let go of my coat. An action that made me aware of our closeness. I drop my hands that held her arms as well.

Awkward.

Both clearing our throat, I watch her under my eyes and she is doing the same way to me. 

“So... tell me all the details tonight,” she says with a slight tone of authority in her voice. Meeting my gaze fully and boldly which she always does since the first day we met.

“Wait, all the details? You can just tag along. I don’t think I need to tell you all the details.” The case is too complicated for her to handle and some details classified.

“No. Tell me everything tonight once we got back in the house,” she insists.

“House?”

A voice startle us and Soo Hyun is already beside me.

“What’s about the house?” she asks, staring simultaneously at me and Se Ri.

“Ah- H-house! Yes! The hospital is like a house in which nook and cranny we should know. I was telling Dr. Ri about that coz he was thinking otherwise,” says Se Ri hastily, returning her eyes on me and then continues in a scolding manner. 

“That’s why... like I said... touring around is important, did you get it, Dr. Ri?”

“Yes, Ms. Yoon,” I reply with a masked irritation for making me look like I was backing out of the tour. 

Soo Hyun nods then turns to me, “I’m sorry, Dr. Ri, but I did not see any keys in Ms. Seo Dan’s table.”

“Yes, it’s here in my coat. Sorry to trouble you.”

“No worries, Dr. Ri,” she replies while smiling to me adorably. Totally opposite of Se Ri’s disinterested look.

Soo Hyun’s eyes light up again as she resumes the tour.

“Alright! So let’s go to the most important part of the hospital,” she starts then turns at us with a questioning look on her face, hinting us to guess what it is.