Accept Me

Chapter Twelve

HYUK JAE

Kimi makes my life hard this week. She's pleasant and agreeable and not at all normal. There's no snide remarks and I picture in my head that she's not shrugged once this week, she's that off.

On top of her off-ness, she's avoiding me. We haven't physically shared a space even once this week and she's continually insisted that she had too much work and couldn't play with me at all. I've finally got her nailed down, though, and she's meeting me out at my favorite bar. I want to go pick her up at her apartment but she's weirdly adamant that I not do that, so in a bid to be respectful of her wishes I agree to meet her out.

I'm waiting at the bar when I get a text from Kimi saying she's sorry but she can't come out.

For fuck's sake.

I don't respond to her text as I head out to her apartment. There's a commotion outside her house when I get there, and her landlady, Mrs. Park is sitting on the external stairwell that leads straight up to the balcony outside Kimi's apartment. I've always taken the internal stairs because the metal stairs are rickety in my opinion, and I don't trust that shit not to fall straight off the side of the house.

Mrs. Park sits placidly on the stairs ignoring the well-dressed man who's gesturing wildly at the stairs, flashing his phone screen at her, waving a paper around, and yelling. She snatches the paper from his hand and he goes to grab her so I speed up a little because physically assaulting little old ladies is something I like to put a stop to when the opportunity arises. It being totally cold and uncool and shit.

I don't have to intervene though because a familiar bleach blonde man appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabs the other man's arm yanking him back. I recognize Choi Ricky when he turns his face towards me as he hauls the other man away from Mrs. Park.

He looks surprised and then worried when he spots me, probably that's not good.

"Ricky," I say pleasantly enough, as I stroll forward, hands shoved in my pockets to stop me from throwing punches before I have any idea what's actually going on outside Kimi's apartment.

"I have a reservation," the dude looks likes someone I know but I can't put my finger on it. "I already paid for her through the website."

"Paid who for what?" I ask casually and Ricky shakes his head at me so I raise an eyebrow.

"There's just been a misunderstanding, Hyuk Jae," he tells me, "he didn't know it was a scam, but it was really expensive so he's a little put out. You know?"

"I don't know, actually. Tell me."

"This dumbass," Mrs. Park hikes a casual finger at the stranger, "thinks he bought a night out, and more, with Kimi. I've got his reservation receipt right here," she waves the paper around wildly, "Kimi didn't answer her door so he came banging on my door, demanding I let him in. It seemed like a bad idea, so I didn't do it," she sniffs, folding her arms across her chest.

"Mmmm. It does seem like a bad idea," I agree and turn to Ricky, waiting for him to start explaining in detail. I smile pleasantly enough and look expectant.

"It's a misunderstanding is all," Ricky repeats.

"Explain," I tell him and before he can the stranger starts yelling about how he paid six million won for the night and he expects Kimi to get her ass outside. He already picked a hotel for after dinner and drinks. He expects her to give him the whole night because that's what he paid for and she better be the fuck of his life at this point or he's going to report her.

"Report her where?" I'm genuinely curious, what with prostitution being illegal. This seems to hinder his tirade and he pauses to really look at me.