What never should've happened.

The Apartment and some past...

After about forty five minutes of driving you could see the buildings of Seoul and you felt as if you could finally breathe. "It feels good to be back," you said while closing your eyes, "feels like home."

"Seoul is your home now, noona." Huang said, "let me guess, first stop is either Mega Coffee or Angel In Us?" You were driving over the bridge now.

"Mega Coffee, please, I'm dying for a blue butterfly iced tea with peach, it's been too loooong!" Huang laughed and nodded.

After a quick pit stop at the coffee house and a grocery store, you finally arrived at Gangnam and to your new apartment. It wasn't as fancy as you would expect from an apartment in that part of town, but it wasn't bad either. A fully equipped kitchen and laundry (a rarity in Korea given the small spaces), a dining room that sat eight, an spacious living room with a huge tv and sound system -the apartment was sound proof too-, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a walking closet, a small study room and a balcony that wrapped around the entire place. It was gorgeous, albeit a bit too much for just one person.

It was barely four in the afternoon, and you were tired, but you also knew that if you fell asleep you'd never recover from the jet lag. Huang had insisted that he was going to put your groceries away while you took a shower and that he'd wait for you so you could tune out the details of how things were going to work.

One of the things you loved about Korea was the assortment of skin and hair care you could find. There was an Olive Young practically every two blocks! Talk about convenience!

After a quick shower you got dressed in joggers and a flowy top, put your hair in a ponytail and went out to find Huang patiently waiting for you. "Alright, early dinner, my treat. I need samgyopsal, badly." You said as you grabbed your wallet and headed for the door.

"Is your hair wet, noona?" Huang began as he raced before you to open the door and to hail the elevator for you, "my grandmother would have an anxiety attack if she saw you, she'd say you were going to get sick and that it's not good for your hair to be roped up while wet."

"Well, then it's a good thing that I've only ever talked to your grandma twice, through video call, isn't it?" His grandma was a sweet old lady who called him at least twice a week and on two occasions you had been having your lunch break together. She was curious as to who you were, thinking there was something romantic going on, so you had to explain you worked together and were only friends. She wasn't entirely convinced nor happy, but she took it.

"There's supposed to be a good, small barbecue place a few blocks down, I did my research, so let's just walk, I need to soak in the air and fine dust," you both laughed out loud and put on your face masks as you exited the building.

If you had to name one reason, just one, to move to Korea, you'd say it was the food. There's no cuisine like korean cuisine. The pork belly at the small restaurant you found was amazing, the banchan abundant and the lady who ran it was the sweetest human alive! You ordered one bottle of soju and allowed Huang to pour the shots.

"Alright my friend, we're only drinking one bottle today," he gave you a questioning look so you continued, "I may have tomorrow off, but I have to be at the office the day after and I don't want to be hungover on top of jet lagged," he nodded in understanding, "besides, we don't need a goncha do over, do we?" You laughed but he frowned. "What's with the face?"

"What face?" He poured another round. "Really, Huang? That's how you want to play this?" You leaned back on the chair.

Huang looked straight at you and sighed, "Mianheyo, noona," he bowed his head, "I just don't like remembering that night." Tears pricked your eyes. You didn't know it had affected him so much. You always thought it was him being a friend and a gentleman.

"Watching you cry as you told me...all of that and then you showing me the actual scars on your back;" you winced and hugged yourself in a shielding manner, "I had never wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to hurt that idiot in that moment, I still want to kill him."

"Don't...don't say that, you're a good man, Huang-ssi," your voice was weak. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back bad memories." Huang cleared his throat and gave you a glass filled with soju. "That's why, when I heard you were up for this promotion I had my grandma put her prayer circle to work, so that you would get it," the tears you were holding back decided to roll down your face right then, "because the further away you're from that asshole, the better you are. At least here, I can protect you. So...here's to you, y/n" he raised his glass to clink with yours, which you immediately did, "may you have a successful, happy stay here, and if there's someone out there listening, may you decide to stay and build your life here, permanently."

You couldn't speak, his words had warmed your heart, so you just drank your shot as did he and then you beamed at him.

Yes, things would be great here.