Notorious ⊷ Haechan

21 ⊷ Returned

unintentionally cute Haechan will be the death of me

⊷ 21

A girl had her elbows pressed into the front desk, fluttering her eyelashes at Jugyeong who was standing on its other side, smiling timidly. It was obvious that the girl was exaggerating, yet her overall affectionate gaze seemed to be genuine. 

The two were completely focused on one another - all until Ji-yoon stepped into the lobby and, at the same time, into Jugyeong's view. The older's smile dropped. Eyes wide, she rounded the front desk and ran up to Ji-yoon. 

She hugged her tightly. 

"You are back," Jugyeong mumbled in relief.

Smiling, running her hand up and down Jugyeong's back soothingly, Ji-yoon nodded.
"Did I worry you?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed, then stepped away from her. Seeing the carefree expression Ji-yoon had, reassured the older enough to calm down. She took a deep breath.

Ji-yoon glimpsed at the girl behind Jugyeong that had been watching the two with a frown. She didn't say anything but wordlessly urged Jugyeong to turn around. 

Quickly understanding her cues, the older stepped forward so that she stood between the two girls. 

"Let me introduce you," Jugyeong said, then pointed at the girl. "This is Min-jun, my girlfriend." 

Ji-yoon bowed her head politely. "Nice to meet you." 

Jugyeong then pointed at the youngest of the three. "And this is Ji-yoon, head of HR." 

At which Min-jun copied the polite head bow and then added a brief, 
"It's nice to meet you too." She looked her up and down. "Jugyeong said you had an accident. Are you better now?" 

She quickly nodded. "I am, thank you." 

"So I have to endure your presence again?" Soo-yeon muttered as she entered the lobby. She walked up to the three, yet didn't bother looking at the older two of them. 

It was a shame that Ji-yoon had to come across her so early in the morning. The sight of Soo-yeon as well as the sound of her voice were utterly irritating, almost leaving her in a bad mood. 

However, it was her first day back at work and so she refused to let her ruin it. 

"I hate you too," Ji-yoon said with a smile. A painfully big, sugary sweet smile that was as sarcastic as it could get. "But if you don't want to see me anymore I just will make sure you get fired before the day ends." 

Surprised, Min-jun looked at her girlfriend. "Can she do that?" she whispered. Jugyeong nodded. "Cool." 

Soo-yeon raised a brow. "Unfair dismissal? Do you want a lawsuit on your hands?" 

"You abused your status towards the interns and you delay important meetings," Ji-yoon reminded her, staying polite. "I am being generous by offering you more chances. Shouldn't you be thankful?" 

Soo-yeon huffed, offended. "Thankful?" she repeated dumbfounded. "Never." And walked away, not offering her another glance. 

Ji-yoon sighed. "I hate her." 

"Why don't you just fire her?" Jugyeong wondered. 

"People can mess up sometimes," she replied drily, shrugging. "I am giving her another chance." 

One that she was about to waste. 

Regardless, ignoring that encounter, Ji-yoon made her way upstairs and to the office of the APT team. The boys there were all pretty close. It created a nice, inviting atmosphere that Ji-yoon enjoyed quite a lot.